Inque: A Seductive Monster | Batman Beyond

[@SerumLake]

Special thanks to channel members: RB-AfterDark Studios Sam Dubiner Elata Vasch Sketch Screen BobaFlett Bardock2003! chris rochefort Graham Brown James Fullerton Eduardo Azevedo Sam B Meth0Moth SWIFTO_SCYTHE David Huber Channel membership costs 1.99 per month and gets you early access to the next video essay, priority responses to your comments, regular members only videos, custom emojis (like the ones above), and an icon on your profile to let the world know that you're a member of my channel.

[@SerumLake]

and welcome to the newest member: Heresor

[@obithegamer]

NO WAY BARDOCK?!?!

[@peternguyen7530]

​@@SerumLake How about a video abiut Batmsn Beyond's Royal Flush Gang? They're one of my favorite incarnations, and it shows Terry McGinnis' struggkes with his love life, and it shows how King has slowly tear his family apart due to his inferiority complex to Queen's father and hus poor choices.

[@SerumLake]

@@peternguyen7530 they are on the list!

[@patriot17764th]

Earned a sub!!

[@WarhawkBeyond2040]

Inque is one of the few villains who can say that they not only fought both Batmen and almost defeated them in battle but also got to mix it up with Superman as well. A true badass and one of my all time favourites from the show.

[@andrewfarler795]

Same bro

[@fcomolineiro7596]

The truth behind ink is that, it doesn't really matter what shape she takes, she will forever be a monster under all that makeup

[@sa-amirel-hayeed699]

I wish i had known the moral of this story as a younger man after watching this, would've saved my life a few times over with women lmao

[@arthurfleck629]

@@sa-amirel-hayeed699Ahahahaha oh my god, that’s amazing

[@paulhunter6742]

People may see Inque as a Monster, yet her motivations are somewhat noble. It was a matter of Survival in world that gave her few opinions. And she did provide stable income for her daughter.

[@TaranisHedgehog]

She's no monster. She reforms in the Future's End story.

[@arc7375]

She’s not a monster. She’s a _mother._ And simply accepted the terms for her daughter’s future.

[@TetsuShima]

It's pretty curious that Inque faced the original Batman and Superman. For a futuristic villain, that's pretty damn impressive

[@jordanloux3883]

I mean she's basically Clayface 2.0. A challenge, but there are familiar patterns.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

If I were a practical villain, I'll deem that as unenviable. And even then, Supes is not exactly Supes there.

[@Wyndamn]

Superman defeated Inque easily 😅😅😅.

[@matthewavery2934]

@@jordanloux3883honestly she’s Clayface2.0 but somewhat better and more versatile and fast

[@lpfan4491]

Honestly, if I was a villain and I happened to get clapped by *superman* out of nowhere, I think I would also do the disappearing act like she did. That is the point when you know that the show's over, you have no further luck on your sude.

[@demod2080]

If Inque was an assassin rather than a greedy sabatour, she could have become an unstoppable entity. However, her avarice and pettiness stops her from claiming victory time and again. Had she been more calculating and focused, Terry likely wouldn't have been able to stop her the times he had.

[@MrVariant]

Terry generally had help though. Interesting to see weaker versions and good stories 7:20 of inque in comics.

[@phantom-ri2tg]

But her first time defeated was when she was acting as an assassin. Being a sabatour is not as risky a job as an assassin.

[@NIRDIAN1]

Keep in mind her entire experience and history is in sabotage. Go (mostly) unnoticed and wreck shop. It's only really when more or less forced that she accepts the job of actually killing Batman who had been frustrating her... And if not for the Freeze Ray she probably woulda managed!

[@LexYeen]

Inque is a villain in the same style as _classic_ Batman villains: A person pushed into a position where she had to make hard choices to survive, and when granted power? Was _changed_ by it. I love her as a character, but I would cower from her if I found myself sharing a reality with her. We've seen what she'll do to people in her way, so, best not to be.

[@CapnAlces]

I would quickly adopt the Night Vale philosophy if I saw her. "If you see something, say nothing, and drink to forget."

[@melvinfranco2142]

I would pay her to leave me be, because otherwise I'll give her a hot water bath (yeah, I'm sadistic like that).

[@ThatGuy-tx4vm]

She wasn't pushed into anything. She was poor and decided to hurt others in order to get rich... But there is another problem as well. She did not fight for survival, she fought for a lot of money. Therefore she wasn't pushed but simply wished to harm others.

[@milesbradshaw6643]

One of the scariest villains in Terry's rogues gallery.

[@langbo9999]

Even cheating Dead more than One time.

[@tyrannozilla]

Don't forget her being one of the sexiest.

