‘Batman Beyond’ was created on January 10, 1999, by Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, and Alan Burnett, ending in 2001 with three seasons to its name.
The plot is a continuation of Batman: The Animated Series, a part of the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) that consists of several other shows about superheroes.
The show begins with an older Batman trying to save a kidnapping victim — and doing so with great success — until he suffers from a mild heart attack caused by years of crime fighting.
After realizing that his body is failing him and he has to resort to the same cowardly weapon that took his parents’ life, Batman decides to hang up the towel and retire from crime-fighting.
The show then jumps 20 years into the future, following high-school student Terry McGinnis as the new protagonist of the show.
The series shows that Terry has an estranged relationship with his father, and he’s a bit of a hothead as well.
Terry eventually has a chance to encounter an older Bruce Wayne after a near-death brush with the new Joker Gang that occupies Gotham. Terry goes to learn the truth about the identity of Bruce, which causes Terry to be kicked out of Wayne Manor.
Terry eventually returns home to find his father has been killed, and he later learns that his father has learned about a dangerous bioweapon being developed at Wayne-Powers.
Terry then takes this newfound information to Bruce Wayne, pleading with him to help him take down CEO Derrek Powers, but Bruce refuses and insists on taking it to the police.
Terry is enraged that Batman will not help him and decides to steal Bruce’s bat suit and take matters into his own hands.
Terry ends up stopping a shipment of the bio-weapon that had gotten his father killed and later forms a student/mentor relationship with Bruce Wayne by becoming the new Batman of the future.
The show clouds itself in the mystery of what happened to Batman since the original animated series leaving fans to want to watch and learn more. For instance, the show eventually would get its own movie dedicated to the mystery of what happened to the Joker and was titled Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker.
The show brings in many new intriguing side characters and villains such as The Blight, Inque, The Royal Flush Gang, and more.
The show overall is a wonderful conclusion to the story of Batman in the DCAU and a unique take on Batman in a more futuristic setting.
We highly recommend it to any fan of The Dark Knight.