Alternative Versions of Batman

Batman has been around more than 80 years at this point and in that time, there have been numerous different versions of the character from one-off cameos to fully fledged out characters all their own.

Red Rain Batman –

On "Red Rain's" earth, Batman does in fact become a vampire after a battle with Count Dracula.

Even after the count dies, Batman continues to protect Gotham as a vampire before giving in to the bloodlust after killing the Joker. Afterwards, Batman became the undead, killing without remorse and throwing his code to the wind, embracing being a prince of darkness.

Dark Claw –

When Marvel and DC comics joined forces to create a combined universe known as the Amalgam Universe, the craziness was elevated with the introduction of Dark Claw, a combo of Wolverine and Batman.

Dark Claw even got his own nemesis which was a combo of Sabretooth and the Joker known as Hyena!

Flashpoint Batman -

Due to a speedster messing with the timeline an alternate timeline known as Flashpoint was created. In this universe, it isn’t Bruce that becomes Batman instead, it’s his father Thomas who takes on the cowl after witnessing his only son be murdered in Crime Alley. To add another twist into the mix his mother Martha becomes that world's Joker!

Thomas Wayne-as-Batman has since reappeared in DC comics, becoming a relatively regular guest star in various big events such as the recent crossover 'The Button' and the summer 2021 Infinite Frontier series.

He'll return once again in Flashpoint Beyond, an upcoming sequel that focuses on Thomas and Bruce Wayne.

Batman Beyond –

Batman: The Animated Series(opens in new tab) was hugely popular and inspired spinoffs for Superman and the Justice League. When B:TAS ended, producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini were approached by Warner Bros. to fill its gap. When they asked what the pair had in mind, Timm said the first thing that came into his head: "Teenage Batman."

Terry McGinnis, a high school student whose father is killed by corporate criminals, sparking a sequence of events the lead to McGinnis discovering a now-retired Bruce Wayne's secret history as Batman. Wayne takes McGinnis under his wing, giving him a high-tech suit with an array of gadgets and weaponry, and "coaching" Terry via a special communications link. Basically, Bruce takes over the role Alfred once had.

Terry took on amazingly strange villains, like Blight, Inque, and a future Joker possessing Tim Drake's body, all while under the mantle of Batman.

This version has also spawned his own solo comics and several limited series.

The Batman Who Laughs –

on Earth-22, Batman is captured by Joker and tortured until his desperation causes him to kill the Joker. When he breaks the Joker's neck, a poisonous gas effects Batman and makes him a Joker-like Batman.

He then goes on to kill all his Robins and the entire Justice League before he hops around the multiverse and finds evil batmen to fight the original Earth-1 Batman. It once again shows just how dangerous Batman could be if he ever turned evil or fell to the dark side due to villain influence.

This Batman then joins forces with Barbatos a.k.a the Bat God, for the Dark Knights Metal event, becoming his second in command. He’s also now shown up numerous times taking on the likes of Batman, Superman & Shazam.

Speeding Bullets Batman –

An Elseworld's story combines two of the best DC superheroes. When Kal-El's ship lands in Gotham instead of Smallville, he is adopted by the Wayne's and named Bruce. Unfortunately, his parents are still killed in an alley and instead of being the helpless little boy human Bruce was, the Kryptonian Bruce vaporizes the robbers.

It's a fun story for those who have ever wondered what Batman would be like with Superman's abilities.