Every Time Batman Died, Ranked

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Batman is one of the oldest and most well-known superheroes in the world, appearing in countless comic books across many different storylines. Fans love seeing him overcome incredible odds, and a compelling way to do that is to challenge him to his absolute limit – or even show that he isn’t invincible. This brings us to a look at all the times Batman has met his end.

Just to be clear, we’re using a very specific definition of ‘death’ for this list. We won’t include instances where Batman appeared to die but was later revealed to be alive, like when Darkseid sent him back in time, or ambiguous situations where it’s unclear if he truly died, such as in the “Endgame” storyline. We’re also excluding alternate universes and timelines, and focusing only on the main DC universe. We’re also avoiding things that feel like resets or potential futures, as those don’t count as real deaths. Now that’s out of the way, let’s rank every time the Dark Knight has died.

5) Dark Nights: Death Metal

Batman has died multiple times in the comics, and one instance involved Perpetua and the Batman Who Laughs. The Batman Who Laughs gave Perpetua energy from a dangerous alternate universe, allowing her to reshape reality. In this new reality, most heroes were either imprisoned, hiding, or killed – including the original Batman. However, his death wasn’t permanent; he later returned as a zombie powered by a Black Lantern Ring. Despite being a significant event, this death is considered the least impactful because it happens off-screen and doesn’t have lasting consequences.

4) Justice League (2018) #75 — “Death of the Justice League”

This storyline features the shocking death of the entire Justice League at the hands of the Great Darkness and Pariah’s powerful army of supervillains. Despite initially gaining the upper hand against these enhanced enemies, the League was ultimately defeated when Pariah unleashed the full power of the Great Darkness, disintegrating them all. He then imprisoned their souls within personalized pocket realities, designed to keep them contained. While the League members would eventually return, Batman definitively died during this event.

3) “Emperor Joker”

One of the most terrifying stories in DC Comics involves Mister Mxyzptlk, a powerful imp, being fooled into giving the Joker incredible powers, transforming him into Emperor Joker. The Joker immediately reshaped reality to his liking and began relentlessly tormenting Batman. He subjected the Dark Knight to unimaginable torture, including being torn apart by undead armies and suffering gruesome attacks like having his mouth removed and being eaten by vultures. Batman was repeatedly killed and brought back to life, only to endure the torture again and again. The story doesn’t reveal how many times Batman died, but by the end, he was completely broken, a mere shadow of his former self. This is widely considered the most brutal and devastating death Batman has ever faced.

2) JLA #74 — “Obsidian”

This storyline reveals another instance of the Justice League’s demise, this time occurring in the distant past. They were tricked into traveling to ancient Atlantis with the false hope of finding Aquaman, and then ambushed and killed by the League of Ancients. Batman discovered that Manitou Raven had been misled by Gamemnae, the leader of the Ancients, who orchestrated the entire trap. Though the League perished, their spirits endured for three thousand years before being resurrected in the present day to once again protect the world. Despite being a relatively short story arc, this particular death of the Justice League had a lasting impact.

1) Adventure Comics #462 — “Only Legends Live Forever!”

While technically an alternate reality story, the death of this Batman – the original from Earth-Two – is significant enough to include here, especially considering he was the primary Batman for many years. The story is deeply sad: though retired, he returned for one last battle against Bill Jensen, a dangerous criminal who sought revenge on Bruce Wayne (the Commissioner). Jensen overpowered the entire Justice Society, and only Batman could slow him down. Ultimately, their fight drained both of them, resulting in their deaths.

Bruce was laid to rest with his wife, Selina, and his parents. Though he wasn’t the primary Batman at that moment, his definitive death was a huge surprise to everyone. It was especially heartbreaking because he had finally achieved happiness, finding a family and a peaceful life.

That covers all the officially confirmed deaths of Batman. Surprisingly, it’s not a very long list, considering how often comic book characters return to life. Which of these deaths did you find most impactful or heartbreaking?

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2025-11-03 19:14