Warning: The following contains spoilers for Harley Quinn: Villain of the Year #1 by Mark Russell, Mike Norton, Hi-Fi and Dave Sharpe, on sale now.
The latest Year of the Villain special issue features a cheeky, self-referential competition between the various DC Universe antagonists for the highly coveted title of Villain of the Year. Hosted by Harley Quinn, the award ceremony lists many possible contenders -- ranging from Lex Luthor to Mirror Master -- all hoping to land the evening's most sought-after prize. However, when the final award is announced, the prestigious distinction goes to a relatively new character: The Batman Who Laughs.
First created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo as part of 2017's big comic book crossover event Dark Nights: Metal, the cackling villain is the Bruce Wayne from an alternate world in the Dark Multiverse who, after finally killing his mortal foe, became infected by the Joker's toxin. Possessing all the cunning strategy and resources of the Dark Knight but the madness and penchant for bloody violence of the Clown Prince of Crime, the twisted Caped Crusader killed the heroes of his world before recruiting similarly sinister Batmen from across the Dark Multiverse in an ambitious bid to invade and conquer the DCU.
Since then, much of DC's 2019 publishing slate has been informed in some way by the Batman Who Laughs. Upon breaking free from Justice League custody and forming an on-again/off-again alliance with Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom, the evil Batman has revealed an even more insidious plot: To use toxin-laced batarangs to infect heroes across the DCU, forming his own deliciously unhinged version of the Justice League and restarting his bid for multiversal conquest with the main DCU as the first target on his list.
In a way, the Batman Who Laughs receiving the top, villainous honor is a surprise: The character has only been around for two years in contrast to more iconic, long-running foes like Cheetah, Lex Luthor and the Reverse-Flash. Apart from standard merchandising, he hasn't yet appeared in any video games, animated or live-action adaptations, unlike the villains running around the Arrowverse or DC Extended Universe. Even the Joker got his own solo film earlier this year, opening to record-breaking box office success worldwide and glowing critical reception.
On the other hand, the character certainly has made massive waves in the short time since his introduction. He's shaped DC's Year of the Villain across multiple titles and a line of high-profile one-shot issues focusing on the various heroes he has corrupted, starred in his own bestselling comic book miniseries this past summer and more. The Batman Who Laughs has helped usher in the Dark Multiverse that has heavily informed the DCU for the past two years -- and, the award is Villain of the Year, after all, not of all time.
Harley Quinn: Villain of the Year #1 certainly doesn't take itself overly seriously as it spotlights the prolific villains of the DCU. However, in giving the eponymous honor to the Batman Who Laughs, the issue does highlight how much the Darkest Knight has impacted the publishing line recently, with only the recently upgraded Lex Luthor as a potential challenger for the distinction. What will become of the Dark Multiverse character in the new year has yet to be seen, but the Batman Who Laughs has made enough of a mark to be formally recognized by his peers for his sinister contributions to villainy.