DC Officially Brings Back One of the Most Hated Modern Villains (For a Perfect Pay-Off)

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A popular DC Comics villain many fans thought was gone has returned, but things aren’t as they seem. Almost everyone knows the Batman Who Laughs – a dark, twisted version of Batman from another reality. He was once very similar to the main Batman, but everything changed when he killed the Joker. As a final act of revenge, the Joker exposed him to a powerful toxin, turning him into a major threat to the entire DC Universe.

The Batman Who Laughs was a popular villain initially, and played a big role in DC Comics after the Dark Nights: Metal event, even leading the ‘Year of the Villain.’ However, some fans found his constant victories and escapes frustrating, and were relieved when he was defeated in Dark Nights: Death Metal. Now, he’s back, but his return isn’t what people might expect.

Joker Brings the Batman Who Laughs Back to Pull a Prank on All of Us

The third issue of DC K.O., created by Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Xermánico, and Javier Fernández, sees the remaining contestants reach the final round of the tournament. This round is a tag-team match where fighters can choose a partner from a previous round. However, the Joker, having collected the most Omega Energy throughout the competition, gets a special perk: he can choose a partner from anywhere in the multiverse. The issue doesn’t reveal who the Joker picks, but the fighters head to their rings to begin the match.

Zatanna teamed up with the magical John Constantine, so the Joker chose a partner to match – the Batman Who Laughs. However, Constantine quickly realized something wasn’t right with Joker’s ally. It turned out it wasn’t the real Batman Who Laughs; Joker was just playing a trick. Instead, it was Mr. Mxyzptlk, a powerful, mischievous being from Superman’s world, disguised as the Batman Who Laughs. Mxyzptlk gave Joker enough power to easily defeat Zatanna and Constantine, allowing him to advance to the next round.

Scott Snyder Pulls Off One of DC Comics’ Best Meta Trolls

The recent DC K.O. event was written by Scott Snyder, who also penned Dark Nights: Metal and created the popular character, the Batman Who Laughs. Snyder understands the strong reactions fans have to the Batman Who Laughs – after all, he’s the one who brought him to prominence in the late 2010s. He cleverly used this knowledge in DC K.O., anticipating how fans would react and using it to set up a surprisingly funny joke.

In DC K.O. #3, the Joker’s chosen fighter is kept secret at first, and when the Batman Who Laughs does appear, it’s a brief, teasing moment designed to excite fans who believed he was gone. However, Scott Snyder cleverly reveals this was all a prank orchestrated by the Joker and Mr. Mxyzptlk. While the Joker and Mxyzptlk were tricking Zatanna and Constantine, Snyder was playfully tricking the readers – and it’s a very effective one.

I’m not a big fan of the Batman Who Laughs, so I was surprised to see him included. However, when Mxyzptlk appeared, I realized Snyder was ahead of the curve. He cleverly predicted the negative reaction to that character and turned it into a genuinely funny joke. A less skilled writer would have simply had the Batman Who Laughs join the battle, but Snyder went the more imaginative route, using the audience’s dislike to create a hilarious moment. It’s rare for The Joker to actually be funny, but Snyder managed to get his best joke yet through this setup.

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2026-01-16 22:47