WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Dark Knights of Steel #1, on sale now from DC Comics.
Batman takes on a medieval flavor akin to a Witcher in the new limited series Dark Knights of Steel, out now from DC.
"This isn't just transplanting the DC Universe and sticking it in a place with castles and horses," series writer Tom Taylor said in an interview with DC Nation, elaborating on how the company's familiar heroes would change when placed in a fantasy world. "This is an entirely new spin on the origins you know. These origins are completely different, these people are different. Their soul is similar, and their mannerisms are similar. Superman and Batman, I think, are still Bruce and Clark in a lot of ways, but their roles are different. Batman is essentially a Witcher. His job is to find magic users and lock them up."
Taylor added that this unique version of Batman saw locking up magic users as his life's quest, akin to how the normal Batman tackled criminals.
"What he sees as magic is anyone with powers because magic is the one thing that can threaten Superman," Taylor said. "That's his role, and Superman doesn’t like that Batman is always trying to protect him. Especially when axes break on his skin, he wants to be out there, he wants to help, and Batman won't let him. It's a different dynamic, but it's still a fairly recognizable dynamic with recognizable characters."
Dark Knights of Steel #1 introduced Batman as a knight working for Superman's parents, Jor-El and Lara, who left Krypton together and founded a kingdom on a medieval world, in a unique twist on traditional Man of Steel mythology. Joe-El and Lara became close friends with the Waynes on this world, and Bruce pledged himself to serve the El Court. Similar to The Witcher's main protagonist Geralt of Rivia, Batman spent most of Issue #1 hunting a banshee with a sonic scream -- a clever nod to Black Canary -- and telling Jor-El and Lara's son Kal-El to remain in the safe confines of the castle.
The issue ended with the stunning revelation that in Dark Knights of Steel's continuity, Bruce and Kal-El are half-brothers due to an affair that Joe-El had with Batman's mother. Bruce's Kryptonian blood not only explains his ability to shrug off major injuries but also ties him even closer to Geralt. In the world of The Witcher, the titular monster hunters are experimented on in childhood and transformed into mutants who can withstand tremendous punishment and utilize minor magic spells.
Dark Knights of Steel #1, by Taylor and Yasmine Putri, is on sale now from DC.
Source: DC Nation