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This Article Contains Spoilers -
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all.
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
“
Now I'll take my new form, child. Don't be afraid. Blue is for soldiers of morning of light. But me... I am no dawn. No, you can call me... THE DARKEST KNIGHT.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs/The Darkest Knight
“
Batman has always been a reactionary idea. He was born in response to those gunshots in the alley. And just as he is a reaction, so too are the twisted Batmen of the dark. Even the most dominant is still a reaction to some fear that has shaped him, built him into a newer, crueller incarnation, perfectly designed to overcome it. Now, understand this, I know that I am not a Batman of any kind. Not a Batman Who Laughs, not a Batmanhattan, not even a culmination of all dark Batmen. I am more. And to be more, I must not be a reaction. I must be the thing that creates the reaction. I will be the bullet. The multiverse will be the dark alley. And its worlds will fall like pearls before me.
„
~ The Darkest Knight
The Batman Who Laughs is an evil version of Bruce Wayne and a major antagonist in the DC Comics universe. He serves as the secondary antagonist of Dark Nights: Metal, one of the two main antagonists of Dark Nights: Death Metal (alongside Perpetua), the titular main antagonist of The Batman Who Laughs seven issue miniseries, and one of the major characters alongside Lex Luthor in the Year of the Villain saga.
He is a "Jokerized" version of Batman who originated from the Dark Multiverse. He is the team leader of the Dark Knights and their goal was to help their master Barbatos plunge the whole Multiverse into complete and utter darkness. This course of action makes them enemies of the Justice League. The Batman Who Laughs traces his origin to a different Earth, which had him actually slay his own version of the Joker. After gaining the powers of Doctor Manhattan via transferring his brain into an alternate Bruce Wayne known as Batmanhattan, he becomes a being of pure darkness with omnipotent power known as The Darkest Knight.
Joker says that to accept that there's no meaning in your actions is to win. I say, to believe there is a meaning in all your actions is to win. That demon, what he says is that there is no meaning in your actions, therefore the only meaningful act is to win. He is the fear that we're both right, Joker and I. The fear that without any grander meaning, at heart we are cold, animalistic, selfish things.
„
~ Bruce Wayne about The Batman Who Laughs.
The Batman Who Laughs was once much like Prime Earth's Batman except that he ended up killing his version of the Joker. After doing this, Bruce was exposed to a nano-toxin that slowly transformed him. It rewired his mind not only to think more like Joker but also twisted his moral core into something evil. However, despite these changes, Bruce still managed to retain the orderly and logical aspects of his mind as well as his highly keen and calculating intellect. Thus he became someone with Batman's tactical genius and combat training and Joker's lack of morality. He also has the latter's desire for chaos, and insanity.
The Batman Who Laughs seems to have a fixation on winning and believes that he can always do so against his opponents because he had shed the self-imposed rules that restrained him from using more cruel and lethal methods in the past. Indeed, without his code holding him back, The Batman Who Laughs has been able to adapt to various situations and triumph against all sorts of remarkable odds. Laughs can also be quite arrogant, having already destroyed his own world and gaining knowledge from many others. He is also highly sadistic, with this aspect of him showing when he prevents the Grim Knight from killing Jim Gordon so he can experience a far crueler fate and comes to the Court of Owls with no intention but to "hear them all die screaming".
While he still is one of the most evil characters in the DC universe, it is assumed Bruce did not become a villain of his own free will. By this logic, it would appear Laughs may be more tragic than the Joker despite his evil surpassing his. When it comes to his actions, the idea of a version of Batman having the Joker's twisted morality would mean that it is possible The Batman Who Laughs might disregard the concepts of good and evil aside to do what he thinks is best, which in this case means winning, since he thinks it is the only meaningful act. However, considering he managed to retain some of his previous mindset when it comes to his genius, Laughs may still have some sense of right and wrong as well, although it would be very distorted. Since he has gained cosmic awareness, however, this is no longer the case, as Laughs now knows that what he did was wrong but still wants to create chaos and destruction without any remorse. Thus, Laughs isn't tragic anymore and any Freudian Excuse he once had is gone.