[@madmonty4761]

​@@tyrannozillathat is only a form she can take all she is is formless

[@madmonty4761]

@@tyrannozilla that isn't really her its a form she takes so she can talk to people

[@tyrannozilla]

Still sexy, though.@@madmonty4761

[@panzercreed5417]

I do agree with your assesment that she is Terry's greatest villian looking back now. I argue that she is Terry's nemisis more than Blight. Blight was not a trained fighter and did not really get to use his powers properly till several of his episodes later, plus his interactions with Terry were mostly angry bluster. Inque knows how to fight and has taken on both Batmen and won in some capacity. She also has the most interations/banter with Terry. When Inque saves herself from the water at the start of Inquling, Terry casually asks "What the heck was that?" she responds "A new technique (I see what you did there writers) Batman." Then Terry responds moments later with a new gadget to counter her. They play off each other and have almost a rivalry and actually start to get to know each others tricks. If the movie does happen I do hope they use Inque as the main villain she has the most weight and backstory with Terry and is enough of a threat to make the movie suspenseful.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

In a way, she sure is the Catwoman to Terry's Batman, but without the romantic tension.

[@sougotokiwa8439]

Blight is more personal for killing Terry's Dad. Tho Inque is there with him...

[@sussusamogus4714]

​@@sougotokiwa8439for nearly killing his bio-dad?

[@sussusamogus4714]

The only issue I take with Original Comment is conflating "greatest/most dangerous villain" with "nemesis". The latter typically refers to the most persistent

[@sougotokiwa8439]

@@sussusamogus4714 at the time he didn't know he was. Still, he is the one who raised him.

[@TetsuShima]

I am 100% sure Inque was created when Bruce Timm watched Ferngully and his reaction to the villain Hexxus was: "Do you know what would be better than a s*xy evil slime? A FEMININE s*xy evil slime!"

[@1heKing]

this sounds so accurate it's scary

[@LawKyoten]

But what would Her song be?

[@jordanloux3883]

Time seems like the kind of guy that learned to get real good at drawing with just one hand...

[@willpow05]

​@@jordanloux3883 wow

[@Xehanort10]

@@jordanloux3883 Probably while drawing Bruce and Barbara banging.

[@wizard_of_poz4413]

God that scene where she seemingly bursts through her disguised mask to reveal her face is such a beautifully done sequence

[@starwarsnerd100]

Man, that scene where she’s trashing the bat cave and absorbs the glass shards into her body to use like a whip. What a threatening scene, what a great villain. Definitely stands out in Terry’s rogues gallery.

[@CapnAlces]

A good, creative use of a superpower is always satisfying. I live for that stuff.

[@robstein1313]

I always thought she had more in common with Mystique (aggressively sultry, she is BOLD enough to unapologetically be herself yet she can change her shape, she’s covert and very dangerous and she knows exactly what she wants and she knows how to get it). I also (later) like how much she resembles Siouxsie Sioux, or someone like Josephine Baker (the hair) or Marlene Dietrich (that luxurious goth before goth 1920s Ms Cool Girl “thing”)

[@changvasejarik62]

And yet I probably like Inque more since she’s more consistent in her villain status and familial relationship.

[@The_Phantasm]

I'm honestly not surprised that in the recently revealed concept art for the animated Batman Beyond film it was shown to have Inque as (presumably) the main villain. Who knows, maybe Blight would have been a more overarching villain in the background. I do wonder if maybe they would have approached Will Friedle to also voice Terry in the film even though that probably wouldn't have been the case. Imagine that after all these years he is still the only actor to have played Batman Beyond.

[@tylerbertram7065]

I doubt they would've have gotten Will Friedle to voice Terry they probably would've gotten some big named celebrity like Timothee Chalmete instead.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

​@@tylerbertram7065Timothee's great, but does he have voice acting experience?

[@tylerbertram7065]

@michaelandreipalon359 no, but considering it's Hollywood and they would rather hire big celebrities who have zero experience in voice acting like Chris Pratt and Dwayne Johnson to voice iconic animated characters instead of actual professional voice actors.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

@@tylerbertram7065 To be fair, both of them did marvellously on The LEGO Movie and Moana respectively. Timothee would be a bit testy. Edit: And besides, it can somewhat be tiresome to hear Steve Blum, Troy Baker, Grey DeLisle-Griffin, and Cree Summer in more animated works. Let some new blood do the roles, unless said roles still have their worthy original actors, like Will Friedle for Terry McGinnis... ah, now I kinda see your point.

[@MarcusBaltzer]

Who knows maybe in a whole new character would be the main antagonist... But sadly we won't see the batman beyond film anytime soon

[@carldagroundskeeper]

Also cool how Bruce showed up to the arena wearing the gray ghost outfit as a disguise :p

[@benjaminfeld6388]

I actually have a theory as to the reason, or at least part of the reason, white Inque doublecrossed Erin and didn't give him the whole treatment. Since Unque relishes her power, I imagine she would want to be one-of-a-kind and not have anyone else around who could become a potential rival.

[@SerumLake]

Plus she detested him.

[@benjaminfeld6388]

@@SerumLake Yeah, that too.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Aaron, you mean.

