Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #26!There’s a new foe making Superman’s life hell, and he’s as bad as any fanboy can get. A threat has come from the Fifth Dimension and it’s forcing the Man of Steel and Batman to team up with their biggest nuisances ever.
The Fifth Dimension has always been the home of all-powerful imps who have a fondness for the heroes of the Third Dimension. But a mysterious, powerful force has emerged in the magical realm to challenge DC’s heroes for his own twisted desires. This new Superman villain isn’t just a dangerous threat, but a perfect metaphor for toxic fans.
Doom-Mite is Attacking the DC Universe to Find Its Greatest Hero
In Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #26 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Steve Wands, Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk convince Clark and Bruce that something awful has killed several imps in the Fifth Dimension and is heading for the Third Dimension. At the same time, the Batcave picks up calls for help from multiple heroes who are under attack by villains who have teamed up with imps modeled after the DC Universe’s worst super-criminals. Mxyzptlk teams up with Batman while Bat-Mite goes with Superman to assist their allies.
In Coast City, Sinestro has partnered up with the diminutive Sin-Mite and the two are viciously beating up Green Lantern. Batman, Robin, and Mxyzptlk arrive to save the day with Mxyzptlk even granting powers to Robin to even the fight. While Robin handles Sinestro, Mxyzptlk apprehends Sin-Mite, giving Batman the chance to interrogate the rogue imp. Sin-Mite refuses to tell Bruce who is leading the attack, but Sin-Mite informs Batman that the DC Universe’s heroes are being tested. The villainous imp also reveals that his leader wants to determine who the greatest hero truly is.
Out in the Fifth Dimension, a pair of hands crafts a new imp in the guise of Catwoman. This figure, the Legion of Doom-Mite’s leader, marvels over how many heroes and villains Earth has and joyously exclaims he’s never seen anything like it. The mad imp grins as he wonders out loud which of Earth’s heroes is actually the strongest and how long they will last when he finally faces the DC Universe’s greatest champion himself.
Doom-Mite Slaughtered The DCU’s Biggest Fans
The Fifth Dimension is one of the strangest, but most magical places in the DC Universe. It’s home to thousands of imps, but its most notorious residents are Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk. Bat-Mite is the biggest bat-fan there’s ever been and he’s periodically popped up throughout the decades to cheer on his beloved idol and champion his name. Mxyzptlk, on the other hand, is a prankster who loves giving all of his attention to the person he feels deserves it most: Superman.
While these two are the most popular Fifth-Dimensional inhabitants, an entire League full of powerful fanboys and fangirls was recently revealed. Mxyzptlk brought together the ‘Just-Us’ League once he caught wind of a powerful threat that was coming to hurt the Fifth Dimension. Unfortunately, the impish League was more concerned about play-fighting to determine who the greatest hero was. But before the team could determine who was the best, they were killed by a mysterious cloaked figure who led the Legion of Doom-Mites.
The Just-Us League was killed and only Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite could get away. As the figure promised he would follow them to Earth and find its greatest hero, the fleeing imps headed straight for the Third Dimension to seek Superman and Batman’s aide. Unfortunately, their arrival was joined by a wave of chaos magic that warped the World’s Finest’s respective lairs. But Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite plead innocence that they weren’t responsible for the chaos and that a Fifth-Dimensional threat was coming to attack Superman and Batman’s home.
Doom-Mite is the Worst Kind of Toxic Fanboy
Over the years, imps and their super-fan tendencies have served to playfully mock annoying or over-the-top fans. In fact, Mr. Mxyzptlk’s son, Mickey Mxyzptlk, was used to satirize fans who were obsessed with the way things used to be and bitter at a new and more diverse set of heroes. However, Mickey is an outlier while the rest of the imps, though annoying or pests, generally do have an earnest love for the DC heroes they admire. Even Mxyzptlk, for all the times he’s turned Superman’s life upside down, appreciates the hero.
Doom-Mite (as he appears to be named in solicitations for future issues) doesn’t have the same kind of appreciation for the DC Universe as the rest of the imps do. While Doom-Mite lauds how many unique heroes and villains live in the Third Dimension, he doesn’t appreciate them for what they are, but rather how they can entertain him. Doom-Mite has an entitled mentality and sees the heroes of the DC Universe as objects that exist only to entertain him at the expense of everyone else.
Like Micky Mxyzptlk, Doom-Mite’s possessive attitude is a grim reflection of the most toxic traits in fans. Sure, Bat-Mite and his fellow imps can be a bit much at times, but at their core, they love DC’s heroes. Doom-Mite might appreciate the DC Universe’s heroes, but only in the sense of how they can serve him. Doom-Mite doesn’t care about anyone else and exerts his will to get what he wants out of the heroes he proclaims to love. It’s not that far removed from real-life toxic fans who gatekeep and police their ideas about DC’s heroes to others.
Doom-Mite is a Refutation of the Worst Kind of Fans
The Fifth Dimension will always offer plenty of opportunities for creators to parody the odd behaviors found in fans. But Doom-Mite is a special case and seems to represent everything wrong with fans who have a more entitled way of looking at comic book heroes. It’s an interesting way of highlighting the negative and extreme aspects of fandom, especially by juxtaposing Doom-Mite with the comparatively rational Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite. Hopefully, Superman will defeat Doom-Mite and shut down this ugly symbol of toxic fanboy traits.
Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #26 is available now from DC Comics.
Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #26 (2024) | |
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