Batman Beyond/Awesome

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Terry and a rejuvenated Bruce Wayne are faced with a group of goons charging at them. Terry gives the "Go right ahead," gesture. Cue coordinated ass kicking set to the Batman the Animated Series theme. Will Friedle has said this is one of his favorite scenes in the series.

Terry: Shall we?
Bruce: After you.

    • Watch it here.
    • From that same episode: When Bruce is held prisoner by Ra's Al Ghul and learns that the villain disposed of his own daughter's consciousness to live on her body and is about to transfer into Wayne's. Despite the dire peril at angering the villain in this situation, the old man lets loose his contempt regardless, "You don't cheat death, you whimper in fear of it!" Furthermore, when Ra's slaps him for that insult, Wayne fearlessly jabs, "And you hit like a girl!"
      • Terry's battle with Ra's also qualifies; Ra's is one of the deadliest warrior on the planet and Terry was able to not only hold his own but win.
  • In the first episode: After the Jokerz chase Terry to Wayne Manor and see Bruce Wayne, the gang's leader threatens Wayne with "Back off old man! We're the Jokerz!" His reply? "Sure you are."
    • Also when Terry and Bruce tag team together in the first episode, and proceed to kick the gang's booties all over the place!
    • Earlier in that episode, when the Jokerz trash the outside of the dance club they (Terry and fellow classmates) were all waiting in line to get in, Terry steps up and kicks their tails all around! He does a pretty good job taking on the 6-7 of them all on his own, before reinforcements arrive, and he's forced to make a hasty exit, that leads him to wayne manor-ensuing the beat down listed above.
    • The Full Scene.
  • Derek Powers firmly establishes his Complete Monster credentials with one of the most awesome comebacks in animated history. He just sounds so annoyed, more than anything:

Powers: Who are you?!
Batman: [from the shadows] You really wanna know?
Powers: YES!
Batman: [reveals himself] You Killed My Father.
Powers: ... Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down?

    • Terry's response? "Sorry, that's all you get." He did know, and that was why he's (becoming) Batman.
  • An aged Superman (under mind-control) catches up with the Batplane, which is travelling at Mach 3, while the theme music from his previous show plays in a sinister key... and not streamlining at all, but floating upright. As seen here.
  • Terry's first appearance when he kicked the crap outta that Jokerz dude...this was before he donned the cowl.
    • Also in Splicers...just like in the first episode, 2 of the Splicer Mooks make trouble on a train (just like the Jokerz gang member did in the very first episode), and Terry just as his normal civilian self proceeds to kick BOTH of their butts!
  • When Terry is captured by Inque in "Disappearing Inque", it's left to Bruce to show up in an attempt to save him. He gets captured by Inque and slowly crushed... at which point his overcoat bursts apart, revealing a Bat-mech suit. Two things make this especially brilliant:
    • Bruce had pointed out the suit earlier, saying he couldn't use the thing because it aggravated his heart condition.
    • Terry's reaction is initially a horrified "Oh no..." and renewed struggling against his chains. Then Bruce punches Inque across the entire stadium. Terry just watches her fly in utter awe.
      • One more, though it's mostly icing: during The Reveal of the powered armor, the soundtrack briefly goes into an iconic bit of the original BTAS theme music.
      • Briefly, nothing. During the entire time Bruce is fighting, a remix is playing with a full orchestra, an electric guitar and horns.
  • Terry vs The Stalker. Seriously....FREAKING EPIC FIGHT!!
  • In "Where's Terry", Bruce and Max team up to find a lost Terry. To this end, they follow a gang of T's who have Terry's empty backpack. The thugs try to mug Wayne, and are almost successful in a five-to-one battle. Then Max lowers that to three-to-one, and the remaining three promptly get beat down. Bruce turns to the guy carrying the backpack and tells Max to leave the room. A minute later Bruce has the information he needs, and is completely confident he was not misled. It's not just the JLU episode which proves how awesome an interrogater Old!Bruce is.
    • From the same episode... when Shriek had Terry and the little boy he just saved cornered at a cliff-like drop in the sewers. "All that for nothing, all that effort wasted. At least it gives me the pleasure of finishing you off myself." Then out of nowhere comes Bruce, "Why do they always talk so much?" Whacks Shriek only two times in the head with his cane, looks at Terry before leaving, "I just happened to be in the neighborhood." Dang you Bruce! Why must you be so freaking awesome!?
  • Speaking of Shriek... working behind the scenes via hidden microphone and audio tricks, he gets Bruce committed to an asylum, leading to this exchange at the end:

Terry: How did you know it was fake?
Bruce: For one thing, I know I'm not crazy.
Terry: I hope your other reason is more convincing.
Bruce: For another, it kept calling me "Bruce". That's not what I call myself.
Terry: What do you call yourself?
Bruce: *stares pointedly*

Terry: Ah. You would. But you know, that's my name now.

Bruce: Tell that to my subconscious.

Bruce: Mm-hmm. And what are you?
Payback: I'm your worst nightmare!
Bruce: You have no idea what my nightmares are like.

  • Terry going up against the Batsuit while it was being controlled by an insane AI. And beating it with his own smarts and a bit of MacGyvering.
  • Commissioner Barbara Gordon knocks a sword out of the hand of an assassin (who was going after her husband) with one of Terry's Batarangs. When it goes flying back into her hand, you see a smug grin on the old Batgirl's face that clearly says, "Oh yeah, I still got it!"

