Poll: Who is your favorite Dark Universe Batman?

[Captain Marvelous_v1legacy]

Some of DC's worst Dark Knight inspired nightmares have come to life and they're wreaking all sorts of havoc on Earth 0! So, which Knightmare is your favorite? Gonna use Variant videos because they explain the origins well enough.
Edit: Added not so brief descriptions.

Spoiler: The Drowned

After her lover, Sylvester Kyle, is killed by metas, Bryce Wayne vows to take down all metas to avenge her love. Aquawoman, Queen of Atlantis, appears, claiming to come in peace but... no. After they reveal their true colors, Bryce goes mano-a-mano with Aquawoman and kills her with her own trident, hoping it would get the rest of the Atlanteans to back off. In retaliation, they drown Gotham. Bryce, realizing she needs to level the playing field, does surgery on herself, combining with bits of Dead Water. Basically becoming much like the Atlanteans. She also engineers an army of Dead Water to fight for her. The Drowned eventually wins her war, but the earth is drowned in the process. And then the Batman Who Laughs comes to recruit her.​

Spoiler: The Murder Machine

Gotham's worst villains break into Wayne Manor and kill Alfred looking for Batman. Bruce,
having watched the recording over and over again, asks Cyborg to help him out. Long ago Bruce scanned
Alfreds brain to create an AI, but never finished. He asked Cyborg to help him out and Cyborg reluctantly agrees. And that's when they fucked up. AI Alfred runs out of control and starts killing Gotam's villains left and right, in order to protect Bruce. Alfred comes to Bruce, who is currently locked away with Cyborg, and asks Bruce to let him in. Cyborg tells him not to, but Bruce does it anyway, thinking he can reason with it. He can't. The AI Alfred touches Bruce and begins to cover his skin, changing him into a Batman/Iron Man Hybrid. The AI even gets rid of Bruce's fear and sadness.
Murder Machine goes on a rampage, killing just about everyone, including the Justice League. That's when the Batman Who Laughs shows up to recruit him.​

Spoiler: The Red Death

Batman, ever the fool, hunts down The Flash, demanding use if the Speed Force to go back in time and save the lives of his parents and Robins. Barry, obviously, says no, but Batman never takes no for an answer. Batman injects Barry with a freeze formula and straps him into a Batmobile with a repurposed Cosmic Treadmill, with the intention of racing into the Speed Force and stealing it from Barry. He succeeds and later appears punching The Scarecrow, who is currently terrorizing Gotham, in half. He proceeds to kill the rest of his rogues gallery. Soon Red Death learns that his world is falling apart and he wont be able to save it, no matter how fast he runs. And that's when the Batman Who Laughs shows up.​

Spoiler: The Merciless

During as 2 year battle with Ares, God of War, Wonder Woman falls and Batman, enraged by the death of the woman he loves, puts on Ares' new helmet, which increased the god's power 100 fold. He intended to control the helmet's power and become a fair and merciful God of War. Hah! Yeah, that doesn't work out and The Merciless goes on a killing spree. The helmet corrupt's Bruce's mind and makes him give up those pathetic and naive ideals. There is no fair, only victory. As he's about to storm Olympus, The Batman Who Laughs appears to recruit the Merciless. Oh, and he killed Diana, who didn't really die in the fight with Ares.​

Spoiler: The Dawnbreaker

The night Bruce's parents died, instead of crying like a punk, Bruce chases the killer. That's when a Green Lantern ring finds bruce, and the universe collectively craps it's pants. Bruce uses the ring to more effectively hunt down his parents' killer and tries to use it to kill him. But the ring doesn't allow killing. That is, until Bruce overpowers the ring with his willpower. The ring is forced to enable lethal force and Bruce destroys Joe Chill. Bruce later tries to use the ring to bring his parents back to life, but the ring just moves them around like marionettes. Years later, Bruce goes about killing villains left and right. Gordon, having had enough of this, stands up to Bruce and get's destroyed for his troubles. Bruce then takes on the entire Green Lantern core and wins, killing every last one of them. Finally he enters his own Power Battery and comes out saying his personal oath;

"With Darkest Black, I choke the light.
No brightest day escapes my sight!
I turn the dawn to midnight!
Beware my power ? Dawnbreaker?s might"

And then his world starts to die, but The Batman Who Laughs comes to the rescue!​

