Batman Beyond: Terry McGinnis Appreciation 2024

[Tulku]

A place to honor the one true future Batman, Terry McGinnis. I will leave it to others more skilled at the coding to add cool pictures. I will kick this off with the history of a character celebrating his 25th anniversary!

Yes, “Batman Beyond” debuted as an animated series 25 years ago, on January 10, 1999. Set about 30 to 35 years in the future, the series introduced us to teenaged Terry McGinnis who, through a series of events, ends up putting on the futuristic Batman suit and protecting Gotham with the advice and guidance of elderly Bruce Wayne.

The publication history of Batman Beyond is convoluted. The TV series ran for three seasons, with the last new episode airing on December 18, 2001, and generated one direct-to-video movie (“The Return of the Joker”) which was released on December 12, 2000.

The first comic book version was a six-issue limited series, which ran from March 1999 to August 1999 (starting near the end of season 1 of the TV series and bridging the gap until season 2 started). This was then followed by an ongoing series that ran for 24 issues from November 1999 through October 2001. It can be safely said that these two volumes were set firmly in the “animated universe” (“AU”) and they stuck closely to the tone and style of the TV series.

There was then a gap. In July of 2005, the last episode of the second series of the “Justice League Unlimited” animated show did an episode (“Epilogue”) that features Terry McGinnis and Bruce Wayne further into the future beyond the original TV series (Terry is a grown man and Bruce far more elderly). Again, this still seems to be set within the AU.

In August 2010, Terry and the world of Batman Beyond made a surprise appearance in Superman/Batman Annual #4. One might question whether this is set in the AU, as future Superman seems quite different from the future Superman we met in the AU. The third volume of BB comic books also issued in August of 2010: A six-issue limited series that ran from August 2010 to January 2011, and which has generally been referred to as “Hush Beyond.” Terry and Bruce fight an enemy that knows their ways and really doesn’t like Terry “pretending” to be Batman. This series introduces us to a future Catwoman (completely unrelated to Selina Kyle) and future Dick Grayson, a bitter man who has lost an eye and some mobility due to injuries.

Volume 4 would be an 8 issue series that ran from March 2011 through October 2011. It continues the story from Hush Beyond, with Grayson shown to be operating “Out of the Nest Aerial” (apparently a place to train gymnasts) and he publicly admits that he used to be Nightwing before suffering catastrophic injury.

This is where the publishing story gets complicated. Batman Beyond then began as a “digital first” boom running 29 digital issues from February 2012 through July 2013. These stories would see print in “Batman Beyond Unlimited” for 18 issues from April 2012 through September 2013.

Another “digital first” series, called “Batman Beyond 2.0” ran for 40 installments from August 2013 through November 2014. These stories would see print in “Batman Beyond Universe”--16 issues running from October 2013 through January 2015.

However, at about the same time, starting in June of 2014, was a weekly series called “Future’s End.” The premise is that, in an apocalyptic future, Bruce Wayne sends Terry McGinnis back in time to stop that future from coming true by stopping the rise of Brother Eye. Terry is sent back to a time that is 5 years from the present DC Universe, where Brother Eye has already got a foothold. Now the future that this version of Terry comes from is clearly NOT the AU or any version of the Batman Beyond futures that we have seen. This is a completely separate future. During the events of Future’s End, that version of Terry dies, and it is 5-years-in-the-future Tim Drake who takes the Batman Beyond suit and confronts Brother Eye and convinces it not to make the decision that created the apocalyptic future that Future’s End Terry came from. But Brother Eye also tricks Drake, who gets sent back to “a” future where Brother Eye is still in charge. For convenience, I will call this the Post-Future’s-End (“PFE”) universe.

This leads to a Batman Beyond series that ran for 16 issues from August 2015 to November 2016. Tim Drake is the future Batman, with no sign of Bruce Wayne or Terry McGinnis, although Drake does meet up with Terry’s brother Matt. It is implied that Terry’s mother has also died during the unpleasantness with Brother Eye., which is why Matt is wandering around on his own. Drake finally puts down Brother Eye (because the super-computer was also super-stupid) and the series starts to reverse the narrative dead-end that placing a comic in a post-apocalyptic world always has. Society comes back, the cities thrive again, the Justice League (thought killed by Brother Eye) turn out to all be safe and healthy, etc. etc. Near the end of the run, Drake finds that Terry McGinnis is still alive in this PFE universe. Terry resumes being Batman Beyond--and Drake leaves and blinks out of existence. And nobody cares.

