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Batman Won’t Make It Another 86 Years If DC Breaks One Major Rule

2025-11-30 21:35
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Batman Won’t Make It Another 86 Years If DC Breaks One Major Rule

Batman is a seemingly timeless character, but the key to his long-term viability isn't what many fans or creators expect.

Batman Won’t Make It Another 86 Years If DC Breaks One Major Rule Batman grimaces as he poses in the rain. 4 By  Evan D. Mullicane Published 39 minutes ago Evan Mullicane is the senior editor and founder of Screen Rant's anime section. Having started as a writer for the Comics Team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical. Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history. In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest. You can find Evan on Twitter @EvanDM and BlueSky @evandmu.bsky.socia Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

For 86 years, Batman has ranked among the most recognizable and popular superheroes. Despite that longevity, though, Batman isn't a character who can rest on his laurels. If DC Comics wants Batman to be relevant for another 86 years, then they must recognize one aspect of the character that's easy to miss: Batman is a character in flux.

That nature to always change and try new things is evident in the character's most recent comics run, which recently relaunched the Dark Knight with a new costume and a new #1. Speaking on a Gotham City panel at New York Comic Con 2025, new Batman artist Jorge Jiménez recognized

I’m always trying to do some new thing. I always try to see new inspirations, different ways. For this time, with this writer, I thought it was maybe better to do something more synthetic.

The Key To Keeping Batman Relevant Is Change

Absolute Batman In Front of Absolute Batman #14 Cover

While modern Batman fans might have one very particular idea about how the character should look and feel, the hero's greatest strength is his versatility.

Bruce Wayne has been a goofball, a stalwart hero, a grim avenger, and a beacon of hope at various points in his 86-year history. The best Batman comic stories of all time can mold the character to fit the specific needs of specific stories.

What's glorious about the character is that these varying interpretations can all coexist while still feeling like the same character.

This is one way that DC has helped keep the character fresh over his long life. More recently, DC Comics has shown a brutal Batman lacking in resources over with Absolute Batman, while the mainline Batman is a complete overhaul for the character.

Batman's New Status Quo Offers The Character Fresh Challenges

New DC Comics Batman Design

Obviously, as evidenced by Jorge Jiménez's comments, Batman's new creative team is keenly aware of the need to reinvent Batman, and they've done that with aplomb.

Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez's new Batman series has made a few small but clever twists to the character's status quo and personality that really help the new run stand out from what has come previously.

Part of that is Batman's new main foe, Vandal Savage. While Savage is usually portrayed as more of a Justice League villain, his intellect and cunning make him a perfect match for the world's greatest detective.

Batman will probably be around for decades if not centuries to come. If the character is going to stay relevant to new audiences, however, then DC Comics needs to reinvent the Dark Knight every few years.

Batman Stands in Detective Comic Art by Jason Fabok Batman Created By Bob Kane, Bill Finger First Appearance Detective Comics Alias Bruce Wayne Alliance Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family Race Human Franchise D.C.

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