DC Reveals The Designer's True Identity

Things have been getting pretty serious in the pages of Batman, as the Dark Knight has had to face a slew of his previous villains in a surprising new context. The rogue's gallery has been revealed to be under the instruction of The Designer, a new masked foe who had seemingly come up with a plan to ruin Batman's life and rewrite the status quo of Gotham City. The newest issue of the series brought Batman face-to-face with The Designer, who outlined his master plan in an epic monologue. As the issue went along, it became clear that The Designer's real identity wasn't what it seemed to be. Obviously, spoilers for Batman #93 below! Only look if you want to know!

A significant portion of the issue followed Batman and The Designer's altercation, with the villain antagonizing Batman to find the final piece of his puzzle. As Batman deduced, the person he was speaking to didn't have the same motivations as The Designer seemingly did. Batman determined that when The Designer first arrived in Gotham City, he realized that The Joker stood in the way of his ideal plan, because The Joker would never actually agree to kill Batman as part of the plan. As Batman put it, The Designer had underestimated what The Joker was capable of -- and got himself killed in the process.

He then ripped off The Designer's mask to reveal a rotting corpse underneath, which was being puppeteered by The Joker. Batman then asked why the Clown Prince of Crime was going to such great lengths to make this happen, and The Joker teased that it was to gather supplies for the "war" that loomed ahead, while also creating a situation that would destroy Catwoman.

So, there you have it. While we might not know the actual history behind the original version of The Designer, we do know that his recent actions were actually a smokescreen for The Joker all along.

While this reveal might not sit right with every DC fan, it does provide something truly unexpected, while also teeing up the "Joker War" arc that is set to unfold in upcoming Bat-related titles.

What do you think of The Designer's true identity in DC Comics? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!