SEASON NUMBER: 1

EPISODE NUMBER: 01

PRODUCTION CODE: 101

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: January 10th, 1999 (season premiere)

PLOT SUMMARY:
The episode opens with a look at the past as Bruce Wayne as Batman rescues the kidnapped Bunny Vreeland, daughter of his ex-girlfriend Veronica Vreeland. In his late fifties, Batman experiences a heart attack and is forced to pull a gun on an attacking thug in order to save himself. Back at the cave, a tired Bruce Wayne retires his costume and vows an end to his crimefighting.

Twenty years later, in what is supposed to be the mid twenty first century, we're introduced to a new Gotham. Running Gotham's financial scene is tycoon Derek Powers of Powers Technology. After a Power's Technology employee named Warren McGinnis stumbles onto a biological weapon scheme ran by Powers, he soon winds up dead. While the authorities blame the Jokerz gang, Warren's son Terry thinks otherwise. After a run in with the Jokerz, Terry is rescued by a now aged Bruce Wayne, and soon finds out his past alter ego as the Batman. Although Wayne ran him away, Terry comes back to ask for help on his father's murder. Thinking the corruption might reach as high as Wayne's company, Terry hopes that Wayne will hear him out. But with Batman being a thing of the past, what hope does Wayne have in avenging Terry's father's death?

QUOTES:
"Ever since I was a kid, big bad Batman's always been making life hard for guys like me." -Thug

"Never again." -Bruce Wayne

"I give you funny, you give me money!" -Jokerz Thug

"Evening boys and girls, who's up for some laughs?" -Jokerz Leader

"You're no Batman, you wacked out old fraud!" -Terry McGinnis

INTERESTING NOTES:
-The Jokerz leader was voiced by producer Bruce Timm.

-A shot was cut where the thug hits Batman with a wrench at the beginning, deemed "too violent".

-In the Batcave, Terry and Bruce's faces were supposed to be colored gray, but due to accidental color correction the colors came out being more flesh-like.

-Bruce's dog Ace was initially a german shepherd, but was redesigned into a rottweiler/great dane mix.

STORY BY: Alan Burnett

WRITEEN BY: Alan Burnett and Paul Dini

DIRECTED BY: Curt Geda

VOICES:
Terry McGinnis - Will Friedle
Bruce Wayne - Kevin Conroy
Derek Powers - Sherman Howard
Warren McGinnis - Michael Gross
Mary McGinnis - Teri Garr
Matt McGinnis - Ryan O'Donohue
Harry Tulley - Sam McMurray
Mr. Fixx - George Takei
Jokerz Leader - Bruce Timm
Jokerz Thug - Marc Wordon
Dana Tan - Lauren Tom
Nelson Nash - Seth Green
Kidnapper - Rino Romano
Anchor Woman - CHH Pounder
Virtual Newsman - Jack Roth
Coach - Clyde Kusatsu

SCREEN GRABS: