Even Batman Admits [SPOILER]’s Costume is Totally Awesome

When one thinks of Batman and the dangerous and famous Rogues’ Gallery his beloved Gotham City is known for, a host of iconic DC criminals come to mind, many of whom are as famous as the Dark Knight himself. But while Killer Moth has been fighting Batman since the golden age of DC Comics, it’s never been at the top of the list. However, during their latest (and likely final) confrontation, Batman had high praise for the villain, especially his unique costume.

Created by Bill Finger, Dick Sprang and Lew Schwartz Batman #63 (1951), and since then, Killer Moth has gone through different aliases, transformations, and storylines. However, the purple-and-green moth-themed villain has never achieved the level of notoriety that other Batman villains have, with his most notable achievement perhaps being the first time he faced Barbara Gordon in Batgirl. A villain. Detective Comics #359. Due to the usual ebbs and flows and continuity in the comics, the man behind Moth has changed over the years, giving his identity a sense of ambiguity and mystery that’s reminiscent of the many faces of Marvel’s Hobgoblin. Avoiding any confusing, convoluted storylines, the latest appearance attempts to pay homage to the character’s longevity while also trying to give this oft-derided relic from the gimmick era something rarer than kryptonite: a happy ending. .

exist Batman: Gotham Knight #7 (2020) Created by writer Mark Russell and illustrated by Ryan Benjamin, we find Batman hunting down Killer Moth. The Dark Knight deftly combines the search for a long-time villain with flashbacks, cleverly showing that Killer Moth isn’t some tongue-in-cheek villain but an expeditionary force who not only helps inspire Batman to fight crime, but proves to be one A terrible enemy. However, their hostility finally seemed to end when gunshots were heard and Batman found Killer Moth dead, shot by an older, frightened Night Watchman. When he retrieved the murder weapon and questioned the guard, he mentioned that he had no idea this was the path Killer Moth wanted to take. When the guard asked if he was referring to the costume, Batman replied that his statement was more in reference to the manner of his death, complimenting Killer Moth’s with that hood-gripping grimace we often see on the Dark Knight. clothing.

That’s high praise for a man known for dressing up like a bat and scaring criminals every night. Batman reinforces his praise with more flashbacks of previous encounters with Killer Moth, which serves two purposes. The first continued Batman’s theme of respect for his villain, praising his ability to plan ahead and not being afraid to work outside of his comfort zone. The second one is based on his gut feeling that he’s the world’s greatest detective, you know, that the Night Watchman is really Killer Moth, whose face he’s never quite seen. Batman’s assumptions were proven correct, and the Vigilante admitted the truth and attempted to escape, in the vain hope that Batman would let him continue his ruse and escape into retirement.

Comic book characters have long been in a state of limbo, where they age to a certain point and then stay at that specific point. While some comic book characters age normally (at some point), it’s interesting to see a Batman villain who not only ages, but doesn’t want to retire anymore. He was done, tired of the broken bones and the jail time that was eating away at more and more of his youth and years. He watched his colleagues, family, and even his mentors grow old, die, and become penniless and alone. He wants something better, so he orchestrates this scenario to fake his own death so he can live out the rest of his life in peace. It’s easy to think of comic book villains as immortal bastions of evil who never die and constantly trick impossible situations into coming back again and again, so the dose of humanity is refreshing, especially in this character , he occasionally appears again and again to threaten humans. The Dark Knight and his allies.

Finally, one of the most difficult parts of reimagining comic book characters is their costumes. Flashy colors, costumes, and gimmicks work well on television or in the theater, but are a hard sell on the big screen. Most characters had to undergo dramatic changes when they debuted on both platforms, and more often than not, they were connected to their comic book counterparts via some thread. So for Batman to compliment another character in the costume world whose costume has a similar color scheme to Spider-Man’s Green Goblin is impressive in itself. While Batman sympathizes with Killer Moth’s desire to retire and become righteous, he cannot ignore Killer Moth’s crimes, past or present. A one-page flash-forward is the closest the character gets to a happy ending, and for his sake, let’s hope it sticks. We all know what happens when a moth is attracted to a flame, let’s hope that the moth is content to keep flying and avoid the illumination of the Bat-signal.