Batman Beyond

Batman Beyond is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy. Depicting teenager Terry McGinnis as a new Batman in a futuristic Gotham City under the tutelage of an elderly Bruce Wayne, the series began airing on January 10, 1999, and ended its run on December 18, 2001. After 52 episodes spanning three seasons and one direct-to-video film, the series was put on hold for the Justice League animated series despite the network having announced plans for a fourth season. Batman Beyond is set in the chronological future of the DC Animated Universe.

Batman Beyond is said to explore the darker side of many Batman projects, playing on key elements such as emotions, personal relations, fear of the unknown, technological malfunctions and the disturbing psychological elements of the character of Bruce Wayne. As such, it was considerably darker than most other children's programs at the time, although producer Bruce Timm recalls it was conceived as a kid-friendly Batman cartoon. It is also the first Batman series to portray the hero as a teenager. IGN named the show 40th on their list of "Top 100 Animated TV Series." The continuity of Batman Beyond has made various crossovers into comic books published by DC Comics, including an ongoing series beginning in 2011. Batman Beyond is currently airing on the television channel The Hub.

Batman Beyond premiered on Toonami on October 1, 2001 and ran consistently until 2003.

Plot
At least 40 years after the "current" adventures of Batman and 20 years after Bruce Wayne retired from the role, his secret is discovered by troubled teen Terry McGinnis. After McGinnis' father is murdered by the man who took over Bruce Wayne's company, under the supervision of an elderly Bruce Wayne, McGinnis dons a high-tech Bat suit that Wayne last used, creating a new hero for a harsh futuristic Gotham.

Heroes
Terry McGinnis (Batman) — is an athletic teenager highschooler and reformed troublemaker with a deeply ingrained sense of personal justice. After being saved by Bruce Wayne from a gang in front of Wayne Manor, Terry stumbles upon the Batcave and discovers Bruce Wayne's secret. Upon returning home Terry finds his murdered father and discovers that the culprit is none other than the man in charge of Wayne's company. After stealing the batsuit Terry tracks down and defeats his father's killer. Bruce Wayne then decides that Terry will take on the mantle of Batman. Over the series Terry and Bruce developed a respect for each other, with Terry regarding Bruce as a surrogate father.

Bruce Wayne — Now an old man, Bruce has retired from wearing the cowl, and has put that part of his life behind him. Until he meets Terry McGinnis who figures out his secret and decides to become the new Batman for a futuristic Gotham that deperately needs him. Bruce assists Terry in the field primarily by keeping in continual contact with him from the Batcave. The Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue" reveals that Terry is Bruce's biological son due to Amanda Waller's "Batman Beyond" project. The project caused Terry's father to have his reproductive DNA overwritten and made Bruce's reproductive DNA dominant when Warren McGinnis took a fake flu shot before Terry's conception.

Supporting Characters
Maxine (Max) Gibson — Terry's classmate and closest friend. She is exceptionally capable when it comes to computers and electronics, Max created a program that succeeded in uncovering Batman's secret identity. After unmasking Terry, she insisted on being a part of his secret life and helped him with everything from computer hacking to babysitting to detective work.

Dana Tan — Although Terry flirted with several girls throughout the show, his true love has always been Dana Tan, whom he met while attending Hamilton Hill High School. Despite their commitment to each other, their relationship was strained as early on Terry struggled to balance his dual obligations. The two verged on the possibility of breaking up multiple times.

Commissioner Barbera Gordon — Terry upheld tradition by forging an alliance with Gotham City's Police commissioner, Barbara Gordon, former Batgirl and the daughter of Commissioner Jim Gordan, the original Batman's trusted ally. The alliance started out a rocky one, as Barbara never failed to take Terry's juvenile record into account and believed he was too reckless for the role of Batman. Barbara was reluctant to assist the new Batman and to have a teenager as Gotham's new protector but eventually warmed up to him.

Warren McGinnis — Warren, a research scientist at Wayne-Powers, is the father of Terry and Matt McGinnis and ex-husband of Mary McGinnis. After Warren divorced Mary, Terry moved in with his father, while Matt went with his mother. Warren was murdered by Derek Powers and Mr. Fixx after he discovered his employers were creating biological weapons for a rogue nation, Kasnia. Derek Powers then framed the killing on the street gang known as the Jokerz. Warren's death led Terry to take over the role of Batman from Bruce Wayne.

