Many of the inmates of comics' most infamous madhouse, Arkham Asylum, are there becauseBatmanput them there – but as many long-time DC Comics readers will know, the Caped Crusader has had his share of moments where it felt as though he belonged in Arkham himself. These quotes represent some of Batman’s darkest, most unsettling lines, which prove he may not be a paragon of sanity himself.
For most fans, this is a core part of the Dark Knight’s character; that is,unlike his heroic counterpart Superman,Batman willfully brushes up against the darkness, channeling his obsessions, at his at-times unhinged behavior, into his neverending quest to make the streets of Gotham City safer.
Still, Batman has had his share of moments that called his mental health into question, and suggesting that it wouldn’t take much more than a simple twist of fate to find him in an Arkham cell in his own right.
10"My name Is Fear. And I Live Within You."
Batman: Ego– Written By Darwyn Cooke; Art By Jonathan Babcock
Many Batman stories illustratehow Batman is the personification of fear; few stories exemplify that better thanBatman: Ego, and few moments in the series better illustrate this idea thanwhen Batman states it himself, declaring: “My name is Fear…and I live within you.”
Ego, instead, takes a simple, yet effective approach to its depiction of Batman, which makes this line all the more chilling when it is delivered. This quote emphasizes the idea that, to the criminals of Gotham, Batman is an inescapable force, lurking in every shadow; for Bruce Wayne, it highlights the extent to which he views himself as less of a man, and more of a force of nature.
9"I’m Gonna Hurt You A While."
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight#17 – Written By Dennis O’Neil; Art By Trevor Von Eeden
“I’m gonna hurt you awhile,” Batman says in a pivotal moment from DC’sLegends of the Dark Knightseries, an ugly sneer across his face. This moment occurred in theBatman: Venomarc, which introduced the strength-amplifying drug that would latercome to be closely associated with Bane.
In the story, Bruce Wayne is distraught after failing to save a little girl, determining he wasn’t strong enough to do so. When he discovers that the girl’s father has developed an experimental strength-enhancing drug, Batman takes a dose, and quickly starts taking far too much delight in punishing criminals. What makes this moment stand out is that it reads less like the drug has altered Batman’s psyche, and more like the rush of newfound power has allowed Bruce to be briefly uninhibited, to the suffering of his enemies.
8"For Years, A Day Hasn’t Gone By Where I Haven’t Envisioned…Putting Him Through The Most Horrendous, Mind-Boggling Forms Of Torture"
Batman#650 – Written By Judd Winick; Art By Eric Battle
When Jason Todd returned from the dead in theoriginal “Under the Hood” storyline, he demanded to know why Batman didn’t take revenge on the Joker. In a deeply revealing moment from the milestone issueBatman#650,Bruce admits that he thinks about not just killing, but torturing the Joker – and that “a day hasn’t gone by” in years that he hasn’t been plagued by these thoughts.
That the Caped Crusader doesn’t act on these desires is framed as an act of superhuman self-discipline, and is meant to be another marker of the character’s heroic fortitude. Yet the fact that he has these thoughts at all shows just how bleak Batman’s psychological profile is, while also making it clear why evil versions of Batman represent some of the most dangerous figures in DC’s Multiverse.
7"Yes Father, I Shall Become A Bat"
Batman#404 – Written By Frank Miller; Art By David Mazzucchelli
Over time, the question of Batman’s sanity has preoccupied many different authors, including legendaryDark Knight Returnsscribe Frank Miller. The first part ofBatman’s Year Oneorigin storymakes that very clear in the moment that Bruce Wayne decides to become Batman – which occurs during a conversation with his dead father.
Batman Questions His Own Sanity in Arkham Asylum’s Best Story
When Batman’s greatest foes are defeated, he brings them to Arkham Asylum. But one graphic novel asks: does Bruce Wayne belong there, too?
Throughout his work onBatman,Frank Miller offered a deep psychological portrait of how and why his character adopted his superhero persona, and this defining quote highlights this in one crucial way. That is, while most people would be horrified by a bat crashing through their window, but quickly move on,young Bruce Wayne seizes upon it as a sign, and never lets go.
6"It Took A Seventy-Thousand Dollar Sliver Of Meteor To Stop The One In Metropolis. With You, All I Need Is A Penny For A Book Of Matches."
DC: The New Frontier#3 – Written By Darwyn Cooke; Art By Dave Stewart
Justice League member Martian Manhunter disguises himself while on Earth as police detective John Jones, but not evenDC’s ultimate method actorcan hide from the World’s Greatest Detective for long. Eventually, Batman confronts him, and while he has yet to decipher his Martian origins, that doesn’t stop him from making a ghastly threat to the Manhunter’s life.
