Fictional character biography
The Batman Who Laughs is a version of Batman from Earth -22 of the Dark Multiverse. In that reality, the Earth -22 Joker learns that he is dying owing to the chemicals in his body, and sets out to push Batman harder than ever before, killing most of Batman's other rogues, and subjecting Gotham City's citizens to the chemicals that transformed him, killing parents in front of their children to mock Bruce. Batman snaps and kills the Joker in a struggle, which releases a concentrated form of the toxin in Joker's body. Batman gains an appearance and personality similar to that of the Joker. The Batman Who Laughs takes over Earth -22, killing off most of his allies and turning his son Damian Wayne into a mini-Joker, while recruiting children infected by the Joker Toxin as his "Rabid Robins".[2] The Batman Who Laughs later meets Lex Luthor, who offers him a place in the Legion of Doom.[3]
The Batman Who Laughs recruits alternate versions of Bruce Wayne to launch a mass assault on the main universe's Batman. The Batman Who Laughs is allied with the Grim Knight, a version of Batman who uses guns and turned his Gotham into a military dictatorship. With no other way to stop his other self, Batman is forced to accept a transfusion from the Joker that begins to turn him into a variation of the Batman Who Laughs. Batman defeats his other self and is restored to normal, while the Batman Who Laughs is locked up in the Hall of Justice.
A year later, The Batman Who Laughs is still locked up in the Hall of Justice, but having previously infected several heroes including James Gordon, sets a plan in motion with the help of his new Secret Six. He starts by having Gordon lead Batman and Superman to the cave under Crime Alley, where King Shazam seemingly infects Superman. The Batman Who Laughs tells Superman that he plans to infect the world with his serum.
During the "Dark Nights: Death Metal" storyline, The Batman Who Laughs becomes Perpetua's lieutenant, aided by an army of evil Batmen from the Dark Multiverse called the Dark Knights. Wonder Woman is confronted by the Batman Who Laughs, whom she proceeds to kill with her Chainsaw of Truth.[4] The Dark Knights save the Batman Who Laughs' brain and transfer it into the body of Batmanhattan, a version of Bruce Wayne who copied the formula that created Doctor Manhattan.[5] The Batman Who Laughs, now possessing Manhattan's reality-warping powers, rechristens himself the Darkest Knight.[6]
Wonder Woman confronts the Darkest Knight, a battle that spans across time and space. She is brought to the birth of creation, where the Darkest Knight reveals that Perpetua's people (referred to as the "Hands") intend to destroy the universe. Wonder Woman has two choices: keep fighting and lose or surrender to the Darkest Knight and use their combined power to kill the Hands. Refusing to give up, Wonder Woman strikes back at the Darkest Knight, pushing him forward through time, sending him into the dying embers of Earth's sun. Wonder Woman shoves the Darkest Knight into the sun, killing him.[7]
