#Batman beyond splicers

[mr-kench]

I was rewatching Batman Beyond (great show, highly underrated) the only context you need for the show is that this is in the not so distant future l, Bruce is an old man and passed to torch to a new kid named Terry McGinis. It got to the episode that really got me thinking. Not in a philosophical way or anything but just in a “humanity would 100% do this if they could” sort of way. The basic premise is that theirs a new type of body altering fashion trend. Theirs people in the show that try to justify it as basically being a tattoo and others outright saying that logic is completely bullshit. It’s called Splicing. It’s a gene lab that cracked the code on splicing DNA for immediate and near painless transformation to the body using animal DNA. It doesn’t need to be the whole body as one girl altered her eyes to have green cat eyes. However theirs some that went full body basically becoming anthro animals, a guy that became part snake, another became part bull and a different one became part hyena. Naturally the guy in charge of this was evil and the side effect of this was increased aggression.

However that’s not what I want to focus on. Instead I want to focus on the concept of Splicing itself. Theirs tons of people who would 100% be on board for this if it was possible myself included. Having claws and fangs sounds badass. Plenty more would be willing to go all the way and become hybrids being half human and half whatever other animal. At the same time plenty of concerned adults in the show were against this. With Terry’s little brother wanting to get spliced and his mom saying no. When asked why she’d be against it since she has a tattoo she says “the difference is that I don’t have antlers growing out of my head”

Excluding the obligatory evil plot it’s a pretty good examination of theoretical Trans Humanism. I’m confident it’s going to be a thing if we make it that far as a civilization. Theirs plenty of usefulness in the technology and it’s cool looking besides but there would naturally be concerns from others seeing people willingly leave behind their humanity and become something objectively not human.

It’s an interesting thought and one that’s crossed my mind. If Splicing was real would any of you want to do it? If so how would you want to be spliced, full body, only small features?

[titleknown]

I will say, I was watching Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, and it was mentioned the Joker was hiding in the "Jolly Jack Toy Factory," and like, given the existence of a very specific artist by that name, an internet search for that location probably would've been much less straightforward.

Like, I can hear the conversation in my head:

"Tim, why are there multiple pictures of skyscraper-sized busty splicers in the Bat-Computer?" "Joker virus."

[dreamy-lion]

Ghoul and Woof, from Batman Beyond

[muddthebugg]

AU Drabbles: "Lingering Traces"

This one's for you, anonymous requester!

But nah, I'd written this one a bit ago; think I just was too shy to post it. As much as I love Batman Beyond and Batman content as a whole, I don't feel as comfortable writing it as I do with Sonic the Hedgehog content n such.

Still! That's ok. I'll learn as I go.

Now, this drabble has a lot of context that would take forever to explain... Not sure whether or not I'll edit some explanation in or leave it as I first wrote it but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Guess you'll see!

. . . . . . . . .

Length: 1735 words

Characters: (Old Man) Bruce Wayne, Terry McGinnis

Summary: In Batman Beyond | S2E1 - "Splicers", Terry gets 'spliced' with "...a massive overdose of vampire bat serum", which is allowed to progress to the point of drastically changing his anatomy, as well as nearly robbing him of his humanity. Later on in the episode, Bruce is able to put him back to normal pretty much like nothing ever happened.

I on the other hand, have different plans in mind >:Dc

[CW: Vomiting]

. . . . . . . . .

Needless to say, he felt slagged.

"Hhugh—"

Like shit, even.

"Up, McGinnis."

But of course, the Old Man didn't care. Not one bit.

"We binnat this... fer hours!" The young man staggered to his feet, leaning heavy against the rolling chrome tray. He snatched up the first piece of cloth that graced his skin, not very much caring that it may or may not have been gauze. Hopefully it wasn't. He didn't want to sit through another spiel about 'contaminating medical supplies'. Wasn't like the Old Man didn't have a war bunker full with enough medical supplies till the next ice age.

"And yet," that cranking voice drolled, "still so little results."

"Can't we jus... take a break?" Terry huffs, regaining his breath. Though, even after he chugged some vitamin water, he didn't feel all that refreshed.

