Batman: Beyond
His name is Terry McGinnis. To his friends, "Terry". To his bitter enemies, "Batman". Let's look back into the origins of this boy before we go on to more interesting details. Learn of the man behind the mask...
The beginning
He was born to Mary and Warren McGinnis, and has a younger brother, Matthew
McGinnis. Terry grew up as a "bad kid" by his own admission. Terry had
his fair share of run ins with the Gotham City Police Department while in his
early teens, and even served three months in Juvenile Hall. During this time
Terry had become a member of a street gang ran by a youthful racketeer named
Charlie "Big Time" Bigelow. Growing up, the world heard less and less
of the name "Batman" and the streets of Gotham became overrun with
gangs and thieves.
On one particular night, Terry went on the run from a gang of thugs called the "Jokerz", who modeled themselves after the deceased comedic madman The Joker. During the fight, Terry fled onto the property of Wayne Manor, where Bruce Wayne assisted him in defeating the thugs. However, the stress of the fight was too much for Bruce's heart, and he nearly collapsed. Giving back to the man that assisted him, Terry took Bruce back to his home, where he accidentally stumbled onto the entrance to the Batcave, and Bruce's long-lost secret. Enraged, Bruce kicked Terry out of his home, and hopefully out of his life. Unfortunately, that would not be the case...
Terry returned to Bruce's home, saddened, and enraged, declaring that his father had been murder and the man responsible was Derek Powers, who had become the new head of a merger between his own company and Wayne's, called "Wayne-Powers". To this, Bruce softened his demeanor to the boy. Terry's pleas would fall on deaf ears, as Bruce felt he could no longer take up the role as the city's defender, his very being as Batman rattled when he relied on the use of a gun to save his life earlier. To that end, Bruce maintained that he had given up the cape and cowl for good.
As soon as Bruce's back was turned, Terry stole the latest incarnation of the "Batsuit". Through the suit's communicator, Bruce admonished Terry for stealing the suit, but Terry was quite adamant about confronting Powers. He found out that Powers had ordered Warren McGinnis' death when the man found out about Powers' plan to mass produce biological weapons with Wayne-Powers. Using the suit's power, he started disrupting the security personnel, only to be stopped in his tracks when Bruce shuts the suit down with a single button. Terry pleaded with Bruce for a chance to prove himself and persuaded him to reactivate the Suit and let him carry on as Batman for the time being. This decision by Bruce led to the end of Powers' operation, and ended up with Powers himself being exposed to his own hazardous chemicals, turning him into the super villain Terry would later know as Blight.
Terry's relationships
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. Terry has had many close calls when balancing his dual life as Batman, on several occasions his mother or brother nearly finding his suit when Terry would come home late at night and crash. Thankfully, neither ever find out the truth behind it.
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. Terry and Bruce developed a respect for each other, with Terry regarding Bruce as a surrogate father. Despite that Terry was not a sidekick but his replacement, Bruce treated Terry the same way he treated Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, possibly because of Terry's youth and inexperience. In time, Terry grew into the cowl, and Bruce grew to accept him as his heir.
Dana Tan - 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 Melanie Walker.
Max Gibson - 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.
"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.
Barbara Gordon - Terry 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. Barbara remains haunted by the Joker's torture and mutilation of Tim Drake. She advised Terry 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 Bruce, as well. She eventually warmed up to Terry, assisting him when Bruce was put out of action for whatever reason. She hopes Terry would avoid the lonely existence that Bruce eventually led.
Abilities and Equipment
In addition to the training he received from Bruce Wayne, Terry appeared at least to be an able street fighter. In his dealings as part of Bigelow's gang, he fended off several biker Jokerz alone and displayed uncommon agility and tenacity for a civilian.
Under Bruce’s tutelage, Terry has toned 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.
It's been previously mentioned before that Terry has inherited all of Bruce’s qualities, with the exception of his intellect. Terry possesses an above-average intellect and has been trained by Bruce 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, Terry emulates Bruce’s deep, harsh tone. Terry does this of his own accord, to separate the entities of Terry and Batman.
The Batsuit currently utilized by Terry McGinnis was actually almost twenty years old. 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 Bruce and Terry, 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. Over a very long time between his duties as Batman, school work, and keeping up a social life, Terry has been working with Bruce on learning the finer mechanics of the Batsuit, allowing him to understand it's operation and as such, how to repair it should Bruce be unable to through whatever means. Still, Terry isn't a genius on Bruce's level, so trying to apply his knowledge of the suit to other mediums probably wouldn't work out so well unless Terry goes to school for it (or undergoes a lot more education from Bruce).
The Suit grants Batman the following abilities:
"You're pretty strong.. for some clown who thinks he's Batman."
"I AM Batman!"
