Batman Beyond facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Batman Beyond
Title card
Genre	Superhero Adventure Science fiction Action Mystery Crime Suspense Cyberpunk Drama Teen drama
Created by	Bruce Timm Paul Dini Alan Burnett
Developed by	Bruce Timm Paul Dini Alan Burnett
Voices of	Will Friedle Kevin Conroy Cree Summer Lauren Tom Stockard Channing Angie Harmon
Composer(s)	Shirley Walker< Lolita Ritmanis Michael McCuistion Kristopher Carter
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	52 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jean MacCurdy Shaun McLaughlin Tom Ruegger
Producer(s)	Alan Burnett Paul Dini Glen Murakami Bruce Timm
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Warner Bros. Television Animation DC Comics
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	Kids' WB
Original release	January 10, 1999 (1999-01-10) – December 18, 2001 (2001-12-18)
Chronology
Preceded by	The New Batman Adventures
Followed by	The Batman (2004)
Related shows	The Zeta Project DC animated universe television series

Batman Beyond (also known as Batman of the Future in some parts of the world) is an American animated TV show about a superhero. It was created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics worked together to make it.

This show is the fourth series in the DC Animated Universe, which includes other popular superhero cartoons. Batman Beyond first aired on January 10, 1999, and finished on December 18, 2001. It had 52 episodes over three seasons and even a movie called Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.

The story is set in a futuristic Gotham City. It shows a teenage Batman who is trained by an older Bruce Wayne. Batman Beyond is the last show in the DC Animated Universe timeline. It continues the stories from Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures.

Even though some people weren't sure about the show at first, it became very popular. Many critics praised it, and it gained a cult following. The show explores deeper themes like emotions, relationships, and the unknown. It also dives into cyberpunk and sci-fi ideas. These include how new technology affects society.

Batman Beyond was darker than many kids' shows at the time. However, its creators planned it to be a kid-friendly Batman cartoon. It was also the first Batman series to feature a teenage hero. IGN ranked it among the "Top 100 Animated TV Series." The ideas from Batman Beyond have also been used in many comic books by DC Comics.

Story of the Future Batman

The story starts in 2019, about 20 years after the events of The New Batman Adventures. An older Bruce Wayne is still fighting crime. He uses a new high-tech Batsuit. But he's getting older and it's harder for him to fight criminals.

During a rescue mission, Bruce has a mild heart attack. To save himself, he almost uses a gun. This makes him feel very ashamed, as guns are what caused his parents' deaths. Because of this, Bruce decides he's too old to be Batman. He retires and closes down the Batcave. By this time, many of his old friends and enemies have either passed away or retired.

The story then jumps 20 years later to 2039. The city is now called Neo-Gotham. It's a futuristic city with huge buildings and flying cars. Bruce is now in his 70s and lives alone in Wayne Manor with his dog, Ace. He's still haunted by his past and the moment he almost used a gun.

Terry McGinnis is a 16-year-old high school student. He used to be a troublemaker but now tries to do good. One night, he gets into a fight with a gang called the Jokerz. The chase leads him to Wayne Manor, where he meets the elderly Bruce Wayne. Bruce and Terry fight off the gang together.

Bruce's heart condition gets worse from the fight, so Terry helps him back to the manor. While exploring the mansion, Terry accidentally finds the secret entrance to the Batcave. He discovers that Bruce Wayne was the original Batman! Bruce is angry and chases Terry out.

Terry goes home and finds out his father has been murdered. It seems the Jokerz are responsible, but Terry soon learns the real killer is Mr. Fixx. Mr. Fixx works for Derek Powers, who is making illegal chemical weapons at Wayne-Powers (Bruce's old company). Terry asks Bruce for help, but Bruce refuses, saying he's too old.

Terry then steals the Batsuit to get justice for his father. Bruce is against it at first. But Terry reminds him that Bruce also lost his parents to crime. Terry convinces Bruce to let him try to catch his father's killer. Bruce agrees, and Terry, as the new Batman, defeats Mr. Fixx.

During the fight, Derek Powers is exposed to the chemicals. He has to hide to get treatment, which turns him into a glowing, radiation-emitting being called Blight. Bruce realizes that Gotham needs Batman. He offers Terry the job of being the new Dark Knight. Bruce becomes Terry's mentor, guiding him from the Batcave. Terry also works as Bruce's chauffeur and assistant as a cover for his crime-fighting.

The new Batman soon faces his own group of villains. These include new bad guys like Inque (a shapeshifter) and Shriek (who uses sound weapons). He also fights some of Bruce's old enemies, like a rejuvenated Mr. Freeze and even the Joker himself.

Terry also has to balance his life as Batman with being a teenager. He has to manage high school and his relationship with his girlfriend, Dana Tan. Dana doesn't know his secret, which sometimes causes misunderstandings. But she eventually understands that Bruce Wayne is like a father figure to Terry. This explains why Terry is often away doing "errands" for Bruce (which is actually crime-fighting).

Terry also finds allies in Neo-Gotham. One is Maxine "Max" Gibson, a computer genius and fellow student. Max discovers Terry's secret identity. She helps Batman with things like computer hacking and other tasks, much like Bruce's old butler Alfred Pennyworth did.

Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon (who used to be Batgirl) also works with Terry. She was initially worried about another person becoming Batman. But she realizes the city needs him. She eventually respects Terry and helps him when needed. Terry also has a connection with Melanie Walker, who is part of a new Royal Flush Gang. Their relationship is similar to Bruce Wayne's and Selina Kyle's (Catwoman).

Terry even meets Bruce's old ally Superman and the Justice League. He's offered a spot on the team but declines at first. He does join them part-time when he's older.

