since 1939, Batman has stood as one of DC’s darkest heroes, something that has only strengthened since Frank Miller took on the character. With the company assigning some of their star creative teams to the hero, each writer has left their own spin. While some creators try to give the Dark Knight a lighter touch, others have made a point of outdoing one another to see how gritty a story they can write.
Batman may be considered one of the darkest heroes in DC, but that wasn’t always the case. Before the Bronze Age, the caped crusader was a relatively lighthearted figure, whose adventures were closer in tone to the Adam West show than modern stories. In the 1970s, however, he returned to his darker Golden Age roots, and the company hasn’t looked back since. As a result, these are just a sample of The darkest Batman stories ever told In comics history.
10
Legends of the Dark Knight: Venom
Dennis O’Neill, Russell Brown and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
1989s Legends of the Dark Knight was made with the intention of giving star creative teams freedom to tell great Batman stories of continuity. One of the series’ most famous stories is “Venom,” a five-part story that focuses on the hero turning to Bane’s super serum to help him fight crime. However, the more he uses it, the more aggressive he becomes, threatening DC’s criminals with death and alienating Alfred.
“Venom” is a clear exploration of drug addiction, from how it affects the user to its impact on loved ones and the difficulty of recovery. The story pushes Batman to his psychological limits, culminating in the hero asking Alfred to lock him in the Batcave for a whole month to beat his addiction.
9
Batman: Death of Innocents
Dennis O’Neill, Joe Staton and Bill Sienkiewicz
Death of the innocent Follows Batman as he travels to the fictional, war-torn nation of Kravia to rescue the orphaned daughter of a Wayne Enterprises employee killed by a landmine. There, the danger of hidden explosive devices becomes devastatingly personal to the caped crusader as he navigates the country in search of the girl. Throughout the story, it shows its title is quite literal.
Death of the innocent was created for one purpose only: to spread awareness about the dangers of landmines. After conflicts like the Bosnian War, the threat of stray explosives has become very real, and United Nations efforts to rid various countries of the threat are underway. In this PSA-style graphic novel, readers are shown the raw, heartbreaking reality of what people in conflict zones have to live with – and ends with a direct appeal to the reader.
8
The Black Mirror
Scott Snyder, Jock and Francesco Francavilla
As the story that put Scott Snyder on the map for DC fans, “The Black Mirror” follows Dick Grayson taking on the role of Batman in the aftermath of Final crisis (Grant Morrison and JG Jones). In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s death, the city spirals into an even darker place than before, and Dick investigates a villain named The Dealer, who sells classic artifacts of Gotham’s villains to wealthy citizens.
“Black Mirror” alternates between exploring how Dick Grayson would fill his adoptive father’s shoes and the return of James Gordon Jr., whose grim Past makes a comeback. The story paved the way for Snyder and Coppola’s legendary run on Batman, and answered a long-running question from readers about how the original Robin would react to the loss of Bruce Wayne.
7
Death in the family
Jim Starlin, Jim Aparo, Mike DeCarlo and Mike Mignola
“Death in the Family” begins with Joker taking Jason Todd hostage and infamously beating him nearly to death with a crowbar – and letting an explosion finish the job. With revenge in his heart, Batman sets out to find the Clown Prince of Crime and bring him to justice. For the modern age, the story stands out for being one of the few canonical stories that suggested Bruce might be pushed to lethal force, something he apparently didn’t follow through with.
“Death in the Family” is notable in DC history for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that readers voted for Todd to be killed off. Combined with the fact that the story centers around the murder of a child and drives Batman to the edge, it broke boundaries for its time, and raised the stakes for 80s comics significantly.
6
The Batman Who Laughs (one-shot)
James Tynion IV and Riley Rossmo
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo Dark Nights Metal Event follows the arrival of a small group of Nightmare Batman variants from the Dark Multiverse, in their war on reality for Barbatos. As the main story is told, readers are also given an exploration of the origins of the various evil Batman. The crown jewel of the tie-ins is Batman Who Laughs.