[@benjaminfeld6388]

@@michaelandreipalon359 yas

[@a1z158]

Especially the guy who kinda molested her when she was, you know unable to react

[@DoctorInk20]

Inque is the reason I despise liquid shape-shifting villains. Even when I first saw her when I was, like, 6 years old, my first instinct was just _"kill it with fire"._ 😳🔥

[@SerumLake]

And yet you took the name Doctor Ink! 😨

[@DoctorInk20]

@@SerumLake Touché, sir. Touché. 😂 To be fair, using a K is a great deterent against a QUE. Little strategy there. 😆

[@eeveeofalltrades4780]

​@@SerumLakesounds like a villain origin story

[@gendoruwo6322]

She's just so well crafted, and so cool. I wish there would be occasions where she acts as an ally to the good guys. She's like part Catwoman part Venom symbiote, but all in all she's her own character.

[@MutantsInDisguise]

How to forget when Bruce Wayne said: fuck my heart, I'll become Batman once again to save Terry"?

[@EliteEasyE]

Thank you for clarifying that back and white scenes in Epilogue are in Terry's imagination. It really sours people on the episode and specifically Bruce when they think they're real. Reminds me of School of Rock screening without the Stevie Nicks stuff. People totally hate and can't relate to principal Mullins (Joan Cusack.)

[@mesektet5776]

Inque was one of the rarely seen total monster - no redemption offered or desired villains, yet still with very clear and human motivations and outlooks. Not my favorite but still a fine example of writing.

[@SerumLake]

I feel similarly. I like her visual design too

[@seasonembrace3624]

I’ve heard somewhere that Rocksteady was possibly going to do a Batman Beyond inspired game before that idea got shut down by WB's higher ups. And we instead got the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice league. Speaking of Rocksteady I just realized both Batman Beyond and Arkham Knight I think are probably some of the few Batman stories that take place after the real Joker's death or as I like to call it. He's kicked the bucket.

[@hudsonk1racer]

we were robbed, fullstop.

[@bionic-tale4313]

It would be very interesting to fight inque in this hypothetical batman game, the fight with Inque would be handled in this canncelled Batman Arkham beyond game. I lean towards mostly with her being a boss where you fight inque in a side mission than one that you need to do to progress the main story where Inque utlize her shapeshifting capabilities as seen in the show to morph her body into weapons like hammers, blades, spikes etc along. I honestly don't see how she would have minions, given how she works alone given her style. Although I imagine that rocksteady would come up with an explain that she is finding a new chemical to stablize her form, but it goes wrong and finds herself producing more ink in her body, where she can make copies of herself for batman to fight. Although she would likely end up turning into a blod of ink as the fight progress. Batman would have to deal with her by using a compound that can melt her copies or use the freeze blast to defeat her.

[@attibar5548]

@@hudsonk1racer This may have been a blessing in disguise tbh. I heard all the people that actually worked on the Arkham games left RockSteady already and formed their own company. If they went with Batman Beyond we still would've gotten a "kill the justice league" tier game.

[@seasonembrace3624]

@@attibar5548 Yeah... sad stuff. Also apparently the film makers of Spider verse were interested in making a Batman Beyond film as well. sadly the same thing from WB....

[@Canadish]

Someone at WB doesn't like Batman Beyond. They are sitting on these generational juggernauts, and they just waste them. It's no shock they are failing as a company.

[@theimperialcombine]

I can understand why some people were traumatized by that one Inque scene, Choking the Life out of Someone and denying them any method to breathing is something Some Children would find terrifying when the episode first aired. But I also understand why People who are into it get a arousing feeling by the scene.

[@Wyndamn]

Inque liquefying and pouring herself down Terry's throat 💜💜💜"Open Wide"

[@Naoto-kun1085]

As a man, I'm not ashamed to admit that watching a woman forcing herself down a man's throat awakened something in me 😳

[@Naoto-kun1085]

@@Wyndamn Terry- :O

[@broman260]

It's far more arousing than traumatizing lol

[@nathanpierce7681]

do you guys think aaron wanted inque to peg him

[@IbexGundyr]

Just wanted to say that I’ve been going down a HUGE B-man rabbit hole recently, watching most of the DCAU and replaying the Arkham games. So finding your channel has been amazing because it’s so interesting to have you recontextualize most of what I’ve just watched.

[@SerumLake]

Glad to be of service 🫡

[@kennethsatria6607]

Inque's the best. Though I always remembered likeing her blob form more than her humanoid one, idk something about the shape being a bit more wilder than her human form maybe. Those designs in the comics that give her more detail are very cool though.

[@Dbzmaster159]

I liked her human form, and respected the skill and power she used in her blob form. Inque could be as seductive as some incarnations of Black Cat and Poison Ivy, while also being cunning and deadly.

[@kennethsatria6607]

​@@Dbzmaster159Oh she is far deadlier than either of those two.

[@Wyndamn]

Inque Kinque 💜💜💜.

[@Dbzmaster159]

@@kennethsatria6607 Gonna be honest, I crushed on Inque as a kid. I crushed on a lot of female villains like Harley, Ivy, and Livewire as the main ones. Let's face it who hasn't?

