Wikipedia

The Batman Who Laughs

Not to be confused withBatman: The Man Who Laughs.

The Batman Who Laughs(Bruce Wayne) is asupervillainappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byDC Comics.Created by writerScott Snyderand artistGreg Capullo,he is an evil counterpart and alternate version ofBatmanwithin theDark Multiverse.

The Batman Who Laughs
The Batman Who Laughs and his Robins as depicted inThe Batman Who Laughs#1 (January 2018).
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceDark Days: The Casting #1(May 7th 2017)
Created byScott Snyder(writer)
Greg Capullo(artist)
In-story information
Alter egoBruce Wayne
SpeciesMetahuman
Place of originEarth -22 (Dark Multiverse)
Team affiliationsDark Knights of the Dark Multiverse
Legion of Doom
Secret Six
Justice League (Formerly)
Notable aliasesBatman,Darkest Knight
Abilities
  • Genius-level intellect
  • Peak human physical condition
  • Mastermartial artistand hand-to-hand combatant
  • Utilizes high-tech equipment and weapons
After gaining Doctor Manhattan's powers:
See list
    • Nigh-omnipotence
    • Nigh-omniscience
    • Nigh-omnipresence
    • Reality warping
    • Subatomic perception and control
    • Science manipulation
    • Disintegration
    • Chronokinesis
    • Time travel
    • Cosmic awareness
    • Shapeshifting
    • Size alteration
    • Flight and levitation
    • Near-invulnerability
    • Self-regeneration
    • Self-sustenance
    • Intangibility
    • Immortality
    • Telekinesis
    • Telepathy
    • Teleportation
    • Dimensional travel
    • Precognition
    • Clairvoyance
    • Superhuman strength, speed, senses, and intelligence
    • Energy projection
    • Matter and energy manipulation

He is depicted as a hybrid of both Batman (Bruce Wayne) and Batman's arch enemyJoker,and is a member of the Dark Knights and the overarching antagonist of theDark Multiverse Saga,alongside cosmic deitiesPerpetuaand Barbatos, from 2017 to 2021, followingDC Rebirth.His first appearance was in the crossover storylineDark Nights: Metal,before receiving his own series and serving as the main antagonist inBatman/Supermanin 2019 and DC Comics'Year of the VillainalongsideLex Luthor.

His name is an allusion to the original Batman’s seriousness and to the 1928 filmThe Man Who Laughs,which served as inspiration for the Joker.

Publication history

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The Batman Who Laughs was created byScott SnyderandGreg Capullofirst appearing in the comic bookDark Days: The Casting.The character was depicted as an alternate universeBatmanwho does not have a code against killing. Snyder explained his intent on the character in an interview byThe Hollywood Reporter:"He's basically Batman's worst nightmare come to life: Batman, if he was infected by the Joker toxin and lost all sense of ethics. What he wants to do in Gotham is bring Bruce’s worst nightmares to life".[1]Snyder's hope was that his character would be popular enough to get his own comic book series, and Snyder believed that "Jockwould be the perfect person to do it ".[1]

Fictional character biography

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The Batman Who Laughs is an alternate universe variant of Batman from Earth-22 in the Dark Multiverse who was transformed into a Joker-like form as part of the original Joker's dying scheme. He then takes over Earth, killing most of his allies and turning his sonDamian Wayneinto a mini-Joker.[2]

After arriving onPrime-Earth,the Batman Who Laughs attempts to destroy reality using theAnti-Monitor's brain, but is defeated and imprisoned in the Hall of Justice.[3][4]

InDark Nights: Death Metal,The Batman Who Laughs becomes Perpetua's lieutenant, aided by an army of evil alternate Batmen called the Dark Knights.Wonder Womankills him, but the Dark Knights preserve his brain and transfer it to the body of "Batmanhattan", a variant of Batman who possessesDoctor Manhattan's reality-warping abilities.[5][6][7][8][9][10]Now known as the "Darkest Knight", he attempts to remake the universe before Wonder Woman destroys him by pushing him into the sun.[11][12][13]

Collected editions

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Title Material collected Published date ISBN
Dark Nights: Metal — Dark Knights Rising Batman: The Red Death#1,Batman: The Devastator#1,Batman: The Merciless#1,Batman: The Murder Machine#1,Batman: The Drowned#1,Batman: The Dawnbreaker#1,The Batman Who Laughs(vol. 1) #1,Dark Knights Rising: The Wild Hunt#1 June 2018 978-1401289072
The Batman Who Laughs The Batman Who Laughs(vol. 2) #1–7,The Batman Who Laughs: The Grim Knight#1 September 2019 978-1401294038

Powers and abilities

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The Batman Who Laughs is depicted as having the same abilities as Batman, combined with the twisted nihilism of the Joker. Furthermore, he has a futuristic visor made out of "Dark Metal" that gives him a form of precognition, and wields various weapons, including machine guns, knives, and a bladed chain.

The Batman Who Laughs also uses batarangs made of "Dark Metal" that can bring out the worst version of the victim.

