Welcome to Adventure(s) Time's thirty-seventh installment, a look at a classic animated series and its tie-in comic. This time, a review of a Batman Beyond episode that disrupted the status quo. Then, a sequel in the tie-in comic from the episode's author.

Airing on October 16, 1999, featuring direction from Curt Geda, "Hidden Agenda" is the 18th episode of Batman Beyond. The story, by Hilary J. Bader and Shaun McLaughlin, has Terry McGinnis concerned that his precocious friend Max will discover his secret identity as Batman with a new computer program she's developed. Max has her own problems, however, as her classmate Carter Wilson is violently envious of her higher score on a college placement test.

Not coincidentally, the opening also introduces us to a new crew of Jokerz. Inspired by the notorious villain, and the'90s fad of x-treme phonetic spellings, the Jokerz generate chaos across Gotham. Sometimes their antics seem harmless, other times they're legitimately deadly. This crew falls into the latter category.

Led by Terminal, a Joker who dresses as Marilyn Manson in a straightjacket, this gang terrorizes a businessman in the opening sequence. And when one of the Jokerz irritates Terminal, he's nearly killed by his leader. Unbeknownst to the world is Terminal's secret identity as Carter, the seemingly perfect student at Terry's school.

Carter at times comes across as a 1980s teen movie villain, only he's simultaneously a jock and a brain. Some characterization is provided during his conversations with his mother, who acts as a cold disciplinarian with impossible standards. During their exchange, there’s a credible rationale for why he would lash out at the world. (One reason why so many young viewers connected with Beyond is its unflinchingly nasty view of adults.)

What really sells Terminal, however, is the voice work of Michael Rosenbaum. He's just as believable as a teenage honor student as he is a remorseless killer. Rosenbaum's creepier than you'd expect to hear anyone sound in a Saturday morning program, and when he threatens someone's life, the implied violence is credible.

Terminal orders his gang to target Max, who responds by altering her computer program. Now, it will divulge the most likely identity of this Jokerz leader. Its answer? Terry McGinnis.

Max thinks she can stop the harassment by exposing to Terry, via email, that she knows his secret. (People don’t text in the hi-tech future of Beyond.) She orders him to meet at the park where...he'll likely kill her, if he is a Joker. What's the girl thinking? You literally just tested as the smartest kid in your school, Max. What kind of a plan is this? Terry reads the email in a panic, believing Max has uncovered he's Batman.

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This is a great play on Terry's dual identity, even if Max's actions are absurd. Just examining Terry from the outside, he might actually fit the profile of a teenage serial killer. (Heck, we learn later on Terry was a literal juvenile delinquent before becoming Batman.) Far too many Beyond episodes centered on the high school setting, but having Terry's "secret" as a villain exposed is actually pretty clever. And the following sequence, of the Jokerz clearly intending to kill Max, is genuinely creepy.

There's a tension here often lacking in the high school-themed episodes of this series. Terminal is cold and nasty enough to carry out his threat, no doubt. (Even his name would likely be a censor note at any other network.) And the "laser blasters" used by his gang aren't harmless light guns -- their blasts explode on impact. They're actually more dangerous than the realistic handguns the censors probably banned!

Arriving just in time to save Max is Batman, who takes down the Jokerz and exposes Terminal's true identity. The next day, Max puts two and two together, cheekily informing Terry she's learned his secret.

It's now known the character of Max existed as a network note to give Batman a female confidant. Initially, the producers tried to establish her as just another kid at the school, before pulling the trigger in this episode. Max went on to become a fan favorite, largely due to the charming voice work of Cree Summer. The dynamic of Max working as Batman’s aide, but not knowing the full story behind Terry’s life as Batman, also brought something different to the series.

While the existing female lead of Dana Tan faded into the background, Max ended up becoming integral to several Beyond episodes. Terminal, conversely, was a done-in-one villain. When it came to repeating threats, Beyond had some trouble creating foes worthy of headlining more than one story. One attempt was made at reviving Terminal however, in the pages of the Batman Beyond tie-in comic.

Batman Beyond #12 (October 2000) brings us “Terminal Velocity,” a sequel penned by original co-writer Hilary J. Bader and penciled by Craig Rousseau. The story begins with Carter Wilson timidly aiming a gun, off-screen voices compelling him to pull the trigger.

His target, we learn, is a dummy of Terminal. This is Carter’s therapy in a juvenile detention center, where he’s progressing rather well. Two of his fellow patients, however, have engineered a breakout/riot, drawing Batman’s attention.

During the melee, Carter surprises Batman by turning against his fellow inmates. As a reward for his good deed, and with his psychiatrist’s blessing, a judge grants Carter an early release. That’s somewhat plausible. Carter being allowed to return to his high school, where he nearly killed one of his classmates, is not. Even more unbelievably, both Terry and Max forgive Carter for his actions as Terminal.

