"Heart of Steel" is a two-parter composed by the thirty-ninth and fortieth episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. Part I originally aired on November 16 and part II on November 17, 1992.
Plot
Part I
A rather unusual briefcase.
It's closing time at Wayne Enterprises and a woman deliberately leaves her briefcase behind. Security finds it and takes it in finding that it's only a bunch of papers but other than the fact that there's no ID nothing seems to be unusual about it. Deciding the briefcase is ordinary enough the security guards decide to leave and bump into Bruce Wayne who's on his way out. Now alone, the briefcase sprouts metallic legs and a mechanical eye and makes its way into the research and development lab. Once there, it uses a laser cutter to enter into the safe and starts stealing microchips setting off the alarm in the process. Security locks up Bruce in their office and go to investigate. Bruce, however, has no intention of standing around and enters into a secret panel in the wall. Security makes it to the robot but it easily knocks them out with gas. It then tries to escape down the elevator but finds that Batman is there waiting for it. Batman tries to capture the robot but its laser cutter is too much for him and it manages to fly away. Unwilling to let it end so easily, Batman goes to another secret compartment and unfolds his glider.
Out by the beach, the woman who left the briefcase waits for the robot to reach her and takes the stolen microchips. She then gets into her car and instructs to take her home. As she rides, Batman starts to follow but the car's surveillance system spots him and the car starts shooting at him. Batman's glider is hit and he falls into the ocean. Though relatively unharmed, he's lost the car.
Batman returns home and leaves his glider in a pair of robot arms. He then receives a call from Lucius Fox who reports that all the "protein-silicon wafer chips" were stolen. Fortunately, the design specs are still safe and without them, the chips can't be duplicated. Alfred asks about the chips and learns that the Chips are the first step to actual thinking machines that have intuition, and a will of their own but can think faster than humans. Alfred notes that if they succeed, humans could become obsolete.
Karl Rossum shows Bruce Wayne his greatest creation: H.A.R.D.A.C..
The next day, Commissioner Gordon goes to Wayne Tech to investigate the theft and speaks with Bruce and Lucius. They explain that the only other person working on that kind of project is Karl Rossum who works for Cybertron Industries. Gordon believes this to be a dead end as Rossum is retired. However, Bruce explains that the loss of his daughter sent Rossum into semi-seclusion but not full retirement. During the talk, Gordon's daughter, Barbara Gordon, arrives carrying a teddy bear, Woobie, who seems to be very important to her father. She talks with Bruce for a bit then she and her father leave to start the investigation.
Bruce heads out to Cybertron Industries to speak with Rossum, another expert on "wetware." He's greeted by a robot that leads him to Rossum. Rossum greets Bruce mentioning he knows what was stolen but no one has tired to sell him the chips. He shows Bruce some of his minor inventions such as a foot massager. Then, he shows him his crowning invention: H.A.R.D.A.C. (Holographic Analytical Reciprocating DigitAl Computer), an artificial intelligence. Just then, Rossum's assistant, Randa Duane comes out of the machine and shakes Bruce's hand. He notes that her hand is cold but she claims that it's because she was in the cold room. Rossum is reluctant to explain what H.A.R.D.A.C.'s functions are, so Bruce asks Randa on a date so he can get more information. Meanwhile, H.A.R.D.A.C. stars construction on a robot designed to look like a human. When Bruce and Rossum leave, Randa talks to H.A.R.D.A.C. who scolds her for not getting the design specs and points out that some powerful people are getting too curious. H.A.R.D.A.C. then tells Randa to see the placement of his new robot.
Later, there's a knock at Gordon's door and he answers only to discover himself standing outside the door. However, before he can react, he's knocked out with a taser and his replacement enters the house. Seeing the robot, Barbara asks him who was at the door but he doesn't respond. Thinking something is wrong, Barbara grabs his arm and discovers that he's cold. Her father, however, claims that he's fine and goes to read the paper, swatting Woobie away before sitting down. Noticing the weird behavior, Barbara becomes suspicious.
Batman is captured by his own robotic arms.
Meanwhile, Randa arrives at Wayne Enterprises to go on her date, leaving her makeup kit behind. The makeup kit turns out to be a robot. It accesses the computer and takes the information.
Back at Wayne Manor Bruce and Randa talk about Rossum's inventions but before Bruce can turn the conversation towards how Rossum knew what was stolen, he receives a call from Lucius and has to leave.
While Bruce is investigating the theft, he mentions that the thieves only got to dummy files and the real ones are at his house. Hearing this H.A.R.D.A.C. calls up Randa who knocks out Alfred then searches the house. Using specialized goggles, she finds the Batcave and reports that Bruce Wayne is Batman to H.A.R.D.A.C.. She then goes to the central computer and takes the design specs of the wetware chips.
Bruce returns home and finds Alfred, dazed but relatively unharmed. Believing that Randa must have something to do with Alfred's condition, he becomes Batman and searches the Batcave. However, when he tells the computer to scan the place, it malfunctions and the robot arms used to hold the glider grab him.
Part II
Mayor Hill finds he's being approached by himself.
Batman struggles against the robot arms but they're much stronger than he is. Fortunately, he manages to wriggle free and cuts the arms' wires. Free of the arms, he goes to the computer and attempts to trace the link but H.A.R.D.A.C. discovers it, and cuts the link off.
