Warning! This article contains spoilers for Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #2 Batman Beyond is one of the few legacy series that isn’t just comparable to the original, but arguably surpasses it in many ways. At the very least, Batman Beyond always seems to expand upon ideas and characters from the original Batman series in interesting ways, and this latest example is no exception, as Batman Beyond debuts the stunning final form of an iconic Gotham villain.

The Batman Beyond series is no stranger to delving deep into the lore of Gotham City, including and especially Batman’s original Rogues' Gallery, and adapting them into the cyberpunk landscape of Batman Beyond's Neo-Gotham. One such example is the Jokerz, which is a gang of street thugs who dress like the long-dead Clown Prince of Crime, and commit atrocious acts of violence and chaos in his name. Another is the newly introduced Catbois, who are a gang of gene-spliced anthropomorphic cat people who carry on in the original Catwoman’s name. Now, Batman Beyond is taking things one step further by not simply showing the legacy of an original Batman villain, but by actually bringing them back into canon - and in this case, this particular villain’s comeback is incredibly shocking. In issue #2 of Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic, Killer Croc makes his return, and he’s way bigger than fans remember him.

Killer Croc Is Kaiju-Sized In Batman Beyond

In a preview for Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #2 by Jackson Lanzing, Kelly Collins, and Max Dunbar, readers get a much better look at the villain who made a quick appearance at the end of the first issue: Killer Croc - or, more accurately, King Croc. Two covers were revealed in this preview for issue #2, the main cover art by series artist Max Dunbar and a variant cover done by artist Christian Ward. While both are unique in their styles and designs, the one thing they have in common is they both depict Killer Croc as being absolutely humongous. Which, based on how Terry’s story left off in issue #1, isn’t the best case scenario.

In the first issue of this all-new Batman Beyond series, Terry McGinnis’ Batman teams up with a Catboi named Kyle. Kyle reported to Batman that he witnessed several children go missing, as they were seemingly ‘consumed’ by the original Gotham City known as Under Gotham. Neo-Gotham was quite literally built on top of the ruins of the original Gotham City, though the horrors of Under Gotham are not dead, even if they have seemingly been forgotten. So, in light of this ongoing tragedy, Batman and Kyle head down to Under Gotham in search of the missing kids. In the last few panels, Terry gets snatched up by a reptilian behemoth later confirmed to be Killer Croc. However, the scene happened so fast, and without a clear picture as to what this villain really looked like. But now, on these two pieces of artwork presented on the covers of issue #2, the full, horrific size of King Croc is revealed, and it’s absolutely jaw-dropping.

While it hasn’t been officially confirmed how or why Killer Croc grew to this size, what fans do know is that he’s been alone in the sewers of Under Gotham, operating completely unchecked, and suffering from a mutation with plenty of mysterious components to it for twenty-five years, so there are plenty of explanations that can/will be explored. However, regardless of how or why Killer Croc became this kaiju-sized monster, the biggest takeaway from this preview is the fact that he is this monstrously gigantic, as the second issue of this new Batman Beyond comic series debuts the absolutely stunning final form of iconic Gotham villain, Killer Croc.

Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #2 by DC is available August 22, 2023.