Line #4 YMMV/BatmanBeyond


1	!YMMV tropes for the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' series
2	!!YMMV Tropes with Their Own Pages
3	[[index]]
4	* [[HarsherInHindsight/BatmanBeyond Harsher In Hindsight]]
5	* [[HilariousInHindsight/BatmanBeyond Hilarious In Hindsight]]
6	* [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter/BatmanBeyond They Wasted A Perfectly Good Character]]
7	[[/index]]
8	----
9	!!YMMV For the animated series.
10	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: As the idea was implemented later on, fans often debate when Bruce, per WordOfGod [[spoiler: found out Terry was his son]]. Depending on when a fan thinks this happened, it puts a lot of Bruce's interactions with [[spoiler: Terry]] in a different light.
11	* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: On its announcement and launch, many disliked the idea (a future Batman who wasn't Bruce Wayne or any of the Robins, but in fact a CanonForeigner who was in high school) on basic principle, and even more the notion that it was set in the continuity to ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' (with many seeing TNBA as a weak follow-up and wanting a true sequel series). Instead, it became far and away the most successful [[LegacyCharacter legacy]] adaptation for DC, embraced by audiences of both the classic and new Batman, and seen to sit side-by-side with Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' as a "future Batman" story with ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'' in particular considered not only one of the best DCAU films (if not ''the'' best) but one of the greatest Batman and Joker stories period, with many parts of it being adapted again in the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries''. Terry [=McGinnis=] also came to be embraced as a worthy successor to the Batman mantle in the mode of [[ComicBook/TheFlash Wally West]] and [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Kyle Rayner]].
12	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
13	** The show's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFsvQNt2bIE opening theme]], which is appropriately futuristic and badass.
14	*** A fan-made [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP2NNhEPneU extended version]] of the opening theme is even better.
15	*** Another Fan-Made theme, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cqv7iVlKEg with a more dance club feel]].
16	** The show's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIkapTMxf_0 ending theme]] is also pretty cool.
17	* BaseBreakingCharacter: Max. Fan reactions to her introduction ranged from considering her the best part of the series and thinking she was sold short (and often accompanied by [[FanPreferredCouple shipping her with Terry]]) to considering her the worst character yet and hoping that she'd just die and stop taking screentime away from everyone else. Her status also extends to the development team; according to [[WordOfGod Bruce Timm]], some of the writers were unhappy about her inclusion and used Bruce Wayne to voice their own opinions of her, while Alan Burnett at least wanted to [[PromotedToLoveInterest promote her to]] LoveInterest.
18	* BizarroEpisode: ''Heroes'', arguably. Besides centering around a mutant parody of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'', which is already a bizarre premise for a Batman story, Terry and Bruce are out of focus for most of the episode. The climax is a mean-spirited jab at Marvel where the titular heroes try to incinerate Gotham after going through a TraumaCongaLine, and Terry is forced to kill them. Unlike the rest of Season 1, nothing in this episode ties into the overarching plot involving Blight/Powers, and events are never mentioned or revisited again. In the original airing order, this was also one of the very first episodes, definitely cementing the general DarkerAndEdgier mood of the whole series.
19	* CatharsisFactor: Melanie's second appearance has her TrappedInVillainy, where she tells Batman that she's only robbing mob bosses because the Jokerz took her parents hostage. Batman becomes suspicious because Jokerz gangs generally don't do ransom situations, and investigates when the gang leaders in question say they weren't involved in kidnappings. [[spoiler: He finds out that King and Queen orchestrated the situation to test Ten's loyalty, saying they wanted proof that she loved them as much as they love her. Ten ''loses it''. She yells at her parents that she risked her chance for a normal life or for romance with Terry because she was worried they would be killed, and she disowns them on the spot. Terry is a few steps behind her; he called the mob bosses and the cops to arrest King and Queen. Ten splits, evading arrest, and it's revealed in season 3 that she turned her life around and refuses to be a criminal again]].
20	* CharacterRerailment: In ''The New Batman Adventures'', Mr. Freeze went on a rampage due to losing his body and Nora, and was going to end it by essentially destroying Gotham. Fans complained about this due to undoing the ending of ''Subzero'', where Freeze finally finds closure, as well as seeming out-of-character. ''Beyond'' dials him back, showing him [[TheAtoner trying to own up to his horrific actions]] in his sole appearance, but becoming a villain again after [[DespairEventHorizon one more kick in the gut]], and then finally [[KilledOffForReal dying]], trying to keep Terry from saving his life.
