10 Times Batman Died (And What Happened Next)
When the Dark Knight falls, you better believe there's going to be an impact in the DC Universe.
Back in the 1990s, there was a ton of hullabaloo about a certain Man of Steel biting the bullet. But, in reality, comic book characters die all the time, mostly without any major fanfare. Case in point, Batman, has kicked the bucket more often than most comic book characters with little to no fanfare.
Fortunately, death in comics is rarely anything more than a minor inconvenience, and most characters return to the land of the living after a short while. For Batman, that's not necessarily always the case, thanks, in large part, to DC's use of multiple Earths, each with their own realities.
When the Dark Knight bites the big one, it's usually in some alternate Earth. DC's main continuity has seen Batman fall as well every once in a while, but he always finds a way back, sooner or later.
Batman is a key character, and he's one of the most important superheroes in any version of the DC Universe, so when he does die, it's usually a pretty big deal for the people closest to him. While he's died many times, here are some of the most intense demises of the Dark Knight in his eighty-odd years of history.
10. Earth 2 Batman Sacrificed Himself To Take Out His Enemies
Batman is the world's greatest detective, an example of peak physical and mental conditioning, and willing to do whatever it takes to serve justice. The Dark Knight is a lot of things, and above all else, he's an altruist who is more than willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the world.
The Batman of Earth 2 is Thomas Wayne, and he follows this line of action in Convergence #3, after he finds himself surrounded by a gathering of his greatest enemies. With nowhere to turn, he did the only thing he could think of - sacrificing himself.
Granted, he didn't blow his brains out or anything like that; instead, he opted to detonate a bomb, killing everyone surrounding him. His noble act of sacrifice not only killed him, but it also killed a group of people who filled many of the top slots on his rogues' gallery.
Soon after Batman's demise, Dick Grayson picks up a Batarang, and chooses to follow in Thomas' footsteps. The wider impact results in a rebooting of the DC Universe once more, with the pre-Crisis and post-Crisis worlds returning to The Multiversity, which made it possible for Thomas Wayne to make a comeback.