Fans everywhere of Batman Beyond have a major reason to celebrate, as it was revealed at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con panel that the series is getting a complete HD remaster Blu-Ray release later this year, and possibly even a fourth season if sales are strong enough. Talk about a tease!
Fans were expecting some manner of surprise at the panel since it marked the 20th anniversary of the show. We here at TheGamer speculated that perhaps we would see a new standalone film, as those are so popular with our contemporary version of Batman. Damien Wayne, the truth behind Terry McGinnis, or the development of characters only seen for a short while in the series were all ideas of what could have been presented. In a way, we were both right and wrong.
An HD Remaster is a great first step for the series, at least in terms of seeing commitment to the brand in the hope of something new in the future. Last year for example fans were given the complete remastering of Batman: The Animated Series, which is an absolute masterpiece to watch and compare to the original. So, what lies ahead after the remaster?
During the panel, a question was posed to co-creator Bruce Timm about the possibility of the “next season” for Batman Beyond, referring to season four. Timm responded that it was certainly something that could happen, but only if the remaster Blue-ray sells well and drives the conversation.
That seems like a rather obvious answer, as supply is driven by demand, and demonstrating to Warner Bros. with purchases is likely the most effective way to prove that the show would be supported by fans. This is likely one of the clearest examples of the power of voting with one’s wallet.
As we speculated earlier, there is so much potential for which stories to explore in a new season, and more to the point, we could see a shift too in how the story plays out. Rather than single episodes that are generally contained to themselves, we could see a grander story playing out in the background, culminating in the season or series finale.
Picture the Batman: Knightfall storyline from 1993-1994, now extrapolate that manner of scheming in a terrible enemy, perhaps one not yet introduced. Terry has arguably never been broken before, at least not like Bruce Wayne was broken at the hands of Bane. Would that be an interesting story to tell? Absolutely.
For now, it is nothing more than speculation. If you will excuse this writer, he now needs to go place his pre-order on Amazon to support the show. Won’t you join me?