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@@SerumLakeWhat’s your thoughts on this video saying that the Batman 2004 was better than BTAS? ua-cam.com/video/f7kqi1iqDvs/v-deo.htmlsi=lFBZm3cS-ZbcNEot
This show may not quite have been designed to sell toys... But that doesn't mean these weren't literally the only action figures I tried to collect as kid
I love the fact that the executives at WB wanted them to create cheap, disposable slop ("something to appeal to kids", "something to sell to mums at Walmart", something just to sell action-figure lines), and instead they created timeless, meaningful, and lasting ART. (which probably got them in trouble at the time). Absolute legends.
Definitely worth it though (and once again shows why these studio executive/business types are sadly often disconnected from what people actually want - also unfortunately, how their heightened attention to capitalistic greed and flowcharts/algorithms is their downfall, compared to artists making actual art with real effort).
When people mention the horror aspects of this show, they never mention Aaron. The guy falls for the wrong girl, and she turns him into a melting snowman. The last time we see him, he's in a box being looked over by another lonely misfit.
That is pretty sad and dark. I'm an adult and the body horror is making me physically cringe. I didn't watch Batman Beyond consistently, Just passively saw a few episodes like Earthmover. I swear the shot of him submerged in the ground awakened the exact feelings I had at the time. I probably could've handled Clayface as a child, but this is NOT a child friendly. 😁😁
The DCAU team were really good at technically following censorship notes while making the situation worse. - Joker gas/venom used as a stand in for death. Technically he didn't kill anyone with it but that just makes it worse. - Batgirl's "death" couldn't show her falling on the car so the camera was moved inside the car, making the moment of impact into a jumpscare. Batman Beyond allowed the writers to do more modern sci-fi stuff which their version of Batman couldn't really do without grabbing 50s pulp tropes. They also handled a lot of serious school topics like drug abuse, suicide, stalking, body issues and coming of age. ...also almost every Batman Beyond villain seemed to die, or ambiguously die and never come back. We still don't know if Ian Peek is dead or not at the center of the earth.
Oh yeah, the stakes were much higher. So many Beyond villains died and it just hit hard. Like Terry tried yet it's like "Times changed Bruce busted his ASS to save as many people as possible, yet this is a whole new ball game" Like if people aren't killed they're are maimed horribly. Like with Freeze, mans murdered that Doc that betrayed him
@@MatthewPrower They were not even meant to be. Besides, joker dies in the first appearences in the comics too, they bring him everytime cause of money mostly
People in the US forget that twelve-year-olds are hardcore. Like, seriously. Kids are watching and understand more than we give them credit for. They like the gross and nasty. They like darkness. So in a way, it makes sense that one of the most beloved, most kid-targeted Batmen was dark as hell. It's the parents who have problems with it, not the kids.
Agreed. I was personally drawn to these themes and darker tone at that age in part because my parents were too wary to talk about them with me. It’s one of the reasons horror content is still so popular with teens and preteens: it promotes honest dialogue about frightening things without putting them in direct danger. Kids are kids, and kids be curious tbh.
That is true, though I would also argue that there have always been generational divide issues that have been going on for a long time in the US (and throughout history in general). If it's not parents that are the problem (because every family is its own microculture where not every parent/adult guardian treats their kids the same way), it's the studio executives and/or businessmen that are disconnected from what their target audience actually wants. There's a good reason why Walt Disney was so successful because he knew he had to make something entertaining for both adults and children (hence his famous "adults are just oversized kids" quote), same with famous authors like CS Lewis. That generational divide seems to unfortunately made its way into the Disney company, sadly (considering how the powers-that-be-treated shows like the Owl House, one of the most popular and beloved modern shows). You're not wrong that there's sadly often general underestimations of children though (like when there'd be groups of people blaming everything from rock-and-roll and comicbooks to videogames and anime for "juvenile delinquency", without ever actually communicating to the kids themselves and actually directly addressing/work on why their kids act out).
Can’t wait for you to cover Return of the Joker. The perfect conclusion to the rivalry of the definitive Batman and Joker. And funnily enough my first exposure to Mark Hamill as the character
It's honestly hilarious to me that they didn't want to use Jason Todd in the DCAU because his story was too dark, which is fair, but they ended up doing a Death In The Family style story anyway with Tim Drake.
@@ianfinrir8724also gotta keep in mind that during this time, Jason Todd was just the Robin who died. He wasn’t brought back as Red Hood until a few years after Batman Beyond had ended.
Another great thing about the show was its use of teen angst. Many villains are troubled children trying to escape what they believe to be an oppressive environment: Ten, Donny Grasso, Terminal, the Jokerz, Willie Watt, Patrick th Rat-Boy, Payback. Not really a cyber-punk show if you don't include the deterioration of childhood innocence! And the writers kept that, made it a focal point in the story. Now that certainly attracted the younger audience.
Even Inque, Curare and Streak count. Even putting it more so on Curare, we SEE her brother, that young asian Green Lantern is him. So something REALLY bad must have happened for them to split like that.
Another way to look at Batman being reduced to using a gun would have been to see that the fact that he had to use a gun meant that he was no longer physically fit for his mission. Had he not developed a heart condition for STORY MOVES THE CHARACTERS INSTEAD OF THE CHARACTERS MOVING THE STORY reasons, he could have probably not been caught off guard and could have kept being Batman for a few more years/months/weeks. Being forced to use the gun meant that being reduced into using it meant that he can no longer operate as Batman without an assistance like the fear of the gun and after the situation was dealt with, Bruce recognized the wake up call he was given; he is can't be Batman anymore because he past his prime to operate as Batman anymore. This was his curtain call and book ending to his career, having started with a gun and being brought to a close with a gun. It still wouldn't have needed be the end of his mission, as Bruce could have gone the way of Kingdom Come and started to use sentinel drones remotely controlled from the Batcave, but hey, that way we wouldn't have gotten Batman Beyond as a series or as a concept.
I learned about Batman Beyond from my Grandmother who worked at Warner Bros. She got me a Dvd of the first handful episodes(because it just came out of the studio) probably thinking it was going to be more light-hearted. After watching this video I am convinced that after my first viewing of said DVD she had decided I was not allowed to watch it anymore. I loved Batman Beyond and still do to this day, as far as I'm concerned Terry McGinnis is the true successor to Bruce Wayne as Batman😁
In your Blight video, are you going to reference the famous scene that also became a meme of Blight saying "Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down"? I know it's been used quite a bit but I just can't help but laugh anytime I hear it.
Honestly, I feel that if Blight had time and had the mental capacity to chill out and think, all he needed to figure out that Batman was Terry was exactly what Terry told him. Whose father had he recently had murdered around the time Batman reappeared? He may have killed many more people, but the gap between that murder and Batman reappearing is too short to write off as mere coincidence without proof.
@@VALonUA-cam The actual quote is "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. But never hated." which is more like what Batman does rather than Blight.
Great video. I'm also glad that the execs failed with wanting to make this a more kid-friendly show, especially since I was well into adulthood when I first started watching. As such, the darker themes were more appealing to me, including those in "Earth Mover". I'm looking forward to your next video on Derek Powers/Blight.
I noticed in Earthmover, the daughter calls the man who accidentally caused her father's death, "Dad" at the end when before she called him by his name. He really tried to make up for what he had done and in a way, succeeded.
