10 Terrible Mistakes That Almost Ruined Batman For Everyone

1. The Joker Died In His First Appearance

How would Batman have survived without his greatest nemesis? As superhero mythology is careful to reinforce, a hero is nothing without his counter-point, just as without darkness, there can be no light. But that's exactly the type of future we would have faced if the original writers of Batman had had their way.

In the interest of preserving the moral integrity of the comics, and letting Batman triumph without compromise, the Joker's first appearance was designed to be his final one, as he was stabbed in the heart, and kicked the bucket. Bill Finger had been concerned that allowing villains to return would simply make Batman look inept, but he was over-ruled by editor Whitney Ellsworth, who told him to add another panel to the ending above.

Without The Joker, there can't have been an enduring Batman, and even more importantly, without returning villains, we would have been stuck with DC imagining new villains every issue, and we all know what their imagination was like thanks to the appearance of abominable villains like the rainbow monster, Calendar Man and Kite Man.

Did we miss any moments that almost spelled the end for Batman as we know and love him? Share your own picks below.