C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L
T E R R A N C E W A R R E N M C G I N N I S ♦ P E R S O N A L A S S I S T A N T ♦ G O T H A M C I T Y ♦ W A Y N E E N T E R P R I S E S
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:
"The world needs a Batman."
A M A N D A W A L L E R
The Batman is an urban legend.
At least, this is what the majority of the world has believed since rumours of a giant bat-like creature preying on the superstitious and cowardly criminals of Gotham City began in the late sixties. Since that date, the rumours have persisted, if not grown as the entity known as the Batman began its caped crusade against the crime families of Gotham. A one-man army, the man beneath the cowl, the renowned billionaire playboy; Bruce Wayne, had spent most of his youth training his body and mind to avenge the death of his parents. Travelling the world, he accumulated the skills and talents required to wage his war before returning to Gotham to strike fear in the hearts of those who stood on the wrong side of the law. But Bruce Wayne was only a man, and men eventually become old.
A life of masquerading as a charming billionaire and a growling vigilante took a toll on the heir to the Wayne fortune and it eventually forced Bruce to retire his cape and cowl. However, fate would intervene as a young man named Terrance McGinnis was pursued by a gang onto the Wayne Estate grounds. Outnumbered, McGinnis was surprised to find himself aided by an elder man as Bruce Wayne successfully fended off the gangbangers become succumbing to the strain of the fight. Helping the older man back inside his home, Terry stumbled upon Wayne's secret.
Enraged by the young man's intrusion, Bruce banished Tery from his estate. It wasn't until Terry returned home after school to find his father murdered that he sought Bruce Wayne again. Pleading for the elder man's help, Terry appealed to Bruce not as a man but as Gotham's Dark Knight. Still, Bruce denied the young man and when Bruce had fallen asleep that night, Terry broke into the Batcave and stole a prototype Batsuit.
On that night, the Batman was reborn.
My story will pick up five years later, revolving around Terry's career as he transitions from not only being under Bruce's wing but also from a teenager into a young man. Due to the anachronisms in place by having Terry and Barbara operating at the same time, I will be cherry-picking from both Bruce's and Terry's rogue galleries as I tell a story of legacy in Gotham City.
C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:
While I had a solid story to tell with Namor, I struggled to stay above water with a character I honestly did not know enough about and was trying wholly to reinvent to fit a certain ideal I had projected onto him. With Terry McGinnis and the Batfamily as a whole however, I am far more versed in their stories, personalities, rogues and just Gotham in general. By doing Terry, I felt it would feel fresher than simply trying my hand at another version of Bruce which this game has already had two attempts at and additionally I couldn't likely do anything better than Master Bruce himself had done in UOU.
Instead, I opted to focus on a legacy and make Batman a character which spans the decades. This, of course, will lead to some anachronisms because of Terry operating as Batman while Barbara is still Batgirl, however, overall I feel it's a good fit for both the game and for me. As many of you are aware, Dick Grayson is my favourite character, however, I didn't feel as though he would be the right fit for the game especially with the Batman sized hole. Using Terry, he has enough similarities with Dick Grayson that I feel it allows me to scratch that itch while still playing a Batman and even being able to borrow from some of the Spider-Man feel due to where Terry is in his life compared how Bruce Wayne is traditionally portrayed.
The obvious influence of this story is Batman Beyond, but I'll also be drawing on The Batman, Batman: The Animated Series, Batman White Knight, Batman: Hush, Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, and The Nolan films. Additionally, I'll be looking at the newer DCAU films for inspiration and direction as they have a decent model for streamlining years of canon. Expect to see villains both familiar and redefined for this new continuity as I blend Terry's Neo-Gotham with the traditional city. Gotham has always been a city that transcends a definitive time era and this iteration will be no different.
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:
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▼ S E A S O N O N E S U P P O R T I N G C A S T:▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔◼ BRUCE WAYNE Ally, Mentor and CEO of Wayne Enterprises Speech Colour: #778899 - ◼ ACE Bruce Wayne's Most Trusted Ally Speech Colour: N/A - ◼ LUCAS FOX Head of R&D at FoxTech Speech Colour: TBD - ◼ MAXINE GIBSON Terry's best friend, Unrivaled Hacker Speech Colour: TBD - ◼ DANA TAN Terry's On and Off Again Girlfriend Speech Colour: #ADD8E6 - ◼ WARREN MCGINNIS Terry's Late Father Speech Colour: TBD - ◼ MARY MCGINNIS Terry's Mother Speech Colour: TBD - ◼ MATTHEW MCGINNIS Terry's Younger Brother Speech Colour: TBD - ▼ S E A S O N O N E A N T A G O N I S T S:▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔◼ TBD To Be Determined Speech Colour: TBD - | |
Location: The Cauldron - Gotham CitySample Post: Knight Time
Interaction(s): NonePreviously: None
There was no other city in the world that could even come close to rivalling Gotham's towering skyline. Despite the rotting underbelly, to an outside eye, the city appeared to be ever flourishing. Standing tall above her harbour, it was as though Gotham had run out of land to expand outwards upon and instead, every corporation had built upwards, placing another city atop the battered and used one that had come before it. The eternally illuminated logos of Wayne/Sionis, Fox, Powers and more reflected across the dancing, bordering waters of the Atlantic along the city's eastern seaboard. From within the city itself. the gaudy neon lights of the renovated downtown fought back the looming darkness of the night as the bright colours spilled into the air washing the city in an all-consuming luminescent glow.
Perched high above the busy streets below, a lone figure stood atop one of the city's trademark gargoyles. Winds wiped around the dark silhouette as the tall, pointed ears atop his cowl cast a long shadow against the building's mirrored surface. Raising a pair of fingers to the side of his cowl, the Batman spoke into his communications channel.
"No," He stated, "You hang up first." A smile crossed his face as the female voice on the other side of the line replied.
"C'mon Terry, I don't wanna hang up first." Dana mockingly pleaded, the tone of her voice sending a shiver of pleasure down Terry's spine. "Besides, how much later could Old Man Wayne keep you out for?" She asked, "What's a man his age doing out on the time this time of night anyways."
"Once a Gotham's most eligible bachelor, always Gotham's most eligible bachelor I guess." Terry replied, a small smirk crossing his face beneath the cowl.
"But, Babe! My roommate is in Metropolis for the weekend..." Dana's voice trailed off as Terry heard her lay down on the bed. Air exhaled from behind her pursed lips as she intentionally voiced her 'frustrations' before speaking again. "I'm all alone for the whole weekend, Terry."
"Well it's been a quiet night, so maybe Mister Wayne will let me off early-" No sooner had the words left his mouth then did Terry hear a second communications channel crackle to life in his ear.
"McGinnis!" The gravelly voice of Bruce Wayne snapped in his ear as Terry quickly muted his conversation with Dana and turned his attention to the former Batman. "I hate to interrupt, but the silent alarm at FoxTech was just tripped." Bruce stated, as Terry inwardly groaned. "I'd consider it a personal favour if you looked into it."
Dana's gonna kill me.
"I'm on it," Terry replied pushing his thoughts aside and raising his hand to cut his call with Dana short. Bracing for her reaction, Terry was stopped as Bruce to interjected again.
"And McGinnis," The older man began, "If it's nothing the security team can't handle, take the rest of the night off."
"Yes, Sir!" Terry replied as the newest Dark Knight jumped from his perch, the wings expanding from the back of his suit, carrying him off into the night towards Fox's towering facility.
A list linking to your IC posts as they're created. This can be used for a reference guide to your character or to summarize completed arcs and stories.