My main introduction to Batman was the Batman/Superman World's Finest movie and Batman Beyond so they'll always have a special place in my heart What I loved most is that, even though I was viewing some returning villains for the first time I knew I wasn't watching a triumphant return but rather the equivilent of a cockroach skuttling back after you thought you stamped it out. Bane was left a shell, Ra's al Ghul is so scared of death he stole his daughter's body and his obsession with the Lazarus pit is what ultimately killed him, Freeze being overwhelmed by his emotions both from the betrayl and seeing the impact of his crimes from a fresh perspective deciding the only way he'll ever be free is to end himself. Time is not kind to anyone in the show, even Barbara Gordon isn't immune to it, almost becoming an example of her fear toxin induced nightmare when she's tricked into going after Terry by Spellbinder (if only the Bruce/Barb romantic subplot wasn't there because fucking ***yeeesh***) Even other villains, while some not strictly basing themselves off the originals, can be seen as 'modern' equivilents. Spellbinder is a mishmash of Mad Hatter's tech and Scarecrow's psychological background, Inque is a more specialized version of Clayface, The JOKERZ gang using the clown prince of crime's likeness to give them some identity to name just a few And then there was the Return of The Joker While he would certainly say he made a grand return, his is ultimately the most pathetic and sickening; how he's using a microchip in Tim Drake's body to ocasionally posess him, haunting him and eventually Bruce from beyond the grave. He constantly lives in the past, wanting to fight Brucie all over again and taking potshots at Terry because he's not a REAL Batman. Ironically, BTAS foreshadowed how he's defeated for good in the end; like in 'Make 'em Laugh', he cannot stand being mocked, either by being called unfunny or having someone laugh AT him, both the reason he steals Mad Hatter's tech to brainwash 3 comedians into being lacklustre villains and how the episode ends with him yelling at a crowd of people to stop laughing at him with his pants down. With Terry realizing that a guy who likes to talk smack to get a reaction out of a brickwall like Bruce would probably fucking **hate** it if someone started taking verbal shots back, getting the Joker so heated he's open to having the microchip zapped by his own hyper-charged joybuzzer he dropped earlier in the fight
I was 28 when this show started and loved it despite being crazy about both STAS and TNBA. I remember my sister didn't like it whereas I just took it as it was and enjoyed it. The themes were excellently written. The one that I wasn't crazy about at first was Earthmover
@@SerumLake not really. I was never into horror type of stuff. Never was my bag. To illustrate how much I'm not into them, I'm 52 and I've never seen a single Friday The 13th
Tony Maycheck’s body that is the most disturbing, most shocking visage I’ve ever seen in any type of media/story telling. It’s incredibly sad how someone, anyone really could be left down there, deep in the earth, effectively buried alive. Brilliant show tho, love the Tim verse of DC comics
I look forward to when you cover "Big Time" from this series. What I absolutely love about the two episodes he got is that it does a great job of showing just how "Small Time" the guy really is despite all his talk of making it big. I mean, in spite of having super strength, in his second appearance he couldn't even take control of his own gang because he lacked the guts to do anything himself. Even with his powers, he was a coward at heart, and mentally he was always a two-bit hoodlum.
I don’t see him as a coward but an ambitious criminal who disregard people who cares for him. Despite his friendship and partnership with Terry and Major, he backstab just for ‘respect’. He wants to be the old fashioned street gangster or the mafioso. Major, despite his criminal status, was willing to respect Big Time, gave him time to share and trusted him. Big Time was planning to overthrow Major all along. Same way he uses Terry to infiltrate Wayne or to take down Major. But you are right, he is a two bit hoodlum. He pales in comparison to billionaire executives like Powers and Luthor and dark gods like Darkseid
I saw the thumbnail and it gave me a wild sense memory. When whatever that thing was jammed itself into Batman’s mouth, it scared the shit out of me as a kid. Like gave me nightmares.
Do you reckon that it was actually Tony Maychek that remained within the Earthmover, or do you think it was more akin to Alan Moore's Swamp Thing where Alec Holland wasn't the true essence of Swamp Thing and just had fragments of what remained of his memories instead of actually being him? I know there were more differences but you know what I meant.
This month is turning out to be even more interesting than I could've anticipated. 😀 First a video essay on Terry McGinnis, followed by a special edition of the "Totally Schway" podcast about the Batman Beyond 25th anniversary, a short and sweet retrospective on the show, its villains tier, and now a look at the series' more mature themes such as loneliness, stalking, bullying, neglect and other forms of emotional abuse, compounding in Tim Drake's most disturbing and traumatic event as portrayed in the Return of the Joker DTV masterpiece. Thank you also, Serum, for special mentions to Spellbinder, Bane, Blight and Earth Mover. I'm loving all this new content you keep putting out around the cultural phenomenon that Batman Beyond proved to be. ⭐ Thank you again so much.
This is kinda crazy because I've only seen a scant few episodes of any Batman cartoon but I'm having a blast binging your videos. I adore character writing and the love and effort that goes into this show's villains is really inspiring.
Man this show, I must have been eight or so when it aired in my home country. And I distinctively remember watching the Earth mover episode and it just leaving me feeling a sense of lingering dread. I also have a very strong memory of this one episode where Batman fights a sound based bad guy, and in the end a building falls on top of the bad guy crushing him. And I remember struggling with that as a child, that Batman didn't save the guy, I recall saying to myself "Batman isn't supposed to kill" The much darker tone actually put me off the show a little bit at the time, always scared that it would be a rerun of the Earthmover.
What a video! I’m from Brazil and grew up watching the DCAU. I found this channel this week and I already think this is the best DCAU channel on UA-cam!
@@michaelandreipalon359 In my opinion, the Watchtower Database is the best when the subject is the chronology of the DCAU and how everything fits together. Maybe they are the definitive DCAU channel on this platform. But I think Serum Lake shines above them when it comes to philosophical analysis and characters development in the DCAU. That's why lately it's been more enjoyable for me to watch Serum's videos. I love the Watchtower too, by the way.
Honestly, if those network heads would only understand that children love scary things and can handle a lot of heavy topics. It's of the reason why everyone enjoyed the BTAS and Batman Beyond.
Thank you for reminding me of the TABR episode where robin falls for the clayface girl. Definitely needed that trauma resurfacing today. 😂 I loved Batman Beyond so much! It was so Schway!
I did a whole video about Annie if you're interested in exploring that trauma any further... ua-cam.com/video/8k282hqbRr8/v-deo.htmlsi=SnHfLEsWYjNWnSaY (and you're welcome! Hope you've enjoyed Batman Beyond month so far)
I was seven when this series came out and while I can't remember what age I was when I started watching, I do remember this show being a huge part of my childhood and I still love it today!
I was 18 when B:TAS premiered and had just graduated college when S:TAS debuted. My young adulthood was spent watching the DCAU. It's always fun to meet people who discovered the series as actual kids. In my experience, it still resonated with them. And interestingly enough, even the more overtly kid-focused shows that followed -- The Batman, Teen Titans -- were more emotionally complex and mature than what I'd grown up watching as a kid.
Executives keep trying to make kid shows about kids and their struggles, but if you ask me, I think that's a stupid idea. If there's one thing kids like, it's being treated like adults and I think they are way more drawn to stories about the adult world than about the child world they already live in. Robin didn't interest kids because they related to his teenage struggles, he interested kids because they could vicariously project themselves onto him and thus be inducted into an adult world that was denied them in the real world. They don't like Robin because he's young, they like Robin because he's a young man who gets treated as an adult.
I mean, I think kids need both. A phrase often used in the children's book space is stories can provide both windows and mirrors - windows to experiences different from your own, and mirrors to your own experience. And kids need both, which is why there has been a more concerted effort to make sure many types of experiences are being talked about. So series about teen and adult characters provide windows to a potential teen or adult life, and that matters, but they do still need mirrors to their own experiences too.
The earthmover story is 100% horrific him being buried alive by the person he considered his best friend for year until. That point left to marinate in radioactive waste wile being complete alone in the dark
If I remember correctly, this series had the chronological distinction of being the first piece of new Batman televised media to enter a Post-9/11 world. I believe there was a bit of gap in airdates between the last episodes of the series. Something about Cartoon Network actually acquiring the rights to air new episodes in 2001. At any rate, the series finale... SPOILER ALERT....Terry finding himself in a compromising situation with his Batman persona revealed to a young boy.... aired around October of 2001. I hope this piece of Bat history gets talked about.❤
I love how Timm and co. played by the rules while cleverly subverting them. The New Batman Adventures was pretty dark and grim despite the presence of Robin and Batgirl and Batman Beyond far exceeded the "teen Batman" parameters set for it. I've argued that while making a great Batman series is obviously impressive, Timm had a solid template to do so. I'm still blown away by what he was able to achieve with Batman Beyond.
It's quite telling that I watched pretty much every episode as a kid when this series first ran, but can't really recall much... But when you mention the Earth Movers episode, holy crap, that episode was etched into my mind as a kid and I remember being so fascinated but scared from it at the same time. I remember watching it later at night as well, it really creeped me out and I remember it vividly. Thanks for bringing back some old nightmares
Earthmover was childhood trauma for me and probably has something to do with my absolute love of the horror genre. Makes it a pretty effective love letter I think.
I remember seeing batman beyond as a teenager and falling for the "this was made for younger kids" vibe. How I anticipated it being a toned down version of tas, as was the intention of the network. Then I saw the opening credits and realized I didn't know what the word "apathy" meant.
the episode that haunts me the most is the episode Hooked Up of all things that’s mostly due to issues of depression and disappointment with the world I still experience. The desire to escape that at any cost was all too understandable.
