Batman Beyond(Terry McGinnis)

Batman Beyond(Terry McGinnis) is a fictional character appearing in animated television series Batman Beyond and comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and first appeared in the pilot episode of the aforementioned animated series, voiced by Will Friedle.

In the future, Terry McGinnis is the vigilante known as the Batman, having taken over the name after the aging Bruce Wayne went into retirement (in addition, in DCAU continuity, he is also Wayne's biological son, by means of gene manipulation).

Publication History(1)

McGinnis was created for the Batman Beyond animated television series, as a continuation of The New Batman Adventures, originally meant as a character for the DCAU. For a long time, he was not considered a character for the main DC Universe. Countdown introduced Earth-12, an alternate universe with its own version of Terry McGinnis and other Beyond-like characters. Batman #700 by Grant Morrison was the first comic to depict McGinnis as existing in the future of Batman and the characters of the mainstream comic book DCU, though his origin differs somewhat from Terry's, as does the timeline and the circumstance of his becoming Batman. In Batman # 700, Terry's mentor is not Bruce, but Damian Wayne, who had become the third Batman after Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson (in other words Terry would be the fourth Batman).

The 2010 story Superman/Batman Annual #4 returned to the DCAU Terry's story, as later did a 2011 Batman Beyond miniseries. From 2012, DC began publishing three Terry-related comic books: Batman Beyond and Justice League Beyond most prominently, though the character also appears in Superman Beyond. Terry officially entered mainstream DC continuity in the 2014 New 52 maxiseries, The New 52: Futures End.

Fictional Character Biography(2)

Terry McGinnis' fight for justice soon became the fight against Brother Eye as Terry became Bruce Wayne's lieutenant, leading a small pocket of superheroes in their fight against the apocalypse. When Grifter and Amethyst failed to unhook Brother Eye from the Firestorm Matrix, Terry attempted to send Bruce back in time. However, his mentor was soon mortally injured and Terry himself was forced to undertake the quest of Futures End.

Due to his specifications being different than those of Bruce's, Terry missed the point where Batman and Mr. Terrific created Brother Eye. Arriving five years too late, Terry changed the mission into ensuring Brother Eye stayed silent. He was quickly attacked by the cyborg body of Plastique, who had travelled back with him. Deciding to start off by infiltrating Mr. Terrific's Terrifitech Tower, Terry fought a few guards but was ultimately forced to retreat and slum around the tower, posing as a homeless man. Terry was present at the unveiling of the uSphere.

Later, Terry began to spy on Coil, the Key and Plastique, learning of their intentions to break into the Terrifitech Tower. While spying, he was confronted by Terrific, with whom he had a fight. This fight forced Terry to retreat once security arrived, resulting in Terrific acquiring the Plastique cyborg body. Deciding to break in once more to the Terrifitech Tower, Terry realized that if he joined the Key's heist team, he could insure Brother Eye's deactivation. Therefore, he followed the heist team to the Wounded Duck to approach them. Managing to successfully recruit the three, Terry led them out of the Wounded Duck after being confronted by the bar's owner, Cal Corcoran.

Later formulating a plan with Key, Coil and Plastique, after Terrific exposed Terry, he was betrayed by his team and knocked out. After Coil and Key tried to kill him, Terry fought back, with only Plastique wanting Terry on the heist team. Eventually, after threatening to use herself as a bomb, Plastique managed to convince all four to work with each other.

Thus, they quickly planned everything out and headed to the tunnels below the Terrifitech Tower to perform the heist. There, Terry hacked into Terrifitech systems to uncover the location of Brother Eye while also planning another heist in which he would hack NORAD's rocket systems and take out the satellite. Knowing that he could not let Key and Coil illegally sell the uSphere, Terry tripped the alarms and had those two apprehended.

Finding Plastique breaking down in front of her own cyborg, Terry allowed her to go free with him. Escaping, Terry revealed to her the horror of the End Future and found himself with a sidekick for the first time. After having ALFRED analyze the data, Terry realized the futility of hacking NORAD as Brother Eye had moved it's intelligence from the satellite to Cadmus Island.

