10 Most Heartbreaking Moments In The DC Animated Universe
9. Ace's Origins - Batman Beyond
After years spent resisting demands from studios to give the Caped Crusader a dog in Batman: The Animated Series, Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini finally relented in Batman Beyond. The end result was Ace, a fantastic update on the goofy "Bat Hound" who had once been a staple of the Dark Knight's Silver Age hijinks.
Ace, a big Dane mix, got plenty of moments to shine in Batman Beyond - in particular when Terry sends him after Joker's goons in the Return of the Joker movie. He also got a whole episode dedicated to him in the show's Season 2 finale, fittingly titled "Ace in the Hole".
The episode shows us how Bruce came to find Ace, and it is heartbreakingly good. Ace goes missing after chasing down a figure from his past, and we learn that he was bred for fighting in a flashback.
The sequence then goes on to elaborate on how he managed to escape his captors, and how that eventually took him to crime alley the same night Bruce was there to pay his respects to his slain parents. Ace helps the former Batman fend-off a mugger, and - obviously seeing a little bit of himself in the mutt - he decides to take him home.
Ace and Bruce are two kindred spirits and the episode itself is a real tear-jerker. The moment where the pair are reunited is so sweet, and while it's potentially more heartwarming than heartbreaking, I defy you not to get a little misty eyed seeing puppy Ace getting mistreated at the start.