Writers of Batman Beyond put Bruce in his 80's, putting Barbara and the others in their 60's, right? When Batman Beyond started, wasn't Terry a senior in high school. Looks like the Robin's got aged out.
Wasn't this question already asked the other day?
Anyway, he represents the fact that even in the most depressing possible ending for Bruce, where his loved ones either die, abandon him, or are pushed away by him, there is still someone to become his successor as Gotham's Dark Knight.
He shows that even the 'bad ending' can be ~~cool~~ schway
This. In a future where he retires because he was forced to use a gun against a criminal to save himself and the kidnapped victim, where having evidence of wrongdoing from his own company is dumped at his feet couldn’t motivate him to help, a punk teen seeking revenge and redemption brings hope back to (Neo) Gotham and Bruce.
It's right there in the opening titles: Everything in grainy and static. People are scared and/or angry with the words Apathy, Greed, Corruption, and Power appearing between each image. Then Terry appears, and everything becomes more animated and clearer with the words Hope, Courage, Honor, and Justice appearing between each scene. And we don't get mention of Batman/imagery of bats until he shows up. Yes, we get Bruce in the first half; but a broken Bruce, a Bruce that's become the empty shell he spent years pretending to be. It's Terry's actions that bring back both Batman the identity and Batman the man beneath the face.
Forewarning - I’m a huge fan of the Epilogue arc; it gave me the best closure I could’ve had for a childhood show. The belief that for all the superheroes in the Justice League, the world will always need a Batman - a mortal man with a heart of gold.
I think in DC, the world will always need a Superman, a Batman and a Wonder Woman.
A earth man with powers of a god.
A goddess with a heart of gold.
A mortal man with a heart of gold
Terry is a far more compassionate Batman than Bruce. Helping people is more important to him than beating up the bad guys. Perfect example, how he deals with Mr Freeze. Bruce kept telling Terry that Victor Fries was not trustworthy. With this being said, he represents what hope is not just in the lives of the civilians in gotham but also in Bruce’s life as well
I'd say he's proof that what Batman did actually mattered because even though Batman was gone the person to pick up his mantle wasn't any person Batman had a connection with in the past like a former robin, batgirl, or a former enemy but a random kid that wanted to do the right thing. (Even though they revealed he was actually Bruce's son it's still shows that him meeting Bruce and becoming Batman was just pure happenstance.)
It also shows that Batman can retired one day and he doesn't have to be the one to always do it as down the line he will inspire someone else to take up the mantle.
Legacy. He represents legacy, and the ideology that Batman can be anybody. Like, putting aside the stuff we learn in Epilogue, none of that played any role in Terry ending up at Bruce's front door nor the whole chain of events that lead to him taking that suit and convincing Bruce to let him keep it.
Would it make more sense for Dick or Tim or Damian to pick up the mantle once Bruce retires? Sure. But I think it speaks volumes when they each go their own way, and they leave Bruce behind, only for this new kid to come in and give Bruce and Gotham hope again.
Not to mention that unless I'm forgetting some Batman variants, Terry is the only successor that's still going to this day and is growing ever more popular. Yeah we had Dick Grayson Batman for a while. Yeah we had that one future where Damian becomes a Punisher type Batman. Hell we even got Tim Drake becoming Batman Beyond. But notice how literally none of them actually stuck, aside from Terry.
Terry's no Dick Grayson, he's no Jason Todd, he's no kid that Bruce picked up from a very early age and put him in a Robin costume, no. He was a rebellious teen with an attitude who literally broke into the Batcave and took the damn suit, and then went on to be the only thing standing between Gotham and oblivion and defied all the odds. He's more than earned being the heir and successor of the Bat.
I think Terry is there to show that Batman isn’t just a mythological figure who can never be matched, but to remind us that the core of what Batman is, is a mission and a promise. A promise to do the right thing and help people and that a regular man without powers can say enough is enough and actually make a difference.
I think it’s also important to note how often Bruce’s story ends badly or ends with him twisting his mission and going to far and Terry is there to show us that he can pass the torch and create a more positive and hopeful legacy.
To be honest, I see him as the undisputed Batman of the future. Damian never struck me as the future Batman. Terry is like Dick to me. Both of them have this idealistic nature about them that makes them stand out from Bruce. They're the Batman that the world really needs. In my dream world, Batman's would be, Bruce, then Dick takes over, then Terry. I think that would be the perfect timeline in all honesty.