[@JohnNathanShopper]

Will Freidle puking her up was great

[@Wyndamn]

Absolutely FRIGGING AWESOME, "Open Wide 💋💋💋"

[@venomfan2020]

I genuinely love all the Venom tie-ins and references. Inque is possibly my favorite Batman Beyond character, and I'm glad to see confirmation that she was partially inspired by Venom. 7:40 Damn, she literally became a symbiote there... 13:33 Yeah... _I know full well what you mean_ Ya know what? *_*We can fix her.*_*

[@WobblesandBean]

The Batman Beyond does a good job of updating the OG villains to fill the same roles. Inque = updated Clayface. Curare = Kyodai Ken, Shriek = Mr. Freeze.

[@BowenEros-gt8gn]

Shriek = Freeze is a bit of a stretch. Especially since there was a "Mr. Freeze beyond". Freeze came back as a bodiless head in a fully mechanized refrigerator suit.

[@mistermann4163]

Aside from Clayface she also reminds me of Madame Rouge from Teen Titans that's kinda the best version of the 3 in terms of her slime shapeshifting powers and a effective agent when fighting the Titans or playing mind games with them.

[@The_Phantasm]

Also the armour Bruce wears when he fights Inque is inspired by the design from Kingdom Come.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

But without the flight capabilities.

[@tashibalampkin8555]

Despite Inque's villainous ways, her backstory and the tale of her daughter always makes me feel for her.

[@eel2823]

pretty cool to see her in that art made by the dudes who made the spiderverse when they were pitching that batman beyond movie to warner bros. Really hope we can see her on the big screen one day.

[@mandalorianhunter1]

Thanks for more of these analysis videos. I have been revisiting Batman Beyond over the years and I love seeing different takes on it. Inque is one of Terry's most dangerous villains, she actually beat him twice and almost killed him twice. She is just ruthless. Honestly if we ever see a future episode of her and her daughter, let's just say something might happen that will be terrifying. Yeah fighting both Batmen and Superman really goes on a resume.

[@melvinfranco2142]

Most likely the episode would show Inque wanting Terry's help because her daughter was kidnapped and she really cares about her safety, to the point that she would want to get the Batman's attention. That would be fun.

[@mandalorianhunter1]

@@melvinfranco2142 not sure that would be the case but sure

[@someguycalledgoober155]

"I don't know, she's just this weird globby character" has to be the biggest real feelings for an artist.

[@edgarventura1194]

Always appreciate your analysis and dives into Batman and the DCAU! They always make my day and I’m glad I discovered this channel very recently.

[@SerumLake]

Thanks for letting me know, and welcome aboard! I wouldn't keep doing these videos if people like you didn't watch and enjoy them.

[@emmasprague5465]

aaron’s fate is so scary, his repetition of “you promised! you promised!” while confronting inque is genuinely haunting

[@kennethsatria6607]

Damn, all this time I didn't know those scenes in Epilogue weren't actual flashbacks. All this time I assumed Terry was lashing out to his friends and loved ones directly and that Bruce being the way he is brushed it off later, but this does easily explain how he can call his girlfriend and she's all casual about it despite the fact the "flashback" was him breaking up with her. But then all that being dream sequences, it makes me feel better that Bruce was still relatively chipper and even made Terry soup when he got back despite the suspicious perfect match donor situation when Bruce was sick. So this means they never had their fight where Terry really did a low blow and even drove Bruce to nearly having a heart attack, and almost leaving him coldly to pick up his own pills. And the information that he was made to be Terry's biological father, and if Terry knew was never brought up like they left it unspoken if the dream sequences aren't real. Oh yeah this explanation makes me feel better. Essentially Terry chose to empathize with Bruce and look past his negative qualities he kept to himself, never drove him to such a dangerous state, and went back to treating him like a second father figure despite the fact he already became one in their time together. With Bruce probably being none the wiser.

[@zemox2534]

I think Bruce knew the truth but chose not to say anything out of respect for Terry's feelings. He is the worlds greatest detective after all.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

In a sidenote, they could also be a love letter to the final episode of the Studio Gainax mecha anime GunBuster.

[@kennethsatria6607]

​​​@@zemox2534The JL version of Batman also seems to be the kindest yet still traditionally jaded version of him ever. Ive heard many people consider the idea that his outlook on life changed because unlike the previous timeline he joined the Justice League for longer. But like considering everything happening between those shows it still is heartwarming old bruce despite his mistakes with his initial bat family was able to get a second chance at not being alone anymore by mentoring Terry.

[@alexandrefrauches132]

Too bad there was never an episode where Terry is able to defeat Inque on his own, without Bruce or anyone else help. "Inqueling" even shows how Terry blames himself for Inque finding the batcave and almost killing Bruce twice. I feel the series should have build an arc around Terry and Inque battle, with their final battle having him and Bruce switiching roles: Bruce could be the one that Inque kidnaps and Terry would be the one to rescue him, finally defeating Inque, proving how far he has grown as Batman.

