Terrence “Terry” McGinnis is the protagonist of the DCAU series Batman Beyond. He has succeeded Bruce Wayne as Batman, protector of Gotham City. He is voiced by Will Friedle.
| Batman | |
|---|---|
| File:Batman McGinnis.jpg Terry McGinnis as Batman, mentored by Bruce Wayne, cover to Batman Beyond #9 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Batman Beyond, “Rebirth” |
| Created by | Bruce Timm, Paul Dini |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Terrence McGinnis |
| Team affiliations | Bruce Wayne, Justice League Unlimited, Charlie “Big Time” Bigelow |
| Notable aliases | The Tomorrow Knight |
| Abilities | None; but highly proficient athlete, trained martial artist, trained detective, wears a high-tech battle suit |
Becoming Batman
By his own admission, Terry was once a "bad kid". A member of a street gang run by youthful racketeer Charlie "Big Time" Bigelow, Terry had his fair share of run-ins with the GCPD while in his early teens, even serving a three-month stint in juvenile hall. Years after Batman was last seen, McGinnis found himself on the run from another street gang named the Jokerz, who had modeled themselves after the deceased Clown Prince of Crime. He fled onto the grounds of the Wayne Manor, where an aged Bruce Wayne assisted him in defeating the Jokerz. The strain of the fight placed substantial stress on Wayne's heart and he collapsed. McGinnis helped Wayne into the mansion and in the process stumbled upon the entrance to the Batcave.
Wayne kicked McGinnis out, but when the boy showed up later, declaring his father, Warren McGinnis, had been murdered and that Derek Powers — who had assumed leadership of a merged Wayne-Powers — was responsible, Wayne softened his demeanor. Despite McGinnis’ insistence, Wayne, still shaken from the ordeal of having relied on a gun for self-defense, maintained that he had given up the cowl.
As soon as Wayne’s back was turned, McGinnis took matters into his own hands and stole the latest incarnation of the Batsuit. Wayne admonished him through the Suit’s communicator (their mentor-pupil banter would become a staple of subsequent Batman Beyond episodes), but McGinnis was adamant on confronting Powers. Powers had ordered Warren McGinnis’ death after the latter discovered Powers’ plan to mass-produce biological weapons. The Suit turned McGinnis into a powerhouse; he disrupted Powers’ operation, laying a beating on the security personnel, only to have Wayne shut the Suit down midway at the touch of a button. McGinnis pleaded with Wayne for a chance to prove himself and persuaded Wayne to reactivate the Suit and let him carry on as Batman for the time being. Wayne’s decision resulted in the moratorium of Powers’ operation; at the end, Powers, who had been exposed to his own hazardous chemicals, experienced the onset of his mutation into Blight.
Convinced that there was still a need for a Batman, Wayne made McGinnis his personal assistant and began secretly training the boy for his new role as Batman.
Relationships
Relationship with Bruce Wayne
Despite his role as the new Batman, McGinnis and Wayne lead very different lives. In addition to coping with his father’s death, McGinnis struggles to keep his secret identity from his mother and younger brother, much like Tim Drake did during his tenure as Robin. Because of McGinnis’ responsibilities as Batman, he was not afforded the same licenses the Robins enjoyed and was expected to be on the call whenever he was needed. As a result, McGinnis was just barely successful at balancing out his dual life, and the issue of him sacrificing his civilian life for his costumed one, or neglecting his duties as Batman due to personal commitments, became a source of tension between mentor and pupil, on several occasions prompting both men to reconsider McGinnis’ reliability.
McGinnis and Wayne developed a respect for each other, with McGinnis regarding Wayne as a surrogate father. Despite that McGinnis was not a sidekick but his replacement, Wayne treated McGinnis the same way he treated Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, possibly because of Terry's youth and inexperience. In time, McGinnis grew into the cowl, and Wayne grew to accept him as his heir.
Other relationships
With his family
Terry valued his mother, Mary McGinnis, and his younger brother Matt as the closest family he had left. Even though there existed the obligatory spark of sibling rivalry and tough love between Matt and him, Terry would be there to raise his brother’s spirits when he was feeling down, notably on one occasion when Matt was reminiscing about their father. Mary and Matt found the idea of Terry being Batman to be absurd, and ridiculed him when he once attempted to reveal his secret.
With Max
Maxine "Max" Gibson was Terry’s classmate and closest friend. Exceptionally capable when it came to computers and electronics, she devised a program that succeeded in uncovering Batman's alter ego. After unmasking Terry, she insisted on being a part of his secret life, and helped him with everything from computer hacking to babysitting and detective work to coming up with excuses for him to give Dana. Terry and Max remained close, but their relationship was never shown to exceed the boundaries of friendship.