InDark Knights: Death Metal,The Batman Who Laughs gains the powers of Doctor Manhattan by having Dr. Arkham surgically integrate his mind into that of a Bruce Wayne with Manhattan’s powers, granting him nigh-omnipotence, flight, and teleportation among other powers.

Like other inhabitants of the Dark Multiverse, The Batman Who Laughs is vulnerable toNth Metal.

Reception

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The Batman Who Laughs has been commonly described as "horrifying" by website authors.[14][15][16]Comic Book Resourcesdescribes The Batman Who Laughs as comprising all the "best" parts of Batman and the "worst" parts of the Joker.[17]

The character has been compared toJudge Deathin design.[18]The character's creator,Scott Snyder,noted that the two characters have a similar aesthetic.[19][20]

In other media

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Video games

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Board games

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The Batman Who Laughs Risingis a 2020 cooperative strategy dice game from The Op.

The character appeared as an expansion for the second edition of the board gameZombicide.[24]

Merchandise

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Knight Models has a line of gaming miniatures based on the DC comics run.Funkohas released action figures of the character.[25]Various figures from companies such asDiamond Select Toysand Prime 1 Studios have produced figures as well.[20]McFarlane Toyshas also made a version of The Batman Who Laughs for their newDC Multiverseline of 7-inch figures. McFarlane Toys also made a 5-inchSuper Powersfigure of The Batman Who Laughs in 2022..

References

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  1. ^abMcMillan, Graeme (December 3, 2018)."'Batman Who Laughs' Reveals Dark Knight's Worst Fears (Exclusive Preview) ".The Hollywood Reporter.Los Angeles, California:Valence Media.RetrievedMarch 26,2019.
  2. ^James Tynion IV(w),Jason Fabok
    Brad Anderson(a),Riley Rossmo(i), Tom Napolitano (let),Eddie Berganza(ed). "The Batman Who Laughs"The Batman Who Laughs,vol. 1, no. 1 (January 2018). New York City:DC Comics.
  3. ^Dark Knights: Metal#6. DC Comics.
  4. ^Justice League(vol. 4) #7. DC Comics.
  5. ^Dark Nights: Death Metal#1. DC Comics.
  6. ^Dark Nights: Death Metal: Legends of the Dark Knights(2020). DC Comics.
  7. ^Dark Nights: Death Metal#2. DC Comics.
  8. ^Dark Nights: Death Metal#3. DC Comics.
  9. ^Dark Nights: Death Metal: Speed Metal#1. DC Comics.
  10. ^Dark Nights: Death Metal#4. DC Comics.
  11. ^Dark Nights: Death Metal#5. DC Comics.
  12. ^Dark Nights: Death Metal#6. DC Comics.
  13. ^Dark Nights: Death Metal#7. DC Comics.
  14. ^Polo, Susana (11 December 2018)."The Batman Who Laughs is back, and he brought a new Nightmare Batman".Polygon.Retrieved26 March2019.
  15. ^Pulliam-Moore, Charles (8 October 2017)."The Nightmarish, Joker-esque Batman From Metal Has an Amazing, Horrifying Origin Story".io9.Retrieved26 March2019.
  16. ^Johnson, Jim (17 February 2019)."There's a New Batman Who Laughs, and He Just Might Be a Good Guy".CBR.Retrieved26 March2019.
  17. ^LaPointe, Sarah (7 December 2018)."Dark Knight's Mettle: 15 Things That Make The Batman Who Laughs the Best (and Worst) Batman".Comic Book Resources.Quebec, Ontario, Canada: Valnet, Inc.Retrieved26 March2019.
  18. ^Brown, Dan (15 March 2019)."Brown: The Batman Who Laughs seems inspired by Judge Death".The London Free Press.London, Ontario, Canada:Postmedia.Retrieved26 March2019.
  19. ^Burlingame, Ross (July 12, 2018)."Scott Snyder and Jock On Their" Terrifyingly Expansive "Series, 'The Batman Who Laughs'".Comicbook.com.RetrievedMarch 26,2019.
  20. ^abKonrad, Jeremy (August 2, 2018)."Batman Who Laughs Gets a Ridiculously Awesome Statue From Prime 1 Studio".Bleeding Cool.
  21. ^"Mortal Kombat 11's New DC Comics Skins: Where Each of Them is from".16 January 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 1 December 2023.Retrieved20 September2021.
  22. ^Stewart, Marcus (2024-05-28)."Check Out The Joker's MultiVersus Gameplay And The Batman Who Laughs Alternate Costume".Game Informer.Archived fromthe originalon May 13, 2024.Retrieved2024-05-15.
  23. ^Makuch, Eddie (July 13, 2023)."New DC Strategy Game Announced, Coming Next Year".IGN.RetrievedJuly 14,2023.
  24. ^"Zombicide: 2nd Edition – Dark Nights Metal: Pack #1".
  25. ^Fallon, Sean (January 15, 2019)."The Batman Who Laughs Previews Exclusive Funko Pop is Almost Here".comicbook.com.RetrievedMarch 27,2019.
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