Terry: You should have seen her Bruce, she sure throws a mean swing!
Bruce: * grins* She always did.

  • For this troper, the fact that Terry actually managed to steal Bruce's own batsuit, from right under him, without him HEARING TERRY come in at all (considering this man is known for a certain backhand and and defies laws of science)....pretty dang impressive!
  • From "Curse of the Kobra: Part II" which doubles as a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming, Max has been kidnapped by the Kobra cult to be their queen and Terry is desperate to find her despite his injuries, including four cracked ribs that hurt when he breathes. When he and Bruce finally locate her whereabouts, there's this exchange:

Bruce: What about your breathing problem?
Terry: (pulls on the mask) I'll breathe on the weekend.

Return of the Joker

  • Ace the Bat-Dog watching Cartoons in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, and later taking down one of the Joker's henchman, then attacking the man himself. As Terry says: "Good Bat-dog."
    • The line is actually "Good bad dog", and it's in reference to Ace's past in dog fighting. The same line is used in Ace's backstory episode, which counts as another CMoA for him; he saves Terry from a gigantic mutant dog blob.
  • In Return of the Joker, Terry beats the Joker at his own mind games. Bruce tells Terry to block Joker out ("He likes to talk. Ignore it."), but then Terry realizes something: "I like to talk, too." Terry then proceeds to Hannibal Lecture the Joker.

Terry: Get a clue, clowny! [Bruce]'s got no sense of humor! He wouldn't know a good joke if it bit him in the cape. Not that you ever had a good joke.
Joker: Shut up! Shut up! (tries to run away like the superstitious, cowardly criminal that he is)
Terry: I mean, joy buzzers, squirting flowers - lame! Where's the "A" material? Make a face, drop your pants, something!
Joker: Show yourself!
Terry: You make me laugh... but only because I think you're kinda pathetic. [ Laughs ]

Joker: Stop that!

Terry: So you fell in a tank of acid, got your skin bleached, and decided to become a supervillain. What? You couldn't get work as a rodeo clown? [ Laughs ]

Joker: Don't you dare laugh at me!

Terry: Why? I thought the Joker always wanted to make Batman laugh!

Joker: You're not Batman!

Joker: [Laughing] C'mon, McGinnis. Laugh it up now, you miserable little punk. Laugh! I can't hear you!
Terry: [straining] Ha. Ha. * Terry uses Joker's own joybuzzer to zap the microchip containing Joker's mind*

    • And of course, earlier on in the fight when Terry knees The Joker in the groin, explaining that unlike Bruce, he fights dirty.
    • Also from Terry vs the Joker:

Joker: How 'bout it, kid? Any last words for the old Bat-coot?
Terry: Yeah. Sic him!
[* Ace leaps in and attacks the Joker* ]

  • Joker got his own earlier in Return of the Joker during the flashback sequence in his response to uncovering Batman's true identity.

Joker: It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic. [pause] Oh, what the heck, I'll laugh anyway. HAA HA HA HA HA HA!

  • There's an understated moment of awesome before this in the form of Batman's almost trademark Offhand Backhand, this time done by Terry himself. What makes this truly awesome is that, in a previous episode, Terry could not do this and didn't get how Bruce could. While this movie in general pretty much proved that Terry had (for the most part) grown into the role, this one in particular was an awesome demonstration.
  • Also from ROTJ is a scene where The Joker gains control of a Military-grade Kill Sat, and uses it exactly the way you'd imagine the Joker would use it.

Joker: Aren't you the nasty tattle-tale! Ratting me out before I've had my fun... Papa spank!

  • Even more amazing is early in the film, when the dissenting Bonk confronts the Joker over the jobs he's been sending them on. The Joker shoots Bonk right in the heart after toying with him a little, then attempts to reassert control over the gang by asking them to pledge loyalty. "So, boys, are you with me?" "We're with you..." "Dee Dee?" "We're with you!" "Bonk? Oh, right. Dead."
  • Pretty much Mark Hamill's whole ten year career as the Joker. There's a reason that droves of comic readers hear his voice whenever the Joker talks, and the highpoint of his career is Return Of The Joker, and the crowning moment of that of that has to be this line, after he discovers Batman's secret identity.

"Behind the sturm und batarangs you're just a little boy in a playsuit crying for Mommy and Daddy! I'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic... Aw, what the heck I'll laugh anyway. Haaahahahahahahhaha!"

    • This troper was always impressed with the nonchalant attitude the first time he encounters the new Batman.

Joker: Ah, the new boy. Ears are too long and I miss the cape. But not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

      • Even better is Terry figuring out how to get under The Joker's skin - by mocking his sense of humor. When The Joker finally thinks he has Terry in his power...

Terry: (deadpan) Ha. Ha. (zap!)

  • Batman II AKA Terry Mc Ginnis gets his own Moment of Awesome when he manages to out-psych the Joker by laughing at him. Think about that.
    • Not just out-psyched him. Terry heckled him. What better way to make a comedian lose it?
      • It's not just that, either. Terry does in the Joker in a way that Bruce was simply incapable of doing. Terry's not just proving the Joker wrong about how he's Batman, he's doing it in such a way that he'd need little, if any, of the training or gadgets to do it.