Despite knowing that his allegiance with Plastique could compromise the future, Terry began to find himself growing infatuated with her and continued their partnership. Realizing that no such compromization could come from a teamup with Tim Drake, who was destined to die, Terry set out to recruit him and started exploring his apartment. It was here that Terry was attacked by the original Batman, faced with having to fight his mentor in the latter's prime, Terry quickly found he needed the assistance of Plastique.

Heading to Times Square to witness the launch of the uSphere, Terry and Plastique began to grow even closer together. After hearing of Cadmus Island's destruction, Terry, certain that Brother Eye survived, began to scan New York for presence of the AI. Just as he found the AI to have retreated into Terrifitech, ALFRED shut down. Horrified to see the Bat-Joker cyborg chasing Plastique, Terry rescued her only to be intercepted by the Batman. Taking Plastique to a vantage point above the Wounded Duck, Terry realized that the Bat-Joker was an assassin sent by Brother Eye from the End Future. While waiting for Tim Drake, Terry and Plastique's relationship reached an intimate level, with him losing his virginity to her. Shortly after doing so, Tim returned to the Wounded Duck and just as Terry approached him, he was once again attacked by the Bat-Joker.

After temporarily stopping the Bat-Joker, Terry was forced to reveal the End Future to the Batman, sending Plastique with the original Dark Knight and Tim Drake to stop Brother Eye. Despite trying to lead the Bat-Joker on a chase, the Jokerborg eventually caught up to Terry as the Brainiac God had blocked Manhattan off from the rest of New York. With ALFRED reactivating, Terry was able to use Brainiac's spheres to defeat the Jokerborg, but just as he did so, the modern day Brother Eye activated and declared itself the savior of Manhattan. Shocked, Terry made his way towards the Terrifitech Tower where the reactivated Plastique cyborg was about to kill Tim Drake. Ironically, it was not Terry who stopped the Plastique cyborg, but Plastique herself.

In the Terrifitech Tower, Terry managed to convince Tim that Brother Eye was the priority, not the Brainiac God. After doing so, the Brother Eye of the present confronted Terry, prompting him to give the Time Band to Ray Palmer. Attacked by the Bat-Joker once more, Batman's armour was unable to prevent him from surviving the bullets. In his final moments, however, Terry finally destroyed the Jokerborg and told Tim Drake to stop Brother Eye. His dying wish, Batman passed away looking into Plastique's eyes.

McGinnis was revived by Spellbinder, who replaced his heart with Davis Dusk, aka Rewire's electrical generator, forever trapping McGinnis in the Rewire suit. After Spellbinder discovered that McGinnis had lost his memories, he used mind control to convince him that he was himself Davis Dusk, and that he (Spellbinder) was his elderly friend Doris Shelby, and that Batman has a "very bad man" who wanted him (McGinnis) dead.

McGinnis was later framed for murder while active in Metropolis, and has formed a rivalry with the new Batman (Tim Drake), who is unconvinced of Rewire's innocence, due to being unaware of his true identity. Under Spellinder's influence, Terry (as Rewire) used the Rewire suit to instigate four nights of power outages, causing riots which kept the police and Batman distracted from Spellbinder;'s activities (he believed that he was trying to stop himself from being killed by Batman, thanks to the hallucinations and words given to him by "Mrs Shelby. He then fired an electrical blast at the car of his old friend Commissioner Barbara Gordon, causing its engine to explode. Gordon fell out of the car and pointed her pistol at Terry, who shot an electrical blast at it, throwing it out of her hand, and saying "No Guns", after which Barbara kicked Terry in the head, removing his Rewire mask and exposing his true identity. Terry then kidnapped a horrified Barbara and took her to Blackgate Prison, where he set of a power surge to alert Batman of his presence, while Spellbinder brainwashed Barbara into making her attack Batman on his arrival.

After Drake incapacitated Barbara, Terry violently attacked him with electricity, declaring this their "final showdown", and Batman's atonement for "trying to deprive [him] of what [he] need[s] to survive, and trying to kill [him] for too long." Drake responded by hitting Terry on the head with a metal hole, breaking his Rewire mask and revealing his true identity at last to both Batman and to his brother, Matt McGinnis, who had been watching from a screen and was utterly shocked to learn that Terry was still alive. Matt could also see through his camera that the "Mrs Shelby" standing behind Terry was in fact Spellbinder, which Drake heard from the monitor, and confronte her with. Spellbinder then revealed to Drake that he had rescued Terry (or "Davis", as he called him) from death's door and brainwashed him to act as a faithful servant to his (Spellbinder's) masters, The Evil Factory. Spellbinder then ordered Terry to kill Drake.

