"Splicers" is the first episode of the second season of Batman Beyond. It depicts the trouble Gotham faces when a new fad arrives in the form of "Splicing." After a scientist, Dr. Abel Cuvier introduces a system of combining animal DNA with human DNA; it becomes a trend amongst the people of Gotham. However, D.A. Sam Young works to outlaw the practice and is marked for death by Cuvier. Now Batman must deal with people enhanced with animal capabilities
Plot
Out at Hamilton Hill High School students excitedly crowd around Chelsea eager to see her new decoration. She removes her sunglasses and reveals that she now has cat's eyes, literally. This creates controversy amongst the crowd and it's mentioned that the city is trying to shut down the operations. Later, Bruce expresses concern believing that there's going to be a bad problem started from splicing.
A newscast shows that D.A. Sam Young is working to stop the practice of splicing as it causes an increase in aggressive behavior. As if to drive the point home, a teenager, who has been spliced with ram DNA, slams the television screen. Another teen who has been spliced with snake DNA then joins him. They stir up some trouble but Terry stops them and they run off causing trouble along the way.
Looking to investigate, Terry takes Dana to the Chimera Institute. While she is shown the possibilities, Terry notices that the two teenagers that he faced earlier have arrived and demand to see Dr. Cuvier. In his lab, Dr. Cuvier decides that he won't allow his practice to die and sends his thugs to kill Sam Young. Batman watches but Tigress detects his smell and they capture him.
Batman wakes up a bit later but is unable to prevent himself from being injected with come kind of DNA. After escaping Batman starts to feel woozy and though Dr. Cuvier attacks him with his claws, Batman gets out of the lab and seeks to save Sam Young.
Out at Sam's house, Barbara tells Sam he should relax but he is determined to put Dr. Cuvier out of commission. The three spliced thugs arrive and attack. Barbara is able to fight off Tigress but she and Sam are soon captured. Fortunately, Batman arrives and attacks the thugs. Strangely, he says nothing and only growls. He violently attacks the thugs and starts foaming at the mouth. Realizing that he's becoming too great a danger, he leaves the house in a hurry.
Barbara calls up Bruce and tries to warn him of Terry's condition but it's too late. Terry arrives now greatly resembling the Man-Bat. Ace desperately attacks him and is hurled away. Terry then attacks Bruce who only manages to escape thanks to Ace's intervention. After escaping, Bruce hits him with a dart filled with the cure for Splicing.
When Terry awakens, he learns that Cuvier spliced him with an overdose of vampire bat serum and that Sam survived the attack. Now that Cuvier has made an act of aggression he's wanted by the law but has gone into hiding. Bruce deduces that Cuvier will be more dangerous now and they need to stop him. He then notices that Terry still has one of Cuvier's claws stuck in his body.
Using the claw to keep Cuvier's scent, Batman has Ace track the evil doctor to a taxidermy facility. Once again, Tigress detects his smell and the thugs attack. Batman fights them, while Dr. Cuvier injects himself with several doses of DNA. After a short fight, Batman manages to cure his attackers and heads out to face Dr. Cuvier.
However, when Batman reaches him, he discovers that Cuvier has further mutated himself into what he claims to be a “true chimera” (presumably he spliced himself with hawk, tiger, snake DNA). In his new mutated form Cuvier proves to be a formidable opponent but Batman grabs several more tubes of DNA and injects them into his enemy. Dr. Cuvier mutates even further into a giant creature that no longer resembles any living being. Now even stronger, he captures Batman and prepares to eat him, but Ace intervenes. Unfortunately, Ace is also captured by the creature but Batman manages to save him. Afterwards, the creature hits a power cable and ignites some gasoline. He is presumably killed by the ensuing explosion.
Later, Barbara thanks Terry for his help but advises that he give up being Batman to avoid a thankless existence and small rewards. Terry, however, still refuses stating that sometimes the small rewards are the best ones as he and Ace have finally gained each other's respect.
Cast
- Will Friedle as Terry McGinnis / Batman
- Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne
- Ian Buchanan as Dr. Cuvier
- Cree Summer as Max Gibson / Tigress
- Ice T as Ramrod
- Tim Dang as King Cobra
- Stockard Channing as Barbara Gordon
- Paul Winfield as Sam Young
- Yvette Lowenthal as Chelsea
- Lauren Tom as Dana
- Teri Garr as Mary McGinnis
- Ryan O'Donohue as Matt McGinnis
- Mark Jonathan Davis as Virtual Newsman
Trivia
- Batman's splicing made him quite similar to the character Manbat, a possible homage by the writers.
Credits
- Written by Evan Dorkin and Sara Dyer
- Directed by Curt Geda
- Music by Michael McCuistion
- Animation by Koko Enterprise Co., LTD., Dong Yang Animation Co., LTD.
Gallery
| Previous episode: | Next episode: |
| Ascension | Earth Mover |