"Terror in the Sky" is the forty-fifth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. It originally aired on Fox Kids in the United States on November 12, 1992.
Synopsis[]
On a dark winter night in Gotham, a couple dockworkers are suddenly assaulted by a giant bat creature that is very interested in the fruit that they are loading. After gorging itself on some choice pieces, it takes off into the skies and returns home.
Dr. Kirk Langstrom awakens in a panic, disturbed by his nightmares. His wife, Francine, asks him what is wrong but he says it's nothing. However, when he heads for the window, he finds the remains of some of the fruit the Man-Bat had eaten along with some rather large claw marks on the carpet.
The dockworkers explain the attack to some rather skeptical police, but Batman is listening in, and knows exactly what they are talking about. He heads out to confront Dr. Langstrom.
That morning, Francine finds the torn-up rug in the garbage and realizes what's going on. She goes to ask her father, Dr. March, about Kirk, and he tells her that Kirk has been in the lab since morning. Francine confronts Kirk, who is working on a formula that he claims is a cure. Batman arrives, and Kirk continues to deny that he's deliberately turning into the Man-Bat, blaming Batman for failing to properly cure him. Unable to take the stress, Francine runs from the room while Batman takes a DNA sample from Kirk to confirm if he's telling the truth.
Outside, Batman is attacked by the Man-Bat. This creature has a distinctive advantage over Batman, and he is forced to flee on the Batcycle. In the subway, Batman eventually manages to snag the Man-Bat with his grapple, but it's too strong and the Batcycle is destroyed by a train. Fortunately, he has managed to get a hair sample, which is all he needs to run his tests.
Meanwhile, Francine has left Kirk, who is desperately making calls to the airport. Batman arrives and tells him that his tests have proven that Kirk was in fact cured and that this is a new Man-Bat. Kirk tries to figure out who it is, but Batman tells him to focus on getting Francine back.
Batman goes to March's lab and opens his file cabinet. March appears behind him aiming at a tranquilizer rifle. March admits that he continued Kirk's research since he still believes that only a man/bat hybrid will be able to survive the planet's next evolutionary cataclysm. The new serum he's created could be even more powerful than Kirk's, though March doesn't know for sure, since he hasn't been the one taking it. Batman disarms him and demands to know who has. March remembers working late to refine the formula, but Francine walked in on him. To his surprise, he dropped the glass beaker containing the new formula onto the floor. Francine, blissfully ignorant of his experiments, helped him to clean up, but a shard of glass from the beaker pricked her finger...in horrified realization, March realizes that Francine has been injected with the serum and is the one now wreaking havoc as the "man"-bat. In anger, Batman removes the file with March's research notes from the cabinet and throws them at his feet, asking if he is truly willing to let his own daughter die before he ends the madness, then leaves to track down Francine.
Later, alone in the lab, March silently touches a lit match to his file and drops it into a wastebasket to burn.
During the flight, Francine admits to the attendant that she's not feeling well and asks for some aspirin. Unbeknownst to her, Kirk is on the plane and asks her to come home, claiming that it can be proved that he's not the Man-Bat. Francine agrees and starts to embrace her husband, but she's struck by another attack and runs into the bathroom where she transforms. Unhappy with the confinement, she breaks through the plane door causing the cabin to depressurize. Kirk is sucked out of the cabin and Francine dives after him. Batman, aboard the Batwing, cannot yet interfere as a stewardess is also sucked from the plane and he has to save her. Once the stewardess is safe aboard the plane and it has been properly closed, Batman goes after Francine.
Francine, who is carrying her unconscious husband, is unhappy to see Batman following her. She flies to the top of the Gotham Bridge Tower where Batman confronts her and shoots her with the antidote, but it doesn't work. Francine attacks him and in the fight, Batman is nearly forced off the tower but manages to climb back on and shoots Francine with another dosage of the serum. This second injection also seems to be ineffective, but at last, it takes effect and Francine returns to her normal self. Disoriented, she almost falls from the tower, but Kirk manages to save her, vowing not to let her go.
Cast[]
- Kevin Conroy as Batman
- Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred
- Rene Auberjonois as Dr. March
- Meredith MacRae as Francine
- Pat Musick as Flight Attendant
- Peter Renaday as 2nd Longshoreman
- Marc Singer as Dr. Langstrom
Gallery[]
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External links[]
- "Terror in the Sky" at Batman: The Animated Series Wiki
- "Terror in the Sky" at DC Animated Universe Wiki
- "Terror in the Sky" at IMDb