Powers and Abilities
The Batman Who Laughs has all the training, discipline, and experience of the Prime Earth Batman. In addition, he possesses information about the strengths and weaknesses of numerous superheroes and supervillains in the DC Universe, as he had already killed them in his own reality. He also has knowledge from various other worlds he has visited and can adapt to almost any situation. All of these factors. combined with the fact that those born in the Dark Multiverse are extremely resistant to attacks by those from the central Multiverse makes The Batman Who Laughs immensely dangerous. However, he possesses a couple of notable weaknesses. He is highly vulnerable to both Nth Metal and Element X. Also, despite how different he has become, Laughs is still Batman and can be caught off-guard by situations Batman is not prepared for such as Batman and Joker teaming up. This, along with his arrogance, means that surprise factors can lead to his defeat.
It is revealed in The Batman Who Laughs miniseries that Laughs has the ability to sense people's urges, which can be used to find what he desires. However, he needs to wear a visor made made of Dark Metal in order to focus his senses and pinpoint what he is searching for.
After absorbing the powers of an alternate reality Doctor Manhattan and being reborn as the Darkest Knight, the Batman Who Laughs now has nigh-omnipotent powers at least on par with Manhattan - which easily ranks him one of DC's most powerful antagonists (since Manhattan was never truly defeated, simply convinced to alter his plans).
Groblins
Damian Wayne of Earth -22.
The Groblins (also known as Dark Robins or simply Robins) usually seen accompanying The Batman Who Laughs are a group of children that were presumably among the many Jokerized by the Joker after he had killed their parents in an ally. Laughs later took them in and groomed them into animalistic "pets" that have lost their humanity. Because of this, the only word they know how to say is "crow" and will viciously attack anyone they are sent to hunt, unless The Batman Who Laughs or one of his allies tells them to heel by saying the word "bar".
Damian Wayne of Earth -22 was also transformed into a Groblin. Unlike the other Groblins, Damian is still capable of speech and retained his ability to think more rationally. He assisted his father in battling against the Gotham Resistance until he was killed by his Prime Earth counterpart using an arrow made from Nth Metal.
The Batman Who Laughs can transform more children into Groblins should he choose to using a device he calls the Robin Pit, which immerses them in a green solution that causes them to lose their free will and develop the physical characteristics associated with Groblins, such as pointed ears, pale skin, green hair, and fangs. He gave the Grim Knight a few Groblins who were all alternate versions of James Gordon Jr. from different worlds and later used the Pit to forcibly convert another sociopathic version of himself into a Groblin, although he retained his intellect using a specially-prepared pill.
It appeared that Billy Batson of Prime Earth became a Groblin, after he was infected with Dark Matter by a special Batarang during the Year of the Villain saga. However, Billy might have just been in disguise in order to ambush Batman and Superman.
Quotes
“
Dnnn't! Nnnn!
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs prior to his transformation, before the Joker shoots a child's parents.
“
JOKER!, STOP!
„
~ Pre-Batman Who Laughs after breaking his bonds and began attacking the Joker.
“
STOP! ...stop...stop...
„
~ Pre-Batman Who Laughs killing the Joker and breathing the Joker gas from the corpse.
“
He was dying Clark, the chemicals that made him the Joker, they were starting to eat him away from the inside. That's what pushed him to take things too far...why he pushed me...
„
~ Pre-Batman Who Laughs explaining to Superman why he pushed him.
“
He said he wanted to make something new out of the best of both of us. Both my trauma and his blended together... they might be beyond saving, Clark.
„
~ Pre-Batman Who Laughs also explaining what the Joker wanted to do before he dies.
“
HA!...I'm...I'm sorry. That wasn't...funny.
„
~ Pre-Batman Who Laughs chuckling after hearing Superman saying about a nurse almost being killed, a sign that he's about to lose his humanity.
“
Something you weren't prepared for. *laughs*
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs now becoming Jokerized as he shoots the Batfamily dead.
“
Aww, it's okay...you can lie to mine.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs revealing his new family.
“
I know. Catch.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs throwing the Black Kryptonite towards Superman's family, making Superman and his son kill Lois Lane.
“
Don't be the victim who drowns. Don't sink with the rest. Be active. Rise up, … reclaim the light, … and be the one who does the drowning.