Also, something to note is that it's made clear that Bill was only dumping the chemicals in the mine because his company could legitimately not afford to dispose of it properly, unlike someone like Derek Powers who is fully capable of putting in the cash and does it out of malice and greed. Bill's company disposes of the waste properly in the present.
WB: "We want this show to be more kid-friendly and relatable!" Batman team: "Make him say 'believe me, you're the only one who cares' as he somberly accepts death after decades of suffering!"
Okay and then there was that one episode of BB where the villain became immaterial and just kept sinking into the earth and Batman couldn't save him and Bruce is basically like "yeah he's condemned to a fate worse than death" and that one shook me!
I love the opening scene of this series cuz not only does it set the tone but it shows one of my greatest loves of the character of Batman, he is a big enough man to realize when he himself is no longer worthy of the title HE maid
Ahahaha.... glad you recognised that episode with Tim and the little girl made out of Clayface was as disturbing as it was depicted. Holy snaps, how did they get that one greenlit by the execs? It had a tone and style that was very reminiscent of the Japanese anime at the time, especially Akira. The scene where she gets pulled back into Clayface was really.... something.
11:47 - 12:03 Jesus Christ dude, why do you sound like the PERFECT hybrid between someone who genuinely cares about the wholesomeness of just a cute little family unit having a good time together and enjoying being alive, then suddenly some evil pissed off psychopath soliloquizing about hopes and dreams being maimed and warped and destroyed before their very eyes and left in horror and despair at watching all the goodness being blasted in the face with a shotgun and left to think about how hopeless life itself is??? O__O It's fucking hilarious and eerie at the same time turned up to Warp 11!
Well done my dude, a lot of people tend to massively downplay just how dark this show could get. Weirder still, a lot of fans tend to ignore it outright despite the crew openly admitting they wanted the show to be darker (and fans get weirdly mad about people bringing it up oddly enough.) Looking forward to seeing what else you come up with.
Just started watching this with my son, only just watched ep 3 tonight, the one with Inque. Between the creepy body horror stuff and the SF setting and *something*about the music and sound effects reminded me Aeon Flux, which I have to think influenced them a bit when they made this show
This is one of the episodes of the show that I remember from childhood that was really dark. Just the thought of it what happened still gets to me now. Man I miss this show so much.
The villain at the end of the splicer episode is exceptionally scarring. No idea how they got away with that- especially with the villain’s horrified reaction to his new form
Indeed, though for most of the episode I was distracted by the incorrect pronunciation of Kī-mir-ə to truly appreciate the commentary and body horror. Seeing Cuvier go full tetsuo and terry being turned into Man-Bat Beyond certainly snapped me out of it.
I feel the earth mover episode also shows the fear of being trapped. Like being trapped in a cave or building alone you can’t move at all. All you hope for it death.
Can we talk about how many villains either die or may as well died? Mister Freeze, the Terrific Trio, Mr Fixx, freaking Talia... Remember the episode where some thugs were having their bodies modified with saws and tech? One gets away. And when Terry talks to Bruce about it, Bruce suggests that they won't ever see him again. The last scene is the doctor about to operate on him... And let's just hope Ian Peek can die.
One aspect I also noticed on the earth mover episode that the earth mover seems to be either mutated into his husk like form but still has some form of Life that can’t be explained or it’s Tony’s actual mummified remains being inhabited by his spirit that was not able to move on due to both the circumstances of his death and the rage and betrayal he felt towards his partner, and the end were he uses the last bits of his influence to help his daughter Jackie escape the underground cave system and eventually is able to unbind himself from his husk Because he was able to finally face the source of his rage and meet his daughter for one last time before moving on to the after life that exists on the dcu Wb had some serious balls to air this on open tv on a hour young kids could end up watching it by themselves unprepared
Batman tas and batman beyond hit me right as i was growing myaelf. So the transition to more adult themes really gripped me as i was about 17/18 watching.
It’s funny cause my mom still impulse bought return of the joker and watched it with us a ton. She was cool with the movies tone because she had a philosophy of only stepping in if it negatively affected me and my brother (although there were a few not negotiable things like GTA and Hunger games). Me and my brother had not a damn clue what a Batman beyond was but we fell in love with the movie and then binged the tv show on PS3 Netflix
WB had it all wrong with what they thought kids wanted -- as a kid I didn't care for Robin. I loved and wanted to be Batman! Though I did like Batgirl a little. And Batman Beyond didn't appeal to me as a kid because the color palette and themes were very mature and dark.
The government used to give subsidies to TV shows that made educational and anti-drug episodes. If you ever watch a show from the 80's to 2000's and a character starts giving a lecture about how bad drugs are, that's because the show was getting tax breaks or funds from the government. The Bane episode of Batman Beyond was their anti-drug episode. And the Willie Watt epsiodes were their anti-bullying episodes.
What an Awesome episode again!! It would be cool if you would season your videos for each year and put episode numbers on them. haha this is not a suggestion though!!! It's just my crazy brain which likes things being organized. Just keep doing what you are doing. You do a great job. Don't fix what is not broken!! But I would put the titel like this maybe: Batman Beyond Is NOT A Kids' Show | #batmanbeyond25 | Season 2, Episode 7 Since this is your seventh video this year which is the second year you put out videos regularly I think, right? Or put separate episode numbers on Essays, Storyboard videos, Totally Schway Podcasts (I saw the episode numbers there ;) hehe) and/or your special videos like the Musicvideo, your tier lists and the audio commentary and so on - in which case this would be "Season 2, Episode 3.." -> (Essay video) I wished I would have the skills to create videos like these. Then I would do that. But like said, you do it right already so never mind :)
Another episode of Batman Beyond which I find pretty disturbing is ,,Lost Soul" and the terrible scene where Robert Vance mind was reverted to that of a little kid calling for his mother before being extinguished.
I've listened to your videos for quite some time and i gotta ask about the background tracks you use in your videos. they sound like dark ambient or something, nothing against them they make your videos stand out and i don't want them gone. Just curious
I used to use a free track from UA-cam’s music library, but a couple of months ago I switched to a track I commissioned from my pal Katt Strike. I’ve included a link to the full track in the description for this video, so you can check it out there. She also did a cover of the Batman: Mask of The Phantasm song I Never Even Told You which I have also uploaded to my channel (and have encouraged her to put it on her Spotify!)
Never really thought about just how dark this show was and how many dark themes were in the show. I mean dang reminds me how disturbing the Robot Vance A.I was. Freakish face always shown in darkness trying to murder terry by things like drowning him. Gives the vibes of a older 1950s sci-fi horror film. Also great episode to watch in the dark very fun creepy experience
In all honesty, when I was a kid, I dind't get any adult references in the show, I know for sure there was a few ones, but to put it simple, this show was so cool, rad and it just had so much edginess to it. Edit: you just had to show that episode where that girl is being abosbed by clayface, man I could almost feel the dark shivers like the first time I saw that episode, that was so scary.
Mmm. I'd say the true dark age for animation was the 70s. That was the time when animation got no respect, when it was at its ugliest and cheapest, and when all the stereotypical attitudes of cartoons being a thing for kids you grow out of were formed. The 80s was the transitional period when we started crawling out of the dark ages. While a lot 80s animated stuff were toy commercials, there was still a standard of quality that the people making them expected. Usually, anyway. It also saw the rise of a new generation of writers (like Paul Dini) who took the medium seriously even if the executives didn't and who would absolutely try to make animation more meaningful than what it had been the decade prior. The 90s was just when the efforts began to really pay off.
The 70’s and 80’s proved animation film wasn’t just for kids as there was Fritz the cat, Heavy Metal, Fantastic planet, watership down, plague dogs, American pop, wizards, rock and rule, Pink Floyd the wall, fire and ice, Starchaser, Akira, golgo 13, wicked city etc getting rid of the stigma that animated films wasn’t just for kids. They all paved the way for Simpsons, DC animation, spawn tas, mask of the phantasm, mtv animation etc that adult animation exists even Japanese animation imports.
The most horrifying thing that happens in Batman Beyond is when they cut open the Hunter's spine with that saw while he's awake without anesthetic. That haunted me as a kid and still haunts me today.
These network executives wanted to marekt to kids so much. Yet they kept going to the same team, who has made it clear through their work on these shows, that they weren't go do that.
Batman Beyond was my favorite show after Batman the Animated Series. Of course, I was a teen when this was on. I thought the suit was amazing, the characters were dark, and the overall setting was gritty cyberpunk/cybergoth.
