Warning: Spoilers for Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #6!
In a moment reminiscent to the movie Spartacus, Batman Beyond sacrifices his secret identity so that all of Neo-Gotham can be Batman. Those familiar with the 1960 Oscar-winning classic directed by Stanley Kubrick will remember the iconic scene in which the Romans are trying to find Spartacus to punish him. Every man supporting the Thracian leader shouted “I am Spartacus” to protect him.
Terry McGinnis has a similar moment, one that exposes his secret identity to the world in the process, in Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #6 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Max Dunbar. The first issue of Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic alludes to an “Initiative” that Terry had been planning with former GCPD detective Sunbeam Boonma. The plan describes what’s described as “a city-wide crimefighting collective” in which it pitches an organized police force filled with citizen volunteers.
Amid Neo-Gotham’s near destruction, the Gordon Initiative is put into play, forcing Terry to sacrifice his secret identity as Batman to the world. Still, in the process, absolutely everyone becomes Batman — and announces it.
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Terry McGinnis Gives Up His Secret Identity So Everyone Can Be Batman
The start of the series sees Terry go deep underground to find missing children, soon discovering a living garden overseen by a newly god-tier John Constantine. As Terry and his sidekick — Kyle the Catboi, who also happens to be Constantine’s former protégé — confront John in the Green, Neo-Gotham’s impending doom is imminent. Tech entrepreneur Donovan Lumos (a.k.a. The Holographic Man) has instituted a project to demolish and rebuild historic buildings in Gotham. But the latest explosion backfires, causing an earthquake and a massive hole in the middle of Gotham, allowing all the monsters from the Gotham Deep to rise to the surface.
Terry realizes he’s only one Batman in a city littered with monsters; thus, it’s time for the Gordon Initiative. Terry pushes a communication signal to every citizen in Gotham asking for them to opt in. To gain their trust, he tells them his real name and his story about how he became Batman. Just like that, several citizens volunteer their services, and, using nanotechnologies, they manifest suits and gadgets that are identical to Terry’s, which then allow them the tools to fight off monsters like Killer Croc.
Batman Beyond Makes an Ultimate Hero’s Sacrifice to Save the Day
This is a timely development for Terry; in the recent issue World’s Finest: Teen Titans #5 by Mark Waid, Emanuela Lupacchino, Jordie Bellaire, and Steve Wands, Robin reveals his own secret identity to fully gain his team’s trust. Just as it proves successful for Dick Grayson and his friends, the same method helps Terry ultimately save Gotham, proving some story beats transcend universes and timelines. As sacred as secret identities tend to be in superhero stories, giving them up to save people proves just how far heroes like Batman Beyond are willing to go to protect citizens, ultimately making their own lives even more dangerous.
BATMAN BEYOND: NEO-GOTHIC #6 (2023) | |
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Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #6 is available now from DC Comics.
