"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 literally has cat eyes. She passes out business cards from the Chimera Institute, a company who can splice DNA with animals'. Terry's a little skeptical with the controversy amongst the crowd and it's mentioned that the city is trying to shut down the operations. Dana brushes off his concerns and tries encouraging him to keep an open mind. Later, in the Batcave, he and Bruce are watching a vidcast, in which Dr. Abel Cuvier, the head of the Chimera Institute, tries reassuring everyone that splicing is safe, reversible and beautiful. Bruce expresses concern, believing that there's going to be a bad problem started from splicing.
Next morning, Terry is scared out of bed by his brother Matt wearing a wolfman costume. As Terry chases his brother out of his room, the latter tries asking his mother if he can get spliced. His request is refused. Terry tries jokingly referring to Mary's tattoo from her "wild years", to which she insists is very different from "having antlers stuck on your head". Matt further teases Terry by saying that he's already a donkey. He is spared retaliation as Terry is late for school before Terry goes off.
On a vertical train, 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 that 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, proclaiming that splicing is the future, but Terry fights them, earning applause from the bystanders. As security comes in, the spliced teens promise that all will be spliced 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, demanding 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 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 some kind of DNA which Cuvier saved especially for him. After escaping, Batman starts to feel woozy. Though Dr. Cuvier attacks him with his claws, Batman gets out of the lab and flies to save 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”, that is, a mix of several animals (it is unclear which ones but he was shown to hold nine tubes at a certain point and now has a snake tail and an avian face). Cuvier's new mutated form 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. Afterward, 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. Terry, however, still refuses.
Continuity
- Though this may be Splicing's introduction to the general public, there have actually been several occurrences of it before. The first known incident was Kirk Langstrom becoming Man-Bat in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "On Leather Wings".
- Terry suggests to Dr. Cuvier to check himself into Arkham. Either the Asylum is still active or its reputation is still known.
- Terry would later refer to Ace as "good, bad dog" in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.
Background information
Home video releases
- Batman Beyond - Season Two (DVD)
- Batman Beyond - The Complete Series (DVD)
- Batman Beyond – Tech Wars and Disappearing Inque (DVD)
Production notes
- According to the episode commentary, Will Friedle was given a copy of the Batman: The Animated Series episode "On Leather Wings" to help his performance as another man-bat.
Production inconsistencies
- Throughout the episode, everyone mispronounces the word "Chimera", speaking it as it is written. Since the word is of Greek origin the pronunciation is different; a more accurate pronunciation of Chimera would be "KAI-mera".
Trivia
- Debut of Maxine Gibson.
- A portrait of James Gordon hangs over the fireplace in Sam and Barbara's library.
- Terry calls Ace "Wonder Dog"—an obvious reference to Ace the Wonder Dog, the German Shepherd that acted in several films and films from 1938 to 1946.
Cast
Quotes
Teenager: Splicing is like establishing myself as an individual, you know, just like all my friends! |
Dr. Cuvier: I want to assure everyone that splicing is safe, reversible, and more importantly, utterly beautiful. I was the first test subject, and as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. |
Matt: Hey Mom, can I get spliced? I want to be a real wolf man for Halloween! |
Terry: So will you petting zoo rejects be needing a doctor?... Or a vet? |
Batman: Look, wonder-dog, I don't like you, and you don't like me, but how 'bout cuttin' me a break this one time? Bad guy. You find, me stop. Got it? |
Ramrod: We tried to kill DA Young, but Batman... |
Batman: Good bad dog. |
(Batman has just shot a splicer with antidote which transmutes her back to normal) |
Dr. Cuvier: Look at me! The abilities of the entire animal kingdom are at my command! What can one blind little bat do against that? |
Batman: Don't touch my dog! |
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