Batman Beyond
Summary
Batman Beyondis one of the DCAU ’s most imperishable cartoons , with some episodes that bring home the bacon splendid rewatch value even today . Continuing where the critically - acclaimedBatman : The Animated Seriesleft off , Batman Beyondfollows gamy school delinquent Terry as he take up the mantel of Batman under the mentorship of an old Bruce Wayne in the futuristic metropolis of Neo Gotham . Like its predecessor series , Batman Beyondfeatures some arresting standout episodes well worth revisit .
Compared to most Batman medium , Batman Beyondis inherently a more ego - contained tarradiddle , adopt place in a far - futureDCAU timelinemostly live as its own isolated story . That being aver , some episode are skilful in a vacuity than others , with the serial devoting an equal amount of time to serialization and villain - of - the - hebdomad flair account . AmongBatman Beyond ’s telling 52 installment cataloge , 10 episode in particular stand out as being great choices to rewatch on their own .
10Spellbound
Season 1, Episode 10
Certainly no Joker or the Penguin , Spellbinder is one of the more obscure members of Gotham City ’s spendthrift inclination of villain . More illustrious for his visual aspect in the lesser - knownBatman cartoonThe Batman , the baddie is a uncommon magic - wield member of Batman ’s usually scientific and criminal rogue ’s gallery . However , inBatman Beyond , Spellbinder acts as a Scarecrow mapping , terrorize Batman with hallucinations and mind control .
The trippy hallucinogenic sequence and terrify hair-raising reality created by Spellbinder makes this sequence worth revisiting for visuals alone . Though Spellbinder ’s king are convert to be technology - based , like mostBatman Beyondvillains , he still crop great as a menacing scoundrel - of - the - calendar week . While not the warm installment of the first season , Spellboundis an easy title of respect to reach for to get the ballad of the demesne forBatman Beyond .
9The Eggbaby
Season 2, Episode 19
Although Terry may weild Batman ’s name and influence , in instruction execution , he functions more like Spider - Man than anything else . Being a high - shoal teen delicately poise his orphic identity , the clash between Terry ’s vigilante and civilian lifespan sometimes make for funny drama . Season 2 , instalment 19 " The Eggbaby " does comedicBatman Beyondthe good , putting poor Terry through the dead ringer as he attempts to keep both plate spinning .
Given a digital egg creature to keep live as part of a lesson on parenting , Terry has no pick but to take the artificial infant with him on a mission to take down the villain Ma Mayhem and her crew . Terry ’s disinterested project cooperator is a conflict that ’s easy to pertain to for anyone who went to public school , and the action scenes that force Terry to balance his precedence are solidly entertaining . Admittedly , The Eggbaby ’s humour verge on the corny side , make it a light , fun , but not necessarily crucial instalment to rewatch .
8The Call
Season 3, Episodes 7 and 8
Just asJustice League Unlimitedpaid homage to Terry McGinnis with a standalone episode set in the far future , Batman Beyondgives a fascinating glance into what the time to come is like for themembers of the DCAU Justice League . The two - part episode " The Call " finally give a wide-eyed face into the DCAU ’s future beyond Neo Gotham City , as the Justice League comes knocking on Batman ’s threshold to officially extend Terry membership . Though Terry is ab initio star struck , he soon learns the accuracy behind the musical phrase " Never meet your Hero . "
Seeing the ideologic divide between Batman and the other Justice League member is always a enthralling mind to research . The Callis also deserving rewatching just to see where the dissimilar appendage of the League , include Superman , end up , and how the squad has morph over time . While the two - parter might require more context than otherBatman Beyondepisodes , the ultimate reveal of the twirl villain is well worth the wait .
7Out Of The Past
Season 3, Episode 5
Just likeBatman : The Animated Series , Batman Beyondwasn’t afraid to get unbelievably dark at meter . Few episodes demonstrate this secure than time of year 3 , episode 5 " Out of the Past , " which features the return of Bruce Wayne ’s old fire , Talia Al Ghul . This sequence explores Bruce Wayne ’s mortality and aging physical body through the lense of the original series ' most famed technique for defying nature – The Lazarus Hell .
This episode sport a lot of great individual metre , from the Batman microscope stage run to the delightful romantic tenseness between the aged Bruce Wayne and Talia , who has n’t aged a twenty-four hour period since audience last saw her . The shivery reveal of Talia ’s true motivations is one of the series ' most distressing moments , and concludes the villainess ' electric discharge through the persistence once and for all . For that reason alone , Out of the Pastis deserving a rewatch , even if it requires plenty of background cognition of the original serial .
6Meltdown
Season 1, Episode 5
LikeOut of the Past , time of year 1 , episode 5 " nuclear meltdown " describes one of thedarkest fates suffer by a Batman villainin the DCAU persistence . Introducing Terry ’s nemesis , Blight , while bring back the iconic villain Mr. Freeze , Meltdownis one of the unassailable episodes of the first season . When Victor Fries ' cryogenically preserved body is resuscitated for a selfish scientific experimentation , the cold role of Mr. Freeze gradualy start to thawing from dormancy .
