What Marvel Could Learn From DC’s Best Batman Comics

For better or worse, the Marvel oeuvre has permeated all pop culture. The pithy snark, ironic detachment, and general aesthetic of the MCU, originally made famous by effervescent talents like Robert Downey Jr and Paul Rudd, are now often emptily emulated to flat results. Marvel’s comics are no exception. After all, the MCU was inspired by its comics, many of which sported similar stylings, such as works by the now eye-roll-inducing Joss Whedon. At this point, Marvel’s penchant for self-referential, self-congratulatory victory lapping has gone on for a decade-plus, and its storytelling has suffered, especially in the comics space.

While tribalism reigns supreme in comic book fandom — DC and Marvel are forever pitted against one another — creators and lifelong enthusiasts know there’s plenty of crossover between the two pillar companies. Of paramount, though, there is plenty the two can learn from each other.Now more than ever, as Marvel tries to find its footing tinkering with the comic book presence of its most notable heroes — recently altered X-Men and Spider-Man titles come to mind — it would behoove them to visit or, more likely, revisit the other side of the proverbial tracks, where a bounty of DC classics led by Batman could serve as inspiration to correct their recent missteps.

More Unflinching Psychological Exploration Is Needed

Batman: The Killing Joke & Arkham Asylum provide a bold blueprint

Marvel’s cosmic escapades and colorful superhero stories have earned their rightful place in the spotlight, but sometimes, even the brightest stars need a little direction. Amid the fanfare, Marvel stumbled in recent years—titles and arcs that, while ambitious, didn’t quite hit the mark. Enter Batman’s world, where lessons from Gotham’s shadows could light Marvel’s path, albeit with a Joker-held flashlight like in Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke.

Moore’s already brilliant story gets a boost from Brian Bolland’s legendary art in Killing Joke. The two successfully produce a masterclass in psychological depth. Though its clumsy animated retelling thrust the story into controversial territory, the original comic remains as profound as ever, beloved for its bold journeying into the doldrums of darkness. The story delves into the Joker’s warped psyche, offering a disorienting but dazzling insight into his complicated origin. In it, The Joker attempts to prove that anyone can be driven mad by experiencing “just one bad day.”

The Joker puts the Gordon Family—as enduring a presence in Bat titles as the Bat-family itself—through a ringer of unparalleled torment to support his twisted thesis. Bruce Wayne gets tangled in a web of compromised allies and psychological confrontation, which changes his perception of the Batman endeavor. A proverbial mirror meets Batsy, held by the Joker, forcing the playboy hero into a place of personal reevaluation.

Some of Marvel’s most recent notable titles, like Dark Reign or Secret Empire, attempted grand narratives but sometimes faltered in delivering personal stakes. For instance, Dark Reign’s attempt to reshape the Marvel Universe under the auspices of Norman Osborn had ambitious goals. However, it then struggled to deeply explore the psychological impact such a state had on its characters.

Had Dark Reign followed the blueprints provided by The Killing Joke or Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On A Serious Earth — another classic arc that follows Batman on visits to all his institutionalized rogues — there might not have been as many world-rearranging reboots since its release. With similar complexity and unflinching faces while exploring its characters’ real-world implications, Marvel can widen its storytelling horizons. Far too many cataclysms have occurred without offering insight into how major events affect a hero’s mental state more profoundly. A story arc like this could offer a more nuanced portrayal of characters, large and small, from Tony Stark to Trish Walker.

Batman: Hush Kept A Secret Worth Its Reveal

Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s Batman: Hush introduced a villain who was not only a physical threat but an emotional one. Befitting his mask, Hush’s antics led to the unraveling of both Batman and Bruce Wayne. His connections to Wayne’s past directly tied him to Batman’s world, enabling him to out-manipulate and outmaneuver the caped crusader. While The Joker acted as an antithesis to The Dark Knight, Hush’s role differed. His actions extended beyond mere antagonism, offering a true counterpart to Bruce. Hush’s true identity, Thomas Elliot, a childhood friend and confidant of Bruce, provided a dark reflection and highlighted his and his family’s past traumas and mistakes.

By drawing inspiration from Hush, Marvel could have benefitted from creating villains who challenged heroes on a more personal and emotional level. And if Marvel couldn’t have done it with an existing rogue, it could have used it as an impetus to invent rather than rehash. Introducing characters that were innovative and closely tied to the heroes’ pasts—not just as a generic threat but as a reflection of their deepest fears and flaws—would have added new dimensions to Marvel.

Let The Characters Grow And Evolve

Bat Family depictions like Batman and Son exemplify an evolutionary embrace of Gotham-based characters

Grant Morrison’s Batman and Son exemplifies DC’s willingness to evolve its characters, introducing Damian Wayne and exploring Bruce Wayne’s role as a father — not only to Damian but his fleet of Robins, past and present. This evolution affirmed longtime readers, instilling a sense of refreshing, multi-generational storytelling. Damian’s introduction challenges Batman to grow, and the former’s hotheadedness forces the latter to contemplate the traits his son inherited that exist within him. The results added layers to the entire Bat-Family, every character made to evolve around the radical shift that Damian presented.

On the other hand, Marvel has often hesitated to let its characters evolve significantly. Many Marvel heroes seem to exist in a state of stasis, with few permanent changes to their status quo or age. Jonathan Hickman’s work is a notable exception to this trend, whose welcome embrace of change is a bright spot for Marvel. Hickman’s House of X and Powers of X redefined X-Men with the innovative Krakoa storyline, which exponentially quickened the evolution of Marvel’s mutant characters.

Hickman has been brought on to Spider-Man, likely to offer the Marvel mascot a resuscitation like he did with the X-Men and Krakoa just a few years ago. In his revamped Ultimate Spider-Man, Peter Parker has a full family with Mary Jane, indicating that Hickman is following Grant Morrison’s lead. He injects the Web Head with new life and meaning by acknowledging a life lived on the page, letting him evolve and grow. Leave it to Hickman to bring his transformative touch to comics’ most notable hero.

Marvel needs more of this kind of character evolution. Instead of keeping characters in a perpetual status quo, embracing change and allowing heroes to evolve can lead to richer, more compelling narratives for the primary characters and the supporting cast around them. Grant Morrison’s work on Batman shows the power of embracing character growth. With Hickman at the helm, there’s hope that Spider-Man and the rest of the Marvel Comics universe will experience a similar renaissance.