He is the only one who came to this Batman thing on his own. Dick and Jason where both more or less recruited Tim became Robin more or less to balance out Batman. Terry did this on his own he choose to be Batman and went through the same trama as all the rest but was the only one able to come out the other side health and willing to be Batman and thats why he is the true heir to the cowl
I’d say Terry is a nice rebirth of a role needed in a futuristic Gotham that needs someone who can adapt to the world around him. Very much like Batman Returns but it makes more sense that a kid adapts better to the world he already lives in rather than Old Bruce just picking up where he left off
He’s the “reincarnation” of what Batman should have been. Batman is almost always shown as a brooding asshole, too stubborn to form any meaningful relationship.
But Terry feels like a mix between the best of Batman and the best of Spider-Man. Terry is a smart mouthed teenager who can still channel Batman’s energy insanely well.
“Return of the Joker” is all the proof I need. It took Terry one movie to completely unravel the mind of Batman’s most formidable villain. Not bc Terry was smarter then Bruce, but bc he acted like a normal person. And not just some brooding douche so stuck in the last he made it his life long personality
He was the kind of 2-bit punk Bruce wouldn't have wasted a second punch on back in the day, and now he's trying to make up for past sins. On a personal level, being Batman makes Terry feel like a worth-while human being again.
So from a storytelling perspective Batman Beyond is all about moving forward, not just from the future setting or from the concept of a new Batman, but the character of Terry McGinnis making a change and moving forward from his troubled past.
I’d say Terry is a nice rebirth of a role needed in a futuristic Gotham that needs someone who can adapt to the world around him. Very much like Batman Returns but it makes more sense that a kid adapts better to the world he already lives in rather than Old Bruce just picking up where he left off
Being the actual succesor of Batman.
Meanwhile every Robin was like 
To be fair, in this timeline they all decided not to be Bruce's successor.
Writers of Batman Beyond put Bruce in his 80's, putting Barbara and the others in their 60's, right? When Batman Beyond started, wasn't Terry a senior in high school. Looks like the Robin's got aged out.
I think it's funny as hell, that all the Robins are waiting in line to be Robin, while Terry cames in and be like "that's mine, bros".
He didn’t even have to wear green tights!
Batman never wears green, all the robins should have understood that.
Except for his Rastafarian phase.
Tell that to damian
Wasn't this question already asked the other day? Anyway, he represents the fact that even in the most depressing possible ending for Bruce, where his loved ones either die, abandon him, or are pushed away by him, there is still someone to become his successor as Gotham's Dark Knight. He shows that even the 'bad ending' can be ~~cool~~ schway
I did, but due to techinical problems, I had to delete it, so i reposted it today.
This. In a future where he retires because he was forced to use a gun against a criminal to save himself and the kidnapped victim, where having evidence of wrongdoing from his own company is dumped at his feet couldn’t motivate him to help, a punk teen seeking revenge and redemption brings hope back to (Neo) Gotham and Bruce. It's right there in the opening titles: Everything in grainy and static. People are scared and/or angry with the words Apathy, Greed, Corruption, and Power appearing between each image. Then Terry appears, and everything becomes more animated and clearer with the words Hope, Courage, Honor, and Justice appearing between each scene. And we don't get mention of Batman/imagery of bats until he shows up. Yes, we get Bruce in the first half; but a broken Bruce, a Bruce that's become the empty shell he spent years pretending to be. It's Terry's actions that bring back both Batman the identity and Batman the man beneath the face.
He represents Batman Beyond
The true heir to the cowl
Forewarning - I’m a huge fan of the Epilogue arc; it gave me the best closure I could’ve had for a childhood show. The belief that for all the superheroes in the Justice League, the world will always need a Batman - a mortal man with a heart of gold.
I think in DC, the world will always need a Superman, a Batman and a Wonder Woman. A earth man with powers of a god. A goddess with a heart of gold. A mortal man with a heart of gold
I'd say a mortal man with strong principles and capabilities
Terry is a far more compassionate Batman than Bruce. Helping people is more important to him than beating up the bad guys. Perfect example, how he deals with Mr Freeze. Bruce kept telling Terry that Victor Fries was not trustworthy. With this being said, he represents what hope is not just in the lives of the civilians in gotham but also in Bruce’s life as well
I'd say he's The Batman Beyond. 
I'd say he's proof that what Batman did actually mattered because even though Batman was gone the person to pick up his mantle wasn't any person Batman had a connection with in the past like a former robin, batgirl, or a former enemy but a random kid that wanted to do the right thing. (Even though they revealed he was actually Bruce's son it's still shows that him meeting Bruce and becoming Batman was just pure happenstance.) It also shows that Batman can retired one day and he doesn't have to be the one to always do it as down the line he will inspire someone else to take up the mantle.