Should have mentioned how Terry could be sometimes even more brutal than Bruce ever was, as seen with the way he dispatches the likes of Mr. Fixx, the Terrific Trio, and Cuvier with no regard to trying to bring them to justice. It was rather interesting to see how Bruce didn't even seem to mind or try pushing his "no killing" rule onto Terry. While I can imagine the writers might have considered it as a plot at some point, gotta appreciate how they didn't force it into the narrative like some Batman stories do. With Bruce, we know that the death of his parents makes seeing anybody die difficult for him, and how he's scared of becoming a ruthless killing machine if he were to finish off any of his rogues. For Terry, he doesn't have the trauma as he didn't see his father's demise, and while he does take revenge on Fixx, it isn't followed by any "now you have to feel bad about that" moment like a lot of other anti-revenge stories tend to shoehorn in. It also helps that very few of Terry's villains were even worth saving and were probably better off being dispatched given what became of the humanity of some of them.
Something I personally like about Terry as a character, that isnt something i personally saw with any other batman or robin at the time, is that he wasn't afraid to kill someone who NEEDED to be stopped. Like yeah he didn't enjoy it, he was enough like Bruce that he hated going that far, but if it meant saving people, he'd do it. He doesnt follow the same code as Bruce in that way, but as a human being he still has morals. I sincerely hope WB realizes people enjoyed Batman Beyond and let that recently discovered movie (THAT HASNT BEEN CANCELLED) move forward in development because I really want to see a Spiderverse styled Beyond film. It deserves more love!
no clue if you read comments, but if you do see this I want you to know that your channel and reviews are the thing that convinced my die-hard Marvel fan husband to give Batman a chance. As queer adults from a rural town, your videos on Clayface and the horror and tragedy of his story struck a very close chord with us both. I grew up with BTAS and Batman Beyond, and because of your insight I get to share the love of these stories. We're even watching Return of The Joker for our next date night! So from both of us, thank you. You're a pleasure to listen to
9:18 as a trans person that episode always made me feel super uncomfortable, I don't like the implications the metaphor leads to, it legitimately pretty much killed my enjoyment of the entire series the first time I watched it and is the reason I am still luke warm about it even know, like the whole thins is a painfully obvious metaphor for gender dysphoria, and I think the conclusions the episode comes to are pretty transphobic. the whole idea that there are sinister doctors predatorially selling kids on transition is super harmful to the trans community, and gets a lot of people hate crimed. its legitimately one of my least favorite episodes of any show ever. like growing up with gender dysphoria from a young age, no one was there offering me transition, I grew up in a very conservative protestant church, my experience was literally the opposite, my child hood was filled with constant reminders that if the people I loved and cared about knew what I was they would have been disgusted by me, it caused me a lot of trauma and self hatred I still live with to this day. just the more I think about this episode the more upset it makes me
thank you for sharing your experience. Give how queer-friendly these shows have been I have to assume that the Splicer metaphor was entirely unintentional.
I mean... I think at the time it was meant to be a plastic surgery metaphor, since gender reassignment surgery was not as common in the early 2000s and plastic surgery was more of a concern as media sold (and still sells, lbh) teens on some trendy arbitrary beauty standard that doesn't really reflect who they are. But I can see why you would take that from it, and it sucks that it caused distress for you. I suppose it's a result of tv morals that paint all cosmetic surgery for teens as bad, when even outside of gender dysphoria there are legitimate reasons for certain types of cosmetic surgeries (i.e. females whose breasts are so big for their body proportions that it causes them back pain)
As a kid I just thought it was about a bunch of kids wanted something to make them unique and give them abilities and experiences they could never have had otherwise. Looking upon it seemed like it was commenting on body modification, plastic surgery and to appoint PED use. That last one especially because it's the second time a drug using and peddling villain is defeated via forced overdose.
I am not saying it was the intention, of the creator, I am saying its how it made me feel when I watched it as a transgender child years removed from the context of its original release, the intention of the artist matters yes, but so do the ways the art is interpreted outside that intention, I am not saying its a bad episode, or that your not allowed to like it, I am saying it makes me feel gross when I watch it @@SerumLake
I am just saying I feel like the episode has aged poorly now that time has removed it from its original context, even in its context, I think the message behind it is ignorant, on a philosophical level, I am in favor of elective cosmetic surgery as I support complete body autonomy, are you going to stop people from smoking, or eating unhealthy foods? if think if it their body, they should have the right to do what they want with it, without been seen as some kind of social pariah, is the fact that I didn't chose to be transgender really the only reason that I should be allowed to transition? the fact it alleviates my pain the only reason it should have been allowed? I don't think so, I think even people without dysphoria should be able to medically transition if it gives them euphoria, essentially I am all in on hedonism, if it does no harm to others do what you will @@kateorgera5907
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@@SerumLakeWhat’s your thoughts on this video saying that the Batman 2004 was better than BTAS? ua-cam.com/video/f7kqi1iqDvs/v-deo.htmlsi=lFBZm3cS-ZbcNEot
This show may not quite have been designed to sell toys... But that doesn't mean these weren't literally the only action figures I tried to collect as kid
I love Batman Beyond -- LOVE -- but nothing compares to the BTAS action figures, vehicles and playsets released by Kenner once upon a time.
I had the batwing and batmobile from both the animated series and beyond. I wish I'd hung onto them.
Parents: Batman is for kids
Old Bruce: hold my cane
To be fair they only know the bare minimum about Batman
It is for kids.
"Hey kids! Do you want to see *The Batman* movie?"
I love the fact that the executives at WB wanted them to create cheap, disposable slop ("something to appeal to kids", "something to sell to mums at Walmart", something just to sell action-figure lines), and instead they created timeless, meaningful, and lasting ART. (which probably got them in trouble at the time).
Absolute legends.
Definitely worth it though (and once again shows why these studio executive/business types are sadly often disconnected from what people actually want - also unfortunately, how their heightened attention to capitalistic greed and flowcharts/algorithms is their downfall, compared to artists making actual art with real effort).
2:51 I always liked that when they were told to censor something they'd find a way to make the censored version more horrifying.
When people mention the horror aspects of this show, they never mention Aaron. The guy falls for the wrong girl, and she turns him into a melting snowman. The last time we see him, he's in a box being looked over by another lonely misfit.
Yeah. Just the goopy look he gives at the end stays with me…
This might be true. Or maybe not.
There are fates worse than death.
That is pretty sad and dark.
I'm an adult and the body horror is making me physically cringe. I didn't watch Batman Beyond consistently, Just passively saw a few episodes like Earthmover. I swear the shot of him submerged in the ground awakened the exact feelings I had at the time. I probably could've handled Clayface as a child, but this is NOT a child friendly.
😁😁
This is the most disturbing thing in the show imo
The DCAU team were really good at technically following censorship notes while making the situation worse.
- Joker gas/venom used as a stand in for death. Technically he didn't kill anyone with it but that just makes it worse.
- Batgirl's "death" couldn't show her falling on the car so the camera was moved inside the car, making the moment of impact into a jumpscare.
Batman Beyond allowed the writers to do more modern sci-fi stuff which their version of Batman couldn't really do without grabbing 50s pulp tropes. They also handled a lot of serious school topics like drug abuse, suicide, stalking, body issues and coming of age.
...also almost every Batman Beyond villain seemed to die, or ambiguously die and never come back. We still don't know if Ian Peek is dead or not at the center of the earth.
Oh yeah, the stakes were much higher. So many Beyond villains died and it just hit hard. Like Terry tried yet it's like "Times changed Bruce busted his ASS to save as many people as possible, yet this is a whole new ball game" Like if people aren't killed they're are maimed horribly. Like with Freeze, mans murdered that Doc that betrayed him
tbf none of the villains were joker-level popular so
@@MatthewPrower They were not even meant to be. Besides, joker dies in the first appearences in the comics too, they bring him everytime cause of money mostly
Apart from Mad Stan I don’t think Terry has a villain that just come back with out having horrible shit happen to them.
People in the US forget that twelve-year-olds are hardcore. Like, seriously. Kids are watching and understand more than we give them credit for. They like the gross and nasty. They like darkness. So in a way, it makes sense that one of the most beloved, most kid-targeted Batmen was dark as hell. It's the parents who have problems with it, not the kids.
"People in the US forget that twelve-year-olds are hardcore. Like, seriously."
Know what? I honestly don't care to hear anything you have to say.
