Warning! Contains Spoilers For Outsiders #3!Batman is undoubtedly one of the most popular characters to ever exist in the comic book medium, and this popularity means more stories are made about him than most other characters. Now, one villain is calling out Batman for becoming a “narrative virus” that will eventually ruin the DC Universe.
Outsiders #3 – by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Robert Carey, Valentina Taddeo, and Tom Napolitano – continues the story of Kate Kane and Luke Fox, who have started a new version of The Outsiders to investigate the dark mysteries around the DC Universe.
In this issue, readers are shown a strange villain, who been pulling the Outsiders strings so far in the series; the mysterious new antagonist refers to Batman as a “narrative virus,” a story that consumes everything he touches, a sentiment shared by the Final Knight version of Duke Thomas, who plays a pivotal role in the issue as well.
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There are tons of versions of Joker across the Multiverse, and almost all of them are evil, but the new Smiling Bat is Joker at his most heroic.
A Mysterious Villain Remarks On Batman’s Popularity
One of the first mysteries that they investigate is a series of mysterious coordinates that bring the Outsiders into the Batman dimension. It’s here that Luke and Kate see a dimension where various Batmen meet in their subconscious to discuss plans and improve their crime-fighting abilities. Batman is an absurdly popular comic book character, and as a result, he dominates much of DC’s publishing slate. He’s often used to sell books or getting people interested in him. He’s popped up in places like The Question and several other places to help boost a book’s initial sales. While this is a well-known tactic DC uses, it’s never really been addressed in-universe, until now.
Both Duke Thomas and Outsiders new mysterious villain agree that Batman infects people with his ideals, causing them to join his narrative, and doing this may very well lead to the end of the world. Duke originates from DC’s Dark Nights: Metal event. This story saw Batman as the focal point for the dark god Barbatos trying to enter the DC Multiverse. In one reality, Barbatos succeeds and destroys everything, as witnessed by the Final Knight version of Duke Thomas. There are several other realities where Batman becomes a significant threat as well, such as the Bloodstorm universe, or his transformation into the Murder Machine.
Kate Kane Has Already Been Infected By Batman
However this isn’t just limited to Batman, even the people he’s “infected” have ended up causing tons of problems, such as Damian Wayne becoming a satanic Batman in Batman: 666, or Nightwing ending the world of superheroes in Nightwing: The New Order. Batman has recruited dozens of people into his crusade over the years, and in some alternate universes, these people end up destroying the world because of the training Batman gave them. This is seen across several universes, such as DC vs Vampires. So, while Batman is one of DC’s greatest heroes, his popularity might also be a net negative for everyone involved.
Outsiders #3 (2023) | |
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