Warning! Contains spoilers for Batman ’89: Echoes #4!Batman Appears in tons of different universes, including the fan-favorite world of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman Film starring Michael Keaton. This universe has featured tons of iconic versions of Batman villains, such as Jack Nicholson’s Joker and Danny DeVito’s Penguin, and now, in a comic book sequel, this universe has its very own version of Marvel. Hulk too.
The perfect Hulk stand-in for the Keatonverse’s Batman debut in Batman ’89: Echoes #4 by Sam Hamm and Joe Quinones. In the story, Bruce Wayne is trapped in Arkham Asylum and has to do his best to get free or avoid his fellow asylum inmates. The strategy goes quite well, with Bruce even befriending the Riddler, but everything takes a turn when he runs into Roland Desmond.
Roland is often known by his super villain title, Blockbuster, and he definitely earned the name – as Bruce quickly finds out. Frightened by the eyes of a clown, Blockbuster goes on a rampage, smashing and destroying everything in sightAnd it’s by far one of the biggest physical threats Keaton’s Batman has ever faced.
Like the Hulk, Blockbuster has always been a physical powerhouse
Batman ’89: Echoes #4 by Sam Hamm, Joe Quinones, Stacey Lee, Jordan Gibson, Leonardo Ito, and Carlos M. Mangoal
Roland Desmond is one of the biggest gangsters in Bludhaven, but he has tangled with the Dark Knight before. Roland is a meta-human with massive physical strength, but what makes him truly dangerous is his intelligence, which he gains after making a deal with the demon Neuron. Since then, Blockbuster was a major threat thanks to his brawn and his brain. Blockbuster is a perfect foe to introduce Michael Keaton’s Batman to, as this version of the Caped Crusader has never really faced an enemy that was physically stronger than him before, only really going up against the Joker, Catwoman and the Penguin. .
Blockbuster makes the perfect giant-sized, muscle-bound grunt that Bane simply isn’t suited for, a trap that movie writers often fall into with his character.
While some might assume that Bane would be the expected villain to use, considering he is much more well-known than Desmond, Blockbuster actually makes perfect sense for what the story needs. Bane is an intelligent warlord, someone who demands the focus of the story. However, until his deal with Nero, Blockbuster was mostly a giant of a very low intelligence. But since demons like Neron don’t exist in the Keatonverse, Blockbuster makes the perfect giant-sized, muscle-bound grunt that Bane just isn’t suited for, a trap that movie writers often fall into with his character.
Blockbuster can be a genius or a brute
He is typically styled as a Nightwing villain
Blockbuster is a great villain to introduce to the Keatonverse because he’s just that simple. Blockbuster has been a total mindless brute in the past, so he’s easy to bring into the story without the gravitas and importance of someone like Bone, and he’s much easier to explain than someone like Amygdala. If Blockbuster ends up in this universe instead of just being a simple one-off threat, Keaton’s Batman Will finally be facing an enemy, like these HulkWho is physically stronger than him and who will present the kind of threat that is simply not seen in the movies.
Batman ’89: Echoes #4 is now available from DC Comics!