Bruce Wayne’sBatmanforges his iconic villains into a team after the Justice League refuse to help him save Gotham. When the threat of Brainiac forces the Justice League to adopt higher priorities, Batman admits he can’t beat Ra’s Al Ghul without villains including Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman fighting in his corner.
Batman: Dark Ageby Mark Russel and Mike Allred is a deeply witty take on the Batman origin story.Dark Ageretells Batman’s origin and careerbeginning in the 1950s, setting his adventures alongside real-world events. Currently, Batman is fighting against Ra’s al Ghul - in this continuity, the black ops trainer who taught him everything he knows. Sadly,when the Justice League can’t afford the time to save a single city, Batman has to turn to Gotham’s villains for help.
Gotham’s villains are relatively new to the life of crime inDark Agecontinuity, but they already hate Batman. It takes Catwoman vouching for the Dark Knight to persuade them to work with him to topple Ra’s al Ghul and his lackey Carmine Falcone, ultimately agreeing that Gotham’s survival is in all their interests.
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As Bruce Wayne is drafted to the fight in the Vietnam War in Batman: Dark Age, he joins a shadowy commando team led by one of his iconic villains.
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Dark AgeTakes the Batman Mythos and Flips it On its Head
InBatman: Dark Age #5, the Riddler, Penguin, and Catwoman reluctantly agree, attacking Ra’s al Ghul’s forces to clear the way for Batman and Robin to take on their boss in Wayne Tower.Batman has almost always had faiththat his villains can recover and live normal lives, so while this team-up is surprising, it’s not out of character. However, their hurried agreement shows a new side of Gotham’s criminal underbelly, and it changesDark Age’slore going forward - especially becauseRa’s al Ghul immolates himself rather than face imprisonment, creating a major power vacuum.
With Joker on the Horizon, Will Batman’s Villains Support Him Again?
Dark AgeReverts Batman’s Villains to Their Prior Characterization as Criminal Coworkers
Now that three of Batman’s villains, early in their careers, have teamed up with the Caped Crusader,there’s a possibility that these characters will become allies once again in the future. This Bruce is seemingly more open to cooperation with morally gray characters, and he’ll need all the help he can get. The issue’s ending confirms that following Ra’s al Ghul’s defeat, theJoker will rise up as the city’s next big threat. It would be exciting and creative forDark Ageto pay off its new version of Batman lore by giving him criminal allies in his fight against Joker.
Gotham’s rogues have worked together in the past, but it was a unity built on unease and selfishness.Batman: Dark Agereminisces about a time when the rogues were shown more as friends and criminal coworkers, a refreshing trip into nostalgia for the time in which the run takes place. By flipping the lore, the villains return to their 20th-century roots and are able to be ‘bad guys’ without being monsters. Hopefully, that will influence their allegiances as Gotham’sbiggestmonster finally arrives to cap this awesomeBatmanreimagining.
