SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Detective Comics #1000's "The Legend of Knute Brody" by Paul Dini, Dustin Nguyen, Derek Fridolfs and John Kalisz, on sale now.

Batman's rogues may be formidable, but they can't always rob a bank, poison the river or blow up a landmark without some help. That's where henchmen come in. And when it comes to hired help, some goons are better at it than others. One of those others is revealed to be a hapless crook named Knute Brody, a henchman name if there ever was one. And his "legend" is revealed in Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen's "The Legend of Knute Brody" in the milestone Detective Comics #1000.

Knute Brody -- Loser for Hire

Why is Knute is such a loser? It's solely because he's botched every job he's been hired for -- every single one -- and gotten his employers in a lot of trouble because of it. Among his legendary feats of villainy: He accidentally clocked Harley Quinn while trying to take out Robin, foiling a bombing plot by the Joker; he did his best Charlie Brown impersonation and got Kite Man stuck in a tree; and he stopped Mr. Freeze in his tracks -- with Freeze's own weapon.

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There are plenty more anecdotes comprising Knute's spotty -- make that horrid -- track record. But how could the unfortunate Knute be that bad at his chosen profession? After all, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. Could Knute really be that clumsy? That stupid? That… awful?

It's almost like he was screwing up on purpose.

As it turns out, he was. Because Knute isn't just some bumbling, clumsy crook. Instead, he's secretly a member of the Bat-Family in disguise. But which one?

Well, more than just one.

The punchline of Dini and Nguyen's story is that Knute Brody is a fabricated identity, one shared by Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and Barbara Gordon. Even Alfred has donned the disguise.

The intent, of course, was too soften up and undermine the bad guys' various schemes, often before Batman himself even arrived on the scene. And ever the hero, "Knute" wasn't failing at his duplicitous task, he was succeeding, and actually doing a pretty good job helping the good guys win.

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Welcome to the Bat-Family, Knute

It also adds a new dimension of heroism to the Bat-Family -- covert ops hasn't been the normal M.O. for this colorful group, or so it was believed. The World's Greatest Detective, as it turns out, might also be the world's sneakiest. There is a downside, though. Whoever's masquerading as poor Knute eventually has to take a hit from Knute's foiled and frustrated bosses.

The notion of a Bat-mole entrenched in the underworld's muscle adds a new and retroactive wrinkle to any past storylines featuring some seemingly random henchman making a costly mistake. But now that readers know about Knute, will there be more appearances in the future?

Sadly, no, as "The Legend of Knute Brody" is framed as a television special that brings the ill-fated crook's less than legendary screwups into the viewing public's living rooms. With his haphazard deeds now in the public eye, Knute Brody's dubiously illustrious career is finished. The Bat-Family has collectively decided that it's time for Knute to retire.

Which is too bad, as Damian wanted a turn, even if it was only as Knute Brody Jr.

The next story that features some unknown thug appearing to inadvertently thwart a Bat-villain's plans, though, watch out -- because it just might mean Knute Brody is back.