Batman Beyond

RELEASED 10 Jan 199917h 56m · 52 episodes★ 8.2 TMDB

As new villains overrun Gotham City of the future, the aging Bruce Wayne hangs up the cape of the once invincible Batman. But when troubled teenager Terry McGinnis stumbles upon the Dark Knight's secret, a new alliance is forged. And a triumphant new Batman is born.

Why it matters in DC

Terry McGinnis inherits Batman's role while an older Bruce Wayne remains part of his life. This future Gotham makes legacy a continuing relationship between two people, asking which parts of Batman belong to the symbol and which depended on the original man.

Watch these first

5 titles to watch before Batman Beyond — 60h 51m in total.

Batman: The Animated SeriesRecommended31h 10m★ 8.6
Batman: Mask of the PhantasmRecommended1h 16m★ 7.5
Superman: The Animated SeriesRecommended18h 54m★ 7.7
The New Batman AdventuresRecommended8h 24m★ 8.1
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZeroRecommended1h 7m★ 6.9

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How these titles are selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

Batman Beyond is title 12 of 13 in our DC Animated Universe viewing sequence. Batman Beyond moves the animated Gotham story into a later generation, with Terry McGinnis taking on Batman's role alongside an older Bruce. Earlier Batman animation supplies the legacy behind that partnership. Return of the Joker is best approached with this series' setting understood, rather than as a direct follow-up to a live-action Batman film.

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