Agreed. I was personally drawn to these themes and darker tone at that age in part because my parents were too wary to talk about them with me. It’s one of the reasons horror content is still so popular with teens and preteens: it promotes honest dialogue about frightening things without putting them in direct danger. Kids are kids, and kids be curious tbh.
That is true, though I would also argue that there have always been generational divide issues that have been going on for a long time in the US (and throughout history in general). If it's not parents that are the problem (because every family is its own microculture where not every parent/adult guardian treats their kids the same way), it's the studio executives and/or businessmen that are disconnected from what their target audience actually wants. There's a good reason why Walt Disney was so successful because he knew he had to make something entertaining for both adults and children (hence his famous "adults are just oversized kids" quote), same with famous authors like CS Lewis.
That generational divide seems to unfortunately made its way into the Disney company, sadly (considering how the powers-that-be-treated shows like the Owl House, one of the most popular and beloved modern shows).
You're not wrong that there's sadly often general underestimations of children though (like when there'd be groups of people blaming everything from rock-and-roll and comicbooks to videogames and anime for "juvenile delinquency", without ever actually communicating to the kids themselves and actually directly addressing/work on why their kids act out).
@@malcontender6319 Another problem in the US, the dismissal of other points of view.
@@malcontender6319Then what was the purpose of you even taking time out of your busy busy schedule to write this waste of time?
Thats another reason i enjoyed Batman Beyond after class - it was hardcore for a cartoon.
I'm surprised they got away with so much!
I know huh - Drug use. Suicide. Cheating on former lovers. Cops dying in a lot of episodes. Its wild.
@@SWIFTO_SCYTHEI don't remember the latter unimplyingly much.
@@SerumLakeThe show's creators had less story restrictions working on shows aired on Kids'WB! (e.g. Batman Beyond) rather than Fox Kids (BTAS).
Can’t wait for you to cover Return of the Joker. The perfect conclusion to the rivalry of the definitive Batman and Joker. And funnily enough my first exposure to Mark Hamill as the character
And what a way to start!
Continuity Lock-Out sure was a burden back then, eh?
It's honestly hilarious to me that they didn't want to use Jason Todd in the DCAU because his story was too dark, which is fair, but they ended up doing a Death In The Family style story anyway with Tim Drake.
@@ianfinrir8724also gotta keep in mind that during this time, Jason Todd was just the Robin who died. He wasn’t brought back as Red Hood until a few years after Batman Beyond had ended.
watchtower covered the film on his channel, not gonna say watch his instead but if you can't wait for serum to get to it you have options! lol
Another great thing about the show was its use of teen angst. Many villains are troubled children trying to escape what they believe to be an oppressive environment: Ten, Donny Grasso, Terminal, the Jokerz, Willie Watt, Patrick th Rat-Boy, Payback. Not really a cyber-punk show if you don't include the deterioration of childhood innocence! And the writers kept that, made it a focal point in the story. Now that certainly attracted the younger audience.
Even Inque, Curare and Streak count. Even putting it more so on Curare, we SEE her brother, that young asian Green Lantern is him. So something REALLY bad must have happened for them to split like that.
@@ExeErdna Wow, I had no idea those two were related.
Another way to look at Batman being reduced to using a gun would have been to see that the fact that he had to use a gun meant that he was no longer physically fit for his mission. Had he not developed a heart condition for STORY MOVES THE CHARACTERS INSTEAD OF THE CHARACTERS MOVING THE STORY reasons, he could have probably not been caught off guard and could have kept being Batman for a few more years/months/weeks.
Being forced to use the gun meant that being reduced into using it meant that he can no longer operate as Batman without an assistance like the fear of the gun and after the situation was dealt with, Bruce recognized the wake up call he was given; he is can't be Batman anymore because he past his prime to operate as Batman anymore. This was his curtain call and book ending to his career, having started with a gun and being brought to a close with a gun.
It still wouldn't have needed be the end of his mission, as Bruce could have gone the way of Kingdom Come and started to use sentinel drones remotely controlled from the Batcave, but hey, that way we wouldn't have gotten Batman Beyond as a series or as a concept.
Dark and Gritty with Edgey Humor. Y7.
Best decision 👏
I learned about Batman Beyond from my Grandmother who worked at Warner Bros. She got me a Dvd of the first handful episodes(because it just came out of the studio) probably thinking it was going to be more light-hearted. After watching this video I am convinced that after my first viewing of said DVD she had decided I was not allowed to watch it anymore. I loved Batman Beyond and still do to this day, as far as I'm concerned Terry McGinnis is the true successor to Bruce Wayne as Batman😁
In your Blight video, are you going to reference the famous scene that also became a meme of Blight saying "Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down"? I know it's been used quite a bit but I just can't help but laugh anytime I hear it.
How could I not?!
Honestly, I feel that if Blight had time and had the mental capacity to chill out and think, all he needed to figure out that Batman was Terry was exactly what Terry told him. Whose father had he recently had murdered around the time Batman reappeared? He may have killed many more people, but the gap between that murder and Batman reappearing is too short to write off as mere coincidence without proof.
"It's better to be feared than loved."
@@VALonUA-cam The actual quote is "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. But never hated." which is more like what Batman does rather than Blight.
Great video. I'm also glad that the execs failed with wanting to make this a more kid-friendly show, especially since I was well into adulthood when I first started watching. As such, the darker themes were more appealing to me, including those in "Earth Mover". I'm looking forward to your next video on Derek Powers/Blight.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the video. I admire how rebellious the show’s team were 😂
@@SerumLake Rebels with a cause! 😆
Sneak peek was my favorite... of ways to die and you know he's not dead yet...
"Now I suggest you leave. It's not healthy to be around me when I'm shedding."
@@mattstorm360He was defeated by gravity all the way to the center of the Earth. He's dead.
I noticed in Earthmover, the daughter calls the man who accidentally caused her father's death, "Dad" at the end when before she called him by his name. He really tried to make up for what he had done and in a way, succeeded.
My main introduction to Batman was the Batman/Superman World's Finest movie and Batman Beyond so they'll always have a special place in my heart
What I loved most is that, even though I was viewing some returning villains for the first time I knew I wasn't watching a triumphant return but rather the equivilent of a cockroach skuttling back after you thought you stamped it out. Bane was left a shell, Ra's al Ghul is so scared of death he stole his daughter's body and his obsession with the Lazarus pit is what ultimately killed him, Freeze being overwhelmed by his emotions both from the betrayl and seeing the impact of his crimes from a fresh perspective deciding the only way he'll ever be free is to end himself. Time is not kind to anyone in the show, even Barbara Gordon isn't immune to it, almost becoming an example of her fear toxin induced nightmare when she's tricked into going after Terry by Spellbinder (if only the Bruce/Barb romantic subplot wasn't there because fucking ***yeeesh***)
Even other villains, while some not strictly basing themselves off the originals, can be seen as 'modern' equivilents. Spellbinder is a mishmash of Mad Hatter's tech and Scarecrow's psychological background, Inque is a more specialized version of Clayface, The JOKERZ gang using the clown prince of crime's likeness to give them some identity to name just a few
And then there was the Return of The Joker
While he would certainly say he made a grand return, his is ultimately the most pathetic and sickening; how he's using a microchip in Tim Drake's body to ocasionally posess him, haunting him and eventually Bruce from beyond the grave.
He constantly lives in the past, wanting to fight Brucie all over again and taking potshots at Terry because he's not a REAL Batman.
Ironically, BTAS foreshadowed how he's defeated for good in the end; like in 'Make 'em Laugh', he cannot stand being mocked, either by being called unfunny or having someone laugh AT him, both the reason he steals Mad Hatter's tech to brainwash 3 comedians into being lacklustre villains and how the episode ends with him yelling at a crowd of people to stop laughing at him with his pants down.
With Terry realizing that a guy who likes to talk smack to get a reaction out of a brickwall like Bruce would probably fucking **hate** it if someone started taking verbal shots back, getting the Joker so heated he's open to having the microchip zapped by his own hyper-charged joybuzzer he dropped earlier in the fight
I was 28 when this show started and loved it despite being crazy about both STAS and TNBA. I remember my sister didn't like it whereas I just took it as it was and enjoyed it. The themes were excellently written. The one that I wasn't crazy about at first was Earthmover
Do you feel any different about Earth Mover now?
@@SerumLake not really. I was never into horror type of stuff. Never was my bag. To illustrate how much I'm not into them, I'm 52 and I've never seen a single Friday The 13th
@@SerumLake I HAVE seen several Nightmare On Elm St movies but after awhile they were just silly
To me, zombie storylines can be a mixed affair, although I do enjoy unique takes like the movie Shaun of the Dead and the novel World War Z.