And to think, Bruce bought him such a filling breakfast that morning. Terry thought it was from the kindness of his heart. That's on him for forgetting; the Old Man doesn't have a heart.

Said Old Man merely raised a brow, "not likely." Then, turning back to his computer, "Cuvier's splicing serum is still in your system, somehow."

Diagrams, charts, and graphs popped up on the screen, each demanding Bruce's attention. Terry could barely stand the brightness, especially with the growing itch of all the sensors stuck all around his body. Skrag it, he's never sweat this much in his life!

"Something triggered it just before that nightly escapade of yours,"

"Uuf, don't remind me!" He was lucky enough to still have pants to sneak around in!

"We need to find out what exactly triggered it, and why." Ugh. He knew what that tone meant. It was Bruce Speak for "why didn't my plan go exactly to my specifications?"

The younger spoke over one shoulder, "Look, B, I'm slagged. We can keep this up later—"

"And what if you have another flare up?" Terry shifted his weight and the old tray wheels squeaked a shrill protest. Great! Now he had a headache. Or, a worsening one... he just really needed a nap.

"I'm not gonna have another—"

"How do you know that? We don't know exactly what is triggering the change—" Terry held his face, trying to ignore the way it was itching now, "—and until we do, you're running through the simulations. Again."

Legends, he felt so tired. Barely had the breath to speak around that irritated flame building behind his manubrium.

"But I jus'—"

"Again, McGinnis."

...

...silence.

Bruce takked away at his keyboard, adjusting the data to the simulations. He'd been making slight changes each round and all morning, trying to find the right combination to bring about some change. A gentle ping to his right, and it's shown that the boy's vitals have shifted.

"Your blood pressure is rising."

No response. Not a shuffle of feet or clothes. Not even an irritated huff.

"McGinnis." The Old Man finally turned back, body alert now. Terry stood hunched over the old chrome tray, head gripped in both arms. Even with his old eyes, Bruce could see him trembling.

"McGinnis!" He called, softer this time. The boy tensed, almost bristled while his weight shifted further onto the tray.

Bruce stared, cautious, and grabbed his cane as he stood up. He didn't know what sort of reaction this could be. A sudden headache, migraine, from the sheer stress? Something worse?

Whatever it may be, it left the kid distracted. He was able to get in close; Bruce could just disturb the fine hairs on Terry's shoulders before his hand was swiped away.

Thick hair—fur had grown down along the kid's jaw, and his teeth were (somehow??) growing sharper. Those bright eyes of his were wide, unfocused, yet locked on the ground.

"Bruucccceee..." Terry hissed, breaths labored, hand gripped tight onto the rolling tray. His eye twitched, and the sclera grew dark. Like watercolor on canvas paper.

"McGinn—" he almost whispered, hadn't moved a twitch otherwise, "—stay with me, Terry. Don't lose control."

Terry shuddered on his knees, shadowing eyes having flitted up to those pale, frosted orbs of his mentor. Bruce met his gaze—firm, determined.

That was his mistake.

The black swallowed his sclera, pupils wide then impossibly narrow. A speck of black in a sea of starless void.

The bat locked Bruce in its sights and pounced.

They both fell, the old man hardly fast enough to keep his charge's snarls and snapping teeth away. And then it raised an arm—skin having covered with fur, fingers tipped with budding claws—and swung for his head.

It was times like these Bruce was thankful for Alfred's infallible advice. Ace tackled the malformed boy away, kept it distracted. He took the chance to go for his cane and beeline back to the Bat Computer, to gather and analyze supplies.

Hn. Terry wouldn't like this, but...

A loud yelp and Bruce turned in time to watch Ace rip a piece of Terry's shirt on his way to the far wall. The dog yelped upon impact and collapsed with a low whine.

On the other end of the fight, Terry was starting to look much less human. Form the arms, premature wings, and its face had more resembled a muzzle. Those feral eyes locked back onto Bruce and the bat snarled at the old man.

Said old man frowned, "McGinnis, breathe." After a moment, he shifted his eyes a tad lower, not quite meeting the other pair.

The malformed hero hissed at his voice, ears folding back. The beginnings of a mane had grown around his shoulders.