Stop me if you've heard this one... worlds will live, worlds will die... but imagine if your every fear, each bad decision, gave birth to a malformed world of nightmare. A world that shouldn't exist. And desperate as it fights to survive in the light of the true multiverse far above... these worlds are doomed to rot apart, and die, because they are wrong at their core. Welcome to the Dark Multiverse. Home to stories that should never be... It's all one big cosmic joke, except no one on this side is laughing. ...well, almost no one...
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs explaining the Dark Multiverse.
“
I know I'm not exactly the Bruce you were hoping for. But I am Bruce. We all are. Let me remind you of a story we have in common. On my world, I developed ways to eliminate the Justice League… then they found out and were so disappointed in me. I betrayed their trust. It was a dark time for the League. But in all honesty… I was holding back. Now imagine if seven Bruce Waynes put their heads together… what horror they could be capable of. If they were to… say… develop separate murderous Batcaves meticulously designed with each of you in mind. So I hope you appreciate our work, because… you're going to die here. Ha. Ha.Ha.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs.
“
You know I am something twisted and wrong, and that terrifies you.
It was simple, really. Killing my world. No matter what they threw at me-armies of villains, alien tyrants, the wrath of god-they were all just problems to solve. One by one. Methodically. With precision. And blood.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs.
“
I think he understood on some level. The Joker. Not entirely, of course. He was too single-minded for that, but he saw the potential. He saw that the two of us were incomplete without the other. He knew that we needed to evolve into something new, together. Something more. He used to call me a bat-king, ruling over my dark kingdom. And what is a king, really? It's a powerful card. The highest valued face card in the deck. Not infallible, to be sure, but potent. And the joker card? On its own? It has no inherent value. It's defined by what is played against. Dangerous in its potential more than anything. But if you hold the two together in a hand, they can hold nearly any value. They can shift and adapt to any threat they face. And so can I.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs.
“
Take a good look Bruce. What do you see? You've never fought someone with all your training. Your discipline. See it yet? I'm not him in a batsuit. I'm you. You. How you are supposed to be without the codes. Without the rules. Except one. BATMAN. ALWAYS. WINS.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs to Batman of Prime Earth.
“
You hear that? People think of birth as loud, and death as silent. Things start with a bang, end with a whimper, but I'll tell you a secret. See, endings...endings are the loudest of all.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs.
“
I'm not mad. Just open-minded.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs.
“
You're standing on the edge right now, Lex. You could be the ultimate version of yourself. Let go of what always held you back, like I did. The universe isn’t destined for you. But you can still take it.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs talking to Lex Luthor.
“
He's not the Joker, Jim. He's Batman. He's me. Joker has points to prove—to me, to the world. The Batman Who Laughs...he's not here to prove anything. He's here to win, to kill anything and everything that's a threat.
„
~ Batman describing The Batman Who Laughs to Jim Gordon.
“
Out of every version of us across the universe, you're the most miserable. The least accomplished. You don't understand why yet, but you will. See, to me, to us, you're the nightmare Batman. The bad joke.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs to Batman of Prime Earth.
“
Right now you're trying to see past it...past the danger. The terror... You're trying to see things through the eyes of your Robins, aren't you? Through the eyes of your so-called children...but they knew, Batman. The hope you saw in people, it was a lie. That's why Dick, that's why all of them, stayed high above. (...) Yes. The hard truth is, you're finally starting to see things clearly...because for the first time ever, you're looking at Gotham through the eyes of your real child...you're truest child...The Batman Who Laughs. In other words...me.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs to Batman of Prime Earth.
“
But my favor...all I wanted...was to hear you all die screaming. So...help a guy out?
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs to the "littlest one" of the Court of Owls before killing her.
“
That's the secret I've been waiting to tell you all this time... the point of Gotham was to conquer!
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs to Batman of Prime Earth.
“
It all comes down to this. Everything. A thousand versions of myself, at war with me, all led by one creature. This is the final battlefield. I feel it.
„
~ Batman to fight The Batman Who Laughs.
“
Aw, that's what I said when I was where you are in my transformation. I even called the family over to let them know it would all be okay. While waiting for them, I got a pitcher of water for the table. That's all the exertion it took. And when they arrived, I killed them all. Then I had a cool glass of water.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs response to Batman's claim that he will never be like him.