21	* CompleteMonster: Dr. David Wheeler from "[[Recap/BatmanBeyondS2E16TheLastResort The Last Resort]]" is a corrupt [[PsychoPsychologist child psychologist]] who uses his rehabilitation "ranch" for teenagers as a moneymaking scheme and to satisfy his controlling personality. Wheeler manipulates parents to send their children to his ranch for even minor pranks, then [[JuvenileHell treats the children like prisoners]] who Wheeler deprives of sleep, verbally and psychologically abuses, and even refuses to let go to the bathroom for punishments. Wheeler throws any teenagers who step out of line into "ISO" -- short for isolation -- cells that deprive them of sight and sound for long periods to [[GoMadFromTheIsolation mentally break them down]], with one boy shown to be left a vacant shell for days following a trip to ISO. When [[Characters/DCAUTerryMcGinnis Terry McGinnis]] tries to expose Wheeler's crimes, Wheeler plans to throw him in ISO, then murder the boy to keep him quiet.
22	%%
23	%% Derek Powers no longer qualifies as a Complete Monster due to his Character Development in the sequel comics. We have discussed this at length already.
24	%%
25	* DamselScrappy: Max Gibson is often considered this by her detractors. This tendency is best displayed in the episode "Final Cut", where she ignores Terry's instructions and snoops around for clues, leading to her getting attacked by an assassin. Terry has to leave his post protecting the assassin's target to rescue her, which results in the target getting mindwiped with a hidden bomb ready to explode thanks to his DeadMansSwitch.
26	* DesignatedLoveInterest: Dana was Terry's girlfriend from before the series started and is continuously Terry's girlfriend for the run of the series. However, the audience doesn't really get to see much onscreen romance between the two due to the series' focus on superhero action and Dana's lack of screen time. Most of the time, their romance is shown either by being arm-in-arm when together, or when Terry has to break a date. In the later episodes, Dana is DemotedToExtra as Max fills her role of a normal person that Terry talks to.
27	* DieForOurShip: Dana, big time, from Terry/Max and Terry/Melanie fans.
28	* DracoInLeatherPants: Inque gets them, she's attractive and tends to have the least amount of KickTheDog moments amongst Terry's Rogues Gallery, but she's also self-serving and endangers a lot of people in the pursuit of profit. Comic adaptations tend to play up her sympathetic points and attribute her selfishness more towards self-preservation as her unstable body breaks down.
29	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
30	** The Joker's personal [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker gang of Jokerz]], especially Dee Dee, are inordinately popular for only appearing in TheMovie. Fans were naturally thrown a bone when ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' went to that time and they were used as Chronos' flunkies.
31	** For someone who only appeared in 3 episodes, [[DatingCatwoman Melanie Walker]] made an exceptionally positive impression on viewers and shippers alike, being one of the most popular romantic alternatives for Terry.
32	** [[MadBomber Mad Stan]] was a one-note villain simply there to force Terry to miss his date with Dana. His outright ''insane'' AxCrazy personality made him popular among fans and he reappeared in several episodes, finally getting to be the main antagonist when ''WesternAnimation/TheZetaProject'' crossed over. The best part: due to Zeta's naïve, cheerful nature, he and Stan actually get along well, resulting in this hilarious line:
33	--->'''Zeta:''' [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter What a nice guy]]. [[DrivesLikeCrazy But he should really learn to drive more carefully]].
34	** Inque the ''very'' formidable shapeshifter (and second most recurring Rogue of the series) is well-liked for providing some of the best fight scenes of the show.
35	** Tayko from Terminal's crew of Jokerz has her fans for some of the same reasons as the Dee Dee's (interesting facial make-up combined with gymnastic skills and fanservice costume).
36	** "Joyride" has two of the more well-liked one-time characters who aren't supervillains: Dr. Price and Lee. Price is the ReasonableAuthorityFigure inventor of the unstable military vehicle who gets some good TeethClenchedTeamwork with Batman while trying to stop it from blowing up and killing people in addition to being TheAtoner and getting some general feats of bravery. Lee, the Jokerz initiate is well-liked for being a MinionWithAnFInEvil who gets a good build-up to a HeelFaceTurn and NonProtagonistResolver moment.
37	** [[VillainsOutShopping Lula and Benny]] from "Once Burned" are far more popular than many other one-shot villains despite having no powers or gadgets and only appearing in about half of their single episode. Lula is well-liked for being a BadassNormal DarkActionGirl with an attractive design. Benny gets some respect for his ProperlyParanoid moments, and his ButtMonkey status is pretty hilarious.
