Warning! This article contains spoilers for Batman: Beyond the White Knight #1
There are few things that intimidate Batman, least of all his own tech, but in an alternate future of the DC Universe, the Batman Beyond suit is seemingly too dangerous for even the Dark Knight to attempt to use, which proves that Terry McGinnis is braver than Bruce Wayne. Batman has a number of suits for many different reasons, from his standard costume that has multiple styles with similar functionality to one that is specifically designed to fight Superman himself. While Batman has never hesitated to use these other suits in the past, DC just revealed that one of the most famous ones in Bruce Wayne’s arsenal was never actually worn by him before it was passed on to his successor.
In Batman: Beyond the White Knight #1 by Sean Murphy, readers are thrown into a future without a Batman, one where Bruce Wayne is in prison and the Batman title has been given to Gotham law enforcement, sparking a crackdown on crime that turned the city into a police state. Amid the borderline fascist order, Bruce’s partner at Wayne Enterprises (who took complete ownership of the company after Bruce went to jail) has partnered with a skilled thief to recover all of Bruce’s Batman tech, and the young burglar stumbles upon something truly extraordinary.
While digging through the ruins of the Batcave, Terry McGinnis finds the futuristic Batsuit he was always destined to wear. The classic Batman Beyond suit is exactly how fans remember, though here it is completely new to Terry. When he uncovers it, Bruce’s former partner, Derek Powers, is on a call with him the entire time and guides Terry through the process of using the suit. Before Terry puts it on in order to escape some officers who were alerted that there was a break-in at the Batcave, Powers tells Terry that this suit was specially designed by Bruce Wayne himself so that he could continue to fight crime even into his old age. Powers also says that Bruce never even put on the suit because he thought it was too dangerous to ever use.
The idea that Batman would be scared to use his own tech, especially that which he built himself, is a bit baffling, though once readers see the suit in action, it becomes more clear as to why he never used the Batman Beyond suit. When Terry wears it, he finds that the Batsuit gives him super strength, speed, and retractable, deadly claws as shown when he accidentally gravely injures a number of officers upon his escape from the Batcave.
Perhaps when Batman described the Batman Beyond suit as being too dangerous to use, he wasn’t talking about it being too dangerous for himself, but for those around him. Batman is adamant about not taking a life, which is made clear by the continued existence of the Joker, and Terry demonstrated firsthand what kind of life-taking power this Batsuit wields. Only time will tell if that is the actual reason for Bruce’s reluctance in ever putting on his most powerful suit, but the one thing that is clear at this moment is that Bruce Wayne was too scared to put on the suit, while Terry McGinnis didn't hesitate, which is why the Batman Beyond suit proves Terry is braver than the original Batman.