Volume 7 of Batman Beyond ran for an impressive 50 issue from December 2016 through February 2021. It is set in the PFE universe and is clearly NOT the same as the AU or any BB tile prior to Future’s End. But it is a solid series that, wisely, ignores the Tim Drake run and no further mention is made of Brother Eye or the apocalypse. This is Batman Beyond again set in a possible future of the DC Universe. Bruce Wayne is found to still be alive, Matt gets brought into the Wayne household (again, because Terry’s mother is apparently dead). Commissioner Barbara Gordon is presented younger than she was in the AU. Terry’s friend Max still exists. Dick Grayson has both eyes, is mayor of Blüdhaven and has an adult daughter--all clearly separating this universe from the Hush Beyond universe (which may or may not have been the AU). Oh, and the Joker is shown to be alive (at least for a time) in this series, clearly separating this series from the AU.

And then came Batman: Urban Legends #7, November 2021. This provides a short story where Bruce Wayne is killed by a sentient Gotham (called Neo Gotham). This leads into a six-issue limited series called “Batman Beyond: Neo-Year” which ran from June 2022 to November 2022. This series is clearly set in a different future than either the AU or the PFE universe. It portrays a future where Terry has to function on his own, without the guidance or assistance of Bruce Wayne. This was then followed up by the six-issue “Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic” running from September 2023 through February 2024. Nicely, it has brought back Terry's mother, who is shown alive and living in Metropolis with Matt. I confess I have missed her presence in the PFE universe. I am calling this version of Terry and Batman Beyond the Neo Universe version.

So welcome to Batman Beyond. There are at least three distinct universes (AU, PFE and Neo), with an arguable fourth depending on what you want to do with “Hush Beyond” and its follow-up series. I am not counting “Batman Beyond the White Knight” because that was an abomination, with Sean Murphy continuing his obsessive navel gazing of Bruce Wayne but clearly having NO IDEA what Terry was all about.

[Primal Slayer]

It is really a shame that WB is afraid of Batman Beyond and doesnt let the franchise/character excel as much as it could.

[K7P5V]

Hoping 2024 will be Awesome for The Dark Knight of Tomorrow

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I liked Neo Year and I'm curious to see how Terry comes into his own.

[Bitterman]

The latest Batman comic kinda and subtly threw a "Terry McGinnis is inevitable" from old Beyond Zur Bruce, with all other scorning him for abandon the mission and retire for a young boy to carry his legacy.

[Tulku]

I think Terry is inevitable. Terry "I was never a Robin" McGinnis. The fact that he was never a Robin really does set him apart from all the other candidates.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I think Terry is inevitable. Terry "I was never a Robin" McGinnis. The fact that he was never a Robin really does set him apart from all the other candidates.

Being created by Bruce Timm helps.

[JAG2045]

Happy 25th anniversary Batman Beyond! (Rebirth part 1 & 2 premiered on 10th Jan 1999)

I first heard about the show in an article in Wizard magazine

Batman Beyond Wizard #82 1.jpg
Batman Beyond Wizard #82 2.jpg
Batman Beyond Wizard #82 3.jpg

And at first I couldn't believe they were replacing Bruce as Batman, however by the time I saw "Rebirth" (released on VHS as Batman of the Future: The Movie) I was hooked, I loved the Beyond suit in its red and black design, Bruce training a new protege from the Batcave and the call backs to classic villains (but enough unique ones to not make Beyond a carbon copy)

Over the years I have collected various figures, statues & DVD/blu rays based on the show and it still remains one of my favorite parts of the DCAU

I can't wait for the Compendium to come out later this year

BTW for anyone interested Dynamic Records recently released a digital version of the soundtrack from the show (Vol 1 covering season 1) hopefully more will follow and a physical release!

You can listen to it here

[marhawkman]

Batman Beyond makes sense when you realize that, yes, this Batman has in fact become too old for this stuff.

Why no Lazarus pit? good question... but Batman probably fears going evil.

[Bitterman]

We already saw the pit effects in beyond, and the fact of Bruce accepting that no matter what he wants it, being younger wont bring his past back.
And Terry is his Future and Present and he will make sure to not lose this one as many things he lost in the past for being Batman, and not Bruce Wayne.

Timm making epilogue killed this dynamic

[Tulku]

Yes, the BB episode "Out of the Past" was one of the great ones, as Bruce considers using a Lazarus pit to regain his youth--but then he sees what Ra's Al Ghul was willing to do to stave off death, leading Bruce to observe: "I take it back. You don't cheat death. You whimper in fear of it."

Oh, and YES a great theme song helps!

[JAG2045]

Always loved this art print

Batman & Beyond by Bruce Timm

Batman and Beyond Bruce Timm.jpg

[AmiMizuno]

Terry is in crisis part 2

IMG_5822.jpg

[Frontier]

Could they get Will Friedle back!?

[K7P5V]

Could they get Will Friedle back!?

I know, right?! Wouldn't be the same without him (IMHO):