[@X_Blake]

Honestly the most impressive and deadliest villain in Terry's Rouge Gallery. It also shows (before the ending of Inquling) there was humanity within the monster. Until her daughter fvcked that up and left her mother with nothing left to lose. Which I wish BB was given another season and explore that side of her.

[@thinktankstudios]

1:51 is probably the greatest thing I've ever heard in my life.

[@SerumLake]

I have no idea why I started giving him a Midlands accent…

[@michaellynes3540]

Inque is probably one of Terry McGinnis’ most deadliest foes.

[@tashibalampkin8555]

I swear the Earth Mover's story is a tear jerker.

[@Groomsman]

I watched the episode featuring Inque and her daughter in the middle of the night and in the dark, and the ending of that episode left me paranoid for the rest of the night. So she definitely left an impression on me

[@Kattlarv]

I also gotta say: What you said about mothers is... very true. Annoyingly so. I've literally only seen ONE example where a mother gives up her child, (willingly, without plot reasons) and *isn't* treated as worse than german mustache man. Females in media (using that specifically as I refer to even non-sentient characters) do have a really bad trope of always being one of 3 archetypes. But the mom one is very... VERY specific.

[@sasha1mama]

An inque (pronounced the same way) is also a rare type of paranormal entity, best described as an amorphous shadow that hides in the cracks behind objects and feeds on ambient electroneural impulses (basically, the electrothermal off-throw from displays of emotion). They're one of the many potential reasons people experiencing a malignant haunting can become mentally drained or unable to function psychologically.

[@CantusTropus]

Never heard of any such thing. Where's any of this coming from?

[@incoherentbabbler4636]

She would have looked so cool in that animated movie if that ever got off the ground, I bet. 10:05 I didn't realize this until recently, but I wonder if Superman dispatching Inque here was supposed to be a callback to when he shook off Toyman's dough weapon all the way back in "Fun and Games."

[@SerumLake]

Absolutely! Superman is clearly well versed in defeating gloopy enemies!

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Ah, looks like it.

[@georgeowain]

Wasn't there a comic where it was revealed, Inque took no action against Diana. And even saved her life when she needed a blood transfusion, for some genetic disease she had inherited from her Mother. Also, two things to mention about Inque. She's come the closest to more than one occasion, kill Batman. And never once in the series, has Terry ever been able to defeat her all by himself. Without assistance or someone's intervention.

[@bluekinghtbeyond]

For some reason, Inque always gave me nightmares as a kid. It wasn't until I defeated her by using water the nightmares went away. Weird right? Also #batmanbeyond

[@djrobgrob8637]

Spellbinder was my favorite Batman beyond villain but she is very memorable.

[@idigamstudios7463]

I'm excited! I love Thorne as a baddie. He's such a mundane sort of evil compared to the rogues gallery.

[@zemox2534]

Inque was truly the best villain from Batman Beyond. She almost killed Terry and Bruce in 2 episodes from S1, has a great design and a nuanced personality. I wish Terry finally defeated on the show, since she was the only villain he could not defeat on his own. How satisfying would it have been to see Terry defeat the most powerful villain in his rogues gallery, on his own, with no help? It would have been very satisfying. The only time I felt a little sorry for her was her third major apperance, where she was betrayed by her daughter. It was money that motivated her into becoming a supervillain, but it was money that slowly destroyed the one person she cared about. But it is as Her daughter said to her; "You gave me nothing but money. How did you think I would turn out?" Honestly, Inque reminds me of Lady Clay, except she has no shape shifting powers. I cannot wait to hear you talk about Thorne next week. He was a good recurring antagonist with a great performance from John Vernon

[@michaelandreipalon359]

The DCAU sorely needed more proper endgames for its villains.

[@zemox2534]

The Ventriloquist got an endgame. So did Lex, Grodd and Darkseid.

[@CrocsFortress]

I mean can change her shape but not really like Clayface.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

@@zemox2534 Extra emphasis on "more".

[@zemox2534]

​@michaelandreipalon359 Vandel Savage, Quinn, Freeze, Waller, Grundy and even The Joker. Is that enough or do you want to continue to be a bloody smart mouth!,

[@Miksy51]

Finally a video on Inque! Saw some scenes of her and she seemed interesting! Here just for the video and information I can get! :)

[@jaydenhurley1744]

Inque sure is one of those “Peak” DCAU originals that stood out the most and became a “Peak” Fan favorite for sure! Maybe another who may not be street level powered, but still is such a great antagonist, well written and well designed in our own senses… Too bad she had small appearances but that’s alright! Only our own thoughts and raw imagination can continue making and using ideas to put this wonderful character to some proper use once again… Inque is one of those at Peak!

[@YassineFarah2423]

I love Inque's design in the sense it follows the uncanny valley, she's has a feminine, humanoid shape but hides her human traits which contrasts with her body language and personality for someone who chooses to resemble a frightening mannequin.

