Frontman Billy Corgan said of the song, He further commented that the song's lyrics were meant to represent the Batman of the 1940s, when he was a "darker character". Many fans saw the new sound of "The End Is the Beginning Is the End", featuring a drum machine and added emphasis on the distorted guitars, as a taste of the sound of the next Smashing Pumpkins album, with Corgan himself saying the sound is "probably like what you would expect from us in the future." Despite its Grammy win and a strong promotion in conjunction with Batman & Robin, "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" has not had a strong commercial legacy in the US. While it was well received by American rock radio, the song found particularly strong chart success in other countries, reaching the top ten of both the Australian and UK Singles Charts. Since the single and video were released under Warner Bros. Records, the band was unable to use them for future releases, leaving them notably absent from their Greatest HitsDVD and CD releases. "The End Is the Beginning Is the End", as well as the single's b-sides, were released in 2005 on the digital-only compilation Rarities and B-Sides.
The single contained three other versions of the song, titled as different tracks. "The Guns of Love Disastrous" is an instrumental version based around the tracks' various electronica-inspired elements, while the other instrumental, "The Ethers Tragic", is composed solely of its guitar parts. "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" is a slower, less rock-oriented version with different lyrics for the verses, while the chorus is the same. This version appears on the Batman & Robin soundtrack as well. "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" was used in a trailer for the 2009 superhero filmWatchmen directed by Zack Snyder. Its appearance in that trailer helped the song break into the iTunes Top 100 during the summer of 2008, and the Smashing Pumpkins added this version to their tour roster in August. The band played "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" through the rest of their 2008 tour. Prior to its inclusion in the trailer, it was "a version of that song that never seemed to get any notice", but as Corgan ultimately discovered, " the massive jump in online sales seems to indicate it might be worth it for us and for the movie". Corgan complimented its use in the trailer, but joked that his fans "seem to be confused when the outside world appreciates our work".
