Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Absolute Batman
Without a doubt, Batman and the Joker have one of the most recognizable rivalries in superhero comics, with decades of stories detailing the incredibly complicated relationship between Gotham’s greatest hero and one of its most dangerous villains. However, a brand-new reveal continues to change the way we see the relationship between DC’s newest versions of The Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime.
Looking beyond the primary DC Universe, DC’s Absolute Universe collection of titles is easily one of the most popular and best-selling lines the publisher has ever had. Featuring a darker, alt-universe created by Darkseid, the entire script has been flipped for Batman and Joker. While Bruce Wayne is a civil engineer by day and a ruthless vigilante by night, Jack Grimm V has the billions of dollars, public support, a massive mansion, and even a task force of Robins to take Batman out. He’s also likely immortal and capable of transforming into a monstrous Eldritch horror.
Keeping that in mind, the recently published Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta finally pits Batman against the Joker himself, their first true showdown face-to-face. As a result, a reveal from the Joker himself intrinsically changes his entire relationship with Gotham’s new vigilante, whom he’s been so fascinated with, confirming Batman’s role in a truly dark legacy.
Absolute Batman and Joker Just Had Their First True Showdown
Since launching in 2024, Snyder and Dragotta’s Absolute Batman has gradually established Jack Grimm V as a darkly mysterious and deeply unsettling puppet master behind all The Dark Knight’s biggest trials and foes. More than that, Absolute Joker is directly responsible for Bruce’s evolution into Batman to begin with, with Joker having targeted the Wayne Family because Bruce’s mother was part of the Court of Owls (a force for good in this alt-universe).
After sponsoring the contest and trip to the zoo and bat enclosure that resulted in the shooting and death of Thomas Wayne, Joker began “Project Batman” as a funny side project involving Bruce’s childhood trauma and his future. However, Grimm has come to love the result that is The Dark Knight, having said in previous issues that Absolute Joker now can’t imagine life without Batman, declaring that Bruce now belongs to him and isn’t allowed to end his crusade until Joker says so.
A seemingly immortal being who’s lived for generations, it’s not fully known where his power and more monstrous form come from, though it’s suspected to be a gruesome mix of science and dark magic (he’s routinely shown surrounding himself with a disturbing biological mass that looks to be made from infant children).
As the CEO of J.K Holdings and the man behind the horrifying Ark M Project, Jack has billions at his disposal and infinite resources beyond his ability to become the literal stuff of nightmares. Now, this new issue reveals a previously unknown core truth about Absolute Joker and Batman’s rivalry, going even deeper into Joker’s origins and why he’s chosen Bruce.
Absolute Joker Reveals Batman Is Now Part Of A Dark Legacy of Failed Heroes
Facing Absolute Joker in his cave below his mansion (complete with a giant penny and T. Rex), Batman finally sees Grimm in his true monstrous form for the first time in Absolute Batman . However, they’re also facing each other right next to a line of display cases featuring various types of armor. This mirrors the costume display cases in the main DC Universe Batcave, as well as the memorial to Jason Todd’s Robin after his death. Ben Affleck’s Batman also has a similar Robin suit on display in 2016’s Batman v Superman, as he too lost a Robin to the Joker in the DCEU.
However, the cases owned by Absolute Joker represent something even darker: Grimm’s past rivals. These various suits of armor belonged to heroes throughout history who tried to kill him, and Joker reveals that his past rivals are the only ones in this world capable of making him laugh.
Like Batman himself, Joker confirms that he sometimes helped these heroes along, believing that giving them a chance to get stronger and more able to oppose him would make their failures even funnier. Believing that Batman is the latest “clown” who could perhaps make him last the hardest, it’s clear that Bruce’s entire crusade is one big joke to Grimm as he starts brutally beating and maiming The Dark Knight in this new issue. Woefully unprepared for Grimm and his monstrous form, Batman is only saved by the arrival of Barbara Gordon and her new role as Batgirl, shooting Joker in the face before the new duo makes their escape.
While there will no doubt be more showdowns, the dark truth is simple: Absolute Batman is simply the latest in a long line of heroes, or “clowns,” who have tried to bring Grimm down and failed. Bruce is just the latest participant in this tragic legacy, a truly dark twist on top of pre-existing twists on the traditional Batman and Joker dynamic that makes this series so compelling. As such, it’s incredibly hard to see how Absolute Joker will ever be stopped, especially with the tease that his monstrous form is starting to evolve…
Absolute Batman is on sale now from DC Comics.
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