[@NIRDIAN1]

I love Inque so much. Really stuck with me when I caught the odd episode as a kid. Big fan of shapeshifters in all kinds of media, and Inque is one of the most "fun" ones! I also appreciate how she's not a natural killer, but rather sees Batman as an obstacle to her job(s), to the point where the frustration leads to her becoming lethal. Good bit of character writing, there! As a regular power-hungry or murderous villain she wouldn't have been remotely as interesting or unique.

[@luxiam9148]

Never got the chance to properly watch the Batman Beyond series (along with other Batman series) but I was interested in its villains, so your channel is exactly what I needed lol Great work and I'm looking forward for more!

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Now's the time to compensate. Highly recommend Batman Beyond on production order while skipping the episode "Countdown". Oh, and do watch Return of the Joker after being done with "The Call: Parts I and II".

[@KnightLineArtYT]

I think the added backstory from the first run of comics was pretty cool. I can see why some might not like it, but I think it adds that extra layer of empathy that plenty of Batman villains like Two-Face and Mr.Freeze get praised for.

[@sajmeister]

Glad to see a fellow Brit making such great content on some of my favourite characters ❤

[@alexliddell3171]

The horrible irony of Inque's daughter betraying her for money is that Inque would probably have given her anything and everything anyway. And I think that's why we never see her take revenge on her daughter. She's angered and upset obviously, but she loves her daughter so much she just can't bring herself to do anything for revenge. The best and cruellest thing she can think to do is just leave her daughter with a sense of unease, like she did when she gave birth to her.

[@artisticangel5795]

Inkqe I’ll admit, is an interesting villain in the show although I’m a bit curious as to why she didn’t go after her own daughter to get revenge for the stunt she pulled on her in season 3.. Either she’s preoccupied with her own work , or she just kept her distance in case the thought of murder comes to mind. Or they simply just let her fears in show and possibly paranoia as Inkqe’s own form of revenge. A simple payback but by not actually getting her kind of thing. 🤔

[@MattGraves01]

I think despite the betrayal by her daughter, Inque still loved her. Hence why she left her alone.

[@artisticangel5795]

@@MattGraves01 That’s a good theory/point actually, compared to Blight (correct me if I’m wrong on the Terry’s Fathers killer’s name), at least Inkqe cares about her well being. 🙂🤔

[@poprocks6576]

Inqueling stuck with me, inque terrified me but I wanted to know more about her, about her relationship with her daughter and what she was like and see her more, she haunted me dreams. She scared me like hell but I’m also pretty sure she was 50% of my sa-hid awakening

[@Wyndamn]

Inque Kinque 💜💜💜

[@titanic_monarch796]

sahid?

[@aisle9]

So as much as I like Inque as a character, here's something that's always bugged me. Inque has a daughter that seems to be in her early to mid 20's. Even if her daughter just turned 18 and Inque was a teenage mother, that still puts her no younger than her mid-30s. Realistically, I think she's right around 40. Doesn't stop her from straight-up throwing herself at Terry. I get it, there's no sexual desire whatsoever on her part, but she's still a middle-aged woman and he's still a high schooler. I get the sense that Inque might have been intended to be much, much younger originally and Black Out was written that way. Then they introduced her daughter and accidentally aged her way up. Is there any validity to that thought?

[@SerumLake]

You’re spot on when you say it’s creepy how she uses her sexuality to intimidate Terry, but I don’t think Inque knows how old Terry is. I would also argue that she stopped ageing when she became Inque. She’s forever in her 20s/30s.

[@CapnAlces]

Even if she figured out his age, cougars are totally a thing. But yeah, she was probably meant to be younger when they first came up with Inque. I like the evolution of her story though.

[@melvinfranco2142]

@@SerumLake So technically, she discovered that she is a living fountain of youth, minus the fountain and water part.

[@francisweller839]

I like Inque better when she’s being monstrous. It’s how she was characterized in the show, a ruthless mercenary who only cares about the job and grinds the revenge ax with a passion. The detail about her being poor and sending money to her daughter in season, three was good because it didn’t really interfere with the information we already had about her or her previous characterization. She clearly still kept a lot of the money for herself and was using her daughter as a tool. Deanna used her mother the same way, although to a much more horrifying extent, in a tragic display of the principle that superheroes try to show us: when we act, people take notice, and that can make an impact. I really don’t think all of the other details about her backstory and trying to make her sympathetic strengthen the character because her cruelty and manipulations from the show still happened. Sometimes, a villain doesn’t need an intense history to be evil. At its core, evil is putting your own needs first even if others are hurt as a result. Not wanting to be poor is the reason millions of people murder and steal, and we justifiably show them sympathy while still reviling them for their cruelty. I just found your channel today, and your synopses and analyses are carefully laid out, succinct, and insightful. Thank you.

