16 Reasons Why Batman Beyond Is Actually the Best Take on Batman

Batman is arguably the best superhero of all time, and he's been shown in too many genres and styles to name over his many years on page and on screen. Cyberpunk is a beloved sub-genre of science fiction, which blends the future with the past in very creative ways. So what do you get when you mix the two? Batman Beyond, the best iteration of Batman that exists. Not only do you get two different people as Batman, an older Bruce Wayne and his protégé Terry McGinnis, but you get to see them learn to work as a team while they take on new and old villains, alike.

Even the most jaded Batman fans will find themselves surprised by this series. The new gadgets are amazing, the new Batsuit is stylish and cool, and its twists on the classic Batman tropes are incredibly clever. So, if you like your Batman minimalist, focused, and ready to dispense justice, Batman Beyond is the best version of Batman you'll find. For every Blade Runner, Shadowrun, and Minority Report fan out there... Batman Beyond is the best Batman, the one you always wanted. Keep reading below to see why.

Bruce Wayne has been operating as Batman for decades. He's as jaded as a person can possibly be, but he's still committed to the cause. Terry McGinnis is new to the crime fighting game and is still full of hope and naiveté, which causes the two to clash constantly. The brilliance of the show is that Terry isn't Bruce, and wouldn't necessarily do what the original Batman would do. He often finds a creative solution that strikes a balance between his own convictions and Bruce's years of experience. 

One of the strokes of brilliance baked right into the show's premise is that Terry McGinnis's Batman is a completely different take on the character than we're used to. He's more Peter Parker than Bruce Wayne, having lost his father to corporate espionage. But instead of becoming a dark and brooding Avenger, Terry is a talker. He jokes with his enemies, often playing with them before laying the final blow. Sometimes a smile during a fight can go a long way to impact the audience. 

While the original Batsuit will always be the most classic, the Beyond suit has some really nifty enhancements. Augmented strength, retractable gliding wings, microphones in the fingertips, rocket boots, a batarang dispenser, claws, and a built-in cloaking device give Terry one impressive edge over his enemies. Its stylish minimalism also makes it feel futuristic in a way that blends in with the show's cyberpunk aesthetic. 

Bruce has Selina Kyle, and Terry has Melanie Walker. A member of the Royal Flush Gang, Melanie (Ten) Walker runs into Terry more than a few times, and the two strike up a romance. That is until they realize each other's secret life: one as a criminal and the other as the new Batman. The tension between them serves as a great source of drama, and even leads to her reformation. Not even Bruce can manage that with Selina. 

There's no such thing as a bad Batmobile - pretty much every version kicks ass. But... this one can fly and reach speeds up to Mach 3. It also has radar, missiles, a grappling hook, and a cloaking device. That's right, this Batmobile can turn invisible and it's awesome.  

Just because the original Bat gang got old doesn't mean their fight is over. Barbara Gordon is now commissioner and Tim Drake has retired after a horrific run in with the Joker, but they're still pulled into the future adventures of Terry and Bruce. We even get to see what the future Justice League is up to, complete with an older Superman.  

While Bruce is always fun to watch on screen, his status as a loner has always limited the types of stories writers can tell about him. Terry, on the other hand, is a teenager living with a single mother, a kid brother, a girlfriend, and he has high school grades to keep up. He's under constant pressure to find time between his work as Bruce Wayne's personal assistant, his responsibilities as Batman, and his personal life. Most of the time, he needs to make some sacrifices in the name of being a hero which can lead to some wonderful drama. 

Bruce is reaching his twilight years in Batman Beyond, but that doesn't mean he's someone you can mess with. This is a Bruce who is done throwing up a facade and is pretty much Batman all day every day. He's lost just about everything in his fight against crime, which means he has zero f*cks to give. That makes him a force to be reckoned with. 

Whoever came up with the idea to cross Blade Runner with Batman is a genius. Batman was born in the noir era, so it's only fitting that his future is set in a cyberpunk dystopia. The fight to control Wayne Enterprises gets a lot of attention, making it the big mega corporation you see in so many corporate dystopian stories. All the villains are based on technology gone amok and the heroes are full of even cooler tech to confront them. Batman even has his own awesome hacker. Oh, and they totally get the cyberpunk aesthetic down perfectly. 

Even though it's been decades since we last saw Batman fight his rogue's gallery, they still manage to find ways to pop up in the future. From seeing Mr. Freeze's attempts to become a good guy again to Bane being a wasted husk from his years on venom to the Joker's return with a plan to exact revenge on Gotham - everyone makes an appearance in a smart and clever way. Even better, though, is seeing their legacy on the city. The "slapper" patches full of venom, and the Joker gang are particularly inspired.