Skills and Abilities(3)

In addition to the training he receives from Bruce, Terry appears at least to be an able street fighter. In the pilot episode "Rebirth", he is able to fend off a number of Jokerz without aid, and appears to be a member of his high school's wrestling team. As expected of Batman, he engages in regular, rigorous training to minimize his reliance on the Batsuit: under Bruce's tutelage, Terry has honed his body to at least Olympic levels.

Terry has engaged in combat outside of the Batsuit in various instances. His training has granted him exceptional reflexes, enabling him to evade gunfire and make impressive leaping attempts whether in or out of the Batsuit. In one instance, without the suit's aid, Terry survives a fall from several stories high by bouncing off a pillar that is about to crush him and lands on his feet. Terry even defeats his suit in single combat when it is controlled by the computerized consciousness of a deceased business mogul, armed only with the equipment in Bruce's vintage utility belt. Fifteen years after the last episode of Batman Beyond, as Terry reaches his thirties, he is able to get through Amanda Waller's security systems and overpower her guards without the aid of his suit, suggesting that his skills are rivaling his mentor's when he was in his prime.

In "Epilogue", Waller comments that Terry has inherited several of Bruce's qualities: he possesses a high intellect (though Waller notes that Bruce is still the brighter of the pair) and has grown into Bruce's physical stature and build, having been much leaner than Bruce was as Batman during the series. Terry tends to rely on Bruce for the intellectual details when in the field but he has received an amount of detective training from Bruce, allowing him to perform such feats as tracking down Shriek or determining a connection between Joker and Tim Drake when Bruce was incapacitated. Despite his detective training, Terry's ambition is to be a physician, and, under Bruce, he learns to create cures, remedies and antidotes. As a student, his main interests are in health or medical sciences and history; however, his job as Batman and less-than-stellar study habits have caused problems with his grades, as seen in "The Eggbaby" where he needed to get a good grade on a Family Studies practical assignment to pass the class.

As Batman, Terry emulates Bruce's deep, harsh tone. He does this of his own accord, to separate the entities of Terry and Batman (Terry can be heard using his "Batman voice" outside of the Batsuit in the episodes "Shriek" and "Future Shock"). Actor Will Friedle has stated that he believes Terry's "Batman voice" is not just to strike terror into the hearts of criminals, but also to conceal his adolescence.

Terry is also capable of using a rather convincing Brooklyn accent when undercover ("Shriek," "Ace in the Hole"). Terry is a skilled motorcyclist, seen hijacking a Jokerz motorcycle in "Rebirth" and using it throughout the series, and has also demonstrated considerable skill in handling a flight-capable Batmobile.

Terry's Batsuit

The Batsuit worn by Terry is the last incarnation created by Bruce before his retirement. Though the technology in the suit is at least 20 years old, it is still considered cutting edge. In addition, after Terry becomes Batman, it is implied that the suit is updated numerous times, and after it is destroyed, he and Wayne are seen rebuilding and modifying it. The cowl in this suit covers the face completely, with the mouth being the only opening. Lenses in the eyes transmit visual data to the wearer, allow for various scanning abilities, and allow Wayne to monitor Terry's activities from the Batcave, seeing and hearing what he sees and hears and advising him. The traditional cape has been eliminated in favour of retractable glider wings under the arms. Thrusters built into the boots allow flight in the absence of wind, although for prolonged long-range flight Terry typically relies on a flight-capable Batmobile. In case the suit is stolen, the circuitry in the suit can be paralyzed remotely from the Batcave.

This Batsuit conforms to the size and physique of its wearer, being able to fit both the physically imposing Bruce and the much slimmer Terry. The form-fitting material provides almost no reduction in flexibility, while muscular enhancement technology enhances the wearer's strength, and also grants the wearer agility and endurance.

The material in the suit is resistant to massive concussive forces (in particular, it was able to take blows from Superman), fire, lasers, electric shocks, water pressure, wind force, bullets, and even low levels of radiation. After an episode where Terry nearly drowns, a built-in rebreather is added to allow the user to remain underwater for long periods or breathe in other inhospitable areas.