Bruce almost sighed, hand gripping the syringe behind his back. The other gripped his cane.

"...Terry. It is Bruce. You need to calm down."

Those cold eyes narrowed, yet it still stepped forward. As things seemed, it didn't need to do shit.

"Terry, I am warning you. One last time... stand down." Despite himself, he looked up. Their eyes met. Bruce literally watched the hesitation drain form its features.

The overgrown bat screeched for all his concern was worth; premature wings flared, rushing forward in a burst of speed. One furred arm swung back to claw the old man down, but he was prepared. Bruce redirected the energy of the motion, threw his charge off balance.

Before the malformed hero could realize, Bruce stuck it in the junction of its neck and shoulder, and something unfamiliar flowed into its body.

The bat thrashed, screeching again its disapproval. It soon fell away, yanked out the syringe, and threw it far from itself.

The old man just stared. He watched his charge hiss and shake its head, stumbling back into that chrome tray. Confused grunts and whines as it grew less coordinated by the second; Bruce was almost attempted to be amused, seeing it head for the garage exit. perhaps he would be concerned, if not for the notable lack of functional wings.

Truly enough, not even a step from the batmobile's platform, the bat fell to its knees, slumping against a nearby wall until its eyes rolled back and it fell out.

BIO-METRICS LOGS: RECORDED

Bruce finally sighed. He had been looking for an explanation, for a trigger, but... not like this.

The computer pinged him and he glanced it over.

At the very least, it was useful data.

. . .

"Ghhuh..."

"...'Ginni...."

"Nnh?"

"McGin... are y...?"

"Wuh hi'mme...?"

"You flared...—gain."

Again? "Aw skaggit..."

It took a small eternity before he could see more than fuzzy blobs, though even through them the headache persisted. Terry shielded his eyes from the offending brightness overhead, and far off he thought he heard the old man say something just before they dimmed. Hm.

Another ache bloomed across his arms, worsening the more distal they became and inciting a deep flaring itch all across his skin. The boy groaned despite himself; maybe he had flown through some poison ivy? Then again, he hasn't seen vegetation like that since... blip it, its been a while.

Escapades aside, he was not doing well. The irritation was nearly overwhelming—he had to grip at the cot just to keep from clawing at himself (why was he so itchy?), but that only reminded his hands of how much they ached for absolutely no reason and that his grip kept slipping because he was drenched in a cold sweat—like his whole body decided to have a fraggin' spiz fit!

"M'feelin'... slagged...." that pretty much summed it up.

"That's no wonder," the elder drawled, ever stoic. "You're ru... fev...." Whatever else he was saying just faded into background static.

"Didja have t'... use th' seddat'v...?" Terry turned his legs over the side of the cot, muttering with the expected degree of coherence into his hand.

In all his intelligence, he didn't know why he decided it would be a good idea to sit up. It wasn't like his body had protested every gesture down to regaining consciousness. And—just like that, his blood pressure faltered and his innards rolled and—

Bruce was there just fast enough to save his floors. Next thing Terry knew he had a bucket clutched to his chest and his senses full of unfortunate things.

"Yes, I did. Also, like I said, you're close to a fever."

"...oh." Huh. First time that ringing in his hears cleared things up! Now all he needed was some congestion to get this horrid smell out of his nose—

"I'm taking you home."

The way the old man had muttered it, Terry almost hadn't heard. "Nh—no!"

"Why not? Your mother will be worried, and you clearly need the rest."

"I—I can—"

"You can barely walk, McGinnis. She has the means to take care of you, and..." Bruce grew quiet all of a sudden. Worryingly quiet. "I am not taking 'no' for an answer here. So unless you can think of any better alternatives, I am taking you home."

Terry didn't have anything to say. Just blinked and nodded.

When his body was feeling less rebellious, Terry was helped to his feet and out of the cave—though the boy was failing to hold up his full weight. By time they were to the car, Ace opening the door for them, the hero practically collapsed into the back seat. The dog limped in after him, nosed his cheek every once and a while when he'd tremble and shake out of nowhere.

At least, as frozen as Terry felt, the itching had died down.

