While a lot of comic fans know about Superman's nuisance Mr. Mxyptlk, not many know that Batman has an imp all his own: Bat-Mite. Bat-Mite is an imp who is also a Batman superfan. Mr. Mxyptlk lives to make Superman's life a nightmare, while Bat-Mite adores Batman and only wants to make his adventures more exciting.
Using his powers, Bat-Mite likes to raise the stakes for the Caped Crusader so that everyone will learn that Batman is the ultimate superhero. While good intentioned, Bat-Mite's actions end up in disaster at almost any given opportunity. Bat-Mite has been around for a long time, but still has a lot of backstories yet to be told.
10 He Was Created By A Legendary Comics Duo
Bat-Mite first graced the pages of Detective Comics in issue 267. He was created by someone who many consider one of the godfathers of Batman: Bill Finger, who also got help from artist Sheldon Moldoff. He shows up to lend a hand to Batman and Robin's crimefighting efforts, only to end up letting some crooks escape.
Batman tells him exactly how to recapture the crooks, which he does and then says it might be best if he enjoys Batman and Robin from afar... for now.
9 Bat-Mite & Mr. Mxyzptlk Come From The Same Dimension
Originally, the homeworld of Bat-Mite was never mentioned. He seemed to share similar powers to Mr. Mxyzptlk, but their connection was never really confirmed even when they interacted. After the original Crisis, Bat-Mite was dropped from Batman canon (more on that later) but would eventually show up again.
Now, it has been confirmed he does come from the 5th Dimension just like Mr. Mxyzptlk does, although his homeworld is thought to be a different one from Mr. Mxyzptlk's. After all, the 5th Dimension is a reality that exists outside of the regular space/time continuum. It runs on a completely different set of physics, which can explain why residents seem to have magical powers.
8 Bat-Mite Has A Son
You read that right: Bat-Mite has a son! Bat-Mite Jr. showed up with Mr. Mxyzptlk Jr. in World's Finest issue 157, where they set out to impersonate Bruce Wayne Jr. and Clark Kent Jr. during a camping trip on Earth 154.
Both of the imps live up to their father's reputation by causing all sorts of chaos before Batman and Superman get caught by a gang of crooks. The real sons show up to free their fathers. Bat-Mite Jr. then apologizes before he leaves Earth and is never seen again.
7 He Was Dropped From Batman Comics For Being Too Silly
When Julius Schwartz took over editing duties on the Batman line in 1964, he decided to drop some of the sillier aspects of the title. Cases in point, Batwoman, Ace The Bat-Hound, Bat-Girl, and Bat-Mite were taken out. All of these characters would return in a few years' time, with the only real changes being that they were modernized for their respective decades.
Schwartz wanted a more serious version of Batman which was weird timing, as the campy Batman TV Show was just around the corner. Bat-Mite would only make three more appearances Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths before disappearing altogether. Coincidentally, all of these books were not edited by Julius Schwartz.
6 He Had A Scooby-Doo Crossover
In Scooby-Doo Team-Up issue 3, we see the gang helping out Batman and Robin look for a couple of villains who are supplying other villains with costumes. When they are caught and Fred tries to unmask them, they keep having different faces underneath mask after mask. This can only mean that magical hijinks are afoot.
Bat-Mite reveals himself and gives the villains an upgrade to help make the adventure more exciting. After the villains are defeated, Bat-Mite questions how this can be, since only 5th Dimensional magic can only 5th Dimensional magic. That's when Scooby-Mite, also from the 5th Dimension and the one countering Bat-Mite's magic, appears and things go into high gear.
5 He's A Playable Video Game Character
Not only does Bat-Mite break the fourth wall from time to time, but he also likes to show up in video games. In the Wii version of Batman: The Brave And The Bold - The Videogame, if you connect your Nintendo DS then you can take on the role of Bat-Mite as an assist character to drop anvils, bombs, and power-ups into the game.
Then in Lego Batman 3, you can unlock the character of Bat-Mite in Lego form! You can run around all the levels you've cleared already and see how you do with 5th Dimensional magic as your weapon.
4 Bat-Mite Has 3 Major Animated Appearances
Believe it or not, Bat-Mite has made an appearance on three different Batman cartoons. He first showed up in the 1977 cartoon The New Adventures Of Batman voiced by Lou Scheimer, with his catchphrase "All I wanna do is help." After this, he made a one-off appearance in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series called '"Deep Freeze," where Bat-Mite was just a robot voiced by Pat Fraley who, again, says "All I wanna do is help."
Most recently, he showed up on Batman: The Brave And The Bold where is was voiced by Paul Reubens. He even caused the end of the show when he proclaimed he wanted to go back to a dark version of Batman and caused all sorts of problems for the Dark Knight that then got the show canceled. Paul Reubens would return to voice the imp in the TV special Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered.
3 Bat-Mite May Just Be Bruce Wayne's Hallucination
Back in Legends Of The Dark Knight issue 38, Bat-Mite showed up again, but it was insinuated that he may very well could have been a hallucination of the junkie Bob Overdog. Later on, when the Master of the Weird himself, Grant Morrison, started to write Batman, he brought back Bat-Mite as a possible figment of the Dark Knight's imagination after he was shot and started to have a heart attack.
After Batman tells Bat-Mite he's not real and only in his mind, Bat-Mite just responds that imagination is the 5th Dimension. It would turn out that this version was, in fact, just in Bruce Wayne's mind as he began to lose his grip on reality.
2 He Destroyed The DC Multiverse For Fun
Once upon a time, Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk destroyed the entirety of the DC Multiverse. In Superman and Batman: World's Funnest, both of the imps got into a heated battle and destroyed all of Earth 1 in the process. To escape, Bat-Mite jumps to another reality, only for Mr. Mxyzptlk to follow behind. As they cross all sorts of familiar realities, readers see multiple versions of Superman and Batman getting caught in the crossfire as well.
They finally end up on the Kingdom Come Earth of all places where, once again, reality is destroyed. Both imps start to laugh and it's revelaed that they did all this for fun. They restore all the Earths they destroyed and agree to do it again next Tuesday.
1 He Had His Own Mini-Series
In 2015, Bat-Mite finally got his own miniseries. After being banished from the 5th Dimension by a council of Mites, he settles on the New 52 Earth to go through his usual hijinks. He steals the Batmobile, gets captured by Doctor Trauma, and even gives Hawkman a makeover. After escaping he moves in with a few roommates where he decides he is going to help other heroes since Batman doesn't want him around.
He offers his help to Robin, Booster Gold, and super team The Inferior Five. Finding he is causing more issues than planed, the council of Mites decides it's better for everyone if he returns to the 5th Dimension. Even though fans have been promised more Bat-Mite adventures, DC has (sadly) yet to make true of its word.