🎇 📺 Celebrating 25 Years of Batman Beyond 📺 🎇

[Vroom]

Premiering on Kids WB! January 10th, 1999 and running for 3 seasons until December 18th, 2001 was Batman Beyond, the adventures of future Batman Terry McGinnis fighting crime in a future time (and if you know what future-based TV show of the '80s that references, I’ll give you some Cool Points)!

Prior to Batman Beyond, tales of Batman set in the future were nothing new. After all, The Dark Knight Returns (among other stories) is one of the most highly-acclaimed Batman tales in any medium and its rooted in the future.

Batman Beyond was unlike any previous Batman TV series before, in that it was the first to feature someone other than Bruce Wayne as the core hero of the show and it was wrapped in the trappings of a cyberpunk future as hard techno scored the adventures of The Tomorrow Knight.

Like other DC Animated Universe content that came before and after, Batman Beyond has had a profound influence on the DC Universe in all of its mediums.

Terry McGinnis and his alter-ego, along with assorted allies and villains, eventually found their way into the comics and for a time in 2000, there was serious talk of a live-action Batman Beyond movie, with Keanu Reeves (then-hot from The Matrix’s success) rumored to be our man Godfrey, Flint, Terry.

Have you followed Batman Beyond since its January 1999 debut on Kids WB?

Is Terry McGinnis a suitable replacement for Bruce Wayne?

Did you know that the working title for Batman Beyond was “Batman of Tomorrow” (true story)?

Whatever your experience with Batman Beyond, fly-in with your thoughts on it and how you plan to ring in The Tomorrow Knight’s big 25th anniversary.

SN: No matter how into Batman Beyond you are or are not, do your ears a favor and listen to its soundtrack. When you do, kindly follow Bruce Timm’s suggestion that he made in the liner notes of its CD release: “Play it LOUD!”

[MatthewHecht]

It is great, and I am wonderful in it.

Season 3 is the best.

[Vroom]

@MatthewHecht

Season 3 is the best.

Season 1’s typically my favorite. The writing and quality of the animation were definitely a step above the latter seasons.

Do you have a favorite episode?

[MatthewHecht]

Batman Beyond: Bruce puts on one last Batsuit

[staticshocks]

I’ll say one thing: Terry’s definitely had my favorite Batman costume across any iteration of the character, even to this day.

[chintzybeatnik]

@Vroom

Do you have a favorite episode?

The best episode of Batman Beyond wasn’t even an episode of Batman Beyond.

Justice League Unlimited’s Epilogue.

[wrrrryyyy12]

actually fr but #KeepEpilougeASecret

[wrrrryyyy12]

i love batman beyond (theres non canon comics i refuse to read like the one with bruce and babs) but i like the show version as well as the comics

i own batman beyond neo year issue 1

[raider_dave66]

Best character in the whole series.

Batman Beyond Mad Stan sabotages Zeta

[NYJt3]

25 years crazy.

Had the movie on vhs growing up and watched it a lot. Never saw the show in full until college but was great finally watch it. Always like the suit.

[wrrrryyyy12]

i bought the movie on blu ray after seeing it just in a store somewhere
i love return of the joker
its so good

[TheWifeOfJasonTodd]

I unfortunately do not remember a world before 2001 (because I was born the year after) but when I first visited this show in the summer of 2020 back when we were still DC Universe I immediately fell in love with this show.

Something unique about this show is the originality when making the characters. Batman the Animated series had a whole catalog of characters with pre-existing stories and in addition created some new ones that stuck. But with Batman Beyond, most of the characters are completely new and original. Of course you have some returning aged up characters like Bruce and Barbara, with the occasional visit from what is left of Batman’s original rogues gallery, but for the most part they were making new characters almost on the daily (in terms of how long it takes to write characters, script, design, draw, animate, do the V/O, all that jazz during production).

I also want to take a moment to point out Kevin Conroy’s talent. He went from voicing Bruce Wayne as the current Batman in the Animated series, then in Justice League and Unlimited, and had to do an old man version of Bruce in between BTAS and JL/JLU (because I think Beyond is sandwiched between them), and he gave it his absolute all. The saddest part of Beyond, for me, is going into the show knowing that Bruce is alone, and has been for a long time until Terry shows up. Even with Neo Gotham, Bruce is sitting alone in his very old manor as the rest of the city (and presumably the rest of the world) changes and evolves around him. And then Terry comes along and allows Bruce to return to his personal mission after years of hanging up the cape and cowl, only this time Bruce is in an Alfred type of role when it comes to monitoring and teaching Terry. To me, it’s a bittersweet future for the BTAS Batman, and that universe in general.

As for my favorite episode, there’s a lot of good ones, but the best one is Eggbaby. Long live Eggbaby (paging @basicallytimdrake so you can take a break from obsessing over Gotham for an hour )

[basicallytimdrake]

@TheWifeOfJasonTodd

Long live Eggbaby

Eggbaby Forever

Batman Beyond was such a killer show, because it blessed us with Eggbaby. Sure, it also cursed me specifically with Return of the Joker, but it gave us Eggbaby which is good so we focus on that.
I stand by my statement from last year:

Eggbaby Appreciation Cult/Thread

It is my personal belief that DC should make an Eggbaby comic series, TV show, movie, and merchandise line. Anything they can possibly make related to Eggbaby should be made.

