My Batman Beyond Rant

My Batman Beyond Rant 

Considering how popular Batman is, everyone should know about Batman Beyond. In case you don't, Batman Beyond is a sequel series to Batman TAS that lasted three seasons, and with a direct-to-video movie. The series is set in a cyberpunk future where Bruce Wayne is an old man and a teenage boy name Terry McGinnis takes up the mantle of Batman under Bruce Wayne's guidance. The show won over fans by giving us new adversaries, a future setting, and a protagonist who has to learn to live up to Batman's legacy. Besides Nightwing, this is the second closest thing to DC Spider-Man. I say that because this cartoon borrows elements from Spider-Man and other Marvel IPs. 

The show avoids the trend of making a future version of Batman's rogues gallery. When we do see a member of his rogue gallery, it's done in a way that makes sense. ( I wish I could say the same for the comics, but I'm getting ahead of myself.) The villains in this series are similar to the old ones without feeling like a copy of those villains. the show also deals with big business, misuse of tech, legacy, and mortality. Another thing this show did that I like is giving us a Bruce Wayne who lost his humanity. In season 4 of Batman TAS, Bruce is focused on his crusade to the point where he ruins his relationships and doesn't show compassion for his villains for the most part. In Batman Beyond, he lost his company and closed himself off from the world. After he meets Terry, we see Bruce out of the mansion and regain control of his company over time. Take notes, Mr. Snyder, because this is how it's done!   

With all that said, I didn't love this series as much as everyone else. As far as the movie goes, it lost its novelty, and the mystery wasn't good. Don't get me started on the JLU episode. Season one, to me, is the best season of the show. After that, the show lost its momentum, and it felt like a different show. Part of the reason why is because the show removed Derek Powers/Blight too soon. That annoyed me back when I first watched this show because he was the main villain to both Bruce and Terry for different reasons, and his last episode was anticlimactic. Looking back on it I still feel the same way about it; however, I understand why things played up the way they did. The radiation he was suffering from was not only affecting his body but also his mind, so he brought this on himself. 

He was brought back in the comics, but the writers don't seem to know what to do with him. I was also let down that the series wasted his son, Paxton Powers, because the writers could have done interesting things with him. Another issue I have with the show is the villains. This series has five recurring baddies, not including the Jokers and Blight, at the time. Most of them have gimmicks with no personality. 

We were suppose to get one of two Batman Beyond movies. One with either Mr. Keaton or Mr. Eastwood playing Bruce Wayne, and the other one with the same animation style as the Spider-Verse movies. Sidenote, I would prefer Mr. Eastwood because he's a bigger star. Plus, I don't want Mr. Keaton wearing out his welcome. If Batman Beyond movie ever gets greenlit, it's going to be hard to produce for three reasons. First of all, we had two movies that came out before and after Batman Beyond that are similar to the pilot episode. They are The Mask of Zorro and the first Ant-Man movie. WB could face a copyright lawsuit; the same thing goes for an animated movie. Second, the movie could be restricted from doing anything creative because it's based on a show. This is what hurt the tie-in comics and the fan film we got last week. The fan film is similar to the episode that introduces the Royal Flash gang, but with a few changes. (I'm surprised that the fan film didn't get a million views yet, considering how long fans have been waiting for a Batman Beyond movie, but I digress.) Finally, I don't think the villains in the series can carry a movie unless they work together. 

As far as the comics goes, I didn't read a lot of them, and I didn't like most of the things the writers did with those comics. The fact that we haven't got a Batman Beyond movie yet bothers me on principle, that principle is WB wanted a teenage Batman. What's the point of asking for this if you are going to give this I.P. the cold shoulder? If we ever do get a Batman Beyond movie, I want two things. The first thing is to have Dick Grayson make an appearance to give Terry someone he can relate to; he knows what it's like to be in Bruce's shadow. Second, don't have Dana ( Terry's girlfriend) in the movie because she is one of, if not the most, unlikable characters on the show. ( to be fair, Terry hasn't always been the best boyfriend.) Seriously, what does Terry see in her?  

That's all I have to say about this topic for now. What do you think should be done with this I.P.?