The Dark Knight. The Caped Crusader. The World's Greatest Detective. Batman. No matter what name you might know him by, it’s safe to say we are all familiar with the story of Bruce Wayne, the boy who lost his parents in a tragic event, leading him to grow up and become the hero that Gotham City—nay, the world needs. He’s a billionaire, a skilled fighter and one of the smartest minds in the DC Universe.
But what does this character look like in completely different circumstances and worlds? Well, there’s no one answer to that question, so I’m here with five. Each of these dramatically different versions of the Dark Knight are drawn from Elseworlds and Black Label stories, and everything in between. Each of them brings something unique and exciting to the page, all representing different aspects of Batman that make him adored (or in some cases, hated).
This was a hard list to put together because there are so many incredible versions of Batman out there. These are some of my favorites, but I’d love for you to share some of yours over in the DC Community.
Absolute Batman
The Absolute universe has taken the comic world by storm! Darkseid shenanigans have created a new DC continuity that explores alternate, darker takes on classic characters. The Absolute version of Batman isn’t a billionaire and only lost one parent to tragedy. Rather, it’s the Joker who’s the billionaire in this story and Alfred Pennyworth is an MI6 agent currently stationed in Gotham.
Absolute Batman is more violent than mainline Bruce Wayne, and because of that, his weapons look a bit different. You might have noticed that his bat symbol is a bit bolder and rectangular than the Bat symbols you might be used to—this is because it’s actually an axe that he wields during combat.
What makes this a compelling take on Batman is the way it explores who he is without money and without the support of his butler and father figure, Alfred Pennyworth. Instead, Bruce Wayne comes from civil servant parents and so he has to work twice as hard to access the resources, skills and education that make Batman the superhero that he is. This Batman is more relatable—he is the people and fights for the people. Still, at his core, Absolute Batman is a faithful adaptation of the Caped Crusader. (Also, the first volume is out now! *wink wink*)
Written by Scott Snyder (American Vampire), art by Nick Dragotta (East of West), colors by Frank Martin (Thunderbolts) and letters by Clayton Cowles (The Wicked + The Divine).
Batman: White Knight
Batman: White Knight explores the terrifying concept of what happens if the Joker becomes sane. What if Batman’s greatest enemy wakes up one day and decides to make amends for all the terror he has caused? Can he be trusted? Is this another ploy? It doesn’t help that in the process the Joker—sorry, I mean Jack Napier—villainizes Batman and turns the public against the World's Greatest Detective.
This Batman brings the darker and more flawed aspects of Bruce Wayne to the forefront. It’s a Bruce Wayne who’s led first and foremost by his anger. He acts above the law and his stubbornness alienates even his closest allies. He takes things too far, prompting the question: Is Batman actually a hero, or is Gotham better off without this destructive billionaire? But if you’re looking for simple black-and-white answers to that question, look elsewhere. One of the best things about Batman: White Knight and its many sequels and spinoffs is how it continually surprises you and subverts your expectations.
Written and drawn by Sean Murphy (Punk Rock Jesus), colors by Matt Hollingsworth (Hellblazer) and letters by Todd Klein (Wonder Woman).
Immortal Legend Batman
Yes, I just wrote about this, but I had to include it here because Immortal Legend Batman features one of the coolest Batman redesigns!
Immortal Legend Batman is a cosmic thriller inspired by Japanese tokusatsu movies and TV shows. In this Elseworlds series, the barrier between our universe and its shadow counterpart has been broken. From the void, monstrous shadowy apparitions have made their way into our world to cause death and destruction. A warrior known as the Batman has found a way to harness the energy that binds the two dimensions, though he has seemingly abandoned the mission to fight a rogues’ gallery of shadow monsters on his own. The question is…why?
Batman’s costume design is literally out of this world. Seeing the Dark Knight in a tokusatsu-like setting makes so much sense conceptually. After all, Batman is a character who has always used technology as one of his super “powers,” so to see him in the distant future using technology beyond our wildest dreams just makes you wonder if there’s anything he can’t do. The universe is his limit—and the universe is limitless!
Written by Kyle Higgins (Radiant Black) and Mat Groom (Inferno Girl Red), art by Erica D’Urso (Inferno Girl Red) and Dan Mora (Superman), colors by Igor Monti (Inferno Girl Red) and Tamra Bonvillain (Supergirl) and letters by Becca Carey (Absolute Wonder Woman).
The Batman Who Laughs
From the pages of Dark Nights: Metal, The Batman Who Laughs is a series that focuses on the darkest version of the World's Greatest Detective—a sinister hybrid of Batman and his arch-rival the Joker.
The Batman Who Laughs is hatching a sinister plan and is after himself! Bruce Waynes throughout the multiverse are dropping like flies and our Batman realizes the only way to defeat the Batman Who Laughs is by violating his core principle and killing him. But down this path true danger lies. After all, it was breaking Bruce’s rule against murder that created that Batman Who Laughs in the first place.
This is easily the darkest version of Batman on the list. The Batman Who Laughs is a man fueled by his grief and anger and infected by the Joker’s toxin. He is Batman’s worst nightmare and greatest enemy combined into one terrifying package. Even worse, he knows everything that Bruce Wayne knows and is willing to do anything or hurt anyone to achieve his goals. But dark or not, the Batman Who Laughs is visually one of my favorite versions of Batman—I do love horror!
Written by Scott Snyder (Batman: The Court of Owls) and James Tynion IV (Something is Killing the Children), art by Jock (Wytches) and Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets), colors by David Baron (Batman Beyond) and Dave Stewart (Catwoman: Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale) and letters by Sal Cipriano (Teen Titans).
Dark Knights of Steel
Dark Knights of Steel is a high fantasy take on the DC Universe. Think Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, only the empires are ruled by familiar DC families. We’ve got the Kingdom of El, Amazon Island and the Kingdom of Storms (ruled by Jefferson Pierce and his family). Expect to see many familiar faces in completely new and unique contexts. In other words, it’s just what you’d expect from a good Elseworlds tale.
This version of Batman is a proper knight—as in shining armor. He rides horses and wields swords and has a group of Robin scouts. He also happens to be half Kryptonian, though this is a secret known only to a few. The unique character design really sets this version of Batman apart and seeing him in this thrilling medieval setting with a new set of abilities offers an exciting, new and accessible take on the classic character. At his core, he remains the Bruce Wayne we all know, though his Kryptonian roots recontextualize his relationship with his parents and add another layer to his losses and grief. This truly is one of my favorite versions of the character, and if you’re a fantasy fan, it will be one of yours too. Batman just fits so well in a medieval setting!
Written by Tom Taylor (DCeased), art by Yasmine Putri (DC Nuclear Winter Special) and Bengal (Batgirl), colors by Arif Prianto (Poison Ivy) and Yasmine Putri and letters by Wes Abbott (DC Comics: Bombshells).
Batman has influenced popular culture and inspired so many stories over his eight and a half decades. Seeing different versions of the character in unique contexts reminds us of how versatile and powerful the character of Bruce Wayne is. This list could keep going with titles like Gotham by Gaslight, Batman & Dracula: Red Rain and Batman: City of Madness, but I’ll stop at five…for now!
Sami DeMonster writes about superheroes, horror and sci-fi for DC.com and reviews comics every week on social media. Follow her at @samidemonster on Instagram and Substack.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Sami DeMonster and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