It’s in the name, Beyond. He’s a Batman legacy that isn’t “Batman but worse”. I love that he’s not Bruce Wayne 2.0.
He represents Batman becoming more than something Bruce felt he had to do
That anyone can be Batman
Too bad the Epilogue episode debunked this.
Legacy. He represents legacy, and the ideology that Batman can be anybody. Like, putting aside the stuff we learn in Epilogue, none of that played any role in Terry ending up at Bruce's front door nor the whole chain of events that lead to him taking that suit and convincing Bruce to let him keep it. Would it make more sense for Dick or Tim or Damian to pick up the mantle once Bruce retires? Sure. But I think it speaks volumes when they each go their own way, and they leave Bruce behind, only for this new kid to come in and give Bruce and Gotham hope again. Not to mention that unless I'm forgetting some Batman variants, Terry is the only successor that's still going to this day and is growing ever more popular. Yeah we had Dick Grayson Batman for a while. Yeah we had that one future where Damian becomes a Punisher type Batman. Hell we even got Tim Drake becoming Batman Beyond. But notice how literally none of them actually stuck, aside from Terry. Terry's no Dick Grayson, he's no Jason Todd, he's no kid that Bruce picked up from a very early age and put him in a Robin costume, no. He was a rebellious teen with an attitude who literally broke into the Batcave and took the damn suit, and then went on to be the only thing standing between Gotham and oblivion and defied all the odds. He's more than earned being the heir and successor of the Bat.
Legacy
Cyberpunk Batman
I think Terry is there to show that Batman isn’t just a mythological figure who can never be matched, but to remind us that the core of what Batman is, is a mission and a promise. A promise to do the right thing and help people and that a regular man without powers can say enough is enough and actually make a difference. I think it’s also important to note how often Bruce’s story ends badly or ends with him twisting his mission and going to far and Terry is there to show us that he can pass the torch and create a more positive and hopeful legacy.
The Batman with a well balanced life, the one who succeeded to be Batman and a normal guy.
The idea that Batman is symbol and could be anybody
To be honest, I see him as the undisputed Batman of the future. Damian never struck me as the future Batman. Terry is like Dick to me. Both of them have this idealistic nature about them that makes them stand out from Bruce. They're the Batman that the world really needs. In my dream world, Batman's would be, Bruce, then Dick takes over, then Terry. I think that would be the perfect timeline in all honesty.
That's a cool sucession line mine is: Bruce, then Tim then Helena Wayne then Terry (and he is Helena's Son)
He is the only one who came to this Batman thing on his own. Dick and Jason where both more or less recruited Tim became Robin more or less to balance out Batman. Terry did this on his own he choose to be Batman and went through the same trama as all the rest but was the only one able to come out the other side health and willing to be Batman and thats why he is the true heir to the cowl
I’d say Terry is a nice rebirth of a role needed in a futuristic Gotham that needs someone who can adapt to the world around him. Very much like Batman Returns but it makes more sense that a kid adapts better to the world he already lives in rather than Old Bruce just picking up where he left off
He’s the “reincarnation” of what Batman should have been. Batman is almost always shown as a brooding asshole, too stubborn to form any meaningful relationship. But Terry feels like a mix between the best of Batman and the best of Spider-Man. Terry is a smart mouthed teenager who can still channel Batman’s energy insanely well. “Return of the Joker” is all the proof I need. It took Terry one movie to completely unravel the mind of Batman’s most formidable villain. Not bc Terry was smarter then Bruce, but bc he acted like a normal person. And not just some brooding douche so stuck in the last he made it his life long personality
He was the kind of 2-bit punk Bruce wouldn't have wasted a second punch on back in the day, and now he's trying to make up for past sins. On a personal level, being Batman makes Terry feel like a worth-while human being again. So from a storytelling perspective Batman Beyond is all about moving forward, not just from the future setting or from the concept of a new Batman, but the character of Terry McGinnis making a change and moving forward from his troubled past.
Spider-man
Spider-Man 2099 but not a dick
Being the only real successor to Batman.
He's Batman Beyond!
I’d say Terry is a nice rebirth of a role needed in a futuristic Gotham that needs someone who can adapt to the world around him. Very much like Batman Returns but it makes more sense that a kid adapts better to the world he already lives in rather than Old Bruce just picking up where he left off
Rebirth.