There have been plenty of zany iterations of Batman across the superhero's 80-year history, but none are wackier than the colorful Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. Originally introduced in a one-off comic book story as part of the DC Universe's more whimsical Silver Age, the character made a surprise return decades later that catapulted him to a new level of infamy.
Now, we're taking a closer look at the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, from his mind-bending debut to his subsequent to Batman comics and his unlikely appearances in other major Batman productions.
Who is the Batman of Zur-En-Arhh?
The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh was introduced in 1958's Batman #113 by France Herron and Dick Sprang as Tlano, who protects a faraway planet in a red, yellow and purple costume that bears a striking resemblance to Batman's suit. While a dazed Batman pilots the Batplane over Gotham City one night, he finds himself transported to the world of Zur-En-Arrh by Tlano, who had adopted his own crimefighting persona modeled after the Caped Crusader while secretly monitoring his activities on Earth.
Tlano recruits his inspiration to help him drive back an army of robotic invaders piloted by an unknown alien race. The tide is turned when the Batman of Earth discovers that the planetary conditions on Zur-En-Arrh give him powers and abilities similar to Superman. After successfully protecting Zur-En-Arrh, Tlano teleports Batman back to Earth with a device known as a Bat-Radia as a memento to his extraterrestrial team-up.
Batman R.I.P.
The idea of Zur-En-Arrh making some sort of return was planted all the way back in writer Grant Morrison's first issue on the main Batman series, Batman #655 with artist Andy Kubert. The issue had "Zur-En-Arrh" scrawled in graffiti across Gotham back alleys and dumpsters as the story unfolded. The phrase was later revealed to be a subconscious trigger created when Batman underwent an isolation experiment overseen by the villainous Doctor Simon Hurt years earlier. That experiment made Batman hallucinate his adventures on Zur-En-Arrh, and the phrase was derived from Bruce Wayne mistaking his father's last words, "Zorro in Arkham," referring to the film they had just seen.
Bruce's confrontation with Simon Hurt and the nefarious Black Glove organization reached a climax during "Batman R.I.P." Using the trigger phrase and potent hallucinogenic drugs, Hurt broke Bruce's mind and left him on the streets of Gotham. However, Bruce had certainly developed a backup personality for just such an eventuality, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. In Morrison and Tony Daniel's Batman #678, an amnesiac Batman fashions a makeshift costume from scraps that resembles his hallucination, right down to a broken radio that nods to the Bat-Radia. Joined by Bat-Mite, another potential product of his broken mind, this Batman is a more violent Dark Knight as a result of taking Bruce Wayne out of the equation. Eventually, Bruce recovers and regains his mental faculties leading him to don his normal Batman costume once again.
The Brave and the Bold
In the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "The Super Batman of Planet X!," Batman crashes on the alien world of Zur-En-Arrh where he encounters its version of Batman voiced by Kevin Conroy, who's voiced Batman for decades since his role as the Dark Knight on Batman: The Animated Series. The animated series' version of Tlano is a mild-mannered reporter similar to Clark Kent working alongside Vilsi Vaylar, a character who combines Lois Lane and Vicki Vale.
After deducing Batman is from Earth, the two repel an army of robots developed by a mad scientist, with Batman discovering that he has superpowers on Zur-En-Arrh due to the planet's element rhodon. Beyond that cartoon, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh has been included as alternate costumes in video games like Batman: Arkham Knight, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham and Injustice 2, where he bright, garish costume contrasts against the games' relatively dark surroundings. While he might've been reduced to a Silver Age laughing stock for decades, the batman of Zur-En-Arrh's more recent adventures prove just how valuable any version of the Dark Knight can be.