Characters and Voices

• Will Friedle as Terry McGinnis / Batman: The new Batman. He's a high school student who used to be a troublemaker. He fights crime while pretending to run errands for Bruce. Terry became Batman because he lost a parent, just like Bruce did.
• Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne: The original Batman. He guides Terry from the Batcave. Bruce retired because of his health. He almost used a gun in his last mission, which he hated because guns killed his parents.
• Cree Summer as Maxine "Max" Gibson: A very smart high school student and Terry's friend. She finds out he's Batman and helps him with computer tasks.
• Lauren Tom as Dana Tan: Terry's girlfriend. She doesn't know he's Batman. She sometimes gets upset when he's often away, thinking he's just working for Bruce Wayne.
• Frank Welker as Ace: Bruce Wayne's loyal pet dog. Bruce rescued Ace after the dog protected him from a gang member. Ace becomes friends with Terry too.
• Stockard Channing (1999–2000) and Angie Harmon (2000) as Barbara Gordon: The new Police Commissioner of Gotham City. She used to be Batgirl. At first, she's not happy about a new Batman. But she eventually respects Terry and helps him.

Episodes

List of Batman Beyond episodes

Team-ups and Connections

The third season of Batman Beyond had a two-part episode called "The Call." In this episode, a futuristic Justice League appeared for the first time. This episode helped set up the Justice League animated series.

The world and characters of Batman Beyond also appeared briefly in Static Shock. In the episode "Future Shock," Static accidentally travels 40 years into the future.

Justice League Unlimited visited the Batman Beyond world twice in 2005. In "The Once and Future Thing" (Part 2), Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern travel 50 years into the future. They team up with the future Justice League to stop a time-traveling villain.

The episode "Epilogue" was meant to be the final episode for Batman Beyond. It reveals a big secret: Bruce Wayne is actually Terry McGinnis's biological father! This story is set 15 years after Batman Beyond. Terry, now in his early 30s, finds an elderly Amanda Waller. She explains that she wanted to make sure there would always be a Batman. So, she used Bruce Wayne's DNA to create a new Batman.

She found a couple, the McGinnises, who were similar to Bruce's parents. She had a special solution injected into Terry's father, Warren McGinnis. This made it so his wife, Mary McGinnis, would give birth to Terry, who had Bruce Wayne's genes. Waller even tried to have Terry's family killed to make him become Batman, but the assassin refused. Eight years later, Warren was murdered, and Terry met Bruce by chance. This led to Terry becoming the new Batman. Waller tells Terry that he is Bruce's son, not a clone, and he still has free will. Terry accepts this and continues to be Batman.

How it was Animated

To make Batman Beyond, Warner Bros. Animation worked with studios in Seoul, South Korea. These studios animated the episodes. The movie Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker was animated by a studio in Tokyo, Japan.

Other Adventures

A spin-off show from Batman Beyond was created called The Zeta Project. It featured a robot named Zeta from a Batman Beyond episode. Batman even appeared as a guest star in one episode of The Zeta Project.

Home Videos

DVDs and Blu-rays

Many episodes of Batman Beyond were released on VHS tapes from 1999 to 2000. The movie Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker was also released on VHS.

The show was later released on DVD in complete season sets.

Individual DVDs were also released, often combining several episodes or focusing on the movie.

Batman Beyond was released on Blu-ray on October 29, 2019. This set includes all 52 episodes and the uncut version of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Most of the episodes and the movie were improved for Blu-ray quality.

Other Media

Comic Books

The Batman Beyond story has continued in many comic books.

Books

A book version of the movie "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" was released in 2000. Several other Batman Beyond books for young readers were also published, like "New Hero in Town" and "No Place Like Home."

Soundtrack Music

The soundtrack for Batman Beyond was released on August 31, 1999. It features music from the same composers who worked on earlier Batman animated shows. The music has an industrial and metal style, fitting the show's futuristic and cyberpunk feel.

Toys

In 2000, Burger King included Batman Beyond toys in their kids' meals.

Movies

A direct-to-video movie, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, was released on December 12, 2000. It was praised for its story, voice acting, and animation. Another Batman Beyond movie was planned but never made. It would have focused on Terry's origins and featured an older Selina Kyle.

There were also talks about making a live-action Batman Beyond movie. In 2000, Warner Bros. announced plans for one. The TV show's creators were hired to write the script. However, the project was eventually canceled.

In 2019, there were rumors about a new animated Batman Beyond movie. But these rumors were later said to be untrue. In 2020, Michael Keaton (who played Batman in older movies) began talks to play an older Bruce Wayne in the movie The Flash. Warner Bros. hopes he will return for more movies as a mentor character.

Video Games

Terry McGinnis's Batman first appeared in a video game called Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. This game was available on Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Game Boy Color.

The Batman Beyond Batsuit can be used as a different costume in other games. These include Justice League Heroes, Batman: Arkham City, and Injustice: Gods Among Us.

A Batman Beyond downloadable content (DLC) pack was part of the third Lego Batman video game. This pack included Terry McGinnis's Batman with his flying suit and invisibility.

Rocksteady Studios also created their own unique Batman Beyond Batsuit for Batman: Arkham Knight. It was a bonus for pre-ordering the game.

Other Animations

In April 2014, a short Batman Beyond cartoon was shown. It featured Will Friedle and Kevin Conroy returning as Terry and Bruce. In the short, Terry's Batman fights a Batman robot in the Batcave. Bruce Wayne helps him. They then prepare to fight seven more robots that look like different versions of Batman from other shows and comics.

Batman Beyond is also mentioned in the show Teen Titans Go!. In one episode, Robin travels to the future. In his future self's apartment, there's a poster of the Batman Beyond Batman. This shows that Nightwing (Robin's future self) likes this version of Batman.

Images for kids

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  A robot, like those seen in Neo-Gotham.