Mary McGinnis — Terry's Mother. After Warren divorced Mary, Terry moved in with his father, while Matt went with his Mary. After Warren's death Terry moved back in with Mary and Matt.

Matt McGinnis — Terry's younger brother. Almost immediately, Matt made a point to do whatever he could to develop a sibling relationship with his older brother, going to great lengths to annoy Terry just for the fun of it.

Villains
Derek Powers — Derek Powers is a corrupt businessman who managed to gain control over Wayne Enterprises (now called Wayne-Powers) due to an elderly Bruce Wayne's poor health. When Powers develops a lethal mutagenic nerve gas and intends to sell it as a weapon, one of his employees, Warren McGinnis, discovers evidence of the gas, and Powers has him murdered, causing the vengeful son Terry McGinnis to become Batman, who stops Powers' plans and exposes him to the gas; Powers is subjected to extreme radiation exposure to save his life, but as a side effect, his entire body becomes radioactive, rendering him translucent. As his name suggests, Powers has become a living nuclear hazard. Giving off dangerous amounts of radiation even passively that makes it lethal to even be near him let alone touch without some form of protection. Furthermore he can manipulate this radiation into blasts of power, first as only beams but as his powers grew he was able to emit wide range waves of energy.

Paxton Powers — The estranged son of Derek Powers, who takes over his father's position as Wayne-Powers CEO after the revelation that the elder Powers is the supervillain Blight. However, Paxton is just as ruthless and power hungry as his father.

Inque — The result of a clandestine mutagenic experiment, Inque is a treacherous shape-shifting femme fatale. She has the ability to transform from her natural human form into a pitch-black, semi-liquid state, in which she can slip through the smallest crack, mimic any object, or harden herself to deliver a mean wallop in a fight. Inque's knack for sliding under doors and through narrow air vents made her a perfect corporate saboteur for hire. Water will weaken her, but not kill her.

Mr. Freeze — The tragic villain lives on as nothing but an immortal head preserved by Derek Powers. He is used as a test subject for an attempt to clone a new body for Powers. However, Freeze's new body begins to get the same symptoms as his previous body. But after Powers' scientist tries to eliminate Freeze to study the problem, he seeks revenge, leading to a final battle with Derek Powers' alter ego, Blight, and Batman as well.

Shriek — Walter Shriev was a highly skilled audio engineer trying to find a more traditional line of work with Wayne-Powers using his sound technology. However, Derek Powers saw no profit in his research and cut off his funding. In order to save his business, Shriev created a suit that controls sound for demolition. Powers saw no real use of it, until he discovered it could be used to destroy more than concrete blocks. In order to please Powers, Shriev agreed to assassinate Bruce Wayne. As a result, he became Shriek; a villain with sound based powers. Shriev is able to use sound vibrations to create earthquakes and other destructive properties. He's also able to "mute" all sound in a surrounding area.

Spellbinder — Ira Billings is a bitter and underpaid psychologist at Terry's high school, Hamilton High, who commits crimes using sophisticated virtual reality systems and his knowledge of the human mind as Spellbinder. He wears a costume featuring an orange and black swirl design, and uses a large floating "eyeball" that allows him to project images into the minds of others using hypnosis.

Stalker — An African big game hunter who was enhanced with cybernetic implants after an encounter with a panther. Finding wild animals too easy to hunt with his new body, he seeks Batman as the ultimate prey and proves to be one of his more difficult opponents. Stalker was a well-known, competent hunter, albeit infamous for his methods. After having his broken spine replaced, he acquired augmented senses, agility and strength. Ironically, his source of strength was also his greatest weakness. When subjected to the right amount of electricity, Stalker's metal spine would conduit the discharge through his entire body, effectively knocking him out.

Ra's al Ghul — Living on by using a computer process to transfer his mind into the body of his own daughter Talia, the seemingly immortal villain, Ra's intends to take over Bruce Wayne's body and gain control of Wayne Enterprises

Earth Mover — After accidentally being buried by radioactive waste, Tony Maychek becomes an insane monstrous creature capable of moving the ground with his own mind. Tony was originally a normal human with no unusual abilities, but after being soaked by industrial chemicals, he acquired tremendous mental powers. He was able to quake and open the ground, and mold and control the earth and all its properties, such as roots.

