Batman Beyond is a show that had absolutely no business being as good as it was. It was a masterpiece, revolutionary, and the best possible sequel to the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series. Chronologically, it is the final installment in the DCAU, although it was only the third one to be released. The first show in the successful DC animated universe was Batman: The Animated Series, followed by Superman: The Animated Series. Batman Beyond followed. After BB, The Zeta Project followed, and then the legendary, childhood-making Justice League started, and we got Static Shock as well. The last show to be released was Justice League Unlimited, which was a sequel to Justice League and had some episodes which showed Static in it. These shows represent the best of what DC can achieve on the big screen and silver screen. The stories across the universe were mostly standalone, and were not constrained by the rules of unity. They told their own stories the way they wanted to and it all made sense in the end. Even though the shows were mostly standalone, there were aspects of the individual series that made it into the crossovers or the team up shows. This was especially true with Superman.
A Little Insight
This show did Superman justice (no pun intended). It told his story from the day he was sent from Krypton to Earth, told us a bit about his life growing up, and showed us how he joined the Daily Planet and met the love of his life: Lois Lane. It explored his motivations, his personal life, how he was getting to be known throughout the galaxy, his purpose on Earth and how he navigated the responsibility with his powers and how he maintained the balance between being a hero to the world and remaining a positive role model for all. Oftentimes, it is not easy to be both a hero that the world needs and be a role model for everyone, but the show got Superman to the level even with casual fans. That S on his chest really did inspire hope in all of us. Some could say that it is the definitive Superman adaptation outside comics…other than the Christopher Reeves iteration, but that’s a whole other debate…and what about Henry Cavill? Okay, moving on.
Superman in STAS
The biggest bad of the show wasn’t Superman’s arch nemesis Lex Luthor. It was Darkseid. He was set up for seasons before finally making his move, and it was a very hard move. He sent his forces to wreak havoc on Earth, and even his adopted son just decided to go to Earth and wreak havoc to impress Darkseid…Darkseid himself even showed up and brought Superman down to his knees in their first encounter, then just walked away after telling him how helpless he is. That was a serious entrance he had made, and it was one of the most unforgettable moments in the show. The finale of the series showed us just how much Darkseid was willing to do to break the Man of Steel down. Superman went on a diplomatic mission to Apokolips and instead of negotiating, Darkseid brainwashed him and turned him into his “son” who had no memories of his life prior to Apokolips. He lived on the hellish planet for a while and became very close to the Furies. He led Apokoliptan forces to Earth, intent on conquering it for his father, and was defeated by Earth’s forces, with the help of Supergirl. Wanting payback for what Darkseid had made him do, Superman went to Apokolips and defeated Darkseid in one on one combat, only to be shown that the people of Apokolips will follow and worship him no matter how much he makes them suffer. So, did Superman actually win in the show’s finale? That’s a question for another day.
Superman in Justice League
We see him defeat Darkseid on multiple occasions in the Justice League cartoons, and it is Lex Luthor who deals the final blow that destroys the evil being forever, using the anti-life equation that he managed to understand and utilize. Superman made his next chronological appearance in the Batman Beyond episode “The Call.” In this episode, he recruits Terry McGinnis into the Justice League, and it all ends with the discovery that Starro had been controlling Superman’s body for a very long time…years, perhaps. We don’t even know how many years it has been. Superman just can’t catch a break with this brainwashing/mind-control thing.
Superman Has a WHAT?
Remember when it was mentioned that Superman stayed on Apokolips for a while under Darkseid’s control? Yeah, the story gets to some pretty intense, heartbreaking moments. That time on Apokolips would have proved to be a lot more…fruitful…than Superman imagined. What we mean by that is that Superman was going to father a child there with one of the Furies. In Batman Beyond, that son of his would have come to Earth with the intent of conquering it, although with a slight difference from what Superman once tried to do. He wasn’t doing it under Darkseid’s orders. He was going to do it out of spite for Superman, who wouldn’t have even known about his existence. The storyline is that Superman’s son conquered Apokolips and some point in his life and ventured to Earth to conquer it because he wanted to take his father’s home: the home he chose to reside in instead of staying on Apokolips with him. Was that a bit dark? Yeah, it definitely was…but it fit in perfectly with the tone of the show…especially when you learn about how Terry McGinnis was conceived. Bruce Timm really had something going for him. Fortunately or unfortunately, the story was scrapped and never made it into the show.
What do you think? Was that a storyline worth showing? Would it have been too much for the show or would it have made sense? Let us know in the comments below:
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