The Dumb Knight Rises

He may be vengeance, he may be the night, but that doesn’t mean the Caped Crusader is immune from some really aggravating storylines, especially in the world of comic books. Everyone has their own interpretations of how they feel the Dark Knight should be, but its fair to say these moments pushed fans too far, leading to mass outrage across the board!

#5: The Wedding That Never Happened

Batman gets engaged; he doesn’t get married. But honestly, this time around, DC really had us convinced that they’d finally opened up to changing Batman’s status quo. After 50 issues of build-up and a big PR campaign advertising the impending marriage of Batman and Catwoman, fans got burned. TWICE. Though to be fair, only one is DC’s fault. First, the New York Times spoiled the ending – that’s on them. But the ending in question? The marriage never happens, and honestly, that was arguably worse. In the end, Selena refuses to marry Bruce because she believes that their marriage would rob him of the fire he needs to protect Gotham. In an otherwise great run, this felt like a hugely disappointing return to the status quo.

#4: Abandoning Gotham

When a character has been around as long as Batman, there’s no such thing as “one definitive version”. The character evolves as each new writer takes the reins. Be that as it may, with a character as iconic as Batman, an overarching personality, psychology and set of values takes shape regardless. Readers can see the forest for the trees – so to speak. And when a writer has Batman do something fundamentally out of character, well… a rage quit courtesy of readers becomes a very real possibility. The fact that Batman would remain absent from Gotham, for months during the catastrophic events of No Man’s Land isn’t just a plot hole. It’s preposterous.

#3: Batman Peeing His Pants

Remember when we said that The Widening Gyre was a weak story start to finish? Yeah…it bears the unflattering distinction of giving readers not just one, but two major opportunities to simply put the comic down and say: “you know what? It’s not worth finishing this story!” This is a scene that only Kevin Smith would come up with. In it, Batman reminisces about a crucial scene from “Batman: Year One” and adds that actually peed his pants because his incendiary was hotter than expected. Yes, really. Note to any aspiring writers out there: if they give you the keys to the Batcave, don’t make Batman piss himself. 

#2: Everything in The Dark Knight Strikes Again

The Dark Knight Returns? It’s one of the most widely cited, beloved, influential and critically acclaimed stories in the medium. And rightfully so! Yes, this world-weary Batman’s personality and mannerisms are a departure from those of the main continuity, but they work in the context. And that context makes for a great, insightful read. So when it was announced, over 15 years later, that we were getting a sequel, fans were understandably over the moon. That is until they actually read the thing. Rarely has something so highly anticipated disappointed so spectacularly. The art was childish, heroes behave unrecognizably, and Wonder Woman and Superman have sex that causes natural disasters. If you haven’t read it, probably best to keep it that way.

#1: Flaming Dock Intimacy

In 2002, The Dark Knight Strikes Again felt like a low point for both Batman and Frank Miller. But together, they managed to dig far deeper just a few years later in the pages of All-Star Batman and Robin. We could highlight any number of things that inspired us to stop reading, but for fear of beating a dead horse (or the charred remains of nameless henchmen), we’re going with flaming dock sex as the moment that really did people in. Batman and Black Canary have sex, in-costume, while recently defeated goons burn to death nearby. As if that’s not bad enough, the dialogue, both before and after, feels like it was written by a pubescent extraterrestrial who hasn’t been paying attention in “human” class.

Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Best Batman Moments of All Time.