38	* EscapistCharacter: Terry [=McGinnis=] is arguably the member of the Bat family across all media who is most enviable. He's incredibly handsome, popular in school, is in a relationship with a pretty girl, and of course, he gets to be Batman and follow in the footsteps of what is both InUniverse and out of universe, a legendary superhero, forming an IntergenerationalFriendship with one of the greatest men of his time, and [[spoiler: secretly being his long-lost son]].
39	* FanNickname:
40	** Mr. Lucky, a [[http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/beyond/bios/mrlucky/08.jpg bald man with glasses and a nice suit]] who frequently appears as a RecurringExtra. Nicknamed ironically because he often is in danger and/or has to be rescued by Batman.
41	** Comic Book Dick Grayson's [[{{Expy}} undeniably similar appearance]] to ComicBook/NickFury's has led to him being called Dick Fury.
42	* FanPreferredCouple: [[DatingCatwoman Terry and Melanie]] and [[PlatonicLifePartners Terry and Max]] are in the running for the top spot, if fanfiction is any indication. Alan Burnett even tried to pair Max and Terry in one episode, to the objections of Timm, who had had no such intention when he proposed the episode ([[https://youtu.be/lAheG04f9B8?t=1m54s Check here]]).
43	* FandomRivalry: Many prefer Terry over Damian Wayne as the more interesting and affable [[spoiler: of Bruce's children]].
44	* FandomSpecificPlot: Fanfics would often have Terry's younger brother, Matt, become Robin before [[AscendedFanon it finally happened in the comics]]. Fanfics where Max becomes Batgirl and/or Oracle are also common.
45	* {{Fanon}}: Some fans like to portray Terry as Asian American, despite the fact that both of his parents appear to be Caucasian ([[spoiler:including Bruce]]), due to his black hair, ashen skin tone, and slightly squinty eyes.
46	* FanonDiscontinuity:
47	** The hint of a Bruce and Barbara relationship is widely panned as unnecessarily creepy and out-of-character.
48	** The final fates of [[spoiler: Ra's and Talia al Ghul]] as shown in this series aren't universally accepted, with it being tempting for some fans of the original series to just acknowledge the parts of the episode before TheReveal or ignore it entirely.
49	** While the series is officially recognized as the canon future of [[Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse the DCAU]], some fans prefer to view it as an alternate future. Unlike many examples, this isn't so much due to poor quality, but due to the depressing fates of some characters, particularly Bruce himself [[note]] he's forced to give up being Batman due to physical limitations brought about by age, without ever achieving any real closure to his crusade or trauma. From there, he ends up a lonely, bitter old man, with all his friends having either died or broken off contact and none of his romantic relationships have panned out in the long run [[/note]] and Tim Drake [[note]] his career as Robin was tragically cut short when he was abducted, tortured and [[MindRape Mind Raped]] by the Joker [[/note]]. It helps that according to Creator/BruceTimm in [[https://dcanimated.com/WF/sections/backstage/interview/bt/interview.php a 2001 interview]], ''Batman Beyond'' takes place in a "possible future".[[note]]Though this interview is considered to be [[FlipFlopOfGod outdated]], as ''Justice League'' and ''Justice League Unlimited'' would confirm in several episodes that ''Beyond'' is the canon future of the DCAU.[[/note]]
50	* FourthWallMyopia: Dana gets a lot of flack from some fans for not always forgiving Terry when he misses dates because of Batman duties and making his life difficult, even though, as far as she knows, he's just an old man's part-time assistant who's doing a ''very'' bad job of balancing his new responsibilities with his prior relationships.
51	* HeartwarmingInHindsight:
52	** The times when Bruce shows concern for Terry or warns him when he's engaging in risky behavior become more endearing when the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "Epilogue" reveals that [[spoiler: Bruce is Terry's real biological father]]. Heck, the entire series which viewers saw as a story about a wayward teen finding a cranky mentor becomes this when you realize it's the story [[spoiler: of a son coming to help his Dad in his final years, reclaiming his legacy and providing him companionship and love]].
53	** Likewise, the implications that [[spoiler: Bruce knew all along he was Terry's biological father]] and didn't tell Terry out of respect to Warren [=McGinnis=]. He tells Terry in ''Return of the Joker'' that the latter avenged his father and has done the Batman legacy proud. [[spoiler: It ties into Amanda Waller's KirkSummation that Terry is Bruce's son, not his clone, and he is made of his choices as well as his genetics. Terry takes this to heart and reconciles with Bruce, so as not to repeat the "old man's" mistakes and still be his own person]].
