4 Controversial Batman Stories That the DCU Should Adapt, And 1 Could Happen After Brave and the Bold

Since his first appearance in 1939’s Detective Comics #27, Batman has appeared in thousands of comics covering an extensive array of stories. From serial murders in Gotham to global threats with the Justice League, Batman has done it all. Inevitably, some of those stories have garnered controversy rather than praise. When comics inspire films, it is typically the most popular ones, like The Long Halloween, which helped inspire The Batman (2022). But some of these controversial stories are worth adapting, too. With DC Studios’ heavily comic-inspired DC Universe (DCU), now is a perfect time for some of these stories to be brought to life.

Batman’s introduction to the DCU came in the HBO Max animated series Creature Commandos, which featured the character in brief cameo appearances. These appearances were in visions of the future or flashbacks, and were purposefully kept very vague since the future of the character was still undecided. He will make his full debut in the film Brave and the Bold, which remains in development and won’t be released until after Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II which is slated for 2028 and is separate from the DCU. According to the original DCU slate, Brave and the Bold will see Batman pair up with Damian Wayne, the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul. After that film, there are four controversial stories that the DCU should adapt.

4.) Batman: A Death in the Family

In the late 1980s, Batman #426-429 featured the story arc Batman: A Death in the Family. DC let readers influence the outcome of the story by deciding the fate of the current Robin, Jason Todd. After being captured by the Joker, readers were given a phone number to call to vote on whether Batman’s sidekick would live or die. Due to the character’s lack of popularity at the time, voters ultimately decided that he should be killed. Giving the readers what they want, the comic sees Joker viciously beat Todd with a crowbar. As a final blow to the Dark Knight, Joker detonates a bomb and murders the young sidekick and his mother.

The death of Jason Todd would carry forward in-universe as one of Batman’s biggest regrets, and in the real world divided fans. While many were happy to see the character gone, others were unhappy with the decision. Some criticism came from readers who didn’t know that Jason was the second Robin, which caused them to believe Dick Grayson was the one killed. Later stories featuring a resurrected Todd would turn fan opinion in his favor, adding further controversy to the vote for his death years prior. A Death in the Family is a perfect story for a universe like the DCU, and it could lead to further adaptations of comics like Batman: Under the Hood. In that story, Todd was resurrected by Talia Al Ghul and her father Ra’s, who may be in Brave and the Bold with Damian.

3.) Batman: Venom

Written by Dennis O’Neil in 1991, Batman: Venom depicted Batman at a low point and brought him into uncharacteristic territory. After failing to save a girl who was being held hostage, Bruce felt guilty and decided he needed to enhance his abilities. He decided to try Venom, an experimental drug that enhanced a user’s strength created by the girl’s father. Batman became addicted to it, just like Bane, a villain known for his Venom addiction. The drug made Bruce more aggressive, less compassionate, and he almost broke his no-kill rule. Almost taking a life scared him, and it forced him to confront his addiction and get himself back on mission.

While this story serves as an origin tale for Venom, it was controversial for Bruce’s addiction to it. Batman is supposed to be a character with strong morals and even stronger willpower. Seeing a character so powerful effectively lose that power was understandably difficult for some to stomach. Batman is a character many aspire to be like in their own lives. But the DCU has not shied away from depicting sensitive topics or showing the flaws that exist within our heroes. Peacemaker and Lanterns dealt with racism, while Lanterns also discussed the suicidal ideation of Hal Jordan. At their core, these characters are real people with real problems. So depicting drug addiction through a Batman: Venom adaptation would be a fitting story for the James Gunn-led universe.

2.) JLA: Tower of Babel

Batman is known for being willing to take on even the most powerful villains in the DC universe at great risk to himself, but what about his allies? What would he do if the Justice League turned bad? Within the Batcomputer, Bruce has contingency plans for members of the Justice League should they go dark. In JLA: Tower of Babel, Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Assassins gain access to those files and use them against the Justice League of America so they can weaken them while enacting their latest villainous scheme. Batman saves the team, but the revelation of the plans makes them mistrust him. While the Justice League is weakened, Ra’s launches a series of successive attacks that are stopped by the members of the JLA as they recover. At the end of the comic’s arc, the League votes to remove Batman from the team, though he leaves before the vote concludes, already knowing the outcome.

While Batman has only had brief cameo appearances in the DCU so far, it has been slowly building him up as a legendary figure. This is the same kind of figure that would write contingency plans for his allies, fearing facing future conflict unprepared. While the universe is not yet at a point where the Justice League will be introduced, JLA: Tower of Babel would be a great series to adapt after the superhero team is established.

1.) Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

Following the events of Final Crisis #6 and Batman #702, Bruce Wayne is sent into the distant past by Darkseid. Across six issues, an amnesiac Bruce must fight through history to return to the present day, all while trying to find himself. Each issue follows Bruce through a different time period, including prehistory, where he meets the immortal caveman Vandal Savage, and a Gotham still mourning the loss of Thomas and Martha Wayne just months prior. He even meets his ancestor, Nathaniel, during the witch trials. There, a witch curses the Wayne family as revenge against Nathaniel, the person charged with hanging her post-trial. That curse explains a lot about the bad luck that befalls Bruce and his parents.

If the creatives at DC Studios were to adapt this comic arc to a film following Brave and the Bold, it could be a big help in keeping things fresh for the audience. In discussing the development of the aforementioned film, James Gunn has expressed that one of the priorities is making sure that the story is something new. Nothing like Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne has ever been done before in any of the live-action films. Even the many animated projects have only done stories with similarities to it, such as Justice League: Warworld. Part of the Tomorrowverse, the film saw Wonder Woman, Bruce Wayne, and Clark Kent with no memory of their true identities go through mental simulations created by Martian Manhunter of different time periods and realities from which they have to escape and return to the real world. So adapting Return of Bruce Wayne would tell a novel story unlike anything in live-action media prior. Batman has never before been thought dead only to be stuck traveling through time. Hopefully, this could also bring general audiences back in favor of fantastical takes on the character. Batman has been grounded for so long, it might be time for a change.

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