Curaré — A member of the Society of Assassins, "their best" (according to Bruce Wayne, Curare's at-the-time boss, and the FBI), who wields a laser-sharpened scimitar. After Batman foils her attempt to assassinate Gotham's DA, she ends up becoming a target of the Society herself, resulting in Curaré ultimately killing every member of the Society of Assassins.

Repeller — A supervillain who acquired an experimental suit that could repel matter, making him invulnerable to almost any type of damage. Eventually it was revealed that the villain is actually Dr. Suzuki, a man who was developing the technology for Wayne-Powers.

Bane — In the years since Bruce Wayne's retirement from crime fighting, Bane's constant use of the super-steroid Venom has destroyed his body, leaving him a withered, wheelchair-bound husk of a man kept alive by the very drug that once gave him superhuman strength. When someone begins selling Venom-laced "slapper" patches to teenagers, it is discovered that Bane's personal attendant, Jackson Chappell now has the formula and is mass-producing it. During a battle with Batman, Chappell overdoses on the slapper patches, apparently sending him into a coma.

Charlie "Big Time" Bigelow — Charlie Bigelow is a loudmouth hoodlum and a former friend of Terry McGinnis. Three years prior to Terry becoming Batman, Charlie was arrested for burglary and sentenced to three years in prison. It is revealed that Terry was also arrested during the burglary, but avoided prison because he was underage at the time, and that Terry's early life of petty crime was largely the result of Charlie's negative influence. Charlie attempts to reconnect with Terry after he is released, but is rebuffed due to his continuing criminal behavior. Charlie later becomes involved with a gang of thieves-for-hire who plan to rob a Wayne-Powers research lab to steal an experimental chemical for a rival company. During the robbery, Terry (as Batman) intervenes. Charlie is exposed to the chemical during the fight, and later mutates into a deformed, super-strong giant, an event which leaves Terry wracked with guilt.

Willie Watt — A nerd at Hamilton Hill High who is constantly picked on by bullies at school and his overbearing father at home. Seeking revenge, he stole a mentally-controlled robot called the GoLeM (Galvanized Lifting Machine) from his father's construction company and used it to attack his tormentors, but the machine was destroyed by Batman and he was sent to juvenile detention for 3 years. However, his experience with GoLeM caused him to develop a psychokinetic ability, which he uses to bring terror to his fellow detainees and secretly leave-and-return at will in the facility. He attempted revenge on his schoolmates again by using his powers to convince everyone the school was haunted.

Armory — Jim Tate is a brilliant weapons designer working for a large defense contractor, who is also the stepfather of one of Terry's friends, Jared. After he loses his job, he builds himself an arsenal of advanced weapons and body armor and becomes the supervillain Armory in order to make ends meet for his family, but is later thwarted by Batman. He later realizes the error of his ways and assists Batman in defeating one of his employers before he is apparently sent to jail, although it is implied that his heroic actions will lead to a reduced sentence.

The Terrific Trio — A group of scientists tragically transformed into monstrous superpowered beings. At first they tried to use their powers for the benefit of society, but their conditions slowly drove them into insanity, and when they learned that the lab accident that had given them their powers had been set up by one of their coworkers, they set out to exact revenge.

The Royal Flush Gang — A crime family consisting of five members; the husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Walker as "King" and "Queen", their daughter Ten (Melanie Walker), their son Jack (Jack Walker) and their bodyguard Ace (an android). Melanie develops a relationship with Terry, similar to the original Batman's relationship with Catwoman.

The Jokerz — A violent street gang who dress and act out in the tradition of the infamous Joker. However, unlike the supervillain they emulate, they are merely teenage delinquents who enjoy vandalism and petty crime. They are usually apprehended by Batman quite easily, and serve as more of an irritation than a genuine threat.

Episodes
Batman Beyond is an American cartoon series created by Warner Bros Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy. The series originally premiered on Kids' WB from January 10, 1999 to December 18, 2001 and then later aired in reruns on Cartoon Network's afternoon programming block Toonami from October 1, 2001 to March 14, 2003. The series most recently aired on The Hub.

A fourth season of the series was planned, but was put on hold so the team could work on Justice League. All three seasons of Batman Beyond have been released on DVD in the U.S.

List of Batman Beyond Episodes