Everyone gets old. Walking sticks become the order of the day, and everything deteriorates. It happens to things, too— the law of depreciation is real. And it’s coming for every one of us. But not Batman? Surely not the Caped Crusader. He can fight crime for as long as it takes; he’s Gotham’s defender, after all. This is the very problem that created the Batman Beyond suit.
The masked detective surely can’t get old. Or can he? Unfortunately, we’ve seen a time where he does indeed get old. In the future, the Dark Knight is now old and grey, and everything has pretty much changed. Luckily there’s a new hero to take up his place. And as you know, a New hero means new gadgets and a new suit. Let’s take a look at the Batman Beyond Suit.
Batman Beyond Suit: History
The Batman Beyond Suit has the distinct quality of being the very last Batsuit ever designed and created by Bruce Wayne. As he was already in the latter stage of his life and could no longer function as Batman, the suit was handed down to Terry McGinnis, Bruce’s successor. Before Bruce even met Terry, he had donned the suit, and it was the last suit he wore as Batman in that continuity before retiring.
Bruce created the Batman Beyond Suit to compensate for him getting old. It was meant to help him keep fighting crime in Gotham even though he was aging and his heart could no longer handle the stress of fighting. It served its purpose for a while, but soon enough, not even the advanced suit could help Bruce. He was too far gone. Thus he retired and hung up the suit.
Twenty years elapsed between the time Bruce designed the suit and when Terry discovered it. Despite the advancements in the present time and the fact that it was two decades old, the suit was so technologically advanced that it was still a choice piece of tech in Terry’s time. It was state-of-the-art.
Composition
Not a lot is actually known about the suit. Much of the tech used in building it are unknown, but it’s assumed Bruce was the original designer and programmer of most of it. The servo-motors, a piece of the suit’s tech was supplied by the scientist Dr. Peter Corso.
The suit is somewhat of a composite suit, taking elements and features from the past Batuits and bat tech. An example of this is that the suit supports flight, a feature previously available on the Jet-wing. Other examples are grappling guns, enhanced batarangs, bolas, and retractable claws.
Corso’s servo motors were designed to give whoever was wearing the Batsuit enhanced abilities to the power of ten. Wearers received superhuman strength, endurance, agility, and many other abilities and were greatly amplified. Bruce also added a cloaking device feature, although it was sparsely used due to it draining a lot of power.
The Batman Beyond Suit allowed for a more versatile, less vulnerable Batman, who could withstand hazards like electricity, water, heat, or radiation. While it was purely electronic, it had the texture of regular clothing and could be folded and fitted into a backpack.
Another interesting aspect of the suit was that it was a one size fit all suit, explaining why it could fit Bruce before retirement and Terry much later. Even though they had very different physical makeups, the suit could still fit both of them perfectly. The suit’s material was very resistant, impervious to most attacks, but it wasn’t hundred percent indestructible, as it has been torn off, exposing the circuitry beneath.
Batman Beyond Suit: Design
It was not only the composition of the suit that was altered drastically. Its basic design, down to color patterns were changed completely.
The Batman Beyond Suit’s external look is very different from all the other Batsuits or bat-amors. Colorwise, it disposed of the signature black and gray scheme and opted for all black. The bat insignia on the chest was changed to bright red and had a more tapered look.
The cowl was also discarded. In its place, the new Batsuit adopts a full mask, shaped in line with whoever is wearing it. The cape was also removed, going for a modern and probably less hazardous look with retractable wings located between the torso’s underarms and sides. The wings are red in color. The utility belt was erstwhile an attachment to the former suits; it’s now a part of the Batman Beyond Suit, embedded within in.
In addition to the flight-enabling wings, the Batman Beyond Suit also has thrusters added to its boots. The aid Batman when its time to soar in case there is no wind. However, the new Batmobile is the go-to choice for flights with longer ranges. As mentioned earlier, the batsuit can withstand several forces, and it is impervious to fire, lasers, water, electrical shocks, and concussive forces.
However, someone with a working knowledge of the Batsuit can counter it, despite its technological advancements. Former Batgirl and present Commissioner of the GCPD Barbara Gordon was shown to take down the Batsuit and counter Terry’s moves. All from fanning the smoke bombs to using ultraviolet lights to negate its other capabilities.
Fifteen years into the future, we can see Terry still in the Batsuit. It is completely unchanged except for the utility belt, bearing a semblance to the third and fourth original Batsuits. It has also stretched to fit Terry’s new size now that he is older.
Other Gadgets and Accessories
Besides the paraphernalia already cited above, there were some other Gadgets added to the Batman Beyond Suit. They aided Terry in his fight against Gotham’s new criminals.
- Sensitive touch microphone on the index and middle fingers permits eavesdropping through solid surfaces or at a distance. The recording can be played and downloaded into a chip.
- Personal communicator.
- A remote kill function that can externally paralyze the suit from the Batcave.
- Electromagnetic pads in the soles of the boots for adhesion to certain surfaces.
- Geiger counter.
- Enhanced visual assistance that allowed him to see in the dark. The visor could also serve as digital binoculars and an infrared filter. Visual from the Batsuit could be fed back to the main computer in the Batcave; it could also receive visual from the main computer, allowing for superior tactical planning.
- Wrist-mounted laser shooter capable of melting metal and stunning his opponents
- Launchable tracers.
- Buzz saw incorporated into belt buckle
- Sensors that work as a polygraph.
- Drug identifier, utilized by dipping fingers into the substance.
- Welding tool.
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