In the world of Batman Beyond, Bruce has aged considerably and has been left unable to defend Gotham the way he used to. When the series was first introduced, a new hero emerged who seemed willing to don both the mantle of the Bat and the burden that came along with it.
Although Terry McGinnis began his youth as a punk kid on the wrong side of the law, he would eventually grow into the hero the Neo Gotham needed so desperately. Here are 10 things you need to know about the new Batman, Terry Mcginnis.
10 Criminal Background
While many of Batman’s young proteges have had some trouble in their past, Terry McGinnis is perhaps on the greatest examples of a young man who needed to make amends for his past. While Jason Todd was found on the streets and taken in by Bruce after trying to steal the wheels of the batmobile, Terry had already been in a gang, caused general mayhem and served a stint in juvie by the time that Bruce decided to let him take up the mantle of the Bat.
9 Shared Trauma
Another thing that many of Batman’s young proteges have in common is a shared trauma in their childhoods. Dick Grayson’s parents were killed before his eyes, Tim Drake lost his parents after becoming Robin, Bruce, ironically, lost his parents right in front of his eyes and Terry would eventually lose his father Warren after he had discovered that Derek Powers had planned on mass-producing biological weapons. After this happened, Terry would break into Wayne Manor and steal the batsuit in order to avenge his father’s death.
8 Bred For The Job
Though it is originally believed that Terry is the son of Warren and Mary McGinnis, it is later revealed to Terry that he had been systematically bred in order to take up the mantle of Batman after Bruce inevitably grew too old to continue as Batman. After breaking into Amanda Waller’s office, she informs him that she had used nanotech on his father’s reproductive organs in order to rewrite his genetic code and match it with Bruce’s.
She had even planned to have Terry’s parents killed in front of him, but after the assassin she hired backed down, claiming that it wasn’t right to kill in the name of Batman, Waller gave up on her. Though, that wouldn’t spare Terry’s father.
7 A Bit Of A Loner
Much like his mentor, Bruce Wayne, Terry is often isolated due to his responsibilities as Batman. While he has had several girlfriends throughout his time as Batman, his relationships are often quite strained due to his constant running away to save the city. His isolation isn’t limited to his personal life either. Much like his mentor, Terry’s version of Batman prefers to operate outside of the Justice League of his time. While Superman and others have invited him time and again, Terry prefers to work alone and regularly rejects their offers.
6 A Student Of Many Teachers
While Terry’s career as the Batman of Neo Gotham originally began with him being trained by Bruce Wayne himself, Terry has since studied with many members of the Bat-family. For instance, Terry often works closely with the Commissioner of the GCPD, Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl.
Beyond his work with the new Commissioner Gordon, Terry has also worked closely with Dick Grayson and even Damian Wayne. Terry has actively sought out other members of the Bat-family knowing full-well that they’d be the only people to understand just how infuriating it can be to work with Bruce (who has not grown kindred in his old age).
5 Matt McGinnis, The Boy Wonder
Though Amanda Waller’s plan to have Terry’s parents killed when he was still very young did not come to fruition, Terry would eventually lose his father as previously mentioned. However, because Terry’s parents weren’t killed when Tery was young, they were able to produce a brother for Terry (also genetically engineered to match Bruce's DNA).
Not only was Terry fortunate enough to have his family a while longer and a little larger, but eventually his brother, Matt, would take up the mantle of Neo Gotham’s first Robin. The crimefighting gene must run in the family.
4 Relationship Problems
Much like Bruce, Terry has found it incredibly difficult to balance the rest of his life with his crimefighting side-hustle. While Terry can often be seen with one of many girlfriends, his long time, on again off again, girlfriend Dana has had to take the brunt of his constant absences. Though it is important that Terry commit his time to save Neo Gotham, he has more or less neglected every other aspect of his life. From the time he was in high school and even through college, Terry has neglected not only his relationships but his academic life as well.
3 Death Of Joker King
Though Dana Tang has been a long-time friend, girlfriend, and confidante of Neo Gotham’s Batman, her brother, Douglas Tang, is a completely different story altogether. Growing up Doug had a very unhealthy obsession with the Clown Prince of Crime and idolized the work he put in towards destroying Gotham and the Batman.
When Doug eventually joins the Jokerz, he is left unimpressed with the petty crime they commit and aspires to cause real havoc. After assembling all the various Jokerz gangs, Doug begins his attack on Neo Gotham and the Batman. However, much like his hero, Doug fails to succeed against Batman and slips off of a building before dying from the impact.
2 His Not-So-Secret Identity
While a secret identity is the best defense a hero has against villains hurting either them of their family, Terry’s identity as Batman has been shared or discovered time and again. Alongside the usual suspects (people inside the Bat-family like Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne) Terry has also been found out by both Maxine Gibson, his brother, Matt, and eventually his girlfriend Dana. Though Batman is typically a hero regarded for his immense levels of security and secrecy, it seems that Terry still has a lot to pick up when it comes to the secrecy aspect of the job.
1 Terry McGinnis M.D.
Though many members of the Bat-family have chosen to go into some form of law-enforcement after their tenures as Bruce’s proteges, Terry hopes for something far different. While his grades have never been that great due to his constant need to leave class or bail entirely, Terry is actually a brilliant student and very interested in the medical field. Throughout his time under Bruce’s tutelage, Terry has been able to create medicines, antitoxins and other medical supplies designed to help the citizens of Neo Gotham.