This year marks the 80th anniversary of the creation of Batman, who's arguably the most iconic superhero in modern fiction and has an extensive cast of memorably colorful supporting characters that's still expanding today. Out of all of the many supporting characters who have been introduced to DC's flagship hero, none is more wonderfully weird than the omnipotent imp Bat-Mite.
As Batman's biggest fan from the fifth dimension, Bat-Mite would periodically appear in the DC Universe to go on adventures with his idol, usually proving himself more of a nuisance than a source of help. With this June marking the character's 60th anniversary, here's a look back at the zany history of the wacky, nonsensical Bat-Mite.
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WHO IS BAT-MITE?
Bat-Mite was co-created by Sheldon Moldoff and Batman co-creator Bill Finger in 1959's Detective Comics #267. An all-powerful being from the fifth dimension capable of shaping reality to his will, Bat-Mite admired Batman and would visit him unexpectedly in a makeshift costume, creating scenarios to see his hero in action. In addition to appearing as a supporting character for the Dynamic Duo, Bat-Mite would occasionally cross paths with Mister Mxyzptlk, another being from the fifth dimension that constantly pestered Superman.
Bat-Mite appeared fairly regularly across various Batman titles for the first several years after his debut, until incoming editor Julius Schwartz decided to eliminate the more fantastical elements of the property and streamline the books' supporting cast. Outside of a fourth-wall breaking appearance n 1979's Detective Comics #482, the character largely disappeared from the publishing line.
BAT-MITE RETURNS
After being removed from canon by the reality-altering events of 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths, Bat-Mite would appear sporadically in canonical Batman stories in the 1990s and 2000s, usually as a drug-induced hallucination rather than an actual being from the fifth dimension. His most memorable appearance in Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel's Batman R.I.P. When asked by the covering Dark Knight if he was real or just a figment of his imagination, Bat-Mite replied with the revelation that the fifth dimension is imagination.
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Towards the end of the New 52 era, Bat-Mite starred in a six-issue miniseries by Dan Jurgens and Corin Howell that featured the character as an actual figure from the fifth dimension. Exiled from his home, Bat-Mite arrived on Earth joining the superheroes he had long admired from a distance eager to help them in his own wacky ways whether they wanted his assistance or not.
Bat-Mite in Other Media
While the character had been sidelined from regularly appearing in DC's publishing line, he would appear in animated Batman adaptations. Bat-Mite made his animated debut as a regular character in 1977's The New Adventures of Batman voiced by Lou Scheimer. This incarnation was from the alien world Ergo and would frequently annoy the Dynamic Duo while protesting that he was only trying to help.
Outside of a cameo as an animatronic in Batman: The Animated Series, Bat-Mite would make his next full animated appearance in Batman: The Brave and the Bold voiced by Paul Reubens. As a recurring character, this version would frequently break the fourth wall including during his appearance in the series finale as he would good-naturedly poke fun at the past, present, and future of Batman and his fans.
Whether a hallucination or actual fifth dimensional imp, Bat-Mite is the personification of the more irreverent, zany possibilities of what the Batman franchise can be. A dedicated fan of the Dark Knight, Bat-Mite's powers make the ultimate what-if scenarios for the Caped Crusader a reality while providing a fanboy perspective into the often dark and gritty world of Gotham City. With the character now celebrating a milestone anniversary of his own, it's time Bat-Mite gets his own wacky due.