Since the introduction in Dark Knights: Metal of the Dark Knights, different incarnations of Batman that had merged with members of the Justice League, many such deadly chimera have emerged from the Dark Multiverse as servants of The Batman Who Laughs. Death Metal, from the Metal team of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, has revealed even crazier Batmen, most no longer human in their current forms. However, of all of those Batmen, there is one born out of Bruce Wayne’s greatest and simplest fear: The Grim Knight.
In The Batman Who Laughs miniseries, written by Snyder and illustrated by Jock, Batman dealt with both the corrupting toxin, released by a suicidal Joker, and his dark dimensional counterpart’s plan to corrupt Gotham, a precursor of things to come. Although the Batman Who Laughs is no stranger to combat, the villain enlisted the Grim Knight to ensure his plan’s success. This Batman wasn’t mutated or enhanced in any way; his only defining characteristic was the guns that covered his body.
Unlike many other Batmen in the Dark Multiverse, this Batman’s deviation from the classic tale began on the night his parents were murdered. After killing Thomas and Martha Wayne, Joe Chill began to frantically collect the broken pearls that littered the Crime Alley. Dropping his gun, the traumatized young Bruce Wayne picked up the weapon and fired upon his parents’ murderer. By crossing that line, this Bruce found the desire, not to avenge but, to execute all those that broke the law. Travelling the world and learning from assassins, he mastered all manners of firearms to become a gun-wielding vigilante, who had no qualms about taking lives.
Returning to Gotham, the Grim Knight began to tear through his home’s underworld. Unlike the prime Batman, who used fear to make his presence known, the Grim Knight brutally murdered his targets. He burned Gotham’s wealthiest and most corrupt criminals alive, removing powerful players within Gotham. He also took the life of the Red Hood at Ace Chemicals, preventing the rise of some of his greatest villains. As the Grim Knight destroyed Gotham’s infrastructure and many obstacles, Bruce Wayne moved to fill the gaps, cementing his control over his city.
Eventually, coming into conflict with the police, the Grim Knight was able to massacre their forces, thanks to the Waynetech that had been integrated into their weapons and resources. The Grim Knight also destroyed both Arkham and Blackgate, killing every incarcerated criminal that could cause trouble in the future. Meant to teach fear into any potential threats to his reign, these showings of the Grim Knight’s arsenal led Jim Gordon to realize that only Bruce Wayne could be responsible. Leading a rebellion and working with national law enforcement, Gordon managed to arrest the Grim Knight for his many crimes.
Being recruited by the Batman Who Laughs, the Grim Knight took a specific interest in exacting revenge against any variation of Jim Gordon, the man responsible for his defeat. While in the mainstream Gotham City, the Grim Knight worked to corrupt James, Commissioner Gordon’s son and a former serial killer, and took joy in hunting the commissioner through the sewers with his own pack of Robins. This obsession with humiliating Gordon led to the Grim Knight’s defeat after he was stabbed multiple times by James Gordon and collapsed from the injuries.
Built from one of Batman’s greatest fears, the fear that one murder could spiral into thousands, the Grim Knight’s deadliness stems from his tactical combat skill and his willingness to cross any line for his mission. However, coming from Batman’s simplest fear, the Grim Knight never reached the height of many other denizens from the Dark Multiverse. He never faced the challenges that more-developed Batmen faced, having killed any threat before it could reach new heights. However, with the Grim Knight making his return to Dark Nights Death Metal, his time with these other Batmen will have only intensified his drive for destruction.