10 Comic Happy Endings That Were Secretly Terrible

The ending of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is pretty much the perfect way to end the comic, containing the ultimate surprise: that Batman is significantly less dead than it appeared, and is training the next generation to take over after he is gone.

But, when you look at it from the perspective of Batman, it's really quite sad.

Although Bruce Wayne was never going to quit being a superhero entirely, futures where he does still enjoy the comforts of his non-Dark Knight life seem like way happier endings for him, as living in a dank dark cave for the rest of your life doesn't sound like a comfortable retirement.

It's clear that Bruce actively wants this hermit lifestyle, but it's been shown time and time again that the Caped Crusader can be a bit of a masochist when it comes to his own wellbeing. And after so many years of giving his heart, blood, and soul for Gotham, it seems only fair that he gets at least some creature comforts in his final years - which he could still have had while commanding his sidekick army.