Meanwhile, the robot Gordon talks with H.A.R.D.A.C. and they make plans to kill Bruce Wayne. Barbara tries to talk to him but he only snaps at her to leave him alone. Barbara leaves and runs into Harvey Bullock who is told to go see Randa in Cybertron.
Out at Cybertron, Rossum realizes that H.A.R.D.A.C. has been doing more than he anticipated and decides that he gave H.A.R.D.A.C. too much free will. H.A.R.D.A.C. refuses to be re-programmed, however, and shoots Rossum with a beam that knocks him out. H.A.R.D.A.C. tells Randa that Rossum needs to be "improved upon" and she carries him off.
In City Hall, Mayor Hill soon finds himself approaching him and is knocked out.
The metal skeleton of the Harvey Bullock robot emerges.
Knowing that the robot isn't her father, Barbara activates the Bat-Signal and calls in Batman. When Batman arrives she shares her suspicions with him and he tells her he'll look into it. However, Bullock shows up and attacks Batman. Bullock now has superman strength and Batman finds himself outmatched. However, he manages to throw Barbara a grapple and she uses it to catch one of Bullock's legs allowing Batman to push him into the Bat-Signal. Barbara is horrified to think she killed Bullock but a robot skeleton crawls out of the cooked skin and attacks her but Batman cuts its head off with a shuriken. Barbara realizes that her father has been replaced with a robot and Batman promises her to look into it. He tells her to stay with a friend but she's got other ideas.
Later, Bruce goes to the Gotham Club to meet up with Mayor Hill who tells him he'll be part of "a very exclusive club." There Bruce finds several elite members of Gotham, all of whom have glowing red eyes. Randa arrives with a taser but Bruce isn't ready to give up and escapes his captors. The robots give chase and he dashes into an elevator where he changes into Batman. Four of the robots, however, manage to break into the elevator, only to find that Batman isn't inside and is cutting the cable. Unable to stop him in time, the robots fall and are destroyed.
Having deduced, where her father should be, Barbara gathers up some equipment and goes to Cybertron where she uses a fingerprint trick to learn the entry code, and sneaks past a security camera. However, she hadn't counted on the wastebaskets being rigged with robot eyes and one follows her. Just before she can reach the Research and Development lab, the wastebasket transforms into a humanoid robot and captures her. Rossum and Randa greet Barbara and assure her that she'll be joining her father.
Outside, Batman arrives and sneaks into the lab. H.A.R.D.A.C. however, is expecting him and sets some security robots on him. Batman easily disables them but finds that H.A.R.D.A.C.'s robots have Barbara. H.A.R.D.A.C. explains that he intends to replace humans, who make errors, with robots who he sees as being perfect. He goes on to say that the idea was really Rossum's, made when his daughter died in a car accident. Rossum wanted to replace people who hurt others but H.A.R.D.A.C. wanted to
Barbara Gordon saves Batman from the exploding facility.
replace all humans. Barbara questions if her father is dead, but H.A.R.D.A.C. shows her that he's not. At this, Batman and Barbara implement an escape plan and a robot is thrown into the tank holding the humans releasing them. Batman then goes on to destroy the robots and damages H.A.R.D.A.C. with some explosives. Unfortunately, Randa catches him before he can escape.
The prisoners and Barbara attempt to escape but H.A.R.D.A.C. insists he has locked every way out. Fortunately, Rossum has a personal elevator not controlled by H.A.R.D.A.C.. The group escapes and Barbara goes back to help Batman.
Meanwhile, Batman fights with Randa and eventually manages to crush her underneath an elevator. Barbara then runs in and helps Batman out. H.A.R.D.A.C., unable to move, is destroyed.
Outside, Rossum sadly says he didn't know of H.A.R.D.A.C.'s actions and Mayor Hill assures him that the investigation will probably show he's telling the truth. Now free of H.A.R.D.A.C., the group heads home. While leaving, Gordon groans that he's getting too old for this sort of thing while Barbara claims she enjoyed herself.
Continuity
- This episode foreshadows Barbara Gordon's desire to become Batgirl.
- H.A.R.D.A.C. returns in the episode "His Silicon Soul."
- Another android duplicate of Commissioner James Gordon would appear in the Gotham Girls episodes A Cat in the Hand, Jailhouse Wreck, Honor Among Thieves, No, I'm Batgirl!, Signal Fires, and (finally revealed as a duplicate in) Cold Hands, Cold Heart, this time made with technology invented by Victor Fries.
Background Information
Trivia
- "Cybertron" is the name of the planet the Autobots and Decepticons came from in the popular series Transformers.
- First appearance of Barbara Gordon (production-wise).
Cast
Quotes
Bruce Wayne: Stay put? (In Batman's Voice) I don't think so. |
Alfred: Protein-silicon what Master Bruce? |
Alfred: (After learning about the AI project) Sounds as if the human race could become quite expendable, except for butlers, of course. |
Barbara Gordon: Don’t you like the roast dad? |
Randa Duane: But the best one was the dishwasher that turned into a Jacuzzi! |
Alfred: I do wish your toy wouldn't play so roughly with you, sir. |
Karl Rossum: The duplicant processor's been used. I didn’t authorize that. |
Batman: Please let go of my cape. |
Bruce: Randa! Is this what I get for leaving in the middle of dinner? |
H.A.R.D.A.C.: People are imperfect. They make mistakes. Your mistake was coming here to interfere with the plan. |
H.A.R.D.A.C.: Core systems damaged! The plan has failed. |
Batman: You did well. Thanks. |
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