Batman: Beyond the White Knight is an American comic book published by DC Comics under its Black Label imprint. The eight-issue limited series — written and illustrated by Sean Murphy, lettered by AndWorld Design and colored by Dave Stewart — began its monthly publication on March 29, 2022, and ended on February 14, 2023. It is the sequel to both Batman: White Knight (2017–18) and Batman: Curse of the White Knight (2019–20), and is also the fifth installment in Murphy's self-titled Murphyverse line. It is also an adaptation of the animated television series Batman Beyond (1999–2001), with the plot of the comic book being based on the original premise of the series.
Batman: Beyond the White Knight takes place 12 years after the events of the previous volume Curse of the White Knight, which ended with Bruce Wayne exposed as Batman to the general public and donating his entire fortune to the people of Gotham City, and then turning himself in to the police. Since that, the city has evolved into a futuristic megalopolis known as "Neo-Gotham". Following the murder of his father Warren, young Terry McGinnis — under the orders of his employer Derek Powers — steals a technologically advanced Batsuit to become the new Batman and avenge his father's death. At the same time, a middle-aged Bruce escapes from prison in an attempt to rid Neo-Gotham of Batman for good, all while a civil war slowly rages through the city and Powers transforms into the supervillain Blight.
Beyond the White Knight received critical acclaim from critics and readers alike, with praise for the comic's plot, dialogue and dynamics between characters, art style, and faithfulness to the source material. A two-issue limited series titled Batman: White Knight Presents: Red Hood — which serves as a prequel to Beyond the White Knight — began publication on August 2, 2022, and ended on the 23rd of the same month. A six-issue limited series titled Batman: White Knight Presents: Generation Joker — which serves as a follow-up to Beyond the White Knight — began publication in May 2023.
Synopsis Setting Batman: Beyond the White Knight occurs 12 years after the defeat of terrorist Jean-Paul Valley — also known as Azrael — at the hands of wealthy industrialist Bruce Wayne. Shortly before the latter surrenders to police custody after exposing his secret identity as the vigilante Batman to the public, Bruce voluntarily gives his fortune to the people of Gotham City by infusing the money into the city's budget, then dissolves and transforms his own company Wayne Enterprises into various nonprofit organizations, all with the aim of helping to renew the city and help the less fortunate. Bruce's actions, however, inadvertently led to him being put on trial after his former employee Derek Powers filed a lawsuit against him, which allowed Powers to successfully acquire all of the Wayne family's assets; this, in turn, permitted Powers to prevent the dissolution of Wayne Enterprises and become its new CEO, thereby rebranding the company as Wayne-Powers Enterprises and preventing any of the charitable organizations Bruce created from having any effect on the city.
Over the past 12 years, Powers has used much of Gotham's budget intended to help the city to instead fund the paramilitary police group known as the Gotham Terrorist Oppression Unit (GTO) — led by Commander Dick Grayson, Bruce's second adopted son and former crime-fighting partner Nightwing — providing it with a vast array of high-tech weapons and equipment such as armored uniforms and specialized combat vehicles, all stylized in the likeness of Batman. Although the GTO overconsumes Gotham's budget, a portion of the money was still used to tremendously evolve the city into a technologically advanced megalopolis that is currently known as "Neo-Gotham", which has become a GTO-controlled police state that is heavily monitored by surveillance cameras and where crime is virtually non-existent, although tax rates on homelessness, suicides and depression have increased. As a result, the once-vigilante Batgirl-turned-Commissioner Barbara Gordon and the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) have severed ties with the GTO and are staunchly opposed to it, with tensions between the two parties slowly building into a civil war in Neo-Gotham. In addition, Bruce continues to serve time at Stonegate Penitentiary, being closely watched by Captain Jason Todd, Bruce's first adopted son and former sidekick Robin, who currently operates as the brutal vigilante Red Hood.
Plot High school student Terry McGinnis is sent by his employer Powers to steal the Beyond suit — a "special" Batsuit created by Bruce years earlier when he was still Batman, but which he never got to wear because it was considered too dangerous — from a historic site where the ruins of Wayne Manor and the Batcave are located. Terry is soon discovered by the site guards and, to avoid getting caught, he dons the Beyond suit, allowing him to beat down the guards and flee the scene. At Stonegate, Bruce prevents Jason from being killed by a cult-like gang dedicated to the now-deceased Valley called the Sons of Azrael in the midst of a riot, which is forcibly stopped with the arrival of the GTO. While escorting him back to his cell, GTO officer Duke Thomas shows Bruce footage of Terry wearing the Beyond suit he stole, and Bruce deduces that Powers is the one behind the robbery. Meanwhile, after a fierce argument with her daughter Jackie Quinzel, reformed criminal and retired vigilante Harley Quinn discovers that she has run away from home and finds in Jackie's room classified documents regarding Harley's murder of the psychotic criminal known as the Joker. Back at Stonegate, Bruce reconciles with Jason before breaking out of prison to put an end to Powers' plans. Upon arriving in Neo-Gotham, Bruce comes across a seemingly resurrected Joker.
