Read more on screenrant.com

A Batman Beyond Series Can Fix The Arrowverse's Biggest Problems

As DC plots out its future, the creators of the Arrowverse should consider that Batman Beyond can fix The CW’s biggest problems. Having begun with Arrow in 2012, the shared multiverse of The CW has branched out for over a decade with new spinoffs to keep one of their biggest franchises going. However, perhaps it’s time for the creators of the Arrowverse to break the mold and go back to the future.

Batman Beyond premiered in January 1999 and was an original sequel to the Batman mythos. Set two decades after Batman: The Animated Series, the show followed teenager Terry McGinnis, the dark knight of the future. Mentored by an old Bruce Wayne, McGinnis had to work to protect the city of Neo-Gotham as he tried to guide it into a better tomorrow. After the original show ended in 2001, Batman Beyond lived on, deemed canon by DC as part of their comic multiverse and receiving several guest appearances in their other animated works.

While there’s no denying the success and popularity of the Arrowverse, even the most popular shows tend to struggle to maintain their quality, as evidenced by review averages of The Flash, Supergirl, and Arrow. Additionally, The CW rarely likes to take risks with its well-established characters and storylines. Batman Beyond’s story can be more than just another spinoff as it is not about just turning the page, starting a new chapter, or playing it safe; it’s opening another book about a new generation and a different world. With a more focused cast and a unique setting, a trip to the world of Neo-Gotham may be just the thing that allows The CW and HBO Max the freedom to deliver something new

The World of Neo-Gotham Provides New Opportunities

It is relatively rare that the Arrowverse fully embraces an alternate reality like Neo-Gotham, despite shows like DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Titans. The Gotham of tomorrow is a towering neon-lit cyberpunk city that fully reflected fears of the 21st century without a Batman, where technology grew out of control, the culture became almost alien, and supervillains were savvy enough to exploit them both. Neo-Gotham was a place reflective of The Dark Knight Returns‘ mythology and, like any good sci-fi story, asked a lot of good questions about what the future may bring.

Inspired by films like Blade Runner and The Fifth Element, Neo-Gotham is a colorful aesthetic to adapt. Set in a future where technology has evolved to disturbing degrees, an Arrowverse Batman Beyond series could take a Black Mirror-styled approach to its stories and ask profound questions about what kind of future is in the making. In the past, WB’s animated series explored topics such as obsessive fandoms, AI technology, superhero tropes, and even the morals behind the media in very imaginative ways. Neo-Gotham isn’t just a city; it’s a stage for a new futuristic fantasy with infinite possibilities, not unlike Altered Carbon.

Batman Beyond Has Better Characters To Work With

At times, the Arrowverse, like many popular primetime shows, struggles to make its characters feel authentic. Writers have given the Arrowverse protagonists some questionable characterizations over the years, such as when Team Flash rejected future Barry and created Savitar because he was “disposable,” or when Luke Fox surrendered the Batcave to Hush without a deeper cross-examination. Batman Beyond’s characters weren’t perfect, but for them, that was part of their charm; they were human. In addition, the cartoon managed to create a diverse, multi-faceted cast with secrets, complex backgrounds, and stories to tell. Some of Neo-Gotham’s citizens may have some things in common with Arrowverse’s residents and could even have variants in their multiverse, but in many respects, the Batman Beyond characters were more defined than the existing Arrowverse ones.

As a protagonist, Terry McGinnis has proven to be charming, clever, and sympathetic. A show about a grieving teenager training to be Batman allows for a unique high school narrative in the tradition of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, not typically seen in the Arrowverse. Rather than justify Terry’s criminal past, his writers utilized it to make his remorse and redemption more heartfelt. When discussing Bruce Wayne, the Arrowverse preferred to minimize his role; rather than use a wisened Batman to serve their scenario. Batman Beyond could continue to treat Terry’s mentor with respect and gravitas, exploring themes of hope, second chances, and sacrifices. With such colorful characters as an elderly Barbara Gordon, Terry’s teenage friends, and even Zeta, a robot assassin with a conscience leading a supporting cast, a Batman Beyond show can make Arrowverse’s “hallway moments” feel more genuine.

There is No “Team Batman”

Batman Beyond’s cast was kept small, not only for storytelling purposes, but so it had time to develop the characters they already had. One of Arrowverse’s biggest dilemmas has always been its “team” formula. Although early seasons of shows like Supergirl and Arrow originally made good use of a supporting cast, as time went on, it became more difficult to maintain their relevance to the overall plot. It wasn’t uncommon for shows like The Flash to introduce a multitude of characters like Impulse, Kid Flash, Jessie Quick, Vibe, Killer Frost, and Elongated Man. Although seeing these characters on screen helped renew interest, it had the unfortunate side effect of reducing a series’ protagonist to a side character in their own show. In turn, these new additions often came at the expense of the protagonists’ character growth. When The Flash served as an impatient new mentor and Arrow’s surrounding cast suddenly adopted vigilante persona the series were simply retreading old character arcs rather than creating new growth.

A Batman Beyond series would be able to be true to the original cartoon and keep the same group dynamic, with Bruce Wayne as the experienced mentor, McGinnis as the next Batman, Terry’s friend Maxine as the brains, and Ace the Bat-Hound as occasional support. Without as many sidekicks, there’s more time for characters to shine. Additionally, stories like Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker explained what happened to the Bat-Family, the toll being a vigilante took on their lives, and why not everybody could do it. Batman Beyond’s small but focused cast allowed everybody to shine appropriately and memorably. A focused character-driven narrative is one of the things Batman Beyond handled best and can be a lesson in quality over quantity as a live-action series in the Arrowverse.

Batman Beyond Will Keep The Arrowverse From Getting Stale

The Arroverse has been going for a long time, but a drop in views and ratings demonstrates a painful fact: the Arrowverse’s programming is becoming stale. Gotham Knights appears to offer nothing Batwoman hasn’t already given audiences, complete with the same writing team behind it, while Justice U faces a similar issue by mirroring Arrow season 5 and The Flash. Batman Beyond has always been about progress, and when Batman: The Animated Series became campy and formulaic, that’s when WB took a risk on something original. DC is already taking a step in the right direction with Superman & Lois and Titans, but the future holds all kinds of possibilities and a new beginning.

Batman Beyond only has to remember one thing when leaping into the live-action multiverse, and that’s to keep moving forward. The interesting thing about a mentor-student relationship is how they grow as characters and learn from each other. Terry McGinnis and Bruce Wayne offer a Batman story of confronting your past and finding faith in the future. Meanwhile, Neo-Gotham could be evolving with new tech, bigger threats, and their first Batman in almost two decades. The Arrowverse has problems, but it can always get better. For a franchise seemingly trapped in a time loop, what better place is there to escape to than the future?

Batman Beyond did a lot to revitalize DC’s shared universe in the ‘90s and could do the same for the Arrowverse. Over a decade old, The CW has to realize that their superhero shows can’t depend on the same formula for success and that they’d benefit from something new. Like Terry McGinnis, Bruce Wayne, and all the people in that animated tomorrow foreseen in 1999, the Arrowverse has to envision a better future and then make it happen.