Summary
Batman Beyondis one of the DCAU’s most enduring cartoons, with some episodes that provide excellent rewatch value even today. Continuing where the critically-acclaimedBatman: The Animated Seriesleft off,Batman Beyondfollows high school delinquent Terry as he takes up the mantle of Batman under the mentorship of an old Bruce Wayne in the futuristic city of Neo Gotham. Like its predecessor series,Batman Beyondfeatures some stunning standout episodes well worth revisiting.
Compared to most Batman media,Batman Beyondis inherently a more self-contained story, taking place in a far-futureDCAU timelinemostly existing as its own isolated story. That being said, some episodes are better in a vacuum than others, with the series devoting an equal amount of time to serialization and villain-of-the-week style stories. AmongBatman Beyond’s impressive 52 episode cataloge, 10 episodes in particular stand out as being great choices to rewatch on their own.
10Spellbound
Season 1, Episode 10
Certainly no Joker or the Penguin, Spellbinder is one of the more obscure members of Gotham City’s extravagant list of villains. More famous for his appearance in the lesser-knownBatman cartoonThe Batman, the villain is a rare magic-wielding member of Batman’s usually scientific and criminal rogue’s gallery. However, inBatman Beyond, Spellbinder acts as a Scarecrow function, terrorizing Batman with hallucinations and mind control.
The trippy hallucinogenic sequences and terrifying nightmarish reality created by Spellbinder makes this episode worth revisiting for visuals alone. Though Spellbinder’s powers are changed to be technology-based, like mostBatman Beyondvillains, he still works great as a menacing villain-of-the-week. While not the strongest episode of the first season,Spellboundis an easy title to reach for to get the lay of the land forBatman Beyond.
9The Eggbaby
Season 2, Episode 19
Although Terry may weild Batman’s name and influence, in execution, he functions more like Spider-Man than anything else. Being a high-school teenager delicately balancing his secret identity, the clashes between Terry’s vigilante and civilian life sometimes make for amusing drama. Season 2, episode 19 “The Eggbaby” does comedicBatman Beyondthe best, putting poor Terry through the ringer as he attempts to keep both plates spinning.
Given a digital egg creature to keep alive as part of a lesson on parenting, Terry has no choice but to take the artificial baby with him on a mission to take down the villain Ma Mayhem and her gang. Terry’s disinterested project partner is a struggle that’s easy to relate to for anyone who went to public school, and the action scenes that force Terry to balance his priorities are solidly entertaining. Admittedly,The Eggbaby’s humor verges on the corny side, making it a light, fun, but not necessarily crucial episode to rewatch.
8The Call
Season 3, Episodes 7 and 8
Just asJustice League Unlimitedpaid homage to Terry McGinnis with a standalone episode set in the far future,Batman Beyondgives a fascinating glimpse into what the future is like for themembers of the DCAU Justice League. The two-part episode “The Call” finally gives a wider look into the DCAU’s future beyond Neo Gotham City, as the Justice League comes knocking on Batman’s door to officially offer Terry membership. Though Terry is initially star struck, he soon learns the truth behind the phrase “Never meet your heroes.”
Seeing the ideological divide between Batman and the other Justice League members is always a fascinating idea to explore.The Callis also worth rewatching just to see where the different members of the League, including Superman, end up, and how the team has morphed over time. While the two-parter might require more context than otherBatman Beyondepisodes, the ultimate reveal of the twist villain is well worth the wait.
7Out Of The Past
Season 3, Episode 5
Just likeBatman: The Animated Series,Batman Beyondwasn’t afraid to get incredibly dark at times. Few episodes demonstrate this better than season 3, episode 5 “Out of the Past,” which features the return of Bruce Wayne’s old flame, Talia Al Ghul. This episode explores Bruce Wayne’s mortality and aging physical body through the lense of the original series' most famous technique for defying nature – The Lazarus pits.
This episode features a lot of great individual beats, from the Batman stage play to the delicious romantic tension between the aged Bruce Wayne and Talia, who hasn’t aged a day since audiences last saw her. The chilling reveal of Talia’s true motivations is one of the series' most disturbing moments, and concludes the villainess' arc through the continuity once and for all. For that reason alone,Out of the Pastis worth a rewatch, even if it requires plenty of background knowledge of the original series.
6Meltdown
Season 1, Episode 5
LikeOut of the Past,season 1, episode 5 “Meltdown” describes one of thedarkest fates suffered by a Batman villainin the DCAU continuity. Introducing Terry’s nemesis, Blight, while bringing back the iconic villain Mr. Freeze,Meltdownis one of the strongest episodes of the first season. When Victor Fries' cryogenically preserved body is resuscitated for a selfish scientific experiment, the cold persona of Mr. Freeze gradualy begins to thaw from dormancy.