When it comes to preparing to engage with out-of-the-ordinary characters who could step out of line in a worst-case scenario, Batman has no equal. In this case, he explains that he had to go through expensive, extreme means to get a small piece of Kryptonite, in order to take down Superman. In this moment, Batman comes off as somewhat unhinged in how certain he is that it would take far less time and effort for him to dispose of the Martian Manhunter,which is a bold threat to make when Bruce still doesn’t fully understand what John is, or what he’s capable of.
5"Self-Defense."
Batman: Reptilian#1 – Written By Garth Ennis; Art By Liam Sharp
The first few panels ofBatman: Reptilianmake for what is perhaps Batman’s most bone-tingling depiction, setting the tone perfectly for this horror comic. It starts with Batman goading a notorious thug into a fight. He calls him a coward, meticulously breaking down exactly why he is a coward. He even goes as far as to say that everyone in Gotham City, including his wife, knows how much of a coward he is, which is too far for the gangster known as Edgar Licchario. Unfortunately for Edgar, he never stood a chance against the Dark Knight.
Batman Explains the Smartest Reason Yet That His ‘No Kill’ Rule Has to Stand
Batman is infamous for his rule to not take a life and an insight from the Dark Knight reveals just what could happen if he started killing.
Batman’s retaliating blow – which he justifies as “self-defense” – is so gruesome that the comic’s pages can’t even show the full extent of it, beyond the shocked, horrified faces of the citizens watching on the street. It showcases just how much of a threatBatman can be without picking up a weapon. The fact he urged this gangster he knew he could overpower into a fight just to humiliate him in public fashion is disturbing in itself.
4"At Least."
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest#32 – Written By Mark Waid; Art By Adrián Gutiérrez
One of Batman’s most terrifying quotescomes when he and the Man of Steel are possessed by Eclipso, DC’s most underrated villain, and also one of its most terrifying. With the Justice League under Eclipso’s control, it is left to the Justice Society to save the day. In trying to get through to Batman and Superman’s mind-control, the Spectre warns that Eclipso and his new army are capable of killing billions. In response,Batman snickers and says, “at least.”
It is chill-inducing to see just how far gone Batman is under Eclipso’s control. Here is a man who once was so adamant about not killing anyone, now gleeful at the thought that killing one-billion people is the bare minimum they could do.
3"Every Breath You Take, You Owe To Me."
Joker: Devil’s Advocate#1 – Written By Chuck Dixon; Art By Graham Nolan
InDevil’s Advocate, the Joker is given the death penalty, but the victory is bittersweet when Batman discovers that it’s for a crime that he did not commit. Forced to clear the Joker’s name because it’s the right thing to do, the World’s Greatest Detective exercises his skills to clear the name of his nemesis. At the story’s end, as the Joker wakes up in a padded cell, he sees Batman in the corner of his cell, before he has a chance to laugh about surviving another near-death experience.
Batman warns Joker that every time Joker laughs, every time he breathes, every time he does anything. he needs to remember that he has his enemy. He doesn’t just need to be thankful,but Joker owes Batman,which seems all the more haunting as Batman reminds him that it’s something he’ll need to remember while sleeping alone.
2"Do You Really Want To Tell Me What I Can’t Do?"
Batman#9 – Written By Tom King; Art By Mikel Janin
InBatman#9,Amanda Waller propositions the Caped Crusaderwith a way to save Gotham Girl’s life, after she’s afflicted with a dosage of fear manipulation, courtesy of Psycho-Pirate. However, it’s a suicide mission, so he goes to Arkham Asylum looking to recruit his own Suicide Squad to confront the antagonist of this “I Am Suicide” arc, Bane.
When it’s time to release Catwoman from death row, Dr. Jeremiah Arkham urges Batman to reconsider. Batman reminds Jeremiah that he’s the reason why every inmate at Arkham is there in the first place. He doesn’t say that to assert that he’s entitled to see Selina Kyle for that reason, but it’sa threat that Dr. Arkham shouldn’t anger a dangerous man who’s capable of imprisoning dangerous men.
1"You Stop…When They’re Gone."
Batman#130, “I Am A Gun: finale” – Written by Chip Zdarsky; Art By Leonardo Romero
If any further proof is needed thatBatman needs to be in Arkham Asylum, it’s his split personality, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. Zur-En-Arr was a “back-up” personality created by Bruce Wayne, which went rogue.
In the “I Am A Gun” backup story, Batman struggles to fight back against his persona as it takes over his, seeking to finallu kill yhe Joker. In the midst of it all, Batman tries to ration with his alter-ego, asking when they would stop killing, if they started killing in the first place. In response,Zur argues they shouldn’t stop until there are no more villains.It is a striking moment, which suggests that if something inBatman’smind is capable of such deranged anarchy, then it can be argued that he might he need to be in Arkham Asylum as much as any of his rogue’s gallery.
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