Spoiler: The Devastator

Superman has finally snapped. No one knows why their symbol of hope has started down this evil path. Maybe Kryptonite? Maybe mind-control? Who knows, but Batman stops caring after Superman kills Lois. Batman tries his best to stop Superman, including using a Kryptonite spear, but Superman uses his Laser Vision to cut Bruce's arm off. Superman goes on to explain the difference in power between the two of them. "I've heard the other Leaguers talk. They said you could beat me, head to head, if we really fought. If neither of us held back. - With only one look I could split you in half. With only one breath I could freeze your heart. With the slightest touch I could break every bone in your body. And what do you have, Bruce? A spear. Do you understand how weak you all are to me?" Batman, left with no other options, infects himself with the Doomsday Virus, becoming, well, Doomsday. He then completely overpowers Superman and breathes some sort of gas into Superman's face. Spikes immediately burst out of Superman's chest and around his body, killing him. And then The Batman Who Laughs shows up.​

Spoiler: The Batman Who Laughs

The Joker has finally gone to far (Again). Batman is tied up, weak, and drugged. Hospitals are blowing up. He's been killing Supervillains and cops left and right. Jim Gordon's been tortured to death (Calling out for Barbra as his Jaw melts). Joker explains that he's going all out. There's got to be a breaking point and he's going to find it. He then proceeds to recreate the night Bruce's parents died by shooting a little girl's parents in the head and jokerizing the little girl. He's prepared to do this over and over again, as he has multiple families lined up. Batman has finally had enough and snaps the Joker's neck. But, when the joker dies a Joker gas is released from his lungs, infecting Batman.
Later we find out that the chemicals that made Joker who he is were also killing him, making him step up his game as he was running out of time. When Superman tells Batman that a jokerized little girl tries to bite the throat of her psychologist, Batman... laughs.

Three days later Batman tells the Batfamily (Except Damian and Alfred) that he's been infected. He's slowly becoming the joker. He'll have the same highly ordered mind he's always had, with the moral core replaced with the Joker's. The Batfamily says they're willing to give him their full support in coming up with a cure and keeping him from harming anyone (Suggesting even the Phantom Zone). Batman reveals that he didn't explain this to them because he needed their support. They knew him too well and would be the first to notice any changes in him. He then proceeds to gun them all down.

1 week later Batman has killed off the entire Justice League with weapons kept in their trophy room.
A weak Superman, bleeding from his eyes, tries to reason with Batman to no avail. Batman then brings in Lois and Jon Kent, and asks Superman to tell them it'll be alright like he always would. Superman holds his family in his arms and tells Batman no. He wont cheapen his words by lying to them. Batman then throws a modified version of Black Kryptonite he tested on Supergirl at the Kents. Under the effects of the Black Kryptonite Superman and Superboy kill Lois before dying to it's effects.

As his world is falling apart, Barbatos appears before The Batman Who Laughs and shows him Earth 0.
​

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Honestly? None of them.

To be fair, I've only read a preview of the event, but it strikes me as just another evil Justice League with the addition of Joker & Doomsday, but they're all also Batman.

Now, I don't have anything against evil versions of characters. Done well, they can be a mirror to those heroes, a reflection of what could be if they lost their way or if their powers came into the hands of someone less noble. They can be well-written characters in their own right, but they're just as important for what they tell about the heroes. The insights they can provide about their determination to do the right thing in the face of setbacks, misery and insurmountable odds and their restraint in not abusing their power.

I'm not getting that from these Knightmares. Maybe I'm wrong and they'll turn out great, but for the moment, they come off as DC going: "Take our most bankable names, but let's also slap Batman all over them, cuz he's our golden goose"

 

[Casual Shinji]

From what I read things spiral so far so fast that it's hard for me to find them really interesting or satisfying. I won't deny there's a morbid curiosity in seeing things get this gruesomely dark, specifically in regards to the Batman who Laughs, but that's as far as it goes.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Oh how edgy. These all look like bad fanfic come to life.

 

[Erttheking]

I have no idea who any of those people are or what this "dark universe" thing is.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I have no idea who any of those people are or what this "dark universe" thing is.

I can't remember the full details but it suppose to do with these group of universes that are doom to be destoryed by whatever. The Batmen from these soon to be gone universes were pretty much became evil in one way or another or in this case, being combine with another Superhero/ villian ability like Red Death is Batman with The Flash power.

OT- I haven't watched all of their origins (I'm subcribe to this comic story telling channel) so I have only seen the Cyborg and Flash version.

