FANS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MEMORIES:
beatle400 remembers...I loved this series. I would wake up every Saturday to watch a new episode. Then I would watch repeats ... More »
Posted on 07/21/09
PHOTOS:
Cast:
Bruce Wayne...Kevin Conroy
Derek Powers...Sherman Howard
Dana Tan...Lauren Tom
Studio:
Release History:
Batman Beyond followed on the heels of the highly-successful Warner Brothers animated series based upon the famed caped crusader in the 90s. This time around, alter-ego Bruce Wayne is in his twilight years and a younger crusader is needed to tackle the rampant crime of Gotham City.
With roaming gangs like the Jokerz (who idolize the iconic clown-faced villain) and a Police Commissioner at wits end named Barbera Gordon (who was formerly Batgirl) it was time for some new bat blood on the scene and Wayne found the perfect prospect in young resident, Terry McGinnis.
In circumstances similar to the young Bruce Wayne, Terry’s father was also ruthlessly killed when he was young, the victim of a former business partner, Derek Powers. Bruce takes him under his wing, training him and becoming his mentor. Meanwhile, an unhealthy dose of radiation poisoning manages to turn Powers into a glowing skeletal freak named Blight. With a new Batsuit, equipped with jet boots, some nifty camouflage capabilities and a bevy of Batarangs, the newest superhero on the scene sets out solo this time, ready to reign in the terrorist tendencies of Gotham’s most unruly citizens.
And with a whole new series, came a whole new collection of villains, such as Inque, mutant with the power to turn himself into liquid, and The Gotham Golem, a formidable robot controlled by outcast boy, Willie Watt. Even with all of the villain chasing, however, McGinnis still found enough free time to attend high school and date the lovely Dana Tan, who was unaware of her boyfriend’s batty identity.
This 1999 spin-off series had a very successful run of its own on Saturday morning TV and spawned its own animated Direct to DVD movie, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. The series ended in 2001 and although a reprise of the series, as well as a feature film have been bandied around, as of yet, neither has materialized. Instead, Warner Brothers shelved the project, opting to put their efforts into the Batman Begins concept. Batman Beyond did manage to spawn a spin-off of its own, at least, called The Zeta Project, which lasted for a year. Unfortunately, as of late, that’s the last the world has heard of this caped crusader part deux.