With Dana
Although Terry flirted with several girls throughout the show, his true love has always been Dana Tan, whom he met while going to Hamilton Hill High School. Despite their commitment to each other, their relationship was strained as Terry struggled early on as Batman to balance his dual obligations. The two verged on the possibility of breaking up multiple times, especially when Terry met Ten. However, as “Epilogue” reveals, Terry ultimately grows into full acceptance of his role as Batman, and somewhere along the line, disclosed his secret to Dana. Although it takes him some time to get over his fears for her safety in the event that his identity is ever compromised, Terry eventually proposes to Dana.
With Ten
In the midst of a breakup with Dana, Terry met Melanie Walker and the two became attracted to one another. Terry consummated his feelings with Melanie, and was crushed when he learned she too led a double life as “Ten”, the youngest member of the new Royal Flush Gang. In a burst of clarity, Terry discarded a note Melanie had left him before he apprehended her as Batman, choosing instead not to read it, and went back to Dana (Melanie remained in the dark about her enemy and her love being the same person.) Terry would have future encounters with Ten and the Gang, and each time he advised her to turn straight, showing that he still cared deeply about her.
With Barbara Gordon
McGinnis upheld tradition by forging an alliance with Gotham’s Police Commissioner, Barbara Gordon, the daughter of James Gordon and the first Batgirl. The alliance started out a rocky one, as she never failed to take his juvenile record into account and believed he was too reckless for the role. Her hesitation to assist the new Batman was also exacerbated by her reluctance at having a teenager as the new Batman. Return of the Joker reveals that she remains haunted by the Joker's torture and mutilation of Tim Drake. She advised McGinnis to give up being Batman, at one time coming close to arresting him when he was framed for murder. However, realizing that she couldn’t deter him anymore than she could’ve been deterred from being Batgirl, she relented, likely out of respect for Wayne, as well. She eventually warmed up to McGinnis, assisting him when Wayne was put out of action by Joker when he returned. She stated that she hoped McGinnis would avoid the lonely existence that Wayne eventually led.
True lineage
In the Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue", which transpires 15 years after Batman Beyond, McGinnis discovers the truth about his parentage. When the elderly Bruce Wayne requires a kidney transplant, McGinnis is checked for compatibility. To his surprise, their DNA are similar.
Decades earlier, government agent Amanda Waller launched a program using her old Project Cadmus connections and codenamed it Project Batman Beyond. Waller had become acquainted with the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, and as years passed, upon seeing him slowly decline with age, she came to realize that the world needed a Batman. Waller decided that Batman was an extraordinary individual, irreplaceable unless she intervened. Retrieving genetic samples from injuries Batman sustained while fighting crime, Waller obtained the necessary DNA for the next phase of the project.
Tests run found a compatible couple with psychological profiles nearly identical to Thomas and Martha Wayne in Warren and Mary McGinnis. When Warren McGinnis arrived for an immunization injection, he was secretly administered a dose of nanites that rewrote the genetic code of his reproductive material into an exact copy of Bruce Wayne's. Thus, Bruce Wayne is the biological father of Terry and Matt McGinnis by proxy.
Upon learning this, McGinnis contemplates giving up being Batman, believing Wayne to have machinated this from the beginning. However, after meeting with Waller, McGinnis discovers that Wayne had no knowledge of Project Batman Beyond, and he became Batman by pure chance. Waller had hired Andrea Beaumont (the love interest and villain from Mask of the Phantasm) to assassinate Warren and Mary McGinnis, to simulate the circumstances that propelled Wayne to become Batman, but Andrea abandoned her mission at the last minute. In spite of this, Warren McGinnis was murdered years later by Derek Powers, and Project Batman Beyond ended up succeeding.
Once he leaves Waller's home with this knowledge, Terry comes to terms with the reality that Bruce is technically his biological father, prepares to propose to Dana (who now knows his secret identity), and returns to the role of Batman.
Abilities and equipment
In addition to the training he received from Bruce Wayne, McGinnis appeared at least to be an able street fighter. In the pilot episode, “Rebirth”, he fended off several biker Jokerz alone and displayed uncommon agility and tenacity for a civilian.
Under Wayne’s tutelage, McGinnis has honed his body to at least Olympic levels. As expected of Batman, he engages in regular, rigorous training to minimize his reliance on the Batsuit. He has engaged in combat outside of the Suit at various instances, at one time going up against the Suit itself when it was commandeered by a cyberpathic entity. His training has granted him exceptional reflexes, enabling him to evade gunfire and make impressive leaping attempts whether in or out of the Suit. In one instance, without the Suit’s aid, he survived a fall from several stories high by bounding off a pillar that was about to crush him, and landed on his feet.