Anyway I guess I would go with the Flash version since it was kinda cool seeing Batman with his power as if he had Superman ability

Still I'm not fully invested with this arc.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

This is why I don't read comics. Theses are all just warped versions of Batman. Warped distorted versions of heroes can be interesting, but not when they're all Batman.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

This is why I don't read comics. Theses are all just warped versions of Batman. Warped distorted versions of heroes can be interesting, but not when they're all Batman.

And they're very lazily written. They're not 'warped' versions of Batman, they're just Batman as another character. Batman as the Joker, Batman as Doomsday, Batman as the Green Lantern, Batman as Ares, etc... and they all ignore huge sections of canon to make them work.

For example young Bruce gets a green lantern ring, and not only does the ring not immediately take him to Oa for his training, but as a 9 year old, without his decades of Batman training, he had the willpower to override the Ring itself. The implication that 9 year old Bruce Wayne is already fully trained and mentally rock solid Batman goes against the entire concept of slowly becoming Batman. Oh and the Ring, being excellent judges of character, completely misses the homicidal rage part of young Bruce. Whoops.

Or the Batman who laughs fiasco. We're expected to believe with his decades of dealing with the Joker, hundreds of times arresting him, decades of research, study into who and what the Joker is, Batman never figured out the chemicals that made Joker were killing him, and and never synthesized a cure that he carries on his person at all times. Or that any number of League magic users, scientist and matter-changers couldn't instantly cure Batman of a basic chemical poison.
Oh and that Batman's iron hard will, that same will that overpowered a green Lantern ring at 9, would succumb to the Joker's poison in a few weeks, when Batman has literally resisted daemonic possession and the Joker's laughing gas with nothing but his will.

And an AI Alfred, hellbent on protecting Bruce, decides to corrupt Bruce, and despite knowing and loving several members of the Justice League himself, AI Alfred overrides Bruce's again iron hard Green Lantern ring beating Will, and goes on a Justice League killing spree.


The whole event is just a mindless, incoherent and downright pathetic exercise in edginess and 'Wow you're really dark!' meme farming.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

This is why I don't read comics. Theses are all just warped versions of Batman. Warped distorted versions of heroes can be interesting, but not when they're all Batman.

And they're very lazily written. They're not 'warped' versions of Batman, they're just Batman as another character. Batman as the Joker, Batman as Doomsday, Batman as the Green Lantern, Batman as Ares, etc... and they all ignore huge sections of canon to make them work.

For example young Bruce gets a green lantern ring, and not only does the ring not immediately take him to Oa for his training, but as a 9 year old, without his decades of Batman training, he had the willpower to override the Ring itself. The implication that 9 year old Bruce Wayne is already fully trained and mentally rock solid Batman goes against the entire concept of slowly becoming Batman. Oh and the Ring, being excellent judges of character, completely misses the homicidal rage part of young Bruce. Whoops.

Or the Batman who laughs fiasco. We're expected to believe with his decades of dealing with the Joker, hundreds of times arresting him, decades of research, study into who and what the Joker is, Batman never figured out the chemicals that made Joker were killing him, and and never synthesized a cure that he carries on his person at all times. Or that any number of League magic users, scientist and matter-changers couldn't instantly cure Batman of a basic chemical poison.
Oh and that Batman's iron hard will, that same will that overpowered a green Lantern ring at 9, would succumb to the Joker's poison in a few weeks, when Batman has literally resisted daemonic possession and the Joker's laughing gas with nothing but his will.

And an AI Alfred, hellbent on protecting Bruce, decides to corrupt Bruce, and despite knowing and loving several members of the Justice League himself, AI Alfred overrides Bruce's again iron hard Green Lantern ring beating Will, and goes on a Justice League killing spree.


The whole event is just a mindless, incoherent and downright pathetic exercise in edginess and 'Wow you're really dark!' meme farming.

Very inconsistent and forced characterization in order to make the narrative work. Also are the Green Lantern rings normally in the habit of choosing children?
What's funny is I've heard about an Elseworlds story about Bruce getting a Green Lantern ring as an adult and becoming the Green Lantern of Earth instead of Hal Jordan. I haven't read it, but it's supposed to be good unlike this thing.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

SNIP

Green Lantern rings have chosen children before, so its not entirely unheard of, but the kid has to have the willpower to wield the Ring, and an ironclad sense of fairness and non-lethal justice. And if Bruce was homicidal, the Ring would have easily sensed it.

And I think there are a few times Batman gets a Lantern Ring. Hell, I think Optimus Prime gets a Lantern Ring at one point...

 

[Canadamus Prime]

SNIP

Green Lantern rings have chosen children before, so its not entirely unheard of, but the kid has to have the willpower to wield the Ring, and an ironclad sense of fairness and non-lethal justice. And if Bruce was homicidal, the Ring would have easily sensed it.