54	** Batman feels guilty about having to arrest Ten a.k.a. Melanie because he was bonding with her as Terry. She also regrets it, given her expression when Terry in civilian guise sees her led into a police van. [[spoiler: It's revealed that Melanie pulled a HeelFaceTurn in season 3 because of Terry's brief influence, seeking a legitimate job and bailing out her brother when their parents abandon him. Not only that, but she disowned her parents after they tricked her into robbing a mob boss to test her loyalty to them, telling them she can't give up her chances at being normal for a stupid test. Terry can't be with her because he has Dana, but as Batman, he's not only relieved she turned her life around but also mournful that he can't do more than be distant emotional support]].
55	** A Meta example, Kevin Conroy's [[spoiler: surprise live action appearance as Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earth's event meant a great deal to many a fan of the DCAU. One of many send ups to series of the past- many in and of itself given his long tenure. Still manages to be this even though he was playing a far darker version of Bruce Wayne.]]
56	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct:
57	** At the time of the series, Will Friedle was best known for his comedic role on ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld''. While Terry never had any shortage of snarky one-liners, Friedle gave some pretty memorable dramatic performances (such as Terry mourning the loss of his father).
58	** Sherman Howard, who voiced Derek Powers is primarily known for mainly working on Broadway musicals and his role as [[Film/DayOfTheDead1985 Bub]]. As the villainous Powers, Howard manages to show a much wider vocal range ranging from calm scheming to maniacal evil, especially when Powers is in his Blight persona.
59	* HesJustHiding: [[PlayingWithFire Magma]], [[AnIcePerson Freon]], and the [[RubberMan 2-D Man]] of the Terrific Trio are killed off, but it could be considered a DisneyDeath since two simply get sucked into the building's air ducts and Magma gets cooled off until he hardens, it's entirely possible they could be restored. In fact, there were originally plans for them to appear in the comic until the writers backed out of fear of legal percussions over the team being an overt {{Homage}} to the ComicBook/FantasticFour. The "team" in name only would eventually reappear in the comics, but Magma, Freon, and [=2-D=] Man having been replaced by Zeta, Earth Mover, and Plastic Man.
60	* HoYay: Shriek and his assistant Ollie almost feel like an OutlawCouple. Shriek vents to Ollie that his daily frustrations let him ''stimulate himself'' with his own inventions and generally is nicer to him than anyone else. Ollie in turn reassures and comforts Shriek and is happy to work with him even when there's no pay involved. They're even seen living together in ''Where's Terry'' with Ollie buying groceries while Shriek works at home.
61	* IAmNotShazam: "Batman Beyond" is ''just'' the title of the series, with the "Beyond" part simply being a descriptor of how the series takes place in the future. Terry InUniverse only goes by Batman, but many fans refer to him as "Batman Beyond", if only to distinguish him more easily from Bruce when talking about him. [[spoiler:However, Amanda Waller's secret conspiracy to make Terry the new Batman ''is'' called "Project: Batman Beyond".]]
62	* IKnewIt: Some fans had speculated that Terry and Matt's parents were divorced because the boys both look nothing like their father (they have black hair, compared with Mary who is a redhead and Warren whose hair is light brown - genetically improbable). Flash forward to the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode “Epilogue” which doubles as a FullyAbsorbedFinale, and [[spoiler: Cadmus had Warren's genetic material overwritten with Bruce Wayne's, making him the boys' biological father. According to WordOfGod, this decision was AscendedFanon motivated by the realization of said genetic improbability. But fans were wrong about Terry's mom having an affair.]]
63	* JerkassWoobie:
64	** Willie Watt. A puny nerd relentlessly bullied in school, humiliated by the girl of his dreams, gets no care or understanding from his abusive father (a classic example of toxic masculinity, [[JockDadNerdSon constantly belittling his son for being a "wimp"]]) before finally being humiliated at a school dance. He uses a giant robot to go on a rampage at the school (with lots of undertones from real-life school shootings). Things only get worse after he's arrested and ''nobody'' comes to visit him in prison. Ever.
65	** Carter Wilson/Terminal. A top-notch and brilliant student who's still constantly scolded as a failure by his mother for not being the ''absolute highest'' performing student at the school. He's long since snapped, joining the Jokerz (and being exceptionally violent and unstable even for them) to blow off steam; eventually launching a campaign to kill Max for ''scoring higher than him on a test.''
66	** Jim Tate/Armory. An honest businessman and skilled weapons engineer dumped by his company after a buyout, screwed out of his retirement, can't find another job due to a lagging economy, and is the sole breadwinner for his family. He takes a job building weapons for mercenaries to continue making ends meet.