[timearremer]

Oh, I always wondered about this moment - why do his claws and hand suddenly grow? The WIP script makes it clear: this was initially meant to be more detailed, with his hands changing into full eagle talons (and with his facial features changing to match, why couldn't we have gotten that?? sadness...)

Of course this is setup for the originally-planned finale of the episode where he was meant to cycle through multiple chimeric forms (manual shapeshifting, without the use of further serum) under his own power before Terry's injections caused him to lose control. I guess it's up for interpretation whether this brief and his line in the finished episode about being unable to control the changing (which makes little sense in the episode's final form) are leftovers, or whether this ability of his is still meant to be canon.

[the-witchhunter]

DP x DC: Next Generation

A little twist on Danny meeting Terry Mcginnis, aka the Batman from Batman Beyond

This would be an older Danny, maybe he stopped aging, maybe he didn’t, but at this point he’s been around the block a few times.

Danny first sees the new Batman as Fenton, not Phantom. Maybe he’s surrounded by members of the Jokerz gang, and Terry drops down to save this guy before things escalate. Danny could have handled things on his own but he’s not exactly going to tell that to the new guy. 

He takes a bit of a shine to Terry. He could just ask Bruce who the new guy is, but he wants to have fun with it. Terry is still new, a little sloppy, he needs someone to train him up a bit in ways old Brucie can’t do on his own anymore. So he decides to make a little game of things.

Danny slips into the role of antagonist/rogue, not for any nefarious purpose, simple to give Terry a proper challenge. It’s all a game and he’s just training the new guy, and if that involves LARPing a Villain, so be it. 

He leaves enough clues that Bruce figures him out immediately. The old man must approve, because he would have told him to stop otherwise.

Meanwhile, Terry is confused when the new villain he had been trying to catch saves him when things go south with a bunch of splicers

[maxknightley]

I've been watching Batman Beyond with the gf and I have to say that S2E1 has aged uhhhhh INSANELY badly. you're telling me that between "people gene-splicing themselves into cool furries" and "government official fearmongering about SPLICER VIOLENCE and IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE" I'm supposed to side with the narc???

[snickestsnack]

Splicers (2-1) is one of my favourites in Batman Beyond- the designs are sick, the concept is cool, and Terry's experience with it is so interesting to me.

Aside from being an allusion to ManBat, it was interesting seeing Terry go from his usual cocky self to the absolute terror he was in after he was spliced against his will by Cuvier. It's gotta be horrifying to wake up and mutate into something you never wanted to be.

(plus it sounds like a fun fanfiction plot device...but I'm sure that was unintentional)

(other aside- I think them using it as a metaphor for individuality is very fun, but it makes me wonder if that's what some parents feel when their kids dye their hair or get piercings or smth ToT)

[theyre-gay-because-i-say-so]

Today's LGBT+ Headcanon is;

Woof from Batman Beyond-Nonbinary, Demiromantic and Gay

Species: Splicer

Requested by Anon

Status: Alive

[hanasnx]

user hanasnx, do u have any fave eps of batman beyond?

-🍃

yes!

season 1

disappearing inque: inque and terry kiss and i ship them

season 2

splicers: humans with physical animal traits hit hard

hooked up: something about the living life inside a bubble thing really fascinated me

the last resort: we see terry have a tender moment with chelsea and confront a problem as terry mcginnis as well as batman

april moon: loved this one. hot gf cheats on old man doctor with bad guys and the doctor does some fucked up shit to those bad guys

season 3

out of the past: young bruce deals with being incapable and then learns the way to get it is not what he wants and he has to deal with it instead. move on, and accept that it's in the past. loved the villain too

unmasked: terry unmasking for a scared little boy who does his best to protect him :) gotta love it

[schway-beyond]

inque is clayface, spellbinder is an old Batman villain that was never adapted to the DCAU, the splicers are clear links to manbat...you gotta strike a balance between old and new, you gotta have fun and throw them in the cyberpunk blender, why aren't they playing to the strengths of the setting? Who knows