Tony Maycheck’s body that is the most disturbing, most shocking visage I’ve ever seen in any type of media/story telling. It’s incredibly sad how someone, anyone really could be left down there, deep in the earth, effectively buried alive. Brilliant show tho, love the Tim verse of DC comics
I look forward to when you cover "Big Time" from this series. What I absolutely love about the two episodes he got is that it does a great job of showing just how "Small Time" the guy really is despite all his talk of making it big. I mean, in spite of having super strength, in his second appearance he couldn't even take control of his own gang because he lacked the guts to do anything himself. Even with his powers, he was a coward at heart, and mentally he was always a two-bit hoodlum.
I don’t see him as a coward but an ambitious criminal who disregard people who cares for him. Despite his friendship and partnership with Terry and Major, he backstab just for ‘respect’. He wants to be the old fashioned street gangster or the mafioso. Major, despite his criminal status, was willing to respect Big Time, gave him time to share and trusted him. Big Time was planning to overthrow Major all along. Same way he uses Terry to infiltrate Wayne or to take down Major.
But you are right, he is a two bit hoodlum. He pales in comparison to billionaire executives like Powers and Luthor and dark gods like Darkseid
I think that Ink episode unlocked something in me as a young boy.
I saw the thumbnail and it gave me a wild sense memory. When whatever that thing was jammed itself into Batman’s mouth, it scared the shit out of me as a kid. Like gave me nightmares.
Do you reckon that it was actually Tony Maychek that remained within the Earthmover, or do you think it was more akin to Alan Moore's Swamp Thing where Alec Holland wasn't the true essence of Swamp Thing and just had fragments of what remained of his memories instead of actually being him? I know there were more differences but you know what I meant.
I know what you mean, and I think it was him, rather than a clump of earth that thinks it is Tony.
This month is turning out to be even more interesting than I could've anticipated. 😀 First a video essay on Terry McGinnis, followed by a special edition of the "Totally Schway" podcast about the Batman Beyond 25th anniversary, a short and sweet retrospective on the show, its villains tier, and now a look at the series' more mature themes such as loneliness, stalking, bullying, neglect and other forms of emotional abuse, compounding in Tim Drake's most disturbing and traumatic event as portrayed in the Return of the Joker DTV masterpiece. Thank you also, Serum, for special mentions to Spellbinder, Bane, Blight and Earth Mover. I'm loving all this new content you keep putting out around the cultural phenomenon that Batman Beyond proved to be. ⭐ Thank you again so much.
This is kinda crazy because I've only seen a scant few episodes of any Batman cartoon but I'm having a blast binging your videos. I adore character writing and the love and effort that goes into this show's villains is really inspiring.
Man this show, I must have been eight or so when it aired in my home country. And I distinctively remember watching the Earth mover episode and it just leaving me feeling a sense of lingering dread.
I also have a very strong memory of this one episode where Batman fights a sound based bad guy, and in the end a building falls on top of the bad guy crushing him.
And I remember struggling with that as a child, that Batman didn't save the guy, I recall saying to myself "Batman isn't supposed to kill"
The much darker tone actually put me off the show a little bit at the time, always scared that it would be a rerun of the Earthmover.
He's no Bruce Wayne, that's for sure. Even the man himself doesn't comment much on the deaths involved.
Anywho, that episode was "Babel". Good stuff!
Dude you need to cover "Ace in the Hole"! Now thats a dark episode.
What a video! I’m from Brazil and grew up watching the DCAU. I found this channel this week and I already think this is the best DCAU channel on UA-cam!
I'm honoured! Welcome aboard and I hope I continue to meet your expectations.
Hmm, what about the Watchtower Database?
@@michaelandreipalon359 In my opinion, the Watchtower Database is the best when the subject is the chronology of the DCAU and how everything fits together. Maybe they are the definitive DCAU channel on this platform. But I think Serum Lake shines above them when it comes to philosophical analysis and characters development in the DCAU. That's why lately it's been more enjoyable for me to watch Serum's videos. I love the Watchtower too, by the way.
@@LuizFelipe.1689 Ah, good points there.
Honestly, if those network heads would only understand that children love scary things and can handle a lot of heavy topics.
It's of the reason why everyone enjoyed the BTAS and Batman Beyond.
You know how kids love the dark and adult themes of this TV show?
Lets remove both of those things to make it appeal more to kids!
You can't reason with Warner Bros. executives. They have stood in the way of creative freedom for decades and show no signs of letting up.
Batman beyond was a creative masterpiece. Im glad they didnt water it down to please execs.
Thank you for reminding me of the TABR episode where robin falls for the clayface girl. Definitely needed that trauma resurfacing today. 😂
I loved Batman Beyond so much! It was so Schway!
I did a whole video about Annie if you're interested in exploring that trauma any further... ua-cam.com/video/8k282hqbRr8/v-deo.htmlsi=SnHfLEsWYjNWnSaY
(and you're welcome! Hope you've enjoyed Batman Beyond month so far)
The episode "Lost Soul" still gives me chills.
I was seven when this series came out and while I can't remember what age I was when I started watching, I do remember this show being a huge part of my childhood and I still love it today!
0:03 This era of cartoons absolutely spoiled us in terms of expectations of what an animated series should be.
I was 18 when B:TAS premiered and had just graduated college when S:TAS debuted. My young adulthood was spent watching the DCAU. It's always fun to meet people who discovered the series as actual kids. In my experience, it still resonated with them. And interestingly enough, even the more overtly kid-focused shows that followed -- The Batman, Teen Titans -- were more emotionally complex and mature than what I'd grown up watching as a kid.
I was ten when Batman tas debuted
Executives keep trying to make kid shows about kids and their struggles, but if you ask me, I think that's a stupid idea. If there's one thing kids like, it's being treated like adults and I think they are way more drawn to stories about the adult world than about the child world they already live in. Robin didn't interest kids because they related to his teenage struggles, he interested kids because they could vicariously project themselves onto him and thus be inducted into an adult world that was denied them in the real world. They don't like Robin because he's young, they like Robin because he's a young man who gets treated as an adult.
Small wonder why Teen Titans' Robin left an arguably better mark on that.
@@michaelandreipalon359 I can't speak to that one, I haven't really seen it.
@@cheezemonkeyeater Highly recommend it. Loads better than that all too goofy overrated apocrypha with Go! in its name.
I mean, I think kids need both. A phrase often used in the children's book space is stories can provide both windows and mirrors - windows to experiences different from your own, and mirrors to your own experience. And kids need both, which is why there has been a more concerted effort to make sure many types of experiences are being talked about. So series about teen and adult characters provide windows to a potential teen or adult life, and that matters, but they do still need mirrors to their own experiences too.
I only kind of agree. Danny Phanton and Spiderman and Buffy all did the focus on kids struggles and those are very fondly remembered.
The earthmover story is 100% horrific him being buried alive by the person he considered his best friend for year until. That point left to marinate in radioactive waste wile being
complete alone in the dark
I like the way you phrased that - marinate. Such a disturbing image.
Dude, this was one of the best shows of my childhood.
If I remember correctly, this series had the chronological distinction of being the first piece of new Batman televised media to enter a Post-9/11 world. I believe there was a bit of gap in airdates between the last episodes of the series. Something about Cartoon Network actually acquiring the rights to air new episodes in 2001.
At any rate, the series finale... SPOILER ALERT....Terry finding himself in a compromising situation with his Batman persona revealed to a young boy.... aired around October of 2001. I hope this piece of Bat history gets talked about.❤
Hmm, I still prefer the true series finale being "The Call", which nicely leads to Justice League's "Secret Origins".
I love how Timm and co. played by the rules while cleverly subverting them. The New Batman Adventures was pretty dark and grim despite the presence of Robin and Batgirl and Batman Beyond far exceeded the "teen Batman" parameters set for it. I've argued that while making a great Batman series is obviously impressive, Timm had a solid template to do so. I'm still blown away by what he was able to achieve with Batman Beyond.
It's quite telling that I watched pretty much every episode as a kid when this series first ran, but can't really recall much... But when you mention the Earth Movers episode, holy crap, that episode was etched into my mind as a kid and I remember being so fascinated but scared from it at the same time. I remember watching it later at night as well, it really creeped me out and I remember it vividly. Thanks for bringing back some old nightmares
Earthmover was childhood trauma for me and probably has something to do with my absolute love of the horror genre. Makes it a pretty effective love letter I think.