67	** Queen is a thief and attempted killer who is emotionally manipulative toward Melanie and somewhat nagging toward her husband. Still, over her last two episodes has to watch her daughter [[DefectorFromDecadence abandon the family]] and her son get arrested (with her husband making her abandon him) and then find out her husband has been cheating on her.
68	** Charlie Bigelow/Big Time. He was a stubborn jerkwad and a crook but he was still just trying to pay off a debt to a friend in prison, gets beaten around and threatened by [[PsychoForHire Karros]] for it, and then horribly mutated into a deformed monster. It's hard not to feel a little bad along with Terry for not being able to help his old friend.
69	** Paxton Powers. His own father treats him like dirt, and after he refused be his father's puppet, he was banished to South America.
70	** Shriek to some degree. He really wanted to make a difference as an inventor, but he's forced to do terrible things just to get funding off the ground, eventually loses his hearing, and all he has left now is his anger at Batman for causing his Tinnitus.
71	** Inque. She grew up in poverty, was subjected to an experiment that transformed her into living goo, makes a living by undergoing dangerous sabotage assignments, and is trying to provide for a daughter who ''doesn't even understand'' how much her mother cares for her.
72	* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: A majority of the series' most hated characters are AbusiveParents who care very little about the well-being of the family members. Among them is Don Grasso from "Hooked Up", who not only hates and abuses his son and ''doesn't want him back home'', he'll also ''abuse, order and threaten his wife for trying to patch things up between the two''. And Don's just ''one'' of ''MANY'' examples from the entire series.
73	* LoveToHate: Derek Powers/Blight is a truly vile piece of work, but his smarmy personality, cool powers, and the fact that he's a clever foe as both a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive scheming human businessman]] and a radioactive skeleton made him one the more memorable new villains. His seeming death at the end of Season 1 was generally regarded as a low point for fans who lamented his wasted potential.
74	* MagnificentBastard:
75	** [[ImplacableWoman Curare]] is a member of the Society of Assassins, and is considered their deadliest member. Armed with excellent martial arts skills and a deadly scimitar, Curare is tasked with assassinating district attorney Sam Young and is only narrowly foiled by Batman and Barbara Gordon's intervention. Targeted by the rest of the Society for her failure, Curare goes rogue, [[AssassinOutclassin hunting down every member]] and erasing their minds, single-handedly destroying the Society before being defeated by Batman.
76	** "[[Recap/BatmanBeyondS2E18Armory Armory]]": [[AntiVillain Jim Tate]] is a weapons engineer and former Special Forces operative who was laid off by Wayne-Powers. Wanting to maintain his family's lavish lifestyle and desperate for work, Tate is hired by Istivan Hegedesh to steal technology and plans from Wayne-Powers in order to build a weapon for him. Under the guise of [[WalkingArmory Armory]], Tate pulls off two successful heists, using his hi-tech weaponry to fight off and evade both Batman and the police. When his employer finds Batman spying on them and nearly kills him, [[EvenEvilHasStandards Tate intervenes]], saving his life and distracting Hegedesh long enough for Batman to take him out. Getting arrested afterward, Tate willingly cooperates with authorities, leading him to get a reduced sentence.
77	* MemeticMutation:
78	** Blight's "Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down?" is not only a meme by itself but also [[https://www.cbr.com/batman-beyond-little-that-narrows-it-down-memes/ part of a 3-panel exploitable]].
79	** BLOW IT ALL UP!
80	** In "Out of the Past" when Bruce is looking through his photos of women he's loved over the years (Zatanna, Selina, Lois, Barbara, and at the end of the episode, Talia), expect a series of [=YouTube=] comments [[FanPreferredCouple asking]] [[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague where's Wonder Woman/Diana]] or that the list should be a ''lot'' bigger.
81	** "The most oppressed group of all: gamers!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A scene from an AbridgedSeries of ''Batman Beyond'' where [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-09gNDsPzQ Willie declares the glass ceiling broken]].[[/labelnote]]
82	** The "[[StayInTheKitchen Get back to the kitchen]]" bit from "Hooked Up" lives as a reaction micro.
83	* MemeticPsychopath: ''Terry himself'' is often joked about as the Batman who mercs villains on sight. While it is true he's let a few villains die, this doesn't take into account that most of the time, Terry does whatever he can to save his enemies from death ([[AssholeVictim even if they don't always deserve it]]) and that the few times he does take lethal action, it's when his opponent is too powerful to subdue, violently homicidal, and would've killed him otherwise.
84	* MoralEventHorizon:
85	** The Jokerz who steal the prototype plane in "Joyride" and brutally attack their rival gang with it, leaving property damage and a lot of critically injured gang members. They end up laughing the whole time and don't feel any remorse for it and the guy in charge is more than happy to let the reactor of the ship overload because he wants the power the ship gives.