Bader reinvents Carter as a victim of multiple personality syndrome, a deviation from his portrayal in "Hidden Agenda." There’s some explanation in the story -- Dr. Sheridan’s therapy allowed Carter to segregate the Terminal side of his persona -- but the revamping of the character feels forced. Carter wasn’t a good kid with a repressed bad side, he was a sadistic jerk who hated the thought of anyone one-upping him and didn’t value human life.

So, why did Bader make this move? Her motivation becomes clear as the story unfolds. The Jokerz gang is still active, still seemingly receiving orders from Terminal. After kidnapping Dr. Sheridan, he demands Carter be brought before him. We then discover Terminal wants Dr. Sheridan’s help in “killing” Carter Wilson.

Yes, it’s a Two-Face riff. And just to drive this home, Bader has even decided to make Terry and Carter close friends, recreating the dynamic of Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent. The show was reluctant to pull these stunts, hoping to create rogues that could stand on their own. In interviews, they specifically stated they didn’t want a Beyond version of Two-Face.

Perhaps this was an idea rejected by the producers, or maybe Bader was creating an homage she thought the fans would enjoy. Regardless, it feels cheap. Terminal, as an honor student with a sadistic edge and fascination with violence, seems to have enough of a foundation as a villain without dragging in a recycling of Two-Face’s gimmick. In terms of this specific issue, there’s no room in the story to sell his reinvention (leaving Terry and Max’s new friendship with Carter as rushed and unconvincing), so any internal conflicts within Terminal feel completely superficial.

And how does Batman subdue the villain? How else do you subdue a foe with identity issues? You grant him a look at his visage in a broken mirror, naturally. That always works. And wouldn’t you know it? Terminal’s face is now separated right down the middle.

It’s a look Carter enjoys so much, he even adopts it during his return to juvie. The final image is a “stunning” reveal that the Terminal persona still lives in Carter, splitting their work on the therapeutic art projects. This does, to be fair, feel like a legitimate Batman Beyond coda. You can even hear one of the industrial rock cues in the background, signaling the end of the episode, if you listen hard enough. But, wow, is all of this derivative and not at all necessary.

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The Wrap-Up

Design-y

As popular as Max became in Beyond fandom, I’ve never been a fan of her design. Created when the designers were obsessed with “pixie” bodies for their female characters, her shape seems odd, and her futuristic clothes and hairstyle just feel like they’re trying too hard. (Neon pink Caesar cuts on women will take the future by storm, assuredly.) Nice sneakers, though.

Hey, I Know that Voice

Cree Summer's voice has been a staple of American animation since the 1980s, going back to her role as Penny in the Inspector Gadget cartoon. You'll also recognize her as Elmyra on Tiny Toons Adventures, and Susie on Rugrats.

Michael Rosenbaum, meanwhile, is best known for playing Lex Luthor on Smallville. He voiced numerous characters in the DCAU, including the Flash, and would later recycle his Terminal voice as Deadshot in Justice League. And yes, this voice is such a perfect Kevin Spacey impression, many viewers were fooled. (Although the odds of Spacey taking on voiceover work in order to pay the bills have dramatically increased lately...)

Approved By Broadcast Standards & Practices

Terminal’s stated desire to murder his classmate Max is pretty intense, even for the lax censorship of early WB! cartoons.

Battle of Terminal’s Two Faces

"Hidden Agenda" captures one of the strengths of Beyond -- it’s a dangerous world, where train rides aren’t safe, serial killers are idolized, and a high school kid is a target for murder for simply scoring too high on a standardized test. Kids weren’t expecting this dour, cynical view of the future, which likely explains why Beyond developed much of its fandom. Kids like to feel as if they’re enjoying adult entertainment, and Beyond rarely spoke down to them.

When Terminal and his Jokerz gang confront Max in the dark, there’s a sense this might not turn out okay. Any viewer over ten surely knows she’ll be fine, but Beyond was great at selling this kind of danger. And with Rosenbaum’s voice acting, and a solid design, Terminal did have potential as a recurring foe.

That’s one reason why “Terminal Velocity” feels like an unworthy follow-up. The character didn’t need this reinvention at all. Terminal’s entire gimmick is foolishly overwritten simply to turn him into a retread of one of Bruce Wayne’s villains. To get there, we have to buy Carter and Terry becoming fast friends, an utterly dense judicial system, and previously unseen psychological issues for Terminal. (In addition to a glossing over of Max’s feelings about the guy who nearly killed her.) Most of the story lacks credibility, which kills any effort to grant Terminal more depth. Some villains don’t need more depth, and Terminal was arguably one of them. He certainly didn’t need to become a ridiculous clone of Two-Face.

That’s all for now. If you have any episodes of an animated series you’d like to see paired with its tie-in comic, just leave a comment or contact me on Twitter.