Batman Who Laughs Explores the creation of the titular villain as Bruce Wayne is corrupted by Joker’s toxin after his death. When the chemicals begin to wear off, they twist the Caped Crusader’s mind, culminating in him gunning down the entire Bat-family. To make things even harder, he uses Black Kryptonite to drive Superman and Jon Kent insane, resulting in them killing Lois and dying from the effects.
5
Death of the family
Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Gail Simone, Ed Benes, Peter J. Tomasi, Eddy Barrows, Daniel Sampere, Tom DeFalco and more
The New 52 has gone down as one of the darkest tonal shifts in DC history, something that was especially true for Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Batman Run. In the story “Death of the Family,” the Joker returned to Gotham City, where he targeted the entire Bat-family, believing that the sidekicks are holding back Batman. Starting with the gruesome reveal of the villain, whose face is surgically attached, giving him a terrifying appearance, the story is a great representation of Snyder’s gritty style.
“Death of the Family” follows Joker as he takes over Arkham Asylum and begins capturing and psychologically torturing various Batman allies. Ranging from Alfred to Batgirl, the story made it clear that no one is safe, and takes the villain’s obsession with Batman to a whole new level. The story effectively combines elements of classic stories, such as Arkham Asylum and “death in the family” and takes them to extremes.
4
Arkham Asylum: A serious house on serious ground
Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
As the centerpiece of Gotham City’s war on crime, Arkham Asylum has been the focal point of some of Batman’s best stories. In a serious house on serious ground, Joker leads an uprising in the asylum, taking its employees hostage and forcing the Caped Crusader to respond. What follows is a terrifying exploration of the building and its patients as the hero fights to bring things under control.
A serious house on a serious ground Brings readers one of the best creative pairings as Morrison’s psychological plot is transformed into a surrealist horror story by Dave McKean. The story itself shows just how terrifying Gotham’s villains are, especially when they are all trapped in the same building as the prisoners literally take over the home.
3
Batman: Damn
Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo
Batman Damned begins with an injured Batman learning that the Joker may be dead, and the idea quickly spreads that the hero himself is responsible. The Caped Crusader was enlisted to learn the truth of the events that he blocked from his memory, John Constantine, which lead him on an investigation of the supernatural side of Gotham. As their journey continues, Bruce begins to question his own sanity and guilt.
Batman damned Ushered in the Black Label imprint at DC Comics on the perfect note, with his creative team turning in an eerie exploration of the psychological and spiritual side of the character. Leaving the reader on a perfectly ambiguous note, the three-issue miniseries stands out as one of the best collaborations between Azzarello and Bermejo, complete with the infamous “bat-nudity” panel.
2
Batman: The Cult
Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson
Batman: The Cult Follows the hero’s investigation of a murderous cult in Gotham City led by the fanatical Deacon Blackfire. While on the trail of the cult, the Dark Knight is captured and brainwashed, later conditioned to help them when they carry out the murder of the city’s homeless population. Thanks to luck, Wayne is able to get away from the killers, and begins to recover his senses. Along with Robin, he returns to try to bring down the cult.
Batman: The Cult Explores the effects of psychological trauma on the hero as he is forced to cope with PTSD and the memory of what he did for the cult. The miniseries explores the character at his most vulnerable and shows that, despite the reputation he has today, the Dark Knight is still only human.
1
Batman: The Killing Joke
Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
Batman: The Killing Joke Explore the origins of Joker as a former failing comedian turned case guy who, after tripping into a vat of chemicals, becomes the villain. In the present day, the Clown Prince of Crime tries to take Batman over the edge by targeting those closest to him, all in the hopes of shattering his rival’s moral code.
The killing joke is a book so dark that even Alan Moore regrets having written it, lamenting its effects on the industry as younger writers tried to duplicate its success. From the heavily implied assault of Barbara Gordon to the psychological torture of Jim, the comic dragged Batman into his darkest story of all time. Although it stands out as a fan favorite, it is also responsible for making the bat-books increasingly dirty. Readers should also note that the story received a long-awaited sequel in Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok. Batman: Three Jokers.