User Reviews

I find this to be among the saddest episodes of Batman Beyond's first season, because so many people face a tragic end without even asking for it in the first place.

The titular heroes in this episode were accidentally made what they due to being exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation. Their DNA eventually mutates and make them dangerous to everyone around them and they end up being chased by the army to be eliminated.

Yes, they discover about their worsening conditions and try to take down the one responsible person, but end up being defeated by Batman maybe without any hope of getting any help. The episode ends on a very bleak note, indeed.

Terry literally kills them with no remorse and let the guy who caused it off scott free. after they were harassed, turned into monsters they then get killed by the hero in GRUESOME painful ways.they literally scream while dying at the end.

extremely strange episode. they had every right to be angry, they even helped people. its so strange that terry had so much empathy for the physco mr freeze whom he tried to save the episode before but literally none for these heroes. he didnt even attempt to save them only to attack and kill em.

they deserved better and the people who caused them that deserved something 2. also im not a fan of the pacing of this show the first episode or 2 was cool but im not a fan at how quickly batman and terry became buddy buddy. also at howterry is naturally skilled

Heroes might be one of the most heartwrenching stories in Batman Beyond. It was the story I remembered most from watching Batman Beyond as a kid, and upon hearing the show was based on a comic, I relished the thought of reading the original arc to see what they left out.

Except... that original arc doesn't exist. This is it. 22 minutes, sans ads.

It's impossible. Infuriating. "Heroes" moves at breathless, breakneck speed. These characters are likable, memorable, oozing with personality--but there's almost no chance to really sit with any of them.

Weeks, months are implied to pass between scenes. Character arcs have been sharpened down to the finest possible edge--it feels like each character only gets a dozen or so lines in the entire episode. There's a lot to be said for minimalism in art, but the story had to be tortured to fit into a timeslot this small.

The setpiece fight of the episode is a US general launching an all-out invasion on a skyscraper in the middle of a major American city, attempting to cover up his conspiracy to turn a group of people into living weapons without their knowledge or consent. The kind of crime that would make some of the Rogue's Gallery blush.

None of the actual consequences of this are even hinted at. The ending left my jaw on the floor. "That's it?! He just leaves?!" There are no answers about what happens to the manipulative friend, or to the general, or to what Terry will do to try and bring justice to the perpetrators. It seems to imply that all three of the trio are permanently dead, which feels very, very at odds with Batman's so-called 'no killing' rule.

And I guess that has a meaning all it's own. The story feels brief, nihilistic and shocking, because that's probably how it felt to the Trio. Their entire lives, changed and then completely ruined in the blink of an eye. Lacking in meaning, resolution, or justice.

But I wish that wasn't all we were left with. This has the bones of a truly great story. It just couldn't afford to add anything else. This should have been a two-parter, at minimum, with about half as many action scenes and twice as many character scenes.

This story desperately needs a full-length comic adaptation. I'm unable to give it a number rating, because I'm not sure whether to give it a 10 for what I wish it was, or a 1 for how sad its limitations make me.