Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman Beyond Neo Year #4
There are a lot of differences between the futuristic Batman Beyond and Bruce Wayne. But as it turns out, the main difference between them is becoming a weakness for Terry McGinnis.
Things are completely different now for Terry McGinnis than at any point in his crazy career as the futuristic Batman. Even when he was missing and presumed dead for a period of time while Tim Drake was active as Batman Beyond, Terry still had Bruce Wayne out there to assist in his recovery. But now that Bruce Wayne is dead and Terry’s allies are few and far between, Terry is completely on his own as he seeks to take on a cybernetically sentient Gotham City that wants to rid itself of Batman for good.
In Batman Beyond Neo Year #4 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Max Dunbar, Terry McGinnis’ Batman Beyond has to take on a foe called the Sword of Gotham, which can make an average citizen become a warrior due to a hard light holographic projection around the person. This Sword of Gotham is such a formidable foe that Terry needs all the help he can get. But with Bruce Wayne dead and unable to provide him advice directly into his ear, Terry is forced to imagine Bruce talking to him and telling him how best to come back this deadly and unique foe.
While many fans consider Terry McGinnis to be the true successor to Bruce Wayne, the two characters have had very different journeys on their way to becoming Batman. Although he had Alfred, Bruce was largely alone in his crusade against crime. It was only much later that he gained sidekicks and even had Barbara Gordon as Oracle. In that role, Oracle helped talk to Bruce the same way that Bruce talked to Terry. But Bruce did not grow into his role as Batman with Oracle. It was only much later that she came along to offer help.
In contrast, Terry had Bruce helping him from the very beginning. Although Bruce was indispensable in assisting Terry and guiding him through the troubles of being Batman, now that Bruce is gone it seems as if his help was a crutch. Terry still can’t get over the fact that he’s now alone battling these ruthless enemies. He still so struck by grief from Bruce’s death that he has to constantly imagine what Bruce would be saying to him, even during a fight. When Bruce first became Batman he was so singularly focused on taking down his enemies that grief wasn’t really an obstacle. But now that Bruce Wayne is dead, Batman Beyond is truly showing the main differences between them as Terry still struggles to continue the crusade alone.
