5 Reinvented DC Villains Absolute Batman Has Made Better

In the year since Absolute Batman debuted, the newest iteration of the Dark Knight has faced some truly challenging opponents. The beloved series is set in the Absolute Universe, a world shaped by Darkseid that has allowed evil to thrive while its heroes face greater challenges than ever. Here, Bruce Wayne has no family fortune or company, and he has to get creative to keep Gotham safe. What makes it even more difficult for this Caped Crusader is that his world’s villains are given advantages that make them much more powerful threats than their Prime counterparts.

In just a little over a year, Absolute Batman has overhauled much of the hero’s traditional rogues’ gallery. Villains like Black Mask or Joker are bigger, meaner, and have way more control and influence in this world. And worse, many of them are downright monstrosities like the Absolute Mr. Freeze or Bane. While these foes are all familiar, they each have something that really makes them stand out from their mainline self. Read on to discover 5 villains that Absolute Batman has reinvented in unbelievable ways.

5. Black Mask

Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask, has always been one of the sickest people in Batman’s coterie of supervillains. But if you can believe it, Black Mask is worse. Here, Black Mask leads the Party Animals, a group of gangs that Sionis deploys across the world to destabilize cities so that wealthy people can profit from the aftermath. Sioinis isn’t simply a mob boss in the Absolute Universe; he’s the leader of a small army that excels in destruction, torture, and death. Black Mask never held back and ended up teaching Bruce how brutal the Absolute Universe really is

4. Killer Croc

Unlike the rest of the villains here, Waylon Jones is actually one of Absolute Batman’s childhood friends. But Jones was selected for a shadowy experiment in Ark M, where he was transformed into a large, crocodile-like monster. The Prime Killer Croc has admittedly become more animalistic over the last few years. But the Absolute version is a true monster, with impossibly large jaws able to take chunks out of people as large as Bane. Despite everything he’s been through, Jones’ mind is still in there, and he still helps Absolute Batman whenever he can.

3. Mister Freeze

The Mister Freeze in this universe isn’t Victor Fries, but rather, his son Victor, Jr., who runs a cryogenics company. Victor suffered a serious illness in childhood and was placed in cryo-sleep so that a prehistoric bacterium could cure him. Indeed, it cured him, but it also radically transformed his body, allowing him to stretch and contort his body, not to mention enhance his strength, durability, and speed. He was the first villain to throw Absolute Batman off his game and actually forced Bruce to retreat from their first fight.

2. Bane

From the moment he was seen on the cover, everyone talked about how big this version of Bane was. But, funny enough, he’s already a tank without actually using any of his trademark Venom. When he utilizes it, though, Bane becomes a gargantuan, at least fifteen feet tall. Plus, Venom in this universe enhances Bane’s mind, allowing him to strategize faster mid-combat. While this version of Bane didn’t succeed in breaking the Bat’s back, he nearly broke Bruce’s mind and spirit. As far as challenges go, Bane has been the greatest threat Bruce has faced so far.

1. Joker

The Absolute Universe Joker is just as mysterious as his Prime Universe counterpart. In this world, the Joker is one of the richest people on Earth, and he runs J.K. Holdings, a multinational corporation that he uses to fund his private prisons, the Arks. Though he never laughs, this Joker is just as psychopathic and evil as any other, using his wealth to oppress society on a global scale. He’s also hiding a monster in him, a monstrous true form as seen on the cover of Absolute Batman #15, making him a challenge Bruce has yet to overcome.

Who’s your favorite Absolute Batman villain? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!

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