Gotham City is a busy place, with a lot going down each and every week. In this monthly column, Joshua Lapin-Bertone helps you stay on top of it all by letting you know what you should be paying attention to within the Bat-Family…and why.

This should come as no surprise to anyone reading this column, but I’m a big nerd. When I was in middle school, all I could think about was Batman. Sometimes when my history teacher would give us a lesson about a war or an era in human history, I would find myself wondering what Batman would have been like during that time period. In fairness, it helped me grasp some of the lessons and pass the quizzes, so thank you, Batman.

Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires feels like a movie born out of my middle school daydreams. What sets it apart from other films like Batman: Gotham by Gaslight or Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham is that while those films are set during another time period, Aztec Batman takes things a step further by crafting the story around an important historical event. In this case, it’s the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire. The movie puts a version of Batman front and center for one of the most important events of the 16^th century.

If it’s been a while since you took world history, Spanish explorers led by Hernán Cortés arrived in the region that is now central Mexico, where they encountered a powerful indigenous civilization known as the Aztecs. Cortés waged war on the Aztec population, toppling their empire and beginning an era of Spanish dominance in the region.

Now imagine how the Aztecs might have fared if they had Batman in their corner. That’s what I did in seventh grade, and I think that’s what the writer behind this movie did as well. (Though Ernie Albacker got a lot more out of their daydreams than just a passing grade.)

Batman here is reimagined as an Aztec named Yohualli Coatl. After Cortés murders his father, Yohualli swears vengeance on the conquistadors and develops a new identity based on the Aztec bat god Tzinacan. What starts as a quest for revenge turns into a quest for justice, as Yohualli becomes a champion for his people, helping them preserve their empire against a conquering force.

If you know your history, you’ll appreciate how Aztec Batman interprets some of the historical moments. For example, we see Cortés burn his ships to send the message that there’s no turning back. That actually happened. But the film also puts a new spin on things. At one point King Moctezuma addresses his people, and they begin to throw rocks at him. In real life this is how he died, but the film plays with our expectations by giving the historical moment a new twist. I won’t spoil what it is here, but let’s just say Moctezuma would’ve been better off if the rocks had hit him.

Aztec Batman also gives us new versions of Catwoman, Joker and Two-Face, and each one is perfect for the setting. In fact, this might be one of the creepiest and most twisted versions of the Joker’s origin to date. There’s also an interesting twist to Two-Face’s identity that took me by surprise.

Yohualli Coatl isn’t Bruce Wayne, and Mexico isn’t Gotham City, but at its core, this film captures the spirit of Batman. In a way, it deconstructs Batman to the bare essentials of the character, helping us see him in a new light. What is Batman without Gotham City, without his fortune and without his upbringing? At his core, he’s a man who witnessed a terrible tragedy and decided that he would fight to make sure nobody would have to suffer as he did ever again.

That’s Yohualli. He’s the champion of his people. He watched his father get murdered and swore vengeance. However, along the way, he realizes that it’s not about vengeance, but justice. It’s about protecting innocents, not punishing the guilty. If that doesn’t sound like a Batman story, then I don’t know what does.

You don’t need the Wayne fortune, gadgets or cars. Yohualli wants to make a difference for the Aztec people, and he does just that. I won’t spoil how the conflict ends, because there are some interesting developments (like in all good superhero movies, make sure you watch through the credits). The future of the Aztec empire is left open ended, but for now, Batman has saved them because that’s what Batman does. The real life Aztec empire may have been wiped out, but thanks to Yohualli, here they have a fighting chance. With Batman, sometimes that’s all you need.
 

Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires is now available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.

Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone 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.