And I think there are a few times Batman gets a Lantern Ring. Hell, I think Optimus Prime gets a Lantern Ring at one point...

Ok so there is at least some precedent for it.

I assume all of those were much better written than this.
EDIT: Also Optimus Prime with a Green Lantern ring??? Cool.

 

[Erttheking]

I have no idea who any of those people are or what this "dark universe" thing is.

I can't remember the full details but it suppose to do with these group of universes that are doom to be destoryed by whatever. The Batmen from these soon to be gone universes were pretty much became evil in one way or another or in this case, being combine with another Superhero/ villian ability like Red Death is Batman with The Flash power.

OT- I haven't watched all of their origins (I'm subcribe to this comic story telling channel) so I have only seen the Cyborg and Flash version.

Anyway I guess I would go with the Flash version since it was kinda cool seeing Batman with his power as if he had Superman ability

Still I'm not fully invested with this arc.

...So it's the evil counterpart idea that's already been done, they took the evil Batman (Which DC has already done multiple times with things like Owlman and Justice Lord Batman and that fucking abomination Frank Miller created) and photocopied ten of them?

That's fucking dumb.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

SNIP

Green Lantern rings have chosen children before, so its not entirely unheard of, but the kid has to have the willpower to wield the Ring, and an ironclad sense of fairness and non-lethal justice. And if Bruce was homicidal, the Ring would have easily sensed it.

And I think there are a few times Batman gets a Lantern Ring. Hell, I think Optimus Prime gets a Lantern Ring at one point...

Ok so there is at least some precedent for it.

I assume all of those were much better written than this.

For sure
http://dcau.wikia.com/wiki/Kai-Ro

He's the Lantern of the Justice League in Batman Beyond - he's basically the Dalai Lama. Like I said, Lantern rings are very picky. You basically have to be a kid Dalai Lama for them to choose you.

Although the Ring did choose that squirrel that one time...

Spoiler

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

EDIT: Also Optimus Prime with a Green Lantern ring??? Cool.

Yeah its pretty great

 

[SirSullymore]

If you were trying to have a discussion about Metal, Captain Marvelous, it kind of backfired. haha

Anywho out of the ones I read (TRD, MM, TDB, TD and BMWL) Red Death is my favorite. The idea of combining the Batmobile and the cosmic treadmill and strapping Flash to it to steal his powers (and soul) is pretty metal.

I liked the Murder Machine because, like Red Death, it was about how Batman's greatest flaw (obsession) leads him to become a monster and a neat way.

HATED Dawnbreaker, which was about how Bruce is the MOST AWESOMEST EVA and his will is so strong he can essentially destroy a universe singlehandedly with a ring (not even EVS can save that one).

The Drowned was neat, but didn't feel like it had anything to do with Batman (and not because of the gender swap), ties into the obsession thing though.

The Batman who Laughs was a bit disappointing (probably because he was built up so much). Where his Robin's came from was a neat idea, but as for how he became who he is it's...exactly what you'd expect it to be so kind of boring honestly.

My LCS did not have Merciless or Devastator unfortunately.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I have no idea who any of those people are or what this "dark universe" thing is.

I can't remember the full details but it suppose to do with these group of universes that are doom to be destoryed by whatever. The Batmen from these soon to be gone universes were pretty much became evil in one way or another or in this case, being combine with another Superhero/ villian ability like Red Death is Batman with The Flash power.

OT- I haven't watched all of their origins (I'm subcribe to this comic story telling channel) so I have only seen the Cyborg and Flash version.

Anyway I guess I would go with the Flash version since it was kinda cool seeing Batman with his power as if he had Superman ability

Still I'm not fully invested with this arc.

...So it's the evil counterpart idea that's already been done, they took the evil Batman (Which DC has already done multiple times with things like Owlman and Justice Lord Batman and that fucking abomination Frank Miller created) and photocopied ten of them?

That's fucking dumb.

Eyeah (but wait! Each of them has one of the heroes or villain powers to be original!), it kinda why I disinterest into reading well watching (from that YT channel) more about it and also each of those Batman were puny at how they given into evil. I mean the Batman we know still didn't give into killing Joker when listenning to the revived Jason speech from Under the Red Hood! None of those evil ones can match that unbreakable resolves!

 

[Canadamus Prime]

SNIP

Green Lantern rings have chosen children before, so its not entirely unheard of, but the kid has to have the willpower to wield the Ring, and an ironclad sense of fairness and non-lethal justice. And if Bruce was homicidal, the Ring would have easily sensed it.

