While both DC and Marvel are known for presenting alternate versions of their characters – be they from different universes or divergent futures – it's been built into the former's DNA since the Silver Age when the company introduced the multiverse concept. Even after the end of the multiverse in Crisis On Infinite Earths, DC still found a way to present alternatives to what fans knew with the Elseworlds books.

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Being one of the publisher's popular characters, Batman has always been the perfect fodder for alternate versions. In recent years, two alternate Batmen have risen to prominence: The Batman of the Flashpoint universe and the Batman Who Laughs. Both of these villainous Batmen have made a splash, but which is the better evil Batman?

10 Flashpoint Batman: Fueled By Tragedy

Flashpoint Batman and Joker holding hands

The world Flashpoint Batman came from wasn't all sunshine and rainbows and he might have gotten the worst of it. Thomas and Martha Wayne survived the attack in Crime Alley but Bruce didn't, setting both of them down divergent and tragic paths- Thomas would become Batman and Martha would become the Joker.

This would place the two on a terrible collision, one that would add to Flashpoint Batman's pain. When he crossed over the main DC Universe, his whole mission was to get his son to quit being Batman because Thomas knew that being Batman only brought tears.

9 Batman Who Laughs: The Secret Six

The Batman Who Laughs is known for his evil schemes and one of them had wide-reaching consequences for many heroes. Using the knowledge he had from his universe, the Batman Who Laughs created a toxin that would affect six heroes of the DC Universe – Commissioner Gordon, Shazam, Supergirl, Donna Troy, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), and Hawkman – and turn them into evil versions of themselves.

This had wide-ranging effects on many heroes as these six carried out the Batman Who Laughs' evil plans and sowed chaos throughout the DC Universe.

8 Flashpoint Batman: A Legacy Of Brutality

Thomas Wayne as the Flashpoint Batman from DC Comics

Flashpoint Batman was known as the most dangerous hero in his world because he didn't mess around with criminals. Unlike Batman on the main DC Earth, Flashpoint Batman had no problem killing criminals, making sure that his villains couldn't keep coming back to attack Gotham and make his life difficult.

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Watching his son die and his wife go crazy changed Flashpoint Batman, making him a more brutal, violent man. He learned the wrong lessons – that violence is the only catalyst for change in the world.

7 Batman Who Laughs: Servant Of Barbatos

The Batman Who Laughs holding the chains of his Robins from DC Comics

The Batman Who Laughs began his path of carnage as the servant of the evil bat god Barbatos. Leading the Dark Knights, Dark Multiverse versions of Batman who had usurped the powers of his Justice League teammates, he was the face of Barbatos' twisted mission to destroy everything and replace it with darkness.

From the word go, the Batman Who Laughs was proving his villainous bona fides. He had long ago left behind being a hero and was wholeheartedly devoted to destruction.

6 Flashpoint Batman: Brutalized His Grandson

Damian Wayne isn't the easiest person to get along with but Flashpoint Batman was especially terrible to the boy. Damian tried to sneak into Gotham City while it was under the control of Bane and Flashpoint Batman was there to stop him, beating the boy up and taking him to Wayne Manor.

Thomas Wayne would keep the boy tied up, an insurance policy against Batman entering the city, the whole time psychologically torturing Damian. Thomas didn't care at all about his grandson, just his twisted mission to show Bruce that being Batman was the wrong choice to make.

5 Batman Who Laughs: Toxic Batman

The Batman Who Laughs cackles under a red storm from DC Comics

The Batman Who Laughs was infected by a specialized Joker toxin that drove him crazy, making him into one of the worst villains on his world. One of the things that he picked up from the Joker was a newfound love of poisons and toxins. This was especially dangerous because Batman is already a genius and could use all of his prodigious knowledge to create toxins that the Joker could never imagine.

The Batman Who Laughs used this skill on an attack on Gotham, combining his toxic know-how with his knowledge of Batman's countermeasures to protect Gotham City for an attack that almost succeeded.

4 Flashpoint Batman: Helped Bane Take Over Gotham City Then Suborned His Control

Flashpoint Batman Puppeterring Bane(1)

In order to teach his son a lesson, Flashpoint Batman teamed up with Bane to take over Gotham City. Using the Psycho Pirate to control Batman's villains, they were successful in driving Batman into hiding and ran the city.

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However, Flashpoint Batman was no one's pawn and was preparing to backstab Bane the whole time. The two men's motives were different – Bane wanted to break Batman but Flashpoint Batman just wanted him to give up being the Dark Knight. Flashpoint Batman revealed just how much like his son was as he outsmarted everyone...except Batman.

3 Batman Who Laughs: Beat Lex Luthor At His Own Game

Lex Luthor had pledged himself to Doom and the cause of Perpetua, the creator of the Multiverse who wanted to destroy everything and recreate it. However, while Lex was able to pick up some victories over the Justice League, Perpetua decided to pit Lex against the Batman Who Laughs in a battle to see who would be the best servant for her.

The Batman Who Laughs was able to do something that few others have been able to over the years. He defeated Lex Luthor at his own game, usurping his place as Perpetua's main servant and helping her begin the next stage of her plan.

2 Flashpoint Batman: Killed Alfred

Death Of Alfred

Alfred Pennyworth is a huge part of the Batman mythos. The Wayne family butler, he raised Bruce like the boy was his own son and kept looking out for him as the years went on. In the Flashpoint universe, Alfred and Thomas were great friends as well, a friendship cut short by Martha Wayne during her time as the Joker.

After taking over Wayne Manor, Flashpoint Batman kept Alfred hostage to keep members of the Batman family from entering the city. Once Damian broke this rule, Flashpoint Batman did the unthinkable and killed Alfred. This one action, more than any other, proved just how evil he could be because he was able to rationalize it.

1 Batman Who Laughs: A Literal Evil Batman

The Batman Who Laughs on a red background

As good as Flashpoint Batman is, he's not Bruce Wayne and had an entirely different modus operandi than his son. He was more about the violence than the cerebral side of things. Batman has always been about figuring out the best way to defeat his villains, while Flashpoint Batman was more about brutalizing them.

The Batman Who Laughs is still a brutal man, as befitting what the Joker did to him, but he's also more like the main DC Earth version of Batman. He is someone who uses his wide base of knowledge and his penchant for violence to defeat his foes, making him an entirely different, and perhaps greater, threat than Flashpoint Batman.

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