[@SerumLake]

Thanks and welcome aboard! 🫡

[@EliteEasyE]

Shame we never got to see Lucius Fox's son or got to explore Foxteca even when Bruce gets his company back. I applaud Noland for turning the elder Fox into Bruce's version of Q from the James Bond series (years after Fox's DCAU appearances.) I hope future projects continue this trend.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

There were actually plans to flesh out the Foxes in the Batman Adventures 2003 comics, but since those got unceremoniously canned...

[@bionic-tale4313]

2:34 Interesting that even though Inque is mostly based off of Clayface in terms of having similar abilities along with loosely ressembling the Venom Symbiote due to her polymorphic nature, though I never thought she would be partially inspired by sandman. While both are shapeshifters, they are major differences between them outside of being composed of different material. One thing to note that unlike Inque, Sandman can take shapeshift into people more convincingly unlike inque, though he can't copy their voice. While both have weaknesses to water, Sandman seems to recover from it better than Inque. Speaking of Spider-Man, I wonder how his future counterpart 2099(Miguel O'Hara) would deal with her if they fought.

[@srstriker6420]

Oh so the next video will be about Rupert Thorne as he is a stand in for Carmine Falcone and Sal Moroni as they both have caused Harvey Dent becoming Two Face

[@kamranshah-f1x]

she was like the poison ivy to batman beyond.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

And the occasional Catwoman.

[@bionic-tale4313]

A feminine sleek version of Clayface.

[@kamranshah-f1x]

@@michaelandreipalon359 yeah, you're right.

[@kamranshah-f1x]

@@bionic-tale4313 true. that reminds me that clayface was going to appear in a batman beyond episode but then the idea got scrapped. like maybe they would have had clayface meeting inque just like they had mr. freeze meeting blight.

[@shelbybayer200]

The funny thing, is that Bruce literally was protecting his Son without it being Spoiled

[@michaelandreipalon359]

It?

[@koro_kokoro]

That was a retcon

[@snes90]

I think what made Inque drowning Terry so scarring for me as a kid was how visceral and tone shifted it was. We've gone from "comical" bangs, booms, and slices to very gutural sounds and the music changed to something more menacing. Even as a kid I knew, in a cartoon, no blade, steel beam, or colorful laser would ever kill. But this was entirely new and cruel - I was scared. And the fact that Terry didn't immediately walk it off and was hacking her up afterwards cemented how close he was to dying. 10 out of 10, would traumatize myself again if possible.

[@Wyndamn]

Inque liquefying and pouring herself down Batman Beyonds throat was amazing 🤩🤩🤩.

[@dragonchaserkev]

Never heard of Inque before but she is a keeper! She needs her own series.

[@simon-peterwilliamson2412]

Inque did wonders to my teenage self

[@CompassRoseGaming]

Inque has by far my favorite design among the batman beyond cast

[@thebashar]

Thank you for the nod to displaced peoples.

[@SerumLake]

🫡

[@dirge7459]

The scene where Bruce dons the power suit and the BTAS theme starts to play, it sent goosebumps down my spine. Possibly the most episode for Bruce and a call-back to his previous series.

[@Porter2o7]

ur videos r awsm and inspired me to watch batman beyond and once i finish it sum other stuff l8r too, thanks for being yourslef man keep on goin, awsm stuff👍

[@YaraZapi]

I'm surprised Inque hasn't been featured in more futuristic Batman stories, given how iconic a villain she is. When I think of Batman Beyond, she's one of the villains that immediately comes to mind, which is impressive considering how new she is, similar to Harley Quinn. And as you mentioned, it's rare for Batman to have mothers as villains among his foes, in any iteration of Batman. The only other one that comes to mind is Oswalda, the Penguin from Batman: Caped Crusader.

[@PlayCONtent]

As always this video essays excellent- this isn't the best detail or anything but as a minor point, I respect the restraint of saying 'for a time she was incapable' and not making an 'inque-apable' pun, it's clearly restraint I lack

[@SerumLake]

The fact that the pun didn’t even cross my mind is disappointing…

[@tashibalampkin8555]

12:40 - 12:58 Excellent piece right here. The background musicreally adds to it.

[@jeremy1860]

While I think that Bruce's rogue's gallery is overall better, Terry had some pretty great baddies of his own, and Inque is definitely in that crowd's upper echelons 😊

[@scumbad7953]

06:09 I had to leave a like and subscribe just for this. Very thorough thanks for linking to what you are talking about it.

[@SirAroace]

5:43 never see anyone point out that his outfit looks like the Gray Ghost

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Good eye.

[@DragonmanX90]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong; but Inque is the only member of Terry's rogues gallery that he never definitively beats on his own. 1st and 2nd time: Bruce saves him and diverts attention long enough for Terry to score a crippling blow. 3rd time: Deanna sets Inque up. 4th Time: Superman gets involved. Inque is a huge threat to Terry and one who consistently keeps him on the back foot.

[@Wyndamn]

He's defeated Inque in the comics multiple times.

[@DragonmanX90]

@@Wyndamn Ah; I did not know that.