A month earlier, Dick and the GTO witness how Terry beats up the criminal known as Mr. Fixx for allegedly murdering Warren McGinnis, Terry's father and Powers' former employee and best friend. Dick then intervenes on Terry's behalf and, rather than taking him into custody, introduces him to Powers, who reveals to Terry that Fixx was hired to kill Warren. Learning of this fact, Terry agrees to work for Powers in exchange for his help in locating and exacting revenge on those responsible for Warren's death. In the present, the Joker in front of Bruce informs him that he is actually a consciousness-based A.I. of the real Joker's sane alter ego Jack Napier — Harley's late husband and father to Jackie and her twin brother Bryce Quinzel. The A.I., calling himself "Jack" and appearing to Bruce as a hologram only he can see, explains to him that he is being projected from a microchip inside Bruce's head that was previously inserted by the original Napier following Bruce's first apprehension by the GTO. At the GTO headquarters, Duke quits his job upon refusing to obey Dick's order to arrest Jason for letting Bruce escape. While wandering around Neo-Gotham, Bruce is confronted by Dick, who he manages to defeat and immobilize with Jack's help. Realizing that he lacks resources, Bruce sneaks into an old safe house of his to equip himself, but is approached by Harley, who has been given the house by him as a dwelling for her and her children. Much to Jack's confusion, Harley confesses to being married to Bruce.
Powers sends Terry to infiltrate several facilities around Neo-Gotham to steal various pieces of technology that Powers believes will help fix the malfunctioning Beyond suit, which he plans to use in a secret project he is working on. Powers later tells Terry that Bruce is the one who hired Fixx to kill Warren. At Harley's house, she explains that Powers was going to force her to testify against Bruce in the trial 12 years earlier, and that she married Bruce only because marital privileges would prevent that from happening while also revealing that her daughter is missing, most likely due to Derek Powers kidnapping her. Duke tries to rejoin the GCPD, but is turned down by Barbara, who instead gives him a Robin suit and requests that, as a vigilante, he assist Bruce in taking down Powers. Wearing a modified Batsuit, Bruce reveals to Napier that Powers had in the past deduced that his secret identity was Batman, but instead of revealing it publicly, Powers proposed that as long as Bruce continued to fund him, he would not only not reveal Bruce's identity, but also develop equipment to use in his crusade; albeit reluctantly, Bruce accepted Powers' proposal. Attempting to infiltrate the GCPD, Bruce encounters Terry, who — dressed as Batman — overpowers Bruce and tries to question him about his alleged role in Warren's death, but Duke appears as Robin to aid Bruce in fighting Terry, with the ensuing conflict between the three of them causing Bruce to fall off the roof where the fight was taking place and land on top of a car.
Jackie Quinzel is attacked by Azrael's gang, but is saved by Dick Grayson and takes her to Powers who wants her to help him find Bruce. Terry meets up with Powers and tells him that Bruce escaped with the help of Barbara Gordon and Duke Thomas. Barbara convinces Bruce to try to reason with Dick after revealing she and Dick had a child five years ago. Powers tells Terry that he is making him steal things so that Powers can create a militarized army based on Batman and shows Terry a video showing that Earth will soon be attacked. While sneaking in GTO, Duke is confronted by Dick and defeats him. While meeting with his mother, Terry recalls how his father would always distance himself from the family, and had a falling out with his father on the day he died, but not before Terry's dad telling him that Powers is insane and someone needs to stop him. Bruce and Napier meet a stray hound and call him Ace and restart a flying Batmobile.
Barbara calls Bruce and tells him that Warren McGinnis and Powers had a falling out, and they were working on a secret project. Bruce tries opening up a secret file after sneaking into Powers' building, but Jackie finds out. Batman manages to convince Jackie to stand down by telling her that her father (when he was Napier) was a good man, and Harley had to kill him to prevent Joker from coming out. Batman is attacked by the GTO and while trying to escape he meets Terry and Powers. Batman deduces Terry's identity and convinces him that Powers is bad, which causes Terry to cause an explosion. Bruce has a panic attack, so Napier takes over Bruce's body and escapes. They meet with Harley, where Napier (in Bruce's body) confesses his feelings to her.
The next morning, Bruce wakes up but Harley reassures Bruce that they did not have sex and she knew that Napier was controlling his body. Bruce tries to suppress his feelings from Harley, but Harley tells him that the reason he is having these panic attacks is because Bruce considers Batman his identity, and if he is afraid, then he is no longer Batman and is alone with nothing. Bruce talks to Napier, and make amends with him and Harley. Dick confronts Jason Todd, and they have a brawl in the middle of the street, which ends with Dick sending Jason to the Gotham City Police. Bruce meets with Dick who tells him that Powers is creating new weapons and had Terry's father killed when Warren threatened to go to the FBI. Bruce finally makes amends with Dick, and saves Dick when he is attacked by Powers and GTO after finding out Jackie knows the truth about Powers killing Terry's father. While Bruce is distracted, Dick jumps in front of a blast from Powers who turned into Blight.