You aren’t wrong, but many of the Batman Beyond villains also serve as Spider-Man analogues. Blight is Green Goblin, Spellbinder is Mysterio, Stalker is Kraven, etc. Terry himself is a very clear take on a Spidey-like character, albeit less nerdy and more “teenage dirtbag.” I almost think the Spider-Man influences are more important to capturing the appeal of Terry stories than traditional Batman stuff is

[adaru32]

I've been meaning to make a ref sheet of one of my villain OCs for a long time. He comes from a story of mine from 2006 or 2007 called Ascension, with inspirations coming from Resident Evil, Carrie, the Splicers episode of Batman Beyond, and Xenomorphs from the Alien series. He's a mad scientist that disguised his twisted lab as a psychiatric hospital. His goal is to create B.O.Ws for his own personal gain, and to impress a mysterious group that have taken a liking to his practices. He became a B.O.W after his daughter Paige gave him a taste of his own medicine for what he did to her mother/his wife, other innocent bystanders, and me who's the main protagonist of the story.

My mutant form has gone through a couple changes, and am still figuring out how I want it to look. Derek's hasn't changed one bit from the original concept I gave him, only his head was bigger before (his head was meant to be small like what's shown on the ref sheet here). I thought about making him taller (like about 12-20 feet tall), but I'm going by the measurements on how I drew him and the average floor to ceiling height (which would make him about 8-10 feet tall). Done on Sai with an Intuos Medium Pro tablet and mouse. Texting done on Photofiltre.

[geekcavepodcast]

“Batman Beyond: Neo-Year” Gets Sequel “Batman Beyond: Neo Gothic”

Writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing and artist Max Dunbar reunite for a sequel to their Batman Beyond: Neo-Year comic series titled Batman Beyond: Neo Gothic.

“Terry McGinnis defeated the evil A.I. controlling Neo-Gotham and asserted himself as the one true Batman, but his next battle will bring him to the remains of Old Gotham. Children are going missing and being swallowed by the city’s old bones. Batman Beyond will have to go underground, led by a mysterious splicer named Kyle the Catboi, to find the children and confront the city’s buried sins. What happened to the green of the city? What happened to magic? And what villains never left old Gotham?” (DC Comics)

Batman Beyond: Neo Gothic #1, featuring a main cover by Max Dunbar, open to buy variant covers by Christian Ward and Ejikure, a 1 in 25 ratio variant cover Belén Ortega, and a 1 in 50 ratio variant cover by Dike Ruan, hits stores and digital on July 25, 2023.

(Image via DC Comics - Max Dunbar’s Cover of Batman Beyond: Neo Gothic #1)

[grimdrago]

This "Batman Beyond Neo-Gothic" #1

I don't like what they've implied here with this (I can only assume) splicer cat guy 👅

[timearremer]

One of these two starts making a wolf howl immediately after this shot lol. (probably Ramrod) I can't imagine either of them has wolf genetics so are they just really into the general animal kingdom / hunter-theming? If they were furry-adjacent to begin with, it would explain a lot.

King Cobra is also hissing triumphantly during this which definitely isn't how snakes do it (though I appreciate it still). So these guys making animal sounds, at least, is less animal impulse and more their personal enthusiasm for the whole thing.

Earlier Cobra does it a few times to scare bystanders, which feels more snake-appropriate. I've always liked him quite a bit for how good and reptilian-alien his face is, even though I definitely wish he had more of a snout, or a tail. His look combined with Cuvier's snake tail at the end were major influence on my decision to have my own character be a snake.

[dispatchdcu]

Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #1 Preview

Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #1 Preview #batmanbeyondneogothic #batmanbeyond #DCEU #dccomics #comics #comicbooks #news #dcuuniverse #art #info #NCBD #amazon #comicbooknews #previews #reviews #batman #darkknight #detectivecomics#batmanbeyond #neoyear #neogothic

Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #1 Preview:  Terry McGinnis defeated the evil A.I. controlling Neo-Gotham and asserted himself as the one true Batman, but his next battle will bring him to the remains of Old Gotham. Children are going missing and being swallowed by the city’s old bones. Batman Beyond will have to go underground, led by a mysterious splicer named Kyle the Catboi, to find the children…