Batman Beyond

[The Laughing Fish]

Bruce Timm went on record to confirm there were plans for a sequel of Return of the Joker, but the project never got off the ground.

Timm provided fans with a suggestion of what the follow-up to Return of the Joker would undoubtedly have featured. It consisted of a giant spin regarding collection protagonist Terry McGinnis.  It took place at the Batman Beyond 20th anniversary panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego,

" Catwoman was likely to be our leading bad guy in the 2nd flick," stated Timm. "She was the one who duplicated Bruce Wayne to develop Terry, yet that was most likely to be our big surprise in our next motion picture." This idea would indeed later be repurposed, as Return of the Joker did not offer well adequate to validate moving on the follow-up.

From exactly how Timm defines things, it seems Catwoman would undoubtedly have contributed to Terry's very presence. Well, if the film had gone into production. The discovery of Terry being a partial duplicate of Bruce would be in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Requiem." However, Catwoman was not involved in that story. It likewise appears like Selina Kyle might not have had important objectives in cloning Bruce. She apparently would have been the film's antagonist.

Return of the Joker released on residence video in December of 2000. The main Batman Beyond series remained in the middle of its third period. The film complies with the still-living and also far more dangerous Joker as he wreaks havoc on Neo-Gotham. It's 35 years after supposedly dying in his end of the world with Bruce. It drops upon Terry to address the mystery of the Clown Prince of Crime's return and stop him at last. Many followers consider the movie to be one of the darkest Batman features to date.

Source: https://www.animatedtimes.com/batman-beyond-more-about-the-scrapped-return-of-the-joker-sequel-revealed/

Selina Kyle as the chief antagonist behind Terry's creation? Nah, I much prefer Amanda Waller's agenda in re-creating Batman because Gotham City forever needs him.

[Silver Nemesis]

It's strange that Beyond is being gradually forgotten. A little sad too.

Beyond coming to Blu-ray will help change that.

Here's a comparison showing the difference between the old and restored footage.

When Bruce Timm was asked about the possibility of Batman Beyond being revived, he responded:

"I'll yell ya: if this things sells like crazy on Blu-ray and creates a giant buzz, that will make it more possible that it would happen. We would totally do it."

https://www.cbr.com/batman-beyond-bruce-timm-revival-chances-sdcc/

[thecolorsblend]

This is a shot in the arm the BB concept needs.

I'll probably buy this set... eventually.

[The Dark Knight]

When Bruce Timm was asked about the possibility of Batman Beyond being revived, he responded:

"I'll yell ya: if this things sells like crazy on Blu-ray and creates a giant buzz, that will make it more possible that it would happen. We would totally do it."

https://www.cbr.com/batman-beyond-bruce-timm-revival-chances-sdcc/

As much as I enjoy TDK Returns and rank it as my favorite Batman graphic novel, I think Beyond is the better concept, especially as an ongoing series. TDK Returns is better as an explosive one-shot, with the subsequent sequels also proving that point. I'd be open to a Beyond continuation, as long as the standard remained high.

[Silver Nemesis]

As much as I enjoy TDK Returns and rank it as my favorite Batman graphic novel, I think Beyond is the better concept, especially as an ongoing series. TDK Returns is better as an explosive one-shot, with the subsequent sequels also proving that point. I'd be open to a Beyond continuation, as long as the standard remained high.

I feel the same way. To my mind, TDKR is the ultimate final adventure of Batman's career. It works great as a standalone book. And since I never really cared for Strikes Again or The Master Race, I like to pretend that TDKR is a standalone book.

But as a vision of Batman's future adventures, Batman Beyond is my favourite. I always liked the idea that Bruce would not retire until he was physically incapable of being Batman. He's about 60 years old in the prologue scenes of 'Rebirth', and he's still fighting crime. It's only when his heart gives out, and he realises his body can't keep up anymore, that he finally calls it quits. And even then, he continues battling crime by helping Terry. Terry is the one out there doing the physical stuff, but the original Batman is still applying his detective skills and technology to assist him. The Batman in Batman Beyond isn't just Terry, but rather a composite of Terry and Bruce. It takes the two of them to maintain the identity. That in itself is a cool concept – a Batman who is the product of two people, not just one.

Looking back on Batman Beyond now, I appreciate how the creators didn't simply coast off the popularity of Batman's classic rogues. In recent years Warner Bros has allowed Batman villains to appear in numerous TV shows (Arrow, Titans, Gotham, and the upcoming Batwoman show), which I feel has contributed to the depreciation of the Batman brand in the public eye. These characters don't feel so special anymore since they're regularly cropping up in poor-quality TV shows. While Batman Beyond did occasionally revisit classic rogues, it never did so in such a way that felt lazy or excessive. For the most part Batman Beyond forged its own mythology and created an exciting gallery of new villains from the ground up: Blight, Inque, Shriek, Curaré and Golem, to name but a few. I'd love to see that same level of creativity applied to a modern Batman TV show or comic series – ban the use of old villains, at least for a year or two, and force the writers to come up with something fresh and inventive.

If I were to pick one episode of the show as my favourite, I think it would have to be 'Sneak Peek' from season 2. This is one of the most suspenseful episodes of the series and deals with the problems that arise when a journalist discovers Batman's secret identity and announces his intent to expose it on television. Michael McKean is brilliantly slimy as the voice of Ian Peek (his role here foreshadows his turn as Perry White in Smallville), and the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to the denouement. The ending is very dark, and Bruce's final line – "It's about as inside as you can get" – might be Conroy's most coldblooded line delivery ever. I love it.