[chintzybeatnik]

And of course, there is that awesome 75th Anniversary short by Batman Beyond title sequence animator Darwyn Cooke:

"Batman Beyond" - Darwyn Cooke's Batman 75th Anniversary Short (Official)

[wrrrryyyy12]

i love this thing
and im glad that the va’s came back for it

i really love batman beyond and wish it got more love from dc

[keath]

@Vroom

fighting crime in a future time (and if you know what future-based TV show of the '80s that references, I’ll give you some Cool Points)!

Has nobody commented on this yet?
Jeeeeeez.

COPS - Opening Theme

And we’re now … five years past the era Beyond was set in. Sure, we don’t need physical media for everything, but still no (practical) flying cars.

But in Batman Beyond timeline, Terry McGinnis will turn 21 this year. So cheers to Terry!

[Reaganfan78]

The thread is Shway! Love Batman Beyond since it first aired. I remember wondering whatever happened to past characters including the Villains, few would be uncover of course.
Mask Of Zorro came out a year before the series, I thought how interesting that both are almost alike, when the old hero is being replace with a newer person as the main hero.
I really enjoy episodes like Eggbaby, Terry’s Friend Date A Robot. Great episodes.
The unsung hero who help the series in both comic and the show is Hilary Bader, she really help make both show and comic series great. And shouldn’t never begotten.
Happy 25 years Batman Beyond.

[Vroom]

@keath

@Vroom

fighting crime in a future time (and if you know what future-based TV show of the '80s that references, I’ll give you some Cool Points)!

Has nobody commented on this yet?
Jeeeeeez.

COPS - Opening Theme

You, my good sir, have just earned 1,988 Cool Points!

Slides the burlap bag of Cool Points down the table.

Oh, and here’s a bonus for being the first to answer:

You know…

Sits up in his chair and crosses his right leg on top of his left leg, then interlaces his fingers on his lap.

…its funny that in 1988, Hasbro had C.O.P.S., which featured figures that had a cap-firing action.

At the same time, Kenner had RoboCop and the Ultra Police, which also featured figures with cap-firing action.

Pure coincidence or…something more?

@Reaganfan78

The thread is Shway!

Hey, thanks and remember, never splice. I don’t care how persistent Cuvier is, just say no (that goes double if you see Griff o’er in the Cafe '80s), m’kay? M’kay!

Circling back to favorite episode chit-chat…let’s see…Rebirth is definitely a contender for a season 1 favorite.

I watched it when it debuted in prime-time on Kids WB! and it just hooked me. The story, the animation, the music, it was all just so schway and I couldn’t get enough of it.

For season 2, a favorite is “Sentries of the Lost Cosmos” (E23). For anyone into nerd culture, the episode holds up a mirror that reflects the highs and lows of said culture (while also featuring sly nods to Bruce Vilanch and Gary Gygax).

Another highlight of Sentries is that it was one of Patton Oswalt’s first DC credits, which is reason enough to highlight the episode.

For season 3, my favorite is easily parts 1 and 2 of “The Call” (episodes 7 and 8).

It widens the world of Batman Beyond by introducing the Justice League of the Beyond time period for the first time, gives Starro his first DCAU appearance and in a uperb casting move, Superman was voiced by the Jor-El of STAS, Christopher McDonald (aka Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore).

“Moving on.”

No Batman entertainment launch is complete without merchandise. On the action figure side of that coin, here are a few highlights of Hasbro’s Batman Beyond toy line that debuted shortly after the show’s TV debut in early 1999:

Series 1

No cardback picture for Jokerz (aka J-Man in all respects but name and paint applications), as his cardback is identical to that of Future Knight Batman.

Remember when the Jokerz had hoverbikes?

Yeah, neither do I, but its still a cool toy, all the same.

Series 2

We all remember when Blight ran around buck-naked, don’t we?

Series 3

No cardback pic for Happy and Smirk, as its identical to that of Power Cape Batman.

@wrrrryyyy12

i own batman beyond neo year issue 1

Groovy!

Speaking of Neo-Year #1, have you seen this schway release in McFarlane Toys’ 3-inch Page Punchers line:

Its where I first read Batman Beyond: Neo-Year #1. I was quite pleased with the issue and read the remainder of the mini on DCUI. The figure is a nifty little bonus as well.

“Moving on.”

Let’s talk other about merchandise for Batman Beyond and in particular, its latest soundtrack release.

While the original soundtrack for Batman Beyond was released in 1999, Batman Beyond: Original Soundtrack-Volume 1 was released on December 8th of last year (2023, just in case you forgot we’re in '24 now ). It features all of the music from the '99 release, along with several tracks that have never been released on a soundtrack:

The release timing of the above is pitch-perfect, as is the music itself. If you haven’t yet moved to the groove of Batman Beyond’s music, “I’d say its time you begun.” with the brand-new Volume 1 soundtrack, available now at your favorite music outlets.

[Aquaman]

I refuse to believe it’s that old already

[Vroom]

It certainly doesn’t feel like a quarter-century has gone by, that’s for sure.

What are your thoughts on Aquagirl and her place on the future Justice League?