The art ofMeltdownis gorgeous, with the macabre shadows of Mr. Freeze’s new form evokes the art style ofHellboy’s Mike Mignola. The climactic three-way battle between Mr. Freeze, Blight, and Batman is a true visual spectacle as well, setting up a rivalry that will go on to last the majority of the series. While plenty of context might be needed for the conclusion of Fries' arc,Meltdownprovides a lot of value for endless rewatches.
5Rebirth
Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2
The premiere two-part episode that kicks off theBatman Beyonduniverse,Rebirthperfectly encapsulates everything one needs to know going in to the series. As Bruce Wayne realizes that he has become too old to continue his crimefighting career, he retires the mantle of Batman for twenty years. In these two decades, Gotham City has become a very different place, and it isn’t until Terry McGinnis stumbles upon the Batsuit while looking for his father’s killer that Bruce decides to train a successor.
Having plenty of excellent moments in its own right,Rebirthprovides the narrative start to the series while instantly filling new viewers in on everything they need to know about Terry and Neo Gotham City. This makes it a great choice to come back to at any point, needing only a working knowledge of Batman in general to enjoy. That being said, the copious amounts of set-up does leave a little bit lacking when it comes to an actual first outing for the new Batman.
Season 1, Episode 8
The Royal Flush gang may have been D-List as far as Justice League villains go, but in Terry’s world, they’re a major recurring threat to Neo Gotham City. In their introductory outing, the playing card-themed gang make a dramatic entrance, made all the juicier by the fact that Batman is unwittingly dating one of their members after breaking up with Dana. Injecting a bit of high school love triangle drama into the mix of Terry’s superpowered life, this episode takes advantage of Terry’s more human needs compared to Bruce.
That being said, Bruce is no stranger to fraternizing with the enemy, and seeing the parallels between Batman and Ten’s relationship and Bruce’s old flames makes for a fascinating watch. Not only that, but the dramatic irony of Batman and Ten fighting one another without realizing they’re dating in their civilian life only gets better after having already been let in on the twist. That being said, the high school drama can get tiresome after repeat viewings.
3Ace In The Hole
Season 2, Episode 25
If there’s one member of the Bat-Family that doesn’t get enough love, it’s Ace the Bat-Hound. While a version ofAce, voiced by Kevin Hart, appeared recently in the animated filmDC League of Super Pets, Batman Beyond’s season 2, episode 25 “Ace in the Hole” finally introduces the beloved canine companion’s origin story. In the present of the series, Ace also faces some demons from his past, helping Batman take down an illegal dogfighting operation.
Everyone loves a good animal-focused story, andAce in the Holecertainly delivers. It helps that the entry is one ofBatman Beyond’s best bottle episodes. While the flashback portions may take place in theBatman: The Animated Seriesyears, it’s easy to go in on the story without even having any knowledge of the pervious canon. Being one of the few pieces of Batman media to focus on Ace, this episode is a great choice for a casual rewatch.
2Ascension
Season 1, Episode 13
While producingBatman Beyond, it’s easy to tell that Warner Brothers struggled to choose whether to focus on returning characters or a series of brand-new villains. This split identity came to a head in season 1, episode 13 “Ascension” which provided a stunning conclusion to the Derek Powers storyline. As Derek’s son Paxton is groomed to act as the figurehead of Wayne-Powers, his father’s condition becomes more volatile than ever before as Batman struggles to contain the disastrous fallout.
The stunning conclusion to Blight’s all-too-brief run as Batman’s big bad,Ascensionhits all the right narrative beats. The three-way corporate intrigue between Batman, Derek, and Paxton all culminates an explosive finale that challenges Terry’s true depths of morality as Batman. Serving as a great conclusion to Blight’s story in the show while setting up plenty of further storylines in the follow-up comics,Ascensionfunctions superbly on a rewatch as a starting point and a finishing line.
1April Moon
Season 2, Episode 23
It’s easy to forget thatBatman Beyondis just as much acyberpunk TV showas it is a superhero story, but phenomenal episodes like season 2, episode 23 “April Moon” serve as a great reminder with their intense technological themes. It seems as though an old colleague of Bruce Wayne’s has been supplying a criminal gang with dangerous cybernetic hardware. It’s up to Batman to track down the source of their upgrades while doing battle with the dangerous gang themselves.
The reveal of Dr. Croso’s true motives is one of the most alarming moments in the series, forcing Batman to take the new threat extremely seriously. The shocking climactic twist of the cybernetic gang’s leverage and the infamously brutal fate of their leader, Bullwhip, makes for an appropriately dour cyberpunk cautionary tale. With next to no background context needed to enjoy,April Moonis by far the most rewatchable episode ofBatman Beyond.
