In 2019, Bruce Wayne, the original Batman, retires due to failing health when his rescue of a kidnapped woman nearly goes wrong and he must resort to almost using a gun—the ultimate sin in his eyes. Twenty years later in 2039, Terrence "Terry" McGinnis discovers Batman's identity after the aging Bruce Wayne helps him fight off a gang of Jokerz (street punks enamored by the original Clown Prince of Crime). After Terry's father is murdered, Terry seeks Bruce's help to avenge him.

Terry steals the Batsuit to pursue his father's killer, a professional bodyguard named Mr. Fixx (George Takei), whose employer, Derek Powers (Sherman Howard), the current CEO of Wayne-Powers, is secretly using the company's resources to develop a biological weapon. Bruce Wayne, discovering the theft, deactivates the suit, but when seeing the now-helpless Terry being punched out reactivates it so he can continue pursuing Fixx, and in the end Wayne appears at Terry's house to hire him as a "special assistant."

Terry discovers how hard his new job as Batman is when he squares off against his first super-powered foe, Inque -- a shape-shifting woman sabotaging Foxteca for Derek Powers. Things go from bad to worse when he accidentally leads her right into the Batcave. Stockard Channing and Shannon Kenny make their first appearances as Commissioner Barbara Gordon and Inque.

Willie Watt, a nebbishy student at Terry's high school, is pushed around by everyone -- including his construction-worker dad, who insists that he needs to toughen up. Aching for revenge against Nelson, the jock that torments him, Willie steals a remote-controlled heavy-lifting robot (or "golem"), and rampages through Gotham. Batman stops the Golem quickly, but as a result of the fight he gains the power to control the golem mentally -- much to Nelson's dismay.

Derek Powers' body is continuing to deteriorate. Desperate, he has Victor Fries (Mr. Freeze) revived, and creates a new body for him under the pretense of medical research. Finally cured, Fries is repentant, but Bruce Wayne doesn't trust him. Batman halfheartedly shadows Freeze, convinced that he has reformed. But how long can he stay reformed once he discovers that Powers is using him?

The Terrific Trio, a group of scientists who became superheroes after gaining powers in an experiment gone awry, make their way into Gotham and become media sensations. But Magma, Freon, and 2-D Man soon learn that the accident that gave them their powers was not really an accident. The Trio are inspired by the Fantastic Four, with 2D Man being Mr. Fantastic, Magma being a combination of the Thing and the Human Torch, and Freon can spread her molecules apart to the point where she becomes hard to see, and her ice beams can form protective shields, making her analogous to the Invisible Woman.

Max Shreeve, a sound engineer working for Derek Powers, develops a suit that amplifies sound waves into awesomely destructive force. Powers is uninterested in the suit until Bruce Wayne interferes with his plans for Wayne-Powers once too often. On Powers' orders, Shreeve makes an attempt on Wayne's life, taking the name Shriek. Chris Mulkey makes his first appearance as the voice of Shriek.

Terry must deal with both his rejection by his girlfriend, Dana, and a group of Bruce's old enemies, the Royal Flush Gang, who pattern themselves after playing card ranks. Things look up for Terry when he meets a girl named Melanie who seems to share his problems.

Terry's late nights as Batman are starting to take a toll on his personal life when he can barely stay awake during the day. When he discovers that several jocks are using "slappers" -- patches that deliver the super-steroid Venom -- he investigates, only for his mother to catch him carrying the drugs. Then he has to find a way to stop the flow of Venom into Gotham and clear his name, all while being grounded.

Gotham's teenagers fall prey to the "evil eye" mind control techniques of a mysterious villian named Spellbinder, who causes them to hallucinate and do his bidding as unwitting accomplices. How can Batman defeat a foe who can control what he sees, hears, and feels? Jon Cypher makes his first appearance as the voice of Spellbinder.

When Aaron, Inque's caretaker, is fired because of his infatuation with her, he cuts the power to her restraints. Injured and unable to regain her human form, she tries to coerce him to help her until he proves quite willing -- so long as she can make him like her. When Batman tries to stop her, she captures him and uses him as bait to lure Bruce Wayne into a trap.

Sam Young, Gotham's district attorney and Commissioner Barbara Gordon's husband, is targeted for assassination by Curaré, a silent and deadly member of the Society of Assassins. Armed with a molecule-thin sword that can slice through anything, she presents a formidable enough challenge for Barbara to reveal to Terry that she knows he's Batman. As the former Batgirl, she warns him that he should quit being Batman while he can. Paul Winfield makes his first appearance as the voice of D.A. Sam Young.

Batman is becoming increasingly frustrated with Blight, Derek Powers' radioactive form. Powers is also frustrated as he wrestles with controlling his power, and puts his son Paxton in charge of Wayne-Powers. His identity as Blight is revealed moments later, and he goes into hiding until he can find a way out of the city. Paxton begs Batman to help capture his father, and he warily agrees. Terry wants Blight to pay for murdering his father, and Paxton may have other plans -- but who is double-crossing whom?