Man you deserve more recognition! I’ve been binging your videos today and they’re really captivating.
the way that the B:TAS, TNB, S:TAS and BB writers are somehow capable of creating really dark stories no matter what the studio demands is great!
You should also see their tie-in comics.
I remember seeing batman beyond as a teenager and falling for the "this was made for younger kids" vibe. How I anticipated it being a toned down version of tas, as was the intention of the network.
Then I saw the opening credits and realized I didn't know what the word "apathy" meant.
the episode that haunts me the most is the episode Hooked Up of all things that’s mostly due to issues of depression and disappointment with the world I still experience.
The desire to escape that at any cost was all too understandable.
THANK YOU. It still BAFFLES me how UA-cam's FAILURE of an algorithm stamps these Batman Beyond clips as 'For Kids' LMAOOOOOOOOOO
Also, something to note is that it's made clear that Bill was only dumping the chemicals in the mine because his company could legitimately not afford to dispose of it properly, unlike someone like Derek Powers who is fully capable of putting in the cash and does it out of malice and greed. Bill's company disposes of the waste properly in the present.
WB: "We want this show to be more kid-friendly and relatable!"
Batman team: "Make him say 'believe me, you're the only one who cares' as he somberly accepts death after decades of suffering!"
Please do longer vids!! PLEASE! These 10 mins teases aren’t enough.
Sadly I have data that shows most people don’t watch longer videos. 10-15 minutes seems like the sweet spot.
the executives sure learned the meaning of "be careful of what you wish for"...
Okay and then there was that one episode of BB where the villain became immaterial and just kept sinking into the earth and Batman couldn't save him and Bruce is basically like "yeah he's condemned to a fate worse than death" and that one shook me!
Same, as the road to no man’s land points out the sheer terror to be found when you can’t even trust the ground beneath your feet.
Great stuff. Love this show, and you do it justice.
This show and Justice League are peak superhero animation. I miss the DCAU so much, I fear there will never be anything like it again
I love the opening scene of this series cuz not only does it set the tone but it shows one of my greatest loves of the character of Batman, he is a big enough man to realize when he himself is no longer worthy of the title HE maid
Ahahaha.... glad you recognised that episode with Tim and the little girl made out of Clayface was as disturbing as it was depicted. Holy snaps, how did they get that one greenlit by the execs? It had a tone and style that was very reminiscent of the Japanese anime at the time, especially Akira. The scene where she gets pulled back into Clayface was really.... something.
11:47 - 12:03
Jesus Christ dude, why do you sound like the PERFECT hybrid between someone who genuinely cares about the wholesomeness of just a cute little family unit having a good time together and enjoying being alive, then suddenly some evil pissed off psychopath soliloquizing about hopes and dreams being maimed and warped and destroyed before their very eyes and left in horror and despair at watching all the goodness being blasted in the face with a shotgun and left to think about how hopeless life itself is??? O__O
It's fucking hilarious and eerie at the same time turned up to Warp 11!
Well done my dude, a lot of people tend to massively downplay just how dark this show could get. Weirder still, a lot of fans tend to ignore it outright despite the crew openly admitting they wanted the show to be darker (and fans get weirdly mad about people bringing it up oddly enough.) Looking forward to seeing what else you come up with.
Just started watching this with my son, only just watched ep 3 tonight, the one with Inque. Between the creepy body horror stuff and the SF setting and *something*about the music and sound effects reminded me Aeon Flux, which I have to think influenced them a bit when they made this show
This is one of the episodes of the show that I remember from childhood that was really dark. Just the thought of it what happened still gets to me now.
Man I miss this show so much.
🤔 I'm guessing you're referring to "Earth Mover"?
@@VALonUA-cam I mean it's the thumbnail on the video right?
@@mandalorianhunter1 Fair enough.
Batman Beyond was my #1 favorite cartoon on CN as a kid. Absolutely loved the opening.
The villain at the end of the splicer episode is exceptionally scarring. No idea how they got away with that- especially with the villain’s horrified reaction to his new form
Indeed, though for most of the episode I was distracted by the incorrect pronunciation of Kī-mir-ə to truly appreciate the commentary and body horror. Seeing Cuvier go full tetsuo and terry being turned into Man-Bat Beyond certainly snapped me out of it.
I had an Earth Mover episode on VHS, I watched it numerous times. It's horrific, but cool in its own way.
Its been a long week, you earned a sub today my Batman Buddy
Ima 90s baby, none of this shit was overboard for me. Ren & Stimpy was scary, so was Cow & Chicken, that damn devil dude 😂 terrifying as a weelad
I feel the earth mover episode also shows the fear of being trapped. Like being trapped in a cave or building alone you can’t move at all. All you hope for it death.
1:13
My mind went on a whole nother direction there
Can we talk about how many villains either die or may as well died? Mister Freeze, the Terrific Trio, Mr Fixx, freaking Talia... Remember the episode where some thugs were having their bodies modified with saws and tech? One gets away. And when Terry talks to Bruce about it, Bruce suggests that they won't ever see him again. The last scene is the doctor about to operate on him... And let's just hope Ian Peek can die.
I am SO GLAD they went dark with this show because it aged SO WELL. Watching it now, and it's better than most shows out
One aspect I also noticed on the earth mover episode that the earth mover seems to be either mutated into his husk like form but still has some form of Life that can’t be explained or it’s Tony’s actual mummified remains being inhabited by his spirit that was not able to move on due to both the circumstances of his death and the rage and betrayal he felt towards his partner, and the end were he uses the last bits of his influence to help his daughter Jackie escape the underground cave system and eventually is able to unbind himself from his husk
Because he was able to finally face the source of his rage and meet his daughter for one last time before moving on to the after life that exists on the dcu
Wb had some serious balls to air this on open tv on a hour young kids could end up watching it by themselves unprepared
I didn’t realize how Dark this series was as a youth, but am grateful… they definitely 💯 don’t make them like this anymore 🃏
Batman tas and batman beyond hit me right as i was growing myaelf. So the transition to more adult themes really gripped me as i was about 17/18 watching.
Did you HAVE to jumpscare me with the Annie scene !?!
Sorry!
It’s funny cause my mom still impulse bought return of the joker and watched it with us a ton. She was cool with the movies tone because she had a philosophy of only stepping in if it negatively affected me and my brother (although there were a few not negotiable things like GTA and Hunger games). Me and my brother had not a damn clue what a Batman beyond was but we fell in love with the movie and then binged the tv show on PS3 Netflix
WB had it all wrong with what they thought kids wanted -- as a kid I didn't care for Robin. I loved and wanted to be Batman! Though I did like Batgirl a little. And Batman Beyond didn't appeal to me as a kid because the color palette and themes were very mature and dark.
The government used to give subsidies to TV shows that made educational and anti-drug episodes. If you ever watch a show from the 80's to 2000's and a character starts giving a lecture about how bad drugs are, that's because the show was getting tax breaks or funds from the government.
The Bane episode of Batman Beyond was their anti-drug episode. And the Willie Watt epsiodes were their anti-bullying episodes.
"Show, Don't Anvilliciously Tell", then?
And yet, Nelson Nash wins in both the "Golem" and "Revenant" episodes. Unfair but realistic.
@@VALonUA-cam And even then, the guy proves to be a surprisingly competent "dad" on "The Eggbaby".
@@michaelandreipalon359 😅 😂 😂 😂 Well put. Can't argue with that observation.
That whole story with ras al ghul is pretty mature too
This show made my childhood along with the other DCAU shows
What an Awesome episode again!! It would be cool if you would season your videos for each year and put episode numbers on them. haha this is not a suggestion though!!! It's just my crazy brain which likes things being organized. Just keep doing what you are doing. You do a great job. Don't fix what is not broken!!
But I would put the titel like this maybe:
Batman Beyond Is NOT A Kids' Show | #batmanbeyond25 | Season 2, Episode 7
Since this is your seventh video this year which is the second year you put out videos regularly I think, right?
Or put separate episode numbers on Essays, Storyboard videos, Totally Schway Podcasts (I saw the episode numbers there ;) hehe) and/or your special videos like the Musicvideo, your tier lists and the audio commentary and so on - in which case this would be "Season 2, Episode 3.." -> (Essay video)
I wished I would have the skills to create videos like these. Then I would do that. But like said, you do it right already so never mind :)
9:27 I can’t look at this scene without thinking it’s an Akira reference.
Absolutely!
