10 Most Insane Alternate Universe Batmen

8. Pirate Batman

Batman Grim Reaper
DC Comics

Captain Leatherwing was Earth-494’s incarnation of Batman. He operated in the Caribbean during the 18th century and captained the Flying Fox. His bat cowl was worn to avoid bringing shame to England and King James II, for whom he pillaged.

Little was known about the man himself, though he lacks the traditional Wayne Family privilege. Leatherwing’s goal was to plunder enough gold to buy back the stolen land of his murdered parents.

In this Elseworlds retelling, the Batcave was reimagined as the Bat Cay, and Alfred as his first mate Alfredo. His foes were the Laughing Man of the Pescador and Capitana Felina of the Catspaw. The former he killed, the latter he wooed.

Batman would again take on a pirate persona post-Final Crisis when he was scattered across history by Darkseid’s Omega Beams. During Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, he revisited the 18th century. This time he had infamous pirate Blackbeard, who mistakenly believed him to be The Black Pirate, to contend with. However, Wayne would don The Black Pirate costume to protect the original wearer’s heir.

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An English Lit. MA Grad trying to validate my student debt by writing literary fiction and alternative non-fiction.