Batman Beyond: I Finally Figured It Out - Part 3: Prime Earth

Long-time readers will know that Batman Beyond has long been a thorn in my side. DC seems to really want the franchise around, but can't ever seem to figure out what they want to do with it, so it's been in continuity, outside continuity, in continuity but with Tim Drake as Batman...it's a headache.

However, recently I got the chance to read through every Batman Beyond series and I took copious notes to try to figure out how it should be represented on this site, and figured it out I did: there are actually three separate versions of the Batman Beyond world. In this three part post, I will describe the three versions and note the characters and concepts each one introduced. If the site has already talked about them, I'll link to that page. If not, I'll put in the new information. Here's Part 1, Part 2a, and Part 2b if you missed them.

Version 3: Future of Prime Earth
This version was introduced in Future's End, and is once again the future of the main DC Universe, only this time it's the post-New 52 main DC Universe. Just like last time, it has threads that make it feel like a continuation of the previous stories (Inque's daughter, Rewire), but it's not. In this version, Gotham is the only city left standing and the rest of the planet combines various other DC futures, including OMAC and Kamandi.



Terry McGinnis - Despite the same name and costume, this is a VERY different character than other versions.

Matt McGinnis is Terry's brother. He first appeared in the Batman Beyond pilot, "Rebirth" (1999) and then appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015).

Warren and Mary McGinnis, Terry's parents, first appeared in the Batman Beyond pilot, "Rebirth" (1999), and then were mentioned in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015).

Commissioner Barbara Gordon is not original to Batman Beyond, but she first appeared as commissioner in the Batman Beyond episode, "Black Out" (1999). She first appeared in the future of Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015), and was confirmed as commissioner in Batman Beyond #2 (July 2015).

Maxine "Max" Gibson is Terry's best friend. She first appeared on tv in the episode "Hidden Agenda" (1999). She first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015).

Warhawk, a member of Justice League Unlimited, first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000). He was first mentioned as being on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #3 (August 2015), then fully appeared in Batman Beyond #8 (January 2016).

Micron, a member of Justice League Unlimited, first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000). He first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #3 (August 2015).

Kai-Ro, a member of Justice League Unlimited, first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000). He was mentioned on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #8 (January 2016), then fully appeared in Batman Beyond #9 (February 2016). [He's on the far right in the picture below.]

Aquagirl, a member of Justice League Unlimited, first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000). He first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #9 (February 2016). [She's on the far left in the picture below.]

Superman's outfit first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000). It first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #9 (February 2016), but unlike other versions of Superman in the Justice League Unlimited, this is not Clark Kent but his son Jonathan. In a way this makes more sense, because I never understood why Superman wore something different in the future.

The Jokerz, a band of gangs modelling themselves after the Joker, first appeared in the Batman Beyond pilot, "Rebirth" (1999) and then appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015)

Terminal is a member of the Jokerz that first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode, "Hidden Agenda" (1999). He first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #13 (June 2016).

Inque was a saboteur working for Derek Powers who first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Black Out" (1999). She first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #2 (July 2015).

Spellbinder and Shriek first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #5 (October 2015). Shriek first appeared on tv in the episode of the same name (1999). Spellbinder is Ira Billings, a psychologist at Hamilton High.  He first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Spellbound" (1999).

Derek Powers was the main antagonist for Batman Beyond, and as such, was around since the first episode, "Rebirth" (1999). He was mentioned in Batman Beyond #7 (December 2015).

Splicers appear in the Batman Beyond episode of the same name (1999). They're a Gotham trend developed by Dr. Abel Cuvier that combines human DNA and animal DNA. Both Splicers and Dr. Cuvier appear in Batman Beyond #9 (February 2016), in a clever twist that they're the reason for the animal men in Kamandi's time.

Wayne-Powers is a conglomerate created by Derek Powers buying Wayne Industries, which first appear in the Batman Beyond pilot "Rebirth" (1999). It first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015).

Join us tomorrow for Part 4: Batman Beyond in the present!