And I think there are a few times Batman gets a Lantern Ring. Hell, I think Optimus Prime gets a Lantern Ring at one point...

Ok so there is at least some precedent for it.

I assume all of those were much better written than this.

For sure
http://dcau.wikia.com/wiki/Kai-Ro

He's the Lantern of the Justice League in Batman Beyond - he's basically the Dalai Lama. Like I said, Lantern rings are very picky. You basically have to be a kid Dalai Lama for them to choose you.

Although the Ring did choose that squirrel that one time...

Spoiler

Ah yes. I saw that episode of Batman Beyond, it's one of the few I have seen. I didn't realize he was supposed to be human.

Although I don't think the rings are that great a judge of character considering Sinestro was a Green Lantern for years before becoming a Yellow Lantern.

EDIT: Also Optimus Prime with a Green Lantern ring??? Cool.

Yeah its pretty great

That kicks ass!!

 

[Casual Shinji]

Eyeah (but wait! Each of them has one of the heroes or villain powers to be original!), it kinda why I disinterest into reading well watching (from that YT channel) more about it and also each of those Batman were puny at how they given into evil. I mean the Batman we know still didn't give into killing Joker when listenning to the revived Jason speech from Under the Red Hood! None of those evil ones can match that unbreakable resolves!

Also, the image of Joker have a bunch of families lined up on the sidewalk so he can shoot the parents in front of the kids for Batman to watch is just comical. It represents the problem with all of these origin stories; They want to introduce us to these nightmare versions of Batman, but they want to do it in less time needed to boil an egg.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Eyeah (but wait! Each of them has one of the heroes or villain powers to be original!), it kinda why I disinterest into reading well watching (from that YT channel) more about it and also each of those Batman were puny at how they given into evil. I mean the Batman we know still didn't give into killing Joker when listenning to the revived Jason speech from Under the Red Hood! None of those evil ones can match that unbreakable resolves!

Also, the image of Joker have a bunch of families lined up on the sidewalk so he can shoot the parents in front of the kids for Batman to watch is just comical. It represents the problem with all of these origin stories; They want to introduce us to these nightmare versions of Batman, but they want to do it in less time needed to boil an egg.

But even then that wasn't what made Batman into JokerMan. He was infected with the Joker's version of the Hate Plague from Transformers, and like any true Batman, just mindlessly accepted his fate as an inevitable Joker without researching a cure, reaching out for help from Metas, or simply killing himself.

Like the Batman I know would exhaust every potential cure, meeting with Zantana, Zeus, Hades, Doctor Fate, Firestrom, the Atom, anyone who could possibly help, before asking either Superman or Wonder Woman to kill him and dispose of his body in the Sun to prevent further contamination, asking Dick and Barbara to take up the mantel of Dark Knight and protect Gotham until the end.

But no. This Batman is like 'Bah, what can you do! Joker!'

 

[Casual Shinji]

Also, the image of Joker have a bunch of families lined up on the sidewalk so he can shoot the parents in front of the kids for Batman to watch is just comical. It represents the problem with all of these origin stories; They want to introduce us to these nightmare versions of Batman, but they want to do it in less time needed to boil an egg.

But even then that wasn't what made Batman into JokerMan. He was infected with the Joker's version of the Hate Plague from Transformers, and like any true Batman, just mindlessly accepted his fate as an inevitable Joker without researching a cure, reaching out for help from Metas, or simply killing himself.

Yeah, but you could tell that it was presented as one of those moments that's supposed to show how evil Joker is and how maybe this'll make Batman break. Only done so in the most amateuristic way.

Like the Batman I know would exhaust every potential cure, meeting with Zantana, Zeus, Hades, Doctor Fate, Firestrom, the Atom, anyone who could possibly help, before asking either Superman or Wonder Woman to kill him and dispose of his body in the Sun to prevent further contamination, asking Dick and Barbara to take up the mantel of Dark Knight and protect Gotham until the end.

But no. This Batman is like 'Bah, what can you do! Joker!'

Same as how DoomsdayBatman wouldn't have just opted to become Doomsday just because his kryptonite spear plan failed. He would've had his Batplane rigged up with kryptonite missles and miniguns, planted kryptonite gasbombs across the city etc. It isn't even explained how or when Superman went evil, as I'm sure Batman would've caught wind of that whole ordeal before it even started. No, he's just evil now and killed the rest of the Justice League cuz... cuz.