In “Epilogue”, Amanda Waller comments that Terry has inherited all of Bruce’s qualities, with the exception of his intellect. McGinnis possesses an above-average intellect and has been trained by Wayne as a detective, but he is by no means a genius. He seems to be a capable actor, having successfully conned his way in and out of sticky situations. As Batman, McGinnis emulates Wayne’s deep, harsh tone. McGinnis does this of his own accord, to separate the entities of Terry and Batman (McGinnis can be heard using his "Batman voice" outside of the Suit in the first-season episode "Shriek".)
The Batsuit
The Batsuit currently utilized by Terry McGinnis was actually almost twenty years old at the time of the show’s inception. However, its technology is so advanced that the Suit is still considered state of the art. One of the most notable features of the Suit is that it now covers the entire face, a departure from previous costumes (though Batman’s mouth is still left exposed, a possible design flaw, especially when faced with opponents like Inque). The cape has been eliminated, being replaced by gliders along the armpits. Thrusters built into the boots allow Batman to fly in the absence of wind. The Suit conforms to the size of its wearer, as seen by how it was able to fit both Wayne and McGinnis, who had different physical statures at the time. The Suit is very durable, being able to withstand massive concussive forces (it was able to sustain blows from Superman), fire, lasers, electric shocks, underwater pressure, and wind force.
The Suit grants Batman the following abilities:
- Enhanced strength.
- Minimal reduction (or increase) in flexibility.
- Enhanced visual assistance that allows Batman to see in the dark (visual from the Batsuit can be fed back to the main computer in the Batcave; it can also receive visual from the main computer, allowing for superior tactical planning). The visor can also serve as a digital binocular and an infra-red filter.
- Enhanced ballistic protection.
- Significantly resistant to heat, electricity, water and vibrations, but only slightly resistant to radiation.
- Rebreather built in for underwater combat/exploration.
- Dispensable batarangs with a range of auxiliary functions, such as producing electric shocks. (There is a limit to the amount of batarangs the Suit can dispense; Batman has run out on at least one occasion.)
- Electrical discharges throughout the Suit that can be activated by pushing the button on the belt.
- Grappling guns built into the forearms.
- Flashbang grenades.
- Launchable tracers.
- A retractable PIN or password decipher in the form of a key on the right index finger.
- Retractable wings under the arms to glide on.
- Rocket boots, enabling limited flight.
- Sensitive touch microphone on index and middle fingers that permits eavesdropping through solid surfaces.
- Drug identifier, utilized by dipping fingers into the substance.
- Built-in cloaking device that enables almost complete camouflage. (This function possibly consumes a good deal of the Suit’s power, as Batman minimizes its usage.) It allows camouflage extending into the visible light and infra-red frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. A countermeasure used by Commissioner Barbara Gordon to this in one incident where she was hunting Batman down was through tracking him using an ultraviolet light to illuminate him.
- Retractable claws which can be used to slice or facilitate climbing.
- Can uplink with Batmobile for remote piloting.
Weaknesses
The Suit augments McGinnis’ physical prowess considerably, and thus he is sometimes prone to complacency in the midst of danger. He favors jibing his opponents, even when defusing volatile situations, though this trait may be productive depending on the opponent he is facing (when he faced the Joker, he was able to get under the Joker’s skin and gain the upper hand by mocking his opponent).
McGinnis’ initial brashness has also landed him in trouble, though this is a limitation he has grown to overcome.
The Exosuit
Seen only once in the series, it was donned by Bruce Wayne in an encounter with Inque, who had kidnapped Terry Mcginnis and was holding him hostage. This was despite the fact that Bruce Wayne was having heart problems at the time.
It was a suit of heavy armour with retractable plates that enhanced the survivability of the wearer, enhancing their physical strength and resilience to superhuman levels, at a level greater than that of the Batsuit.
Its full capabilities are unknown, but it was visually confirmed that the protection it offered to its wearer, as well as its strength, were well above the level of the Batsuit.
Other appearances
- The Tomorrow Knight has had his own ongoing comic book.
- He made an appearance in Superman/Batman #22.
- He made appearances in two Justice League Unlimited episodes:
- “The Once and Future Thing”, where he was apparently killed, though the damage was undone later as the episode’s plot involved time travel.
- “Epilogue” – An episode centered on him, which took place in his timeline and served as closure to Batman Beyond.
- He made guest appearances in the Batman Beyond spinoff, The Zeta Project.
- He also appeared in the Static Shock episode "Future Shock," involving time travel and a future Static.
References
- DK Publishing. Batman Beyond: The Animated Series Guide