86	** Spellbinder in "Hooked Up". His first episode had him as a petty crook who took advantage of the kids he counseled by using illusions to get them to steal for him. In the following episode, he transforms into a full-on fantastic drug dealer, hooking teenage runaways on a VR machine that lets them fulfill their fantasies at the cost of painful withdrawal symptoms when outside the machine. He forces them to steal for him to keep their supply going, but the machines are revealed to eventually leave the kids comatose. When one of his runaways falls prey to it, Spellbinder merely acts annoyed, wakes up the rest of his henchmen, and tells them to dump her body somewhere and find a replacement for her.
87	** Shriek in "Babel". At first, he was a mere PunchClockVillain who was driven to evil by the pressure Derek Powers put on him and then his entire life being ruined. After losing his hearing in a fight with Batman, he dedicates himself completely to vengeance and uses a machine that disrupts air molecules so the people of Gotham can't understand what others are saying. He threatens to keep the machine going, which will cause hundreds if not thousands of deaths unless he's allowed to kill Batman in revenge.
88	** [[spoiler:Ra's al Ghul murdering his own daughter via BrainUploading and then parading around in her body, living her life.]]
89	*** [[spoiler: Ra's actions are even more horrific than they might seem at first. Talia isn't just some disposable vessel Ra's birthed for this exact purpose, she's probably the only person in the entire world he actually cared about and one of the few who might be able to talk him down. Killing Talia shows just how far the man has fallen over the years and just how desperate to remain alive he's become.]]
90	** And then [[spoiler: Robert Vance, or at least the computer program with his memories [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman depending on how you look at it]], tries to do the exact same thing to his own grandson.]]
91	** Deanna Clay attempting to murder [[spoiler: Inque]], her own mother, solely to gain full access to her bank accounts. Sure, [[spoiler: Inque]] was a career criminal and gave Deanna up for adoption, but she clearly loved Deanna a lot, and obviously, the feeling isn't mutual.
92	** Ian Peek crossed it when he murdered Dr. Taka to steal his intangibility belt just so he could use it for fame and money.
93	* {{Narm}}: The show has a very moody and abstract theme music that serves to introduce the audience to the city of Gotham in the future. In the middle of it, there's a random cut to Terry's friends clubbing that's so far removed from the rest of the imagery in terms of tone that it can be humorously jarring.
94	** Ra's Al Ghul's distinctive voice coming out of the body of Talia in "Out of the Past" is kind of silly.
95	* NauseaFuel:
96	** In "Rebirth, Part 2", Blight designs a virus that rapidly causes damage to cells in organisms. He shows the effects to one of his allies, first showing a plant utterly disintegrating in seconds due to the effects, and later on a cow and human. We never see the end result but judging by what happened to the plant and how the guy viewing looking ready to vomit, it's safe to assume it was a little messy.
97	** See {{Squick}} below.
98	** In-universe, just being ''around'' Blight long enough is this for anyone not wearing a protective suit.
99	* NoYay:
100	** "Out of the Past". Bruce and [[strike: Talia]] Ra's. Terry and Bruce are as {{Squick}}ed as you would expect. Bruce even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it.
101	** A lot of fans felt this way about the idea that Bruce Wayne dated Barbara Gordon after she and Dick Grayson broke up. Dick certainly thought so, and it's apparently the reason they never got back together after his return.
102	* OneSceneWonder: Warren [=McGinnis=] only appears in the pilot, but he has a dramatic impact on the rest of the series. He finds out his coworker had evidence of a corporate cover-up, and does what he can to get it to the authorities. [[TearJerker For that, he gets murdered]]. Despite the contentions that Terry had with him, the kid has a strong moral code and becomes Batman to avenge Warren. Even Matt admits that he misses his father, and wishes he could see him again as a ghost. Terry later attributes his father's memory as the reason he strives to become a better person. [[spoiler: He only shows up again in ''Epilogue'' when his genetics are overwritten to give his children Bruce's DNA and Amanda reveals he fits the psychological profile of Thomas Wayne]].
103	* OneTrueThreesome: Some fans choose to resolve the ShipToShipCombat between Terry/Dana and Terry/Max fans by simply putting them all together. It helps that they are all schoolmates, so they would have some rapport with each other. Others even throw [[DatingCatwoman Melanie]] in for good measure, in a dynamic similar to [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, and Black Cat]], furthering the show's connection to ''Spider-Man''.
