Batman Beyond ran for 52 episodes and even got a movie, Return of the Joker. Now, over two decades since we said goodbye to the series, it remains as popular as ever. The show has garnered a cult following in the years since its conclusion, and Terry McGinnis continues to make an impact in comic books, video games, and merchandise...just not as part of an animated series or movie.
It's a little baffling to see the Batman Beyond franchise remain on the shelf, and when we recently caught up with Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse star Will Friedle to discuss his roles as Aquaman and Lex Luthor, we had to ask about his time playing this Caped Crusader.
Needless to say, the prolific actor is ready and willing to reprise the role should he get the call.
"One of the joys of being a voice-over actor is your voice doesn’t necessarily age. It does a little bit, but you can be 45 and still play 17 if you can hit the register. It’s a character who is so important to me, I would love to do more episodes," Friedle told us of his hopes to return as Batman Beyond. "Not just because I know the fans would really love to see it, but a) I’d get to step back into the cowl again which would be incredible and b) I’d get to work with Kevin Conroy again. He and I are close friends and he’s such a wonderful actor and someone who was a mentor on this side of the acting industry. Knowing we would get to sit down in the booth together again would be phenomenal."
"You know, seeing a live-action version would be great. Just seeing the character again is awesome. He’s had such a rich life in the comic book world and I think he deserves to come back on screen in some form. At some point in the future, I’m sure he will," he continued. "Who knows, but I have to imagine they’ll eventually do a movie or another series. We have continued to hope we’ll do more since the day we ended work on Return of The Joker, so we’d love to make it finally happen."
It is hard to imagine the Batman Beyond franchise won't return in some form down the line, though we couldn't help but wonder whether Friedle is surprised by the legacy the show has to this day.
"It does and it doesn’t [surprise me]," the actor admitted. "I’m very loudly and proudly saying all the time that I’m a big nerd and one of the things we nerds like to do is be fans. We’re some of the greatest fans in the world, so when something does connect with an audience, we want to see as much of it as we possibly can. We want to immerse ourselves in those worlds. On one hand, I was very surprised because it was the first animated series I’d done. I’d never done one before or been behind the microphone before, and it was a wonderful…talk about winning the lottery for the first voiceover role you’ve ever done. I’m more surprised I got the chance to do something that great. I’m not surprised at all, as a nerd, that Terry has got the fandom behind him that he does."
Will clearly remains as passionate about this role as he was over twenty years ago, and we'd love to see Warner Bros. Animation tell more stories in that Batman Beyond world. The Dark Knight remains a huge draw for the studio, hence why so many of their movies put the hero front and centre, so shifting the spotlight back to Terry would no doubt sell a lot of DVDs and Blu-rays for them.
We'll see, but fingers crossed this character has a future in animation or live-action because there are a lot of stories to be told about this hero who takes over the Batman mantle from Bruce Wayne.
Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse is available on Digital, Blu-ray & DVD on May 24. The movie event also premieres on Cartoon Network on May 28 and starts streaming on HBO Max beginning June 28!