| “ | When I was Bruce Wayne, I thought that with enough preparation, I would always win. But I was wrong. I was trapped in an unwinnable war, refusing to see the obvious answers right in front of me. The answers that are so clear to me now with victory right around the corner. To win, you need to adapt, and to adapt, you need to be able to laugh away all the restraints. Everything holding you back. You see... a Batman who laughs... is a Batman who always wins. | „ |
| ~ The Batman Who Laughs. |
The Batman Who Laughs is a major antagonist in the DC Comics universe. He is an evil, alternate-universe version of Bruce Wayne who lived a life much like the iconic Caped Crusader until he accidentally killed the Joker, who (on his deathbed) infected him with his "Joker Venom" that rendered Batman just like himself.
What Makes Him a Base Breaking Character?[]
What Do People Like About Him?[]
- As a concept, the idea of "what if Batman became the Joker" is an inherently interesting one. In the actual storyline, the Batman Who Laughs is an interesting hybrid of the two characters' traits, having all of the strategic genius and competence of Batman but also the chaotic evil nihilist mindset of the Joker.
- Many found his costume and general dark/creepy aesthetic cool.
- He is a competent threat in his major appearances, having a backup plan for nearly every situation (playing off the "Batman can beat anyone with enough prep time" meme) and several "Evil is Cool" moments. He has some truly impressive feats such as gaining the powers of Doctor Manhattan and managing to kill Perpetua, the creator of the multiverse, with said powers.
- The story he comes from, Dark Nights: Metal, was generally well received, and the Batman Who Laughs worked well as the antagonist of said storyline.
What Do People Hate About Him?[]
- As one would expect from the Joker's personality mixed with Batman's hyper-competence, he can be incredibly smug and arrogant.
- Some found his design to be too over-the-top to take seriously, with fans sometimes comparing it to BDSM fetish gear.
- Further to this, some comic fans often accuse him of being a rip-off of the Judge Dredd villain Judge Death, due to their similar designs.
- To many readers, his impressive feats made him come across as an overpowered Villain Sue fueled by plot armor. The fact that he gained Doctor Manhattan's godlike powers to become the Darkest Knight defenitely played a part in his perception as "overpowered." Combine this with the above-mentioned smugness and it's easy to see why some people might find him annoying.
- He was frequently used in many titles to the point that, in the eyes of many, he suffered from overexposure. There are even those who think that he was a cool character, but being used in so many different storylines made him oversaturated, having wished that he was just a one-shot villain instead.
External Links[]
- Bruce Wayne (Earth -22) on the DC Wiki
- The Batman Who Laughs on the Villains Wiki
- The Batman Who Laughs on the Pure Evil Wiki