104	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap:
105	** Most viewers would have no idea that Bruce Wayne's loyal guard dog Ace was a retooling of the '50s era Ace the Bat-Hound. Most viewers would not even know Ace the Bat-Hound ''existed'' (at least before the ''WesternAnimation/KryptoTheSuperdog'' show where he was a recurring character or his appearance in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''). It also helped that the Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue" made it retroactive that in-universe, the dog was named after Ace of the Royal Flush gang after she died.
106	** At first, Max was a classic overly confident AffirmativeActionGirl who even the creators weren't fond of. Fortunately, as a new season began Max's character was developed quite a bit, her unusually high aptitude was toned down, [[TakeThatScrappy she was taken down a peg]], and quickly grew a sizable fanbase.
107	* TheScrappy: Not a whole lot of fans liked Matt [=McGinnis=] on the show, as his appearances often had him just acting like a typical AnnoyingYoungerSibling BrattyHalfPint without offering anything else.
108	* {{Shipping}}: [[OfficialCouple Terry/Dana]], Terry/[[SecretKeeper Max]], and Terry/[[DatingCatwoman Melanie Walker]] all have their respective fans. Inevitably for better or worse, so does [[{{Squick}} Terry/Bruce]].
109	* SignatureScene:
110	** "Rebirth" has two:
111	*** The first is Bruce retiring his cowl after being forced to use a gun, signifying how old and desperate he's become, complete with him shutting down the Batcave and claiming "never again" making it clear that this time it really is the end for Batman.
112	*** The second is the penultimate scene at the end of the pilot when Bruce visits Terry and offers him an internship (which is actually a position as full-time Batman) and making it clear that Terry's life is going to get a whole lot more interesting and dangerous, complete with an ominous handshake (that some note is a good guy version of a Faustian bargain):
113	---> '''Bruce Wayne''': "Very well then, Mr. [=McGinnis=], WelcomeToMyWorld."
114	** The conversation between Barbara Gordon and Terry [=McGinnis=] in "A Touch of Curare" where Barbara reveals that she and Bruce dated years after she and Dick Grayson broke up, is also well remembered, as is Barbara lamenting that Bruce is "Such a great man, so alone."
115	** "Out of the Past" has several: Old Bruce going over the slideshow showing his past loves, [[spoiler: the revitalized Bruce fighting alongside Terry, the Talia/Ra's reveal, and the final shot]]. And the prologue showing "Batman the Musical."
116	** "The Call" is also well remembered, especially for the reveal of Old Superman and the reunion between the World's Finest in the Batcave where we see Old Bruce next to SilverFox Old Clark (owing to Kryptonian DNA). This episode was so popular that it led to the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' show and the future name of the Justice League (the JLU -- Justice League Unlimited) became the name of the final series of the franchise.
117	** "Babel" is well-known for Terry [=McGinnis=]'s moment when he rebukes Bruce by telling him, "I didn't do this for gratitude."
118	** The entire flashback sequence from ''Return of the Joker'', where Barbara recounts Batman's final battle with the Joker, especially the Joker's shocking and brutal death, thanks to being the darkest and most disturbing thing to ever come out of the DCAU.
119	** Also, from ''Return of the Joker'', Terry's fight with the Joker. The way Terry plays the Clown Prince of Crime like a fiddle shows off just how different the two Batmen are and finally proves himself to be a worthy successor to Bruce Wayne by accomplishing what Bruce failed to do: permanently defeating the Joker.
120	* SpiritualSuccessor:
121	** Many fans of the show have noted that it's basically a ComicBook/SpiderMan cartoon in all but in the name. It has the WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld premise, Terry is a wisecracking teenage superhero driven by his desire to atone for his past misdeeds and the death of a father figure, he also lives with a maternal figure (Aunt May/Terry's Mom) and he spends most of his time in an on-again-off-again relationship with his girlfriend Dana Tan who's a party animal [[spoiler: who he later marries]] (much like MJ). He's effectively Peter Parker in the Batsuit. Even the RoguesGallery is pretty similar to Spidey's. (Inque = Sandman, Spellbinder = Mysterio, Stalker = Kraven, Shriek = Shocker, Blight = Green Goblin, etc.) Likewise, the Batman Beyond bat-suit is aesthetically similar to Spider-Man's outfit, in that it's a full-body suit with a face-covering cowl, unlike Batman who likes to show off his chin. It resembles Spider-Man's Symbiote outfit while the red bat logo fits the dominant color in Spider-Man's outfit.
122	** It's also the best ''ComicBook/SpiderMan2099'' animated series that one could ask for especially with the futuristic setting and someone taking up the mantle of a previous hero.