The ironic thing is that kids back then LOVED Batman Beyond, more than they would an 'all ages' show.
Another episode of Batman Beyond which I find pretty disturbing is ,,Lost Soul" and the terrible scene where Robert Vance mind was reverted to that of a little kid calling for his mother before being extinguished.
1:27 YOU HAD TO REMIND ME OF *THAT*!
I've listened to your videos for quite some time and i gotta ask about the background tracks you use in your videos. they sound like dark ambient or something, nothing against them they make your videos stand out and i don't want them gone. Just curious
I used to use a free track from UA-cam’s music library, but a couple of months ago I switched to a track I commissioned from my pal Katt Strike. I’ve included a link to the full track in the description for this video, so you can check it out there.
She also did a cover of the Batman: Mask of The Phantasm song I Never Even Told You which I have also uploaded to my channel (and have encouraged her to put it on her Spotify!)
Never really thought about just how dark this show was and how many dark themes were in the show. I mean dang reminds me how disturbing the Robot Vance A.I was. Freakish face always shown in darkness trying to murder terry by things like drowning him. Gives the vibes of a older 1950s sci-fi horror film. Also great episode to watch in the dark very fun creepy experience
In all honesty, when I was a kid, I dind't get any adult references in the show, I know for sure there was a few ones, but to put it simple, this show was so cool, rad and it just had so much edginess to it.
Edit: you just had to show that episode where that girl is being abosbed by clayface, man I could almost feel the dark shivers like the first time I saw that episode, that was so scary.
Although the 90s were a terrible time, they gave us the development of the comic book, music and animated series industry.
Mmm. I'd say the true dark age for animation was the 70s. That was the time when animation got no respect, when it was at its ugliest and cheapest, and when all the stereotypical attitudes of cartoons being a thing for kids you grow out of were formed. The 80s was the transitional period when we started crawling out of the dark ages. While a lot 80s animated stuff were toy commercials, there was still a standard of quality that the people making them expected. Usually, anyway. It also saw the rise of a new generation of writers (like Paul Dini) who took the medium seriously even if the executives didn't and who would absolutely try to make animation more meaningful than what it had been the decade prior.
The 90s was just when the efforts began to really pay off.
The 70’s and 80’s proved animation film wasn’t just for kids as there was Fritz the cat, Heavy Metal, Fantastic planet, watership down, plague dogs, American pop, wizards, rock and rule, Pink Floyd the wall, fire and ice, Starchaser, Akira, golgo 13, wicked city etc getting rid of the stigma that animated films wasn’t just for kids.
They all paved the way for Simpsons, DC animation, spawn tas, mask of the phantasm, mtv animation etc that adult animation exists even Japanese animation imports.
The most horrifying thing that happens in Batman Beyond is when they cut open the Hunter's spine with that saw while he's awake without anesthetic. That haunted me as a kid and still haunts me today.
I loved Batman Beyond as a kid, it was one of my favorite superhero shows
These network executives wanted to marekt to kids so much. Yet they kept going to the same team, who has made it clear through their work on these shows, that they weren't go do that.
NEW SERUM LAKE LETS GOOOO
💪
Batman Beyond Return of the Joker is one of my favorite Batman movies
It’s certainly up there!
Right up there with Mask of the Phantasm, most definitely. And SubZero as well for all those BTAS/DCAU fans that love the latter (myself included).
Batman Beyond was my favorite show after Batman the Animated Series. Of course, I was a teen when this was on. I thought the suit was amazing, the characters were dark, and the overall setting was gritty cyberpunk/cybergoth.
Should have mentioned how Terry could be sometimes even more brutal than Bruce ever was, as seen with the way he dispatches the likes of Mr. Fixx, the Terrific Trio, and Cuvier with no regard to trying to bring them to justice. It was rather interesting to see how Bruce didn't even seem to mind or try pushing his "no killing" rule onto Terry. While I can imagine the writers might have considered it as a plot at some point, gotta appreciate how they didn't force it into the narrative like some Batman stories do.
With Bruce, we know that the death of his parents makes seeing anybody die difficult for him, and how he's scared of becoming a ruthless killing machine if he were to finish off any of his rogues.
For Terry, he doesn't have the trauma as he didn't see his father's demise, and while he does take revenge on Fixx, it isn't followed by any "now you have to feel bad about that" moment like a lot of other anti-revenge stories tend to shoehorn in. It also helps that very few of Terry's villains were even worth saving and were probably better off being dispatched given what became of the humanity of some of them.
Still traumatised from that Inq scene in the thumbnail. There was a time when hearing anyone say 'open wide' triggered me to no end. Sheesh
Something I personally like about Terry as a character, that isnt something i personally saw with any other batman or robin at the time, is that he wasn't afraid to kill someone who NEEDED to be stopped. Like yeah he didn't enjoy it, he was enough like Bruce that he hated going that far, but if it meant saving people, he'd do it. He doesnt follow the same code as Bruce in that way, but as a human being he still has morals. I sincerely hope WB realizes people enjoyed Batman Beyond and let that recently discovered movie (THAT HASNT BEEN CANCELLED) move forward in development because I really want to see a Spiderverse styled Beyond film. It deserves more love!
no clue if you read comments, but if you do see this I want you to know that your channel and reviews are the thing that convinced my die-hard Marvel fan husband to give Batman a chance. As queer adults from a rural town, your videos on Clayface and the horror and tragedy of his story struck a very close chord with us both. I grew up with BTAS and Batman Beyond, and because of your insight I get to share the love of these stories. We're even watching Return of The Joker for our next date night! So from both of us, thank you. You're a pleasure to listen to
I do read every comment (for my sins...) but it's always a pleasure to hear from people like yourself. Glad to have helped in a small way.
9:18 as a trans person that episode always made me feel super uncomfortable, I don't like the implications the metaphor leads to, it legitimately pretty much killed my enjoyment of the entire series the first time I watched it and is the reason I am still luke warm about it even know, like the whole thins is a painfully obvious metaphor for gender dysphoria, and I think the conclusions the episode comes to are pretty transphobic. the whole idea that there are sinister doctors predatorially selling kids on transition is super harmful to the trans community, and gets a lot of people hate crimed. its legitimately one of my least favorite episodes of any show ever. like growing up with gender dysphoria from a young age, no one was there offering me transition, I grew up in a very conservative protestant church, my experience was literally the opposite, my child hood was filled with constant reminders that if the people I loved and cared about knew what I was they would have been disgusted by me, it caused me a lot of trauma and self hatred I still live with to this day. just the more I think about this episode the more upset it makes me
thank you for sharing your experience. Give how queer-friendly these shows have been I have to assume that the Splicer metaphor was entirely unintentional.
I mean... I think at the time it was meant to be a plastic surgery metaphor, since gender reassignment surgery was not as common in the early 2000s and plastic surgery was more of a concern as media sold (and still sells, lbh) teens on some trendy arbitrary beauty standard that doesn't really reflect who they are. But I can see why you would take that from it, and it sucks that it caused distress for you. I suppose it's a result of tv morals that paint all cosmetic surgery for teens as bad, when even outside of gender dysphoria there are legitimate reasons for certain types of cosmetic surgeries (i.e. females whose breasts are so big for their body proportions that it causes them back pain)
As a kid I just thought it was about a bunch of kids wanted something to make them unique and give them abilities and experiences they could never have had otherwise. Looking upon it seemed like it was commenting on body modification, plastic surgery and to appoint PED use. That last one especially because it's the second time a drug using and peddling villain is defeated via forced overdose.
I am not saying it was the intention, of the creator, I am saying its how it made me feel when I watched it as a transgender child years removed from the context of its original release, the intention of the artist matters yes, but so do the ways the art is interpreted outside that intention, I am not saying its a bad episode, or that your not allowed to like it, I am saying it makes me feel gross when I watch it @@SerumLake
I am just saying I feel like the episode has aged poorly now that time has removed it from its original context, even in its context, I think the message behind it is ignorant, on a philosophical level, I am in favor of elective cosmetic surgery as I support complete body autonomy, are you going to stop people from smoking, or eating unhealthy foods? if think if it their body, they should have the right to do what they want with it, without been seen as some kind of social pariah, is the fact that I didn't chose to be transgender really the only reason that I should be allowed to transition? the fact it alleviates my pain the only reason it should have been allowed? I don't think so, I think even people without dysphoria should be able to medically transition if it gives them euphoria, essentially I am all in on hedonism, if it does no harm to others do what you will @@kateorgera5907
1:13 was not expecting to see that
rofl.