The suit possesses a two-way audio-visual link with the Batcomputer, allowing Terry to keep in contact with Bruce for superior tactical planning. The same applies to the Batmobile, which will automatically fly to the user's location when summoned. Directional microphones in the fingertips allow the user to hear and record audio through walls or at a distance - this data can then be transferred to a separate microchip as evidence. The lenses in the cowl can scan a number of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing night vision among other things. However, as the suit's visual capabilities are entirely electronic, the user is effectively rendered blind if they are disrupted.

The suit has several defensive capabilities. A device on the belt can electrically charge the suit to repel close attackers, added after Terry's encounters with the shapeshifting supervillain Inque; this same feature can be limited to just the hands, turning the defensive technology into an offensive one if need be. The suit (and the Batmobile) also possesses a cloaking device that can render Terry invisible to the naked eye - although it cannot, however, filter ultraviolet light. Pads on the feet can be magnetically charged, allowing the user to cling to metal surfaces even when upside-down.

The suit's offensive capabilities are also significant. It carries a large number of dispensable Batarangs which, when inactive, are compact enough to be invisible to the naked eye. These Batarangs come with a range of auxiliary functions, such as producing electric shocks or explosions. The Batarangs are usually thrown by hand, but can be fired from a wrist-mounted launcher (which also fires its own "Dark Knight Discuses" in the game). However, there is a limit to the amount of Batarangs the Batsuit can dispense; Batman has run out on at least one occasion. The utility belt is integrated into the suit and carries tracers, flash and smoke pellets, extinguisher capsules, flexicuffs, and a detachable buzz saw on the buckle. Retractable claws on the fingers can be used to cut through objects and grip solid surfaces, and the forearms are equipped with grappling hooks that can act as bolas.

Finally, the Batsuit possesses a number of other devices to aid in detective work. The right index finger possesses a retractable decoding device for electronic locks, the palms possess polygraph sensors, and the fingers can analyze most substances they are dipped into. Other, less-used devices, such as frequency scanners, also make appearances.

Prototype Batsuit

In the later comics, when Terry's suit was heavily damaged Bruce gave him a spare prototype Batsuit to join the Justice League on a mission. The most notable feature was a cape, and while the suit gave him identical physical abilities, its sensors and communication capabilities were less advanced.

Lord Batman's Synthetic Kryptonite Batsuit

While on a mission into the parallel universe where the Justice Lords reside, Terry found an alternate version of his Batsuit (hidden in the compartment where Bruce kept the prototype suit) built by Lord Batman before his death to counter Lord Superman's powers and abilities, the extra enhancements included force fields, holographic projections, and it featured synthetic kryptonite as a weapon. After defeating Lord Superman, he and Dick Grayson started upgrading his own suit with the enhancements. The upgrades include a new pair of wings on Terry's Batsuit to help him gain better capability in flight, but Bruce rejects the new wings.

The Bat Armor

Seen only twice in the series, the Bat Armor is donned by Bruce in an encounter with Inque, who had kidnapped Terry and was holding him hostage. It is a retractable powered exoskeleton composed of heavy plate armor that enhances the survivability of the wearer, boosting their physical strength and resilience to superhuman levels greater than that of the Batsuit. When retracted, Bruce was able to wear a trench coat over it and not look like he had any considerable increase in body mass, although activating the armor shredded the trench coat in the process.

Bruce created the Bat Armor years earlier in light of his increasing heart problems as a possible replacement for the Batsuit; however, during testing, using the armor nearly gave him a heart attack and he was forced to abandon that option. Understandably, Bruce only uses the Bat Armor in dire circumstances.

It is featured in the episode "Disappearing Inque."

Supporting Characters

Allies

Terry has a number of allies including A.L.F.R.E.D., Ace the Bat Hound, Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson, Kai Ro and many more.

Enemies

Terry McGinnis has a number of enemies including Ace, Bane, Brainiac, Dee Dee Twins, Ghoul, Hush, Joker, Mad Stan, Man-Bat and many more.

Notable Comics

Sources

1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_%28Terry_McGinnis%29#Publication_history

2.http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Terrence_McGinnis_%28Futures_End%29

3.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_%28Terry_McGinnis%29#Powers.2C_abilities.2C_and_equipment