“
The happiest Bruce Wayne--The one I'll use for the last bit of my serum--is the version who finally let's go of his sadness, his mistaken ideals...and becomes who he was always meant to be...the true bat of Gotham. Meaning, the happiest in Bruce in existence... (...) ...is you, right at this every moment!... Right now. When you become me.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs to Batman of Prime Earth.
“
The World's Finest--back together again.
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs to Superman.
“
You're not going to kill me. You're too smart for that. You know I came here because I wanted to see how much you already knew. You've got a good start, I'll give you that. You've moved a few pieces along in this game. But you're going to need my help when you get stuck. Because I'm not from here. I don't give a damn about the little ants you're trying to convince to be gods. I barely give a damn about you. I've walked the cosmic folds of this multiverse. I've stood by the side of beings who could shatter reality with a well-placed punch. You won't kill me, because you're smart, and you know I know things that no other being in this universe knows. And there's a deeper reason. A more Human reason... you and Batman are probably the two greatest strategic minds of your world. But your Batman has rules that I don't. You're not going to kill me. Hell. A few months down the road, and I bet you'll unlock the chains yourself. Because you're going to want to know, when all the chips are on the table, and we both become all we can become... who is going to win? You...or me?
„
~ The Batman Who Laughs talking to Lex Luthor about upcoming events.
“
Yes. You just gave me everything I need. To remake the Multiverse in my own image. So let me be the first to welcome you... to the Last 52.
„
~ The Darkest Knight.
“
Heh. I know, I know. You want to be a bird, but that's because you're still young. You want to inspire others to follow you. But it never works, son. Good, evil, there is no higher calling. And in the end, what you learn is that there is no winning them over, there is only winning over them.
In Dark Knights: Metal issue 6, The Batman Who Laughs' fingers were amputated by the Joker. However, during his appearances in comics since then, he still has them. It may be possible that he replaced them with prosthetics.
The Batman Who Laughs represents Prime Earth Batman's fear of the Joker and his own madness as well as who Batman would have become if he had went through with killing Joker.
The Batman Who Laughs' name was taken from the silent films that helped inspire the creation of Batman and the Joker; The Bat and The Man Who Laughs.
The Batman Who Laughs can be seen as the literal interpretation to one of Joker's longtime goals for Batman; to have the Dark Knight kill him and make Batman a murderer no better than himself. However, The Batman Who Laughs is perhaps far worse than what the Joker could expect from Batman of becoming like him.
Indeed, even the Joker loathes The Batman Who Laughs to the point of teaming up with Batman to stop him, refusing to accept him as a teammate in the Legion of Doom and quitting the Legion (after non-lethally gassing them) as a result. Furthermore, when referring to him, the Joker drops his usual joking demeanor and turns deathly calm and serious, without neither smiling nor laughing. That said, he still tried to transform Batman into his own version as he thought that the only way he could stop him was to become him.
Most fans initially assumed that The Batman Who Laughs was blind because of the spiked visor which covers both his eyes while others believed that he just wore it because that contributed to his disturbing appearance. However, since the release of The Batman Who Laughs miniseries, it's explained that he uses it to focus his senses, and the spikes are not solely for aesthetics.
According to The Batman Who Laughs, the death of the Commissioner Gordon of his world motivated him to hunt down and kill the Joker.
The Batman Who Laughs is the only villain thus far that Batman has openly expressed an intention to kill.
During his confrontation with the Gotham Resistance, The Batman Who Laughs claimed that the Harley Quinn of Earth -22 was his ally. However, as pointed out by Raven, this might have been a lie in an attempt to manipulate the Harley Quinn of Prime Earth. Considering that the Joker of Earth -22 killed all members of Batman's rogues' gallery before The Batman Who Laughs killed him, it's possible that Raven was right.
The Batman Who Laughs was the winner of DC Comics' 2019 "Villain of the Year" award.
Noob Saibot received a skin based on The Batman Who Laughs in Mortal Kombat 11 when the Joker was added as a DLC character.
Due to his looks, he's compared to Judge Dredd antagonists, Judge Death.
In DC Universe Online, he has been given gloves to his normal attire.
Video Games Gotham Knights Court of Owls (Jacob Kane, Constance Cobblepot & Talons) | League of Shadows (Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul & Man-Bat Commandos) | Gotham City Police Department (Catherine Kane) | Penguin | Harley Quinn | Mr. Freeze | Clayface
✓
