How DC is Turning an Underrated Villain into Batman’s Next Great Enemy

Things are heating up for Batman, and it’s all because of one surprising villain. Last September, DC Comics relaunched its flagship Batman title under Matt Fraction’s direction. It was a huge success, capitalizing on the heat DC has been bringing with the All In saga. A lot of new readers got on board with the newest Batman volume, which has largely been a back-to-basics approach for the Dark Knight. That said, there are a lot of changes in this series that lapsed readers were taken aback by. Namely, frequent Justice League foe Vandal Savage serving as the GCPD Commissioner.

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That’s a hell of a change from James Gordon, but what’s really weird is that Vandal Savage has actually been Gotham’s police commissioner for close to two years. That’s right, the city’s police force has been operated by a supervillain for months. Granted, the GCPD has always been a little crooked, but never has it had someone who’s literally gone toe-to-toe with DC’s greatest heroes running the show. I know newer readers have to be wondering what the deal is, so read on and discover how DC Comics has slowly turned Vandal Savage into the next big Batman enemy.

Vandal Savage Turned Bad Luck into Opportunity

The current state of the GCPD can be traced back to Batman and Catwoman’s “Gotham War” crossover from 2023. Amid all the chaos of that event, Vandal Savage purchased Wayne Manor as part of a desperate gambit to renew his failing immortality. Savage gathered fragments of the meteor that gave him his extended life force to draw a new meteor to Earth. His plan works, but it ultimately backfires on Savage. He does regain his immortality, but only within the city limits of Gotham. If he leaves the city, he ages rapidly, leaving Savage no choice but to stay.

Savage is eventually reached out to by the elites of Gotham, who welcome him to their ranks. Taking special interest in Vandal is Leonid Kull, a Russian operative who infiltrated the Court of Owls. Wanting to sow discord among the city in order to take advantage of the chaos for his country, Kull pulls strings and has Renee Montoya pushed out of her role as Police Commissioner, allowing for Savage to take over. Savage immediately weaponizes the GCPD and gives Batman a choice: work with him or face the full might of Savage’s new position. Batman refused, obviously.

Since then, Savage has upped his game. He’s created a new Tactical Urban Combat Officer (or TUCO) squad for the purposes of taking Batman down. Savage has even gone as far as to plant evidence implicating Batman in the death of a police officer and intimidating officers to testify to Batman’s guilt. What’s really kicked things into high gear is Vandal Savage’s latest effort, “Operation Peregrine”. Signed off on by newly-elected mayor Poison Ivy (yes, really), Savage has a blank check and all the firepower he needs to bring in Batman or anyone associated with him.

Why Vandal Savage Works as a Batman Villain

Now, on paper, this shouldn’t work. A Justice League-level villain being mystically bound to Batman’s city and going after Batman…just because he can? And yet, Savage’s role in the current Batman series really feels like he belongs. I think that what makes that clear is Batman #8, which sees Bruce finally address how serious a problem this is with Alan Scott. Over a simple cup of coffee, Green Lantern gives us interesting insights into Savage’s psyche. Most notably, at his core, Savage is a conqueror who thinks on a scale non-immortals can’t even conceive of.

Vandal Savage isn’t going after Batman because he’s stuck and has nothing better to do. Savage has lived long enough to know that his time in Gotham is relatively short. But as long as he is bound to Gotham, he’s going to do whatever he can to take Batman down. Why not? He’s a conqueror, and so far, he’s doing a hell of a job at beating Batman. He’s got political power, an entire police force, and the ability to wait out Batman for as long as he needs to.

I know some have balked at Vandal Savage’s inclusion in Batman. But for my money, Batman is doing great work at making Savage feel like a major threat. It’s not just that he’s weaponized a position that, under Gordon, was generally friendly to the Bat-Family. It’s that Savage is playing chess with Batman on a scale that Bruce simply can’t relate to. I do not doubt that the Caped Crusader will figure out some way to depose Savage from his position. But until then, Savage is doing a great job as Batman’s most ominous threat.

What do you think about Vandal Savage being a major enemy in Batman? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!