[thecolorsblend]

What I appreciate about the show is how dynamic it could be. In terms of genre, it was sometimes a boardroom drama (nearly anything involving Derek Powers), a teen comedy ("Terry's Friend Dates A Robot", "The Eggbaby"), a monster movie ("Splicers", "Big Time"), romance ("Dead Man's Hand") and probably other stuff I'm forgetting about.

There was even some social metaphor going on too. "The Last Resort" is a tragically overlooked commentary about parenthood. I could bang away about "The Last Resort" for pages on end.

Bottom line. Some episodes were just plain fun while others really touched the heart. BB was anything but a one-note show. And, especially in retrospect, I value that.

[The Dark Knight]

I feel the same way. To my mind, TDKR is the ultimate final adventure of Batman's career. It works great as a standalone book. And since I never really cared for Strikes Again or The Master Race, I like to pretend that TDKR is a standalone book.

I do too. Strikes Again doesn't really add anything meaningful to the story. It just continues the Superman working for the government plotline, and getting physically beaten by Batman shtick. The finale with Grayson leaves a sour taste in the reader's mouth rather than eliciting any real shock value. Returns works best as a stand-alone as the ending is a truce/equilibrium, and we don't need to see what happens after - but we can imagine what does, as some of the best endings hint towards new adventures. Superman allowing Bruce to remain hidden leaves them in a relatively good place. We get the idea Bruce and Clark had a working relationship and respected one another, given they met earlier at the ranch. It was just a difference of ideas in Returns that brought them to blows. Continuing that difference of opinion in Strikes Again brings the relationship into outright hate territory.

But as a vision of Batman's future adventures, Batman Beyond is my favourite. I always liked the idea that Bruce would not retire until he was physically incapable of being Batman. He's about 60 years old in the prologue scenes of 'Rebirth', and he's still fighting crime. It's only when his heart gives out, and he realises his body can't keep up anymore, that he finally calls it quits. And even then, he continues battling crime by helping Terry. Terry is the one out there doing the physical stuff, but the original Batman is still applying his detective skills and technology to assist him. The Batman in Batman Beyond isn't just Terry, but rather a composite of Terry and Bruce. It takes the two of them to maintain the identity. That in itself is a cool concept – a Batman who is the product of two people, not just one.

Exactly. It goes to the theme of Batman being a specific mindset rather than just a physical being.

Looking back on Batman Beyond now, I appreciate how the creators didn't simply coast off the popularity of Batman's classic rogues. In recent years Warner Bros has allowed Batman villains to appear in numerous TV shows (Arrow, Titans, Gotham, and the upcoming Batwoman show), which I feel has contributed to the depreciation of the Batman brand in the public eye. These characters don't feel so special anymore since they're regularly cropping up in poor-quality TV shows. While Batman Beyond did occasionally revisit classic rogues, it never did so in such a way that felt lazy or excessive. For the most part Batman Beyond forged its own mythology and created an exciting gallery of new villains from the ground up: Blight, Inque, Shriek, Curaré and Golem, to name but a few. I'd love to see that same level of creativity applied to a modern Batman TV show or comic series – ban the use of old villains, at least for a year or two, and force the writers to come up with something fresh and inventive.

You're right. The Beyond concept forced the writers to create new villains. If we're doing a time jump into the future there has to be a whole host of new foes. The cameos of the old villains were also done poignantly and cleverly. For example the episode which shows what happened to Bane after a lifetime of Venom abuse. The old villains were a segment of the show, but not the whole show. Having a majority of new villains enriched the universe.

[Andrew]

I didn't like that the writers chose to portray old Bruce Wayne as alone, a recluse, as basically having failed in his crimefighting and business and personal life, with all of his old partners pretty much gone and not on good terms with him. That felt pretty sour.

I think the show could have depicted conditions in Gotham as having gotten worse, enough to be dramatic, without having that Bruce pretty much gave up and failed so much. And it could have been better if he was still with, married to Barbara (still the commissioner) or at least on good terms with her.

[The Dark Knight]

I didn't like that the writers chose to portray old Bruce Wayne as alone, a recluse, as basically having failed in his crimefighting and business and personal life, with all of his old partners pretty much gone and not on good terms with him. That felt pretty sour.

It's realistic though. Bruce Wayne is only human and the day was going to come when his body couldn't take the nightly punishment. I don't think that means he failed. The day he hangs up the cowl or dies, crime will carry on without him. He can only keep the peace during his tenure. That's why replacements are important to carry on his work.

[thecolorsblend]

I didn't like that the writers chose to portray old Bruce Wayne as alone, a recluse, as basically having failed in his crimefighting and business and personal life, with all of his old partners pretty much gone and not on good terms with him. That felt pretty sour.

I think the show could have depicted conditions in Gotham as having gotten worse, enough to be dramatic, without having that Bruce pretty much gave up and failed so much. And it could have been better if he was still with, married to Barbara (still the commissioner) or at least on good terms with her.

This is one of my selling points with Batman, oddly enough.

Superman fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American Way. He wins just by showing up and being himself. He's setting an example. His showdowns with supervillains and whatnot are a means to an end. He only wants to show mankind the best of themselves. Superman is a system-based thinker and it's impossible for him to lose.

Batman is pursuing a goal. He wants to rid Gotham City of crime. That's impossible. As awesome as Batman might be, he has created a goal literally nobody can ever hope to achieve. Batman's crusade has only a handful of possible endings: (1) some crook fires a lucky shot (2) the Batman Beyond-model where he's eventually forced to give up or (3) he willingly retires somewhere in his 40's, gets married and moves tf away from Gotham. But wiping out all crime and evil in Gotham City was never on the table. Batman is a goals-based thinker and he'll never win.

I applaud Batman Beyond for its honesty.