123	* {{Squick}}:
124	** Shriek's creepy little mutant henchman, who likes nothing more than to sit on the floor with a tuning fork that directly stimulates a body's pleasure center. Complete with eyes rolling back and moaning. [[BrainBleach Who else needs a shower after that?]] Even Shriek seems to be disgusted when he first gives him the fork.
125	** One of Inque's darker attempts at killing Batman. She puts the squeeze on Terry in order to force his mouth open before ''[[OrificeInvasion shoving herself down his throat]]'' in order to suffocate him. After Bruce uses a fire hose to get rid of her, we get a GoryDiscretionShot that saves us from the view of Terry actually puking, but we hear every agonizing heave and see Inque's leftovers spilling onto the ground.
126	** The idea that Bruce dated Barbara.
127	* StrangledByTheRedString: Terry and Melanie. They met seconds after he got conveniently dumped by Dana, talked a little, kissed under the rain then they're a couple and Mel is unwilling to leave Gotham because of him. May be justified by the length of the episode. Also justified by her origins. She has days, and weeks at most to get to know anyone, she hates her crime life, her family doesn't treat her well, and she can take out anyone who threatens her. She's clearly desperate and lonely enough to form a connection with ''someone''. ''Anyone.'' [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools So it makes sense that she would just rush into relationships]]. Just a couple of horny, lonely teenagers making a mistake. Taken to extremes in the 2016 comic, which is set several years after the series, yet Melanie is still in love with Terry to the point that she breaks into his new home to steal a photo of him [[StalkerShrine and add it to her collection]], despite not having talked with him in all that time.
128	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The show's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThInUu7Rg0g theme song]] sounds a lot like [[https://youtu.be/o9mJ82x_l-E?t=80 "Hey Man Nice Shot"]] by Filter.
129	* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: Violence? Check. [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath People dying horribly]]? Check. Lots of [[Radar/BatmanBeyond sexual undertones]]? Check. Drugs? Check. Yeah, [[SarcasmMode definitely a kid-friendly show]].
130	* TheWoobie:
131	** Howard Lewis from "Payback". A somewhat antisocial childlike GentleGiant with a knack for mechanics and technology who gets attacked by Terry who wrongly suspects him of being Payback, and the sculptures Howard made get destroyed in the scuffle. Later, his only friend gets arrested for being Payback. Poor guy can’t catch a break.
132	** Dr. Stanton from the same episode. A psychologist who just wants to help kids, and inadvertently neglects his son Kenny in the process, which leads to Kenny becoming a vigilante to take out whoever causes the teens grief and winds up being arrested for it. Dr. Stanton [[ItsAllMyFault blames himself]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone for inadvertently pushing his son to do this]].
133	----
134	!! YMMV For the [[ComicBook/BatmanBeyond comic books]]
135	* BrokenBase: Related to the similar issue regarding the animated series, the reveal that Bruce had impregnated Barbara just weeks before she had re-entered a seemingly happy relationship with Dick was very divisive. Some found it gutwrenching and thought it appropriately explained why Bruce, Dick, and Barbara were estranged from one another for so long, and that it at least did a good job of showing how toxic the relationship was instead of mentioning it as a NoodleIncident. Others thought it was too much like a bad soap opera, and that the Bruce-Barbara relationship should never have been revisited in the first place, or just retconned altogether.
136	* CompleteMonster: "10,000 Clowns" arc: [[AxCrazy Douglas Tan]] is a disturbed youth obsessed with ComicBook/TheJoker and his carnage, and dedicates himself to [[StrawNihilist proving the fundamental meaningless of life]] and becoming the Joker's own SuperiorSuccessor. Fashioning himself "the Joker King", Douglas drugs dozens of Jokerz from around the nation into becoming [[SuicideAttack suicide bombers]], using them to wreak havoc across Gotham and cause thousands of deaths in an attempt to destroy the city, murdering his own best friend on a random whim just before the destruction starts. Douglas eventually decides to murder his entire family too, attempting to kill his comatose father in the hospital and only hesitating when his sister steps in the way -- before deciding without another second of hesitation to kill her too.
137	* FanonDiscontinuity: Some of the fans of the series aren't terribly fond of the comics. The fact that they were made without involvement by the original showrunners, contradict events and moments from the series, and feature a questionable reveal about Bruce and Barbara's relationship only adds fuel to the fire. To some extent, this is justified, as the comics ''are'' part of a BroadStrokes AlternateContinuity that only ''resembles'' the DCAU rather than actually taking place there, but many casual fans don't realize that distinction, which tends to annoy those more familiar with both.

Context YMMV / BatmanBeyond