Information AboutBatman Beyond |
''Batman Beyond'' ('''''Batman of the Future''''' in Europe , Latin America and Australia / New Zealand ) was an American Animated Television Series created by WB Network in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy. The series is part of the DC Animated Universe ; kicking off the future time period of Bruce Timm 's still continuing universe. The show began in 1999 and ended in 2002 with 52 episodes and one Direct-to-Video movie under its belt, the series was then put on hold for the new '' Justice League '' animated series. Still to this day ''Batman Beyond'' remains on hiatus with no plans to revive the series in the near future. However, there was a short lived spin-off, '' The Zeta Project '', also set in the DC Animated Universe's future. In season three of ''Batman Beyond'', a two-part story featuring the Justice League entitled "The Call" formed an early basis for Bruce Timm's next series, '' Justice League '', in turn succeeded by '' Justice League Unlimited ''. The setting and characters of ''Batman Beyond'' were also briefly revived in 2004 for an episode of ''Static Shock'' in which Static is accidentally transported forty years into the future. ''Justice League Unlimited'' revisited the world of ''Batman Beyond'' twice in 2005. The first time featured Batman , Wonder Woman and Green Lantern transported fifty years into the future to stop a time-traveling villain with the help of the future ''Justice League Unlimited'' cast - including Terry McGinnis as Batman. The second time occurred during the episode " Epilogue ", where we learn the true secret origin of the future Batman in a story meant to be the de facto Series Finale for this Batman's story. STORY The story is set approximately fifty years from the conclusion of present day DCAU (as evident by the commentary found on Batman Beyond: Season One). Gotham City is a darker and more futuristic city, equipped with staggering high rises and hovering/flying vehicles. The aged Bruce Wayne is having increasing difficulty handling criminals he once subdued with ease. Hampered by age and heart trouble, he is finally forced to betray a lifelong personal principle by threatening a criminal with a gun and subsequently decides to retire from crimefighting permanently. One day, he rescues high school student Terry McGinnis from a pack of Jokerz ; the exertion aggravates his heart condition, however, and Terry has to help him back to Wayne Manor . While staying at the mansion, Terry discovers the entrance to the Batcave , and "borrows" the Batsuit to avenge the death of his father (who had accidentally become involved in the revelation of a secret biological weapons development). As crime and corruption are beginning once again to rear their ugly heads in Gotham, Bruce gives Terry his permission to assume the Batman alter-ego. Young McGinnis continues the battle against crime tutored by Bruce, and aided by a new black-and-red, high-tech batsuit that augments his abilities, fires Batarangs from the wrists, flies using jets fired from the feet, allows eavesdropping through a hypersensitive touch microphone, and provides Camouflage abilities. He has his own Rogues Gallery , such as the seductive, shapeshifting Inque , the confusing hypnotist Spellbinder , the bitter, deaf sound expert Shriek , and the African hunter Stalker . However, on occasion he is also forced to face his mentor's old foes, such as the atrophying Mr. Freeze , Bane (elderly, wasted, and dying from his consumption of Venom, the substance that gave him his strength), the Immortal Ra's Al Ghul , and even The Joker . Terry's greatest initial foe is Derek Powers , a ruthless billionaire who took over WayneCorp and was later accidentally mutated into a radioactive monstrosity who called himself Blight. Powers had Terry's father murdered after Mr. McGinnis discovered Powers was in the process of developing a biological weapons program. The first season ended with a showdown between Batman and Blight aboard an abandoned nuclear submarine, where Powers was in hiding after his identity as Blight was revealed to the world by his ambitious son Paxton, who planned to usurp his father as chairman of Wayne-Powers. Maxine "Max" Gibson is a 17-year old computer genius who discovers Batman's secret identity. Since she discovered Terry's alter-ego she's been helping him with everything from computer hacking, to babysitting, to coming up with excuses for Terry's girlfriend Dana Tan. Max plays an integral part in Batman's war on crime. Terry also finds one other ally, though a begrudging one: , Nightwing , is still alive in this time period. EPISODE GUIDE
PROJECT BATMAN BEYOND The '' Justice League Unlimited '' episode " Epilogue ", set fifteen years after the conclusion of the ''Batman Beyond'' series, reveals that Bruce Wayne is actually Terry's genetic father. During the time of the Justice League , Amanda Waller , the head of Project Cadmus , came to believe that there would always need to be a Batman in Gotham City. To that end, she used Project Cadmus Nanotechnology and a sample of Bruce's DNA to create a nanovirus that was injected in Terry's father Warren during a routine physical. Waller's plan was to parallel Bruce's childhood trauma in Terry to 'create' another Batman, and she enlisted the aid of an assassin to murder Terry's parents. However, the assassin could not go through with the killings, and, in a nod to the '' Mask Of The Phantasm '' movie, it's revealed that Waller's assassin WAS The Phantasm, Bruce's former fianceé Andrea Beaumont. The insinuation made is that Beaumont wouldn't kill the McGinnises because she knew firsthand what the death of Bruce's parents did to him, and she refused to see that happen to another person. Also, Waller realizes that by killing to create a new Batman she would be going against all that he stood for. Terry eventually mends fences with Bruce (who didn't know about Waller's interference) and makes the first steps towards treating him as his father. Terry also calls his girlfriend Dana Tan and asks her to meet him. He is holding a diamond ring while they talk, clearly insinuating that he is going to ask her to marry him. By the end of the episode, Terry is on his way to having full lives as both Batman and a family man — a balance which Bruce was never able to reach. It should be noted that the black and white sequences of the "Epilogue" episode are intended to represent a dream (a fact which was confirmed by show writer Dwayne McDuffie ). MOVIES
There was also a planned ''Batman Beyond'' live action feature, to be written by Paul Dini , however Warner Bros shelved the project and eventually went with the '' Batman Begins '' concept instead. A "Batman Beyond: Year One" live action short fan-film was made as a tribute to the show by a group of fans. Finally, a Direct-to-DVD sequel to ''Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' was to feature Selina Kyle/ Catwoman . This project never made it off the ground, however much of the concept of this film eventually made it into the ''Justice League Unlimited'' episode "Epilogue", which is seen by many as ''Batman Beyond'' DVD RELEASES ''Batman Beyond: The Complete First Season'' - Contains a two-DVD set with all of the episodes from the first season as well as audio commentaries, interviews, and other special features. Released on 21 March 2006 . COMICS #22]] Like most DCAU shows, ''Batman Beyond'' had its own comic series (after an initial '', an Elseworlds Communist version of Superman . SPINOFFS The television series had a spinoff called '' The Zeta Project '', featuring the shape-shifting Android Zeta from the ''Batman Beyond'' episode "Zeta." Batman would guest star in the episode "Shadows". SEE ALSO Kids' WB EXTERNAL LINKS
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