RETRO TV REVIEW: Batman Beyond S1E1-2: "Rebirth, Parts 1 & 2"

Batman Beyond was a series that I had overlooked back when it originally aired. My attention at the time was invested in other shows, and less into animation, and it simply never caught my eye at that time. Moreover, I dismissed the show perhaps a bit too flippantly, not realizing why a show about a future Batman would be needed when there was a perfectly good Batman already in use. After that, I became drawn into various other things and missed the life span of the show, never looking back it aside from DC comic book tie-ins and references. However, recently it struck me to revisit Batman Beyond and re-evaluate my original take on the show and see if there was something more to it.

I’m pleased to say that my original take was wrong, because the first two episodes that comprise the “Rebirth” story arc are quite enjoyable. While I wouldn’t compare them to the overall quality of the classic Batman: The Animated Series, it’s entertaining enough and follows quite well as a possible future branching from that series. Indeed, the show helps to pass the torch from Bruce Wayne to Terry McGinnis by opening the story with Bruce Wayne’s last mission as Batman, leading up to his final retirement of the cowl. This also covers some important explanations, such as why the futuristic Bat-suit would be available for Terry to use at the right time.

Moreover, the adventures of Terry McGinnis are not truly a Batman show at all; this is a Spider-Man inspired story dressed up in Batman trappings and thus is an entirely different kind of series. The origin story does establish Terry McGinnis as having the qualities to be Batman in some respects. He has the same pain and loss, he has some respectable fighting skills (explained by being a high school wrestler), and he has the courage and heart of a hero. However, his driving force is much the same as Peter Parker’s; much as with Peter and his Uncle Ben, Terry fails to listen to his father, then makes a tragic mistake that leads to his father’s murder. This then leads Terry to be a superhero as an outlet for his guilt in addition to his rage over the death of his father. At the same time, Batman Beyond does add some wrinkles to it, such as the cyberpunk future, and his relationship to Bruce Wayne as his mentor. The result is something of a hybrid show, which grounds Terry’s personal life in high school and family drama, but his superhero life is built around the Batman mythos and his dynamic with the elderly Bruce Wayne. It’s a fairly solid setup for an animated show, even if the basic origin story is built on ideas that we’ve seen previously. Moreover, Terry McGinnis is a likable character, and he feels less like a Robin-style sidekick and more his own hero.

The main villain and the threat fortunately gives us something a little different than the Spider-Man formula, which helps shakes things up somewhat. The idea of a Joker-inspired street gang is intriguing, even though they mainly exist to lead Terry to Bruce Wayne and establish their bond. The real threat of the story is corporate magnate Derek Powers, who in the Batman Beyond future has acquired control over Wayne Enterprises. The story does a good job of setting him up as the series villain, as the man who ordered the hit on Terry’s father and as Bruce’s corporate rival. In a way, this story is a setup to his villainous origin, evolving quite literally from corporate villain to super-villain. He might possibly be compared to Norman Osborn in this sense, though we don’t see the same kind of insanity in these episodes. Mainly, Powers is more of a traditional cyberpunk villain, using his corporate and financial resources to create bioweapons. It’s a shame that his assistant, Mr. Fixx, is a bit wasted, unfortunately; Fixx doesn’t get that many lines and is underutilized and underdeveloped despite being voiced by the legendary George Takei. Even in terms of the story, he’s a bit poorly used; Fixx is the murderer of Terry’s father, and yet he’s used as little more than as an enforcer. Still, what we’re given in these two episodes works well enough for this story, and it helps to set up Terry’s life as the new futuristic Batman.

As one might expect from a DCAU series, the voice acting is quite good and serves the purpose quite well. Will Freidle makes a good Terry McGinnis, bringing a strength of character to the role and granting him a youthful energy. Kevin Conroy is, as always, brilliant as the Bruce Wayne Batman, and he’s easily the most formidable presence in the cast. While he doesn’t sound as though he’s aged all that much, Conroy always gives his Batman a level of power and authority few others can manage. Sherman Howard does well at playing Powers, sounding less sinister and more slick, affable, and corporate. Though I wish he’d been given more, Takei does the best he can with what little he’s given in terms of lines, and his distinctive voice gives Mr. Fixx some real strength. The supporting cast members involve a fairly notable roster of players—Teri Garr and Seth Green get some good moments in when called for. Lauren Tom also does some solid work as Terry’s love interest Dana, though we don’t learn that much about her character in these episodes. All in all, it’s a good, workable ensemble that helps to bring life to the world of Batman Beyond.

Although these two episodes are a little by-the-numbers in that they’re designed to get the story moving from Point A to Point B, that’s not necessarily a bad thing in this instance. Batman Beyond is built on the strength of Terry McGinnis as a character and the worldbuilding of this future Gotham, and “Rebirth” sets up both quite well. If nothing else, it leaves me wanting to see the rest of this series and learn more about Terry and the future of Gotham, which is what a good pilot story should do. Though not a perfect series opener, Batman Beyond was able to turn me around on the character and the series enough to make me want to see more, and that’s good enough for now.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Director: Curt Geda

Writers: Alan Burnett, Stan Berkowitz

Cast: Will Friedle, Kevin Conroy, Sherman Howard, George Takei, Teri Garr, Lauren Tom, Seth Green, and Michael Gross

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Steve Sellers

Steve Sellers had been a fan of superheroes ever since Superman: The Movie. But it took the JSA, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Dragonlance, Lord of the Rings, Twilight Zone, and Chris Claremont's legendary run on the X-Men to make him a writer and a longtime fan of comics, fantasy, and science fiction. Steve is the co-creator of WHITE DRUID & MICHAEL NERO and GUARDIANS OF ELAYIM for Omen Comics, and he is also the creator of BLITZ and SHOCKWAVE for Revelation Comics (an imprint of Omen Comics).