The artistic creation ofMeltdownis gorgeous , with the macabre phantom of Mr. Freeze ’s Modern bod evokes the art style ofHellboy ’s Mike Mignola . The climactic three - way battle between Mr. Freeze , Blight , and Batman is a true ocular spectacle as well , setting up a competition that will go on to last the legal age of the series . While mess of context might be needed for the determination of Fries ' discharge , Meltdownprovides a peck of value for endless rewatches .
5Rebirth
Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2
The premier two - part installment that plain off theBatman Beyonduniverse , Rebirthperfectly encapsulate everything one needs to fuck die in to the series . As Bruce Wayne realizes that he has become too old to carry on his crimefighting career , he retires the drape of Batman for twenty years . In these two ten , Gotham City has become a very different place , and it is n’t until Terry McGinnis stumbles upon the Batsuit while looking for his father ’s killer that Bruce decide to train a replacement .
Having mickle of excellent here and now in its own right , Rebirthprovides the narrative start to the serial publication while instantly filling new viewer in on everything they call for to know about Terry and Neo Gotham City . This makes it a cracking choice to number back to at any point , call for only a working knowledge of Batman in general to love . That being say , the plentiful total of set - up does leave a little snatch missing when it comes to an real first outing for the new Batman .
4Dead Man’s Hand
Season 1, Episode 8
The Royal Flush gang may have been 500 - List as far as Justice League villains go , but in Terry ’s public , they ’re a major go back threat to Neo Gotham City . In their introductory outing , the playing card - themed mob make a spectacular entrance , made all the juicier by the fact that Batman is unwittingly go steady one of their fellow member after breaking up with Dana . come in a bite of mellow schooling love triangle drama into the mix of Terry ’s superpowered life , this installment takes reward of Terry ’s more human need equate to Bruce .
That being say , Bruce is no stranger to fraternise with the enemy , and seeing the parallels between Batman and Ten ’s relationship and Bruce ’s honest-to-god flames makes for a gripping watch . Not only that , but the spectacular sarcasm of Batman and Ten fighting one another without substantiate they ’re dating in their civilian living only contract well after having already been let in on the twist . That being enounce , the high school play can get tiresome after repeat viewings .
3Ace In The Hole
Season 2, Episode 25
If there ’s one member of the Bat - Family that does n’t get enough honey , it ’s Ace the Bat - Hound . While a edition ofAce , voice by Kevin Hart , appeared lately in the revivify filmDC League of Super Pets , Batman Beyond ’s season 2 , episode 25 " Ace in the Hole " finally insert the beloved canine companion ’s origin story . In the present of the serial publication , Ace also face some demons from his past tense , help Batman take down an illegal dogfighting surgical process .
Everyone love a safe animal - focalize story , andAce in the Holecertainly delivers . It helps that the entering is one ofBatman Beyond ’s ripe bottle episodes . While the flashback portions may take topographic point in theBatman : The Animated Seriesyears , it ’s easy to go in on the story without even having any knowledge of the pervious canon . Being one of the few opus of Batman media to focalize on Ace , this episode is a great choice for a casual rewatch .
2Ascension
Season 1, Episode 13
While producingBatman Beyond , it ’s easy to tell that Warner Brothers struggled to select whether to sharpen on returning characters or a series of brand - Modern villain . This split identity came to a top dog in season 1 , episode 13 " Ascension " which provide a stunning close to the Derek Powers storyline . As Derek ’s son Paxton is groom to represent as the straw man of Wayne - Powers , his father ’s condition becomes more fickle than ever before as Batman struggles to hold in the disastrous fallout .
The stunning conclusion to Blight ’s all - too - brief run as Batman ’s big badness , Ascensionhits all the right narrative beat . The three - way bodied machination between Batman , Derek , and Paxton all culminates an volatile finale that challenges Terry ’s true depths of ethical motive as Batman . Serving as a great conclusion to Blight ’s fib in the show while setting up plenty of further storylines in the follow - up comics , Ascensionfunctions superbly on a rewatch as a starting point and a fetch up line .
1April Moon
Season 2, Episode 23
It ’s easy to forget thatBatman Beyondis just as much acyberpunk idiot box showas it is a superhero tale , but phenomenal episodes like time of year 2 , sequence 23 " April Moon " attend to as a great reminder with their intense technical themes . It seems as though an old colleague of Bruce Wayne ’s has been supply a felonious gang with dangerous cybernetic computer hardware . It ’s up to Batman to track down the source of their upgrades while doing struggle with the unsafe gang themselves .
The reveal of Dr. Croso ’s lawful motives is one of the most alarming consequence in the series , forcing Batman to take the young scourge super seriously . The scandalous climactic twist of the cybernetic gang ’s leverage and the infamously roughshod fate of their loss leader , Bullwhip , makes for an appropriately dour hacker cautionary tale . With next to no background circumstance require to enjoy , April Moonis by far the most rewatchable episode ofBatman Beyond .
Custom Image by Alex Valentino
