The case for Batman Beyond's Terry McGinnis being the best replacement for Bruce Wayne may have been made by one talented artist. A new piece of fan art shows the legacy hero recreating a famous cover that proves he may be the best suited to be the next permanent Dark Knight.
The future of the world of Batman Beyond shows a Bruce Wayne who has succumbed to an enemy he was never going to be able to beat: time. The older Batman brings in the younger Terry McGinnis as a replacement to be the Dark Knight the future Gotham needs. Fans fell for the setup when it was introduced in the Batman Beyond animated series and were overjoyed when the world was made official DC canon. Terry has experienced a second wind from older and newer fans who regard him as a worthy successor to the mantle of Batman.
And one fan of McGinnis is showcasing how much the character deserves to take over for Bruce permanently in a stunning piece of art. Artist Colin Craker posted a work on Twitter showing the future Batman recreating Marshall Rogers' cover of Shadow of the Batman. Craker creates the perfect homage to both Rogers' work and the world of Batman Beyond by fusing the two. McGinnis gives off the same intimidating pose as Bruce as the blaring neon of Neo-Gotham shines behind him. If any fan has ever doubted if Terry can actually pull off the same gravitas that Wayne brings to the role, Craker's piece should certainly be able to put those fears to rest.
Craker's art deservedly received thousands of likes for his piece and with many comments praising the artist's style. He even followed his work up by showing the original inks to the art, showing how much work went into the final version to give it the same ethereal glow Batman Beyond is known for. Viewing Craker's work alongside the original cover builds a strong argument for fans who believe Terry should be taken a lot more seriously when it comes to the discourse surrounding eventual Batman replacements.
While the chances of Bruce Wayne being permanently replaced is very low, fans love to speculate on the potential future for when he steps down and someone has to take up the cowl. While the Robins generally receive the lions' share of attention, Terry tends to be left out of the conversation. Unlike Dick Grayson or Tim Drake, McGinnis has sagas' worth of material over many mediums showing how well he's stepped up to the challenge of being Batman and proven to be just as capable as Bruce. Colin Craker's Batman Beyond piece reminds fans that when it comes to replacing Batman, only Terry McGinnis has proved his worth of being the one to fill in for Bruce Wayne.
Source: Colin Craker