[@Wyndamn]

@@DragonmanX90 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

[@newttrain8667]

Good video, I understand all the points you made about this character. However, as someone who has not watched Batman Beyond: Would.

[@Wyndamn]

SMASH !!!!!

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Highly recommend the show on the production order of episodes, with Return of the Joker's Uncut version being binged after "The Call" two-parter. However, you should skip The Zeta Project crossover "Countdown". That show is unforgivable filler to the rest of the DCAU.

[@newttrain8667]

@@michaelandreipalon359 I like your funny words, magic man.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

@@newttrain8667 Funny, I don't know. Magic man, well, thanks.

[@tracyndiyob162]

did get clayface mixed with poison ivy(with how we saw an older harley wish we saw what ivy looked like alongside some of the other rogues gallery.) with how really sensual inque got with her ink(that scene,giving terry a literally slimy smooch,ink oozing down her shapely body engulfing people & outright bosom smothering terry when catching him.) alongside being both a monster but somewhat a bit tragic with how her actions come back to bite her hard when her own daughter turns on her.(though still has some love for her with how it's mostly seen she didn't attack her or get revenge.) and being badass being the most threatening with how she nearly kills batman in each one/making batman risk his life stepping up to fight her that made her the most memorable to me that i wish she got a bigger appearance in the dcau.(saw a few sketches one of the writers put up for a shelved/still interested in movie that was going to have her as the main villain.:3)

[@aerodynamiccow3597]

Her design greatly reminds me of old cartoon characters like Betty Boop

[@MegaFafnir]

I would have liked to see the comics story where Batman tries to save Inque from the evil scientist as an actual episode - Terry showed genuine compassion and concern for her despite their deadly past encounters, further proving himself as a worthy Batman.

[@mechajay3358]

I can understand why Inque is well-liked in the fanbase, especially those certain particular fans.

[@Wyndamn]

Absolutely YES "Open Wide"

[@DSFARGEG00]

Bit of a bummer that she only got a handful of appearances (though they were some of the best episodes), Inque could actually banter with Terry and in no way did that compromise how dangerous she was. To be honest, making her betrayal by her daughter be her last appearance would've been better than the couple little nothingburger appearances after that. By then she'd built up a rep that every time she appeared, it was BAD news, so having her potentially still be out there...waiting...planning...is much more effective.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Reminds me of Toyman in S: TAS. Could have sworn he showed up more than twice in that show back in the day.

[@DSFARGEG00]

@@michaelandreipalon359 Says a lot about how good these shows were that a handful of appearances can feel like a legion.

[@EarnPED]

one of the better beyond villians!

[@sirreginaldfishingtonxvii6149]

4:41 I was so expecting his lips to freeze stuck on the block of ice lmao

[@MatthewK122]

Hope she will reunited with her daughter if Batman beyond returned

[@vincentsilva5663]

Inque is one of my favorites she is badass and dam growing up watching batman beyond as a kid memories :)

[@EnordAreven]

You spelled MOMMY wrong in the thumbnail.

[@Chadius]

You can't fix her, but I know you'll try once I'm done trying!

[@Wyndamn]

Goo Mommy 💖💖💖

[@Naoto-kun1085]

LOOKING FOR THIS COMMENT, Inque can call me a good boy while she kisses me while also suffocating me with goo 🥰

[@ashlirabid9614]

Yeah how did he go wrong?

[@lachlanparker570]

Pretty much, yeah. Edit: however, she doesn't like clingy boys, which is disappointing.

[@AH-is5yg]

Despite all that power Inque got, she was unable to defeat the two Batman. Superman was able to defeat her very easily.

[@purporium6902]

Scaroused. Conflicted. My mind:Knows pretty damn well that this thing can obliterate me. In extreme fera My body:Also feeleing something extreme... really extreme

[@Wyndamn]

And a Vore Fetish is born 😊😊😊

[@Darkinu2]

5:17 I only caught episodes out of order so this was my introduction to Inque. Still lives rent free in my head for some reason 😂😂

[@coltonshore4444]

It wasn’t until adulthood that I saw Shriek as the child of Shocker and the Scarecrow

[@KingNerdius]

Surprising how he didn’t talk about how similar she is to Catwoman. A seductive, black clad femme fatale who fights Batman using a whip and does bad things to get money for a supposedly good cause.

[@BowenEros-gt8gn]

Hmmm... I dunno. Maybe. When ya put it that way... but Catwoman has a bit more compassion and is sometimes an ally. Did Catwoman ever come as close to yeeting Bats as Inque did? Catwoman seems a bit more... redeemable. Inque seems more evil.

[@seanfelix-almirol6499]

This character needs her own movie asap

[@F4113N_ANG3L]

Inque is basically the Poison Ivy of Batman Beyond (With the powers of clayface)

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

1:39 - is that a prototype for Ratcatcher?

[@SerumLake]

It’s Patrick the Rat Boy from the episode Rats 👍 According to Rich Fogel, any similarities to The Ratcatcher are coincidental, but that’s all I see when I look at him.