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If you've ever seen the show, you know it's got some style. Like the first Batman animated series, it has both a heart AND a brain, and the original voice actor for Bruce Wayne gives the continuity between the two series real weight. (Not to mention the similar art.)

But a thought has occurred to me:

What must Terry's friends think?

So, let's say you're one of Terry's friends. He's kinda punkish, but pretty athletic and good-looking. He saves some old billionare from some hooligans, which scores him an internship working for Bruce Wayne.

Bruce keeps Terry busy most nights. Heck, nearly every night.

Terry doesn't have much time for girls anymore, and he always seems to be exhausted from -whatever- it is that old guy's got him doing all night...

Actual dialog:

"Mr Wayne again? Sure got you on a short leash, doesn't he?"
"He needs me. Sorry."
"It isn't NORMAL."
"You have no idea."

At this point, I'm thinking, okay, so Terry isn't as smart as the real Batman, but can't he at least THINK before he opens his mouth?

What MUST the gossip be like?

If I were one of Terry's friends, I'd be thinking "I hope Mr. Wayne just likes to watch... *squick*"

This Batman Beyond. Is it perchance the series where Bruce hands over the title of Batman to a teenager, complete with rocket-propelled suit? And the suit is black with a red logo? Because if it is (And I remember that "You have no idea" quote, so it probably is) then something funky has happened and I saw it quite a while ago under the title Batman of the Future.

The words "Batman of the Future" does appear at the beginning of the title series, but the "real" title is Batman: Beyond, which shows up at the -end- of the title sequence.

And yes, black suit, red logo, rocket shoes. Much of the fun of this one is laughing at Terry for not being as cool as the -real- Batman, although the new kid has his moments.

With the clues that I would have gathred, had I been a character on that show, taking into consideration Wayne's always been secretive, Terry was (before) a hoodlum, Wayne always has vast money without any real product, and that very obviously evil guy runs his shop now, I'd be worried Terry would be running illegal arms or drugs or something for the old man, before I worried about some lame male prostitution.

Of course in these shows the characters either have to be far behind to never find out, or they writers will run out of excuses in a few episodes and the character's identity will be revealed quickly (if at least to just a small circle of friends). But in doing so you make the background characters or the main character pretty unobservant or stupid.

I haven't seen anything of the series in some time, but at least one of his friends figured it out. True, the means by which she did it were pretty lame (she was trying to figure out the identity of the ringleader of the Jokers streetgang, whom she knew was a student there, and Terry was one of the suspects) and she ended up as part of his backup later in the series, but still, he's not been all that good at keeping his secrets.

Not that Bruce was all that good at hiding his identity, either. Several people, most notably Selina Kyle and Jim Gordon, worked it out early on. Also. while most of them have kept their private identities secret (unlike Marvel, where many superheroes' real names are public record), there is a core group of major superheroes who all know each other's real names. Curiously, last I checked there hadn't been any other superheroes in the Batman Beyond series yet, though I think it was mentioned that Supes was still around.

On the subject of Superman still being around long after Bruce retires, The Dark Night Returns is one the mose awesome comics of all friggin time.

One episode (I never watched a whole lot of it) had Superman, in a grey uniform, leading the Justice League Extreme or something like that, and it came out before the cartoon with the same name. It featured a bunch of new heroes that looked decended from the original ones (the new Green Lantern was a little asian kid) but there was the original Superman. Also Terry had a hard time joining being as secretive as he was, and having a hassle dealing with the super powered cohorts (Batman is cool, but put him up with some of the super powered people like Superman and he becomes pretty lame, and that's why Justice League either forgets him, or has an entire episode with just him in it, otherwise he won't work out.). Also to note that Bruce Wayne has the Kryptonite chunk in Batman Beyond, hidden in a vault behind one of his older costumes in the cave, and that Superman has gone evil at least once before in the past (according to Bruce) and he had to use the Kryptonite then to subdue him then as well. It was a two parter episode so I never saw what happend.

Just had to chime in with some Dark Knight Returns badassedry:

"You sold us out, Clark. You sold all of us out. You always would. You'll listen to anyone with a flag or a badge, just like your parents taught you. It's not ENOUGH, Clark. My parents taught me a different lesson, spasming in the street in deep shock, dying for no reason at all."

Bruce. RULES.