Batman's origin story is one of the most recognizable aspects of the character's mythology. However, the character couldn't have remained relevant for over eight decades without constant reinvention. In 2013, writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo crafted their version of The Dark Knight's formative period in "Batman: Zero Year."

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As part of The New 52 relaunch, which cleaned DC's continuity, Snyder and Capullo were given the freedom to overhaul many elements of Batman's backstory. These changes honored diverse elements from Batman's canon but also pushed the character in new but relevant directions. Although there have been other Batman origin stories in recent years, Zero Year should be regarded as his definitive origin for the modern age.

10 The Red Hood Gang Represented The Specter Of Terrorism

Batman and the Red Hood Gang in Zero Year

Batman is a character who's designed to reckon with fear, both personal and collective. Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's "Batman: Year One" was released in the '80s when readers were preoccupied with urban crime. However, in the 21st Century, street gangs didn't occupy the same place in America's shared anxieties.

Zero Year wisely reinvents the Red Hood Gang – once a mob of petty thieves – into a terrorist organization. Although, instead of being motivated by religious fundamentalism, they follow their leader's homicidal, anarchic manifesto. Most importantly, like any terrorist group, anyone could secretly be a member.

9 Gotham Looks Like The New York City Of The 21st Century

Batman towers over Gotham City

Many Batman stories imagine Gotham city frozen in time during either the '30s or '70s. In fact, Scott Snyder has often remarked how Batman: Year One's depiction of Gotham's seedy center left an impression because it so closely resembled Times Square. However, New York has cleaned up a lot since then, at least on the surface.

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Batman stories become relevant when creators reflect on the world around them, not the stories of the past. Greg Capullo's rendition of Gotham City is full of modern technology and architecture, complemented by FCO Plascencia's bright colors, which consciously distanced themselves from the decay suggested by Year One's flat, desaturated color palette.

8 Zero Year Gives Golden Age Visuals A Modern Touch

Batman carrying a citizen away

The New 52 Batman came on the heels of Grant Morrison's Batman run. It provided a template for fans to view Batman's entire publication history as the lifetime of a single character. Capullo and his art team honor this ethos by representing Batman's formative year with the visual style of the Golden Age.

Batman's first costume closely resembles his original appearance in Detective Comics #27. This means he has a gun, side-pointing ears, and purple gloves. Also, the colors are mostly tinged with yellow, pink, and blue, which calls back to the range of colors used in comics from the '40s. But like everything else, the retro color scheme has gradients, vibrancy, and other modern touches.

7 The Riddler Forced Gotham To Reckon With Environmental & Technological Crises

The Riddler Resets Gotham City to Zero Year in Batman Zero Year

During a speech halfway through Zero Year, Bruce Wayne makes the case that Gotham's appeal is its ability to reflect fear. It externalizes nightmares and forces its inhabitants to grow stronger. Strength is derived from the ability to confront fear, not run from it.

However, The Riddler perverts this philosophy by turning Gotham into a savage wasteland, representing modern anxieties around climate change and technological dependency. Fortunately, much like an antibody, The Batman rises at the end of the story to embody Gotham's resilience.

6 Zero Year Justified Why A Modern City Would Embrace A Vigilante

batman in profile with a bow

The post-apocalyptic setting of Zero Year's third act offers more than symbolism. Batman is a vigilante who's somehow accepted by many citizens, and such a situation could only arise under dire circumstances. Batman: Year One conceived a Gotham where institutional corruption was so widespread and demoralizing that citizens saw an outlaw as an alternative.

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However, modern readers might not fear the same degree of overt corruption readers did in the decades following Watergate. Today, there are forces more influential and dangerous than the state, including masked men of questionable morality. The extreme destruction the Riddler wreaks in Zero Year, and Batman's visible victory over him, are a credible shock to the system, and it's enough to justify the vigilante's mainstream acceptance.

5 Bruce Wayne & Edward Nygma Represent Competing Models Of The Billionaire

James Gordon Points A Gun At The Riddler Who Is Sitting Down

Multi-billionaires are a prominent example of forces often more powerful than the state. With rising wealth inequality across the world and the astronomical increase in power possessed by the top 1%, readers find it increasingly difficult to root for a multi-billionaire making unilateral decisions that affect millions of lives.

Thankfully, Bruce shares some of this contempt and initially rejects his inheritance. Meanwhile, Edward Nygma, who cons his way into controlling Wayne Enterprises, represents the worst the 1% has to offer. Bruce's arc in Zero Year is realizing how the only way to prevent his fortune from being twisted towards evil ends is to take control of it.

4 Batman & Joker Share An Inspiration

Red Hood One falls Batman Zero Year

Many stories attempt to join Batman and the Joker's origins. For example, Tim Burton's 1989 film introduced a Joker who'd also killed Bruce's parents. However, Zero Year twists this dynamic. The characters are very much joined at birth but in a symbolic way.

In this comic, the death of the Waynes sent a major cultural shockwave across Gotham, like the Tate/LaBianca murders. To the Joker, the fact that even prominent, noble people could suffer a random death signaled the victory of chaos. While Bruce was inspired to fight against this feeling of meaninglessness, the Joker chose to embrace it. Or, at least, that's one possible version of the Joker's origin. (One can never be sure).

3 Batman Solved A Riddle To Become Gotham's Guardian

Batman Stands In Riddler's Lasers in Zero Year

Snyder and Capullo constantly combined the old with the new. The creators reached back, not just through The Dark Knight's own history, but towards the superhero's progenitors: the heroes of ancient myths. Their interpretation of Edward Nygma was inspired by classic stories where a hero proved his worth by solving a Riddle.

Like Oedipus, Bruce Wayne returns to his hometown and frees it from degradation by cracking the Riddler's puzzles, which resembled the machinations behind seemingly random terrorism. He then ascends the throne of Gotham as chairman of Wayne Enterprises, which is a position his uncle held in his place. By tapping into the archetypes at the heart of Batman, Zero Year makes him even more relevant.

2 Zero Year Resurrected Golden Age Characters & Stories

Batman blows up Doctor Death Batman Zero Year

Zero Year's reverence for the Golden Age wasn't limited to visual cues. Bruce Wayne's original romantic interest, Julie Madison, was given a concrete reintroduction into Batman's world. Doctor Death, a villain who appeared in Detective Comics #29, was the primary antagonist for the middle section of Zero Year. The Riddler, Red Hood, and Doctor Death were also connected by a mystery that resembles "The Case of The Chemical Syndicate," which was the first Batman story ever published.

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But Snyder & Capullo ensure these classic elements are given interesting updates. Doctor Death is given a surreal physical appearance and Julie Madison has a connection to the death of Bruce's parents, which throws a wrench in their relationship.

1 Readers Got To Witness How Alfred & Bruce’s Relationship Developed

Alfred Slaps Bruce in Zero Year DC storyline

One of the most refreshing elements of The New 52 was how it codified the idea that Alfred Pennyworth was Bruce's second father. Despite being portrayed as Bruce's legal guardian for most of Batman's history, to what extent Alfred was an employee or parent was unclear.

While Snyder and Capullo retain this tension in Bruce and Alfred's relationship, they make it clear that Alfred sees himself as Bruce's father, just as Bruce sees Alfred as the authority/paternal figure he needs to break away from. Unlike most of Batman's origin tales, these characters are yet to define their relationship with each other. Bruce's journey in Zero Year isn't just about becoming a superhero; it's about becoming a son again.

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