TV SERIES · 1999– · USA
Batman Beyond
51 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
40 Interesting Facts About Batman Beyond
- #001
The WB Television Network never allowed Bruce Wayne's age to be revealed in this series because they did not want him to be thought of as old and worn out. In an episode featuring Bruce's birthday, the writers specified his age in the first script, but had to remove it because the network would not permit it to be disclosed. Off the record, however, the producers said Bruce Wayne was around 80.
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- #006
Mr. Freeze's role in this TV series was initially going to be just a one-off gag appearance: while Terry was getting a can of soda for Bruce, he would find Mr. Freeze's disembodied head in the refrigerator in an odd moment, the two would briefly look at each other, and then Terry would close the refrigerator and hand the soda can to Bruce. This was scrapped because it was considered a humiliating and inappropriate ending for the character.
- #008
Bruce Timm was initially unhappy with the original voice actor for J-Man, the leader of the Jokerz, and Alan Burnett told Timm that he should do the voice himself then. Timm reluctantly did so, and in the end Burnett and the other writers kept writing the character into many later episodes, so that Timm would be forced to voice him.
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- #013
The DVD audio commentary for Rebirth: Part 1 (1999) reveals that one of the original intentions of this TV series was to shift crime from the streets of Gotham to the boardrooms, with the villains being the rich and powerful members of Gotham society. Although crime would be as widespread as in the original Batman era, the streets would actually be safer. The Jokerz street gang introduced in the same episode was to be one of the few remaining examples of "lower class" crime. This idea was never fully realized, but Derek Powers, the main villain of Season 1, was a representative of this wealthy criminal class.
- #015
The idea for this TV series came from the office of Jamie Kellner, who was head of programming at The WB Television Network at the time, after a meeting with the team behind The New Batman Adventures (1997). Kellner told them they had done a great job on the TV series, but that the series was a bit old and that Warner Bros. Animation really wanted to renew Batman so as to raise the kids' demographic and make sure children were watching it. The team thought they needed to find another sidekick, but Kellner told them he wanted a brand-new series featuring a young Batman. Kellner then told them the series had been greenlit and that they could start working on it immediately. The team was somewhat surprised at being asked to make a Batman series aimed at young people and even considered leaving. Glen Murakami was very excited about the idea and convinced everyone to make the series.
- #016
- #017
Jodi Benson, who played the character Aquagirl in The Call: Part 1 (2000) and The Call: Part 2 (2000), played another animated woman who lives in water: Ariel in The Little Mermaid (1989), the TV series The Little Mermaid (1992), and the direct-to-video films The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008).
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- #021
A rejected script for the TV series featured the adult son of Superman and Lashina (from their brief relationship in "Legacy: Part 1" (2000), the finale of Superman: The Animated Series (1996)), who had already dethroned Darkseid and become the ruler of Apokolips and now set his sights on Earth. Lashina warns Earth of the invasion, so Batman joins forces with Superman and the Justice League to defend the planet. Superman also struggles with the guilt of not knowing he had a son.
- #022
While developing the TV series, Kids' WB wanted Terry's younger brother Matt McGinnis to be in on Terry's secret Batman identity. They even wanted Matt to have a hidden exit in a closet or dumpster, where a motorcycle would be kept, so that he could take part in the adventure as a Robin-like sidekick to Batman.
- #024
- #025
With season 2, Kids' WB hoped a strong young girl would be let in on Terry's secret and become someone with whom he could share his adventures. It was decided that Terry's friend and classmate Max Gibson would learn Terry's secret. None of the writers liked the idea of including Max, but the channel wanted someone girls could identify with. Writer Stan Berkowitz, who said in an interview that Terry could talk to Bruce about his dual-identity problems, always found her unnecessary, and the series already had a younger entry character in Terry's little brother Matt. Berkowitz also said that in the episode "Where's Terry?" (2000) you can see what Bruce thinks of Max from the way he treats her.
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- #029
Initially, in addition to the Jokerz, other gangs paying tribute to the original Batman's rogues gallery were planned. Although a Mr. Terrific-themed gang appeared a few times, the idea was scrapped for fear it would seem repetitive and gimmicky. The idea was probably revisited for Batman: Arkham City (2011), where it was successfully implemented.
- #030
Interestingly, the scope and structure of the city in the series recall a blend of Akira (1988), Metropolis (1927), Blade Runner (1982) and Metropolis (2001). The series' creators generally acknowledged the influence of anime. The city combines the aesthetics of film noir and German Expressionism with futuristic technology from various Japanese sci-fi/cyberpunk films. Metropolis (2001) is also another film about the upper and lower classes of a "futuristic" city.
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- #034
For season 3, Glen Murakami and Bruce Timm were considering an episode in which Terry could actually go on a date with Dana, since he always gets the short end of the stick when he goes off to fight crime. The episode would have had Terry breaking his dates throughout, but finally managing to go out with Dana. Glen pitched the idea as a story to Alan Burnett. Burnett made several changes that not only caused Terry to miss just his date with Dana, but also made Dana so angry at Terry that she dumped him. Terry then went to Max and poured his heart out to her, after which Terry and Max ended up making out. Timm and Murakami were in Japan when the story was faxed to them, and when Timm read it he was furious and made an angry phone call to Burnett. Burnett said he made the changes because 1) Dana was a nagging girlfriend and it would be a surprise to viewers for Terry to make out with someone else, and 2) it would break the precedent of all those superhero TV series in which the hero keeps his life going and has a single steady girlfriend in the series.
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The same opening sequence was used throughout the TV series' three seasons, including shots of some of Batman's recurring enemies: Spellbinder, the Royal Flush Gang, Inque and Blight. However, of them all only the Royal Flush Gang appeared in all three seasons, and Blight was killed off entirely in season 1.
- #039
In response to the Columbine massacre, an episode titled The Last Resort (2000) was conceived, and it turned out to be the one script the network never wanted to make. It was originally meant to be a bold prison story, but much of that boldness was lost when the writers had to make the revisions required to get the network to approve the episode.
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- #042
Jamie Kellner, then president of Kids' WB, kept bringing up Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) in the early meetings, saying that making a Batman series like it would be more kid-friendly. However, most of the children who watched Batman Beyond (1999) did not watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997).
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Teri Garr, who voices Terry McGinnis's mother Mary McGinnis in the series, had previously appeared in another Batman series. Garr appeared at the very beginning of the Batman (1966) TV episode Instant Freeze (1966) and also starred alongside Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) actor Michael Keaton in the film Mr. Mom (1983).
- #047
- #048
After Kevin Conroy's death, Will Friedle said he would not return to the role of Terry McGinnis, stating: "I don't know if I can do it again now that Kevin is gone. I think they'll have to reshape both roles. I don't think I can do it because I'm Terry and he doesn't answer like Bruce does."
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