Warning! Spoilers ahead for Absolute Batman #1!The absolute Joker is here, and he’s switching up his usual dynamic with Batman. After the explosive developments of DC All In Special #1The Absolute Universe has arrived, and it’s giving fans a truly upside-down Gotham with a new take on the Clown Prince of Crime.
In the wake of DC’s summer event, Absolute powerPrime Earth is separated from the multiverse except for the new Absolute Universe, a world influenced by the tyrannical villain Darkseid. As fans get to know the new working-class Batman, they also get a glimpse of a Joker who is richer than ever.
DC introduces its absolute Joker, a billionaire criminal
One of the thirty richest people on earth
in absolute batman #1 by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin and Clayton Cowles, MI6 agent Alfred Pennyworth returns to Gotham for the first time in years. After settling in and reacquainting himself with the city, Alfred returns to his base and discusses his mission with his superiors. Alfred is in town to spy on and gather intelligence about a gang known as the Party Animals, As well as the mysterious new vigilante that has appeared in Gotham. Alfred, however, is afraid, having taken away from his previous mission hunting down a mysterious target.
…so rich nobody even knows his real name…
Alfred spends the next few days in Gotham and eventually gets to see Batman in action when the Party Animals attack a town hall meeting. After the vigilante successfully drives off the gang, Alfred tries to engage with Batman, only for the hero to knock Alfred back and steal one of his guns. Alfred investigates and discovers that Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, a civil engineer with a harrowing upbringing. Alfred eventually tracks Bruce down to his hideout in an unfinished tower, but again, Batman is too wild for Alfred to deal with.
To make matters worse, the target Alfred had been tracking for five years was missing. Although Alfred does not give a name, he reveals his purpose trained with Henri Ducard and the League of Assassins (before killing every single one of them. Miles away in Manila, two men in a helicopter discuss their boss, one of the richest men on This planet (so rich nobody even knows his real name when one of the pilots cracks a joke, his partner tells him not to since their boss never laughs). Which is why he is simply known as the Joker.
Why is everything so different in the Absolute Universe?
Darkseid’s Design, a world built on turmoil
The birth of the new world can be traced back to Amanda Waller who, in a mad attempt to bring the metahumans under control, stole their powers and had the hero community arrested en masse. However, it wasn’t enough for Waller to just bring one world under her thumb, and she began working on plans to conquer the entire multiverse. To achieve this, she had some of the smartest supervillains build a multiversal portal that allowed Waller to Recruit an entire army from the neighboring worlds of the Prime DC Universe.
Fortunately, the heroes were able to stop Waller’s plans and destroy the multiversal portal, but it was not without consequences. By destroying Waller’s device, the DC Universe was shut off from the greater multiverse. Within days, this began to drive Darkseid mad as his power was too concentrated in one being. He followed and joined forces with the Specter and attacked the Justice League, which separated the two. Though it seemed that the wicked had died, Darkseid’s energy broke through reality and transferred to a new impressive universe.
When Darkseid’s energy flowed into this new world, it shaped reality around his ideals and beliefs. The timeline cooled and although it somewhat resembled the DC Universe fans know and love, it was a much darker and challenging place. Here in the Absolute Universe, hope is the underdog while turmoil and strife are fundamentally baked into the world’s nature. yes, It has a Wonder Woman, a Superman and a Batman, but they lack most of the familiar trappings Related to their Prime Universe counterparts.
Absolute Joker completely flips his dynamic with Batman
Society’s ideas about billionaires have shifted
One of the biggest selling points about the new Absolute Batman was that it was a variant that lacked the privileged upbringing and finances that Prime Batman had. Given that the Joker is usually the diametric opposite of the Dark Knight, it stands to reason that the Joker of this world would have all the wealth and status that Bruce does not have in the Absolute Universe. if anything, The Absolute Joker is ridiculously richer than Batman has ever been presented on the prime earth.
…being ultra-rich back in the day seemed like a cool, fun thing, but times change…
The last few years have seen an increase in criticism towards billionaires and Batman is not safe from the discourse among certain fans. Absolute Batman isn’t shying away from the issue, it just tweaks things a bit to better reflect society’s attitude towards the filthy rich. Batman is reinvented as more of a people’s hero, while the Joker is as bad as a billionaire can beUse his money to finance the worst crimes imaginable. It’s a bold twist on the canon of the two, but one that’s perfectly appropriate for what the Absolute Universe is supposed to be.
Darkseid’s world is meant to be oppressive and hopeless, so that the heroes have no choice but to leave. In fact, many people Do Feel like things are kind of impossible with billionaires hoarding wealth and gaming the system to their advantage. Yes, being ultra-rich back in the day seemed like a cool, fun thing, but times change and extravagance, decadence and greed just rub people the wrong way. In a world where Batman is more than the 99%, it makes so much sense that The absolute joker embodies the dark side of wealth.
Does Absolute Batman have a chance to defeat the Absolute Joker?
Working class hero against the one percent of the one percent
The Prime Universe Bruce constantly struggles to keep his more ‘down-to-earth’ Joker down, so it’s hard to imagine how the ultimate Batman can defeat a Joker with an ungodly amount of money at his disposal. That said, this Batman is brutal, brilliant and resourceful, so he might have a shot. Then again, he’s rich enough to outwit Alfred for five years running, so Batman will probably need some help. But who knows, the absolute Joker May have a few more surprises up his sleeve other than a grotesque amount of money.
Absolute Batman #1 is available now from DC Comics.