Absolute Batman Has Become DC Comics’ New Version of Joker

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Published May 18, 2026, 6:01 PM EDT

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The following article contains spoilers for Absolute Batman #20.

It has been said by many for years that Batman and The Joker are not so different from one another, save for their opposing sides in the war against crime in Gotham. However, the comparisons have never been made clearer than by the latest issue of Absolute Batman.

Bruce Wayne has fully assumed the position of the Absolute Universe's equivalent of The Joker in Absolute Batman #20.

The opening pages of the new chapter in Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta's hit series Absolute Batman depict a news program segment featuring Mayor Hamilton Hill discussing the vigilante's disgraceful reputation in Gotham. He is branded by Hill as an "agent of chaos" and a "Cowled Prince of Crime" who has channeled "whatever dark forces that created" him into gleefully spreading violence in the city.

Changing the world "cowled" with "clown" results in the same phrases used to describe The Joker in DC Comics' main timeline. So, how did it come down to this?

The main conflict of Absolute Batman #20 is a direct response to the devastating events of the previous issue. Batman is framed for the death of his friend, James Gordon, while the true culprit is Absolute Scarecrow, who dosed the former Gotham City mayor with his fear toxin and had him run off the side of a building where Bruce was also standing by his trusty murder of crows.

The tragic incident, teased months in advance by the official synopsis of Absolute Batman #20, which redacted Jim's name, led to Batman being labeled Public Enemy #1. Of course, it gets worse from there.

In response, Hill has appointed the development of the Robin Program, which is a team consisting of young orphaned Gothamites trained by Slade "Deathstroke" Wilson and equipped with high-tech equipment to hunt down Absolute Batman. Seeing as how personal vendettas between the younger Bat-Family members and The Joker are common, there lies another way The Dark Knight has become his own worst enemy in this universe.

However, the role reversal goes even further than that.

Absolute Joker Is Basically The New Bruce Wayne

Absolute Batman has not only taken on many of the traditional characteristics of The Joker. Jack Grimm V is, essentially, the Absolute Universe's equivalent to Bruce Wayne.

While this timeline's version of Wayne is a middle-class engineer and construction worker, Grimm is the suave billionaire playboy that the character has usually been depicted as. Absolute Joker even has his own Batcave hidden beneath his manor, where he monitors the insidious criminal activity he oversees.

Furthermore, Grimm even has his own Robins, who are, indeed, the Absolute Robins. Not only is he funding the initiative, but the Absolute Universe's iterations of Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Duke Thomas were all his wards who are now fighting in his favor, much like the typical dynamics within the Bat-Family.

Of course, it should be noted that DC Comics has never introduced a version of Bruce Wayne, who is an immortal, beastly creature with white scaly skin, long green horns, and a ghastly, long tongue hidden behind his razor-sharp jaw. That is how Absolute Joker appears in his terrifying true form.

This swapping of traditional characteristics between Absolute Batman and Absolute Joker, while still keeping each other's genuine moral stances clear to readers, has been part of the plan all along. Author Scott Snyder has previously discussed how Bruce Wayne represents a brand of chaos that Joker is typically responsible for, while Grimm is the system that the vigilante aims to disrupt in opposition to internal corruption.

The role reversal also reflects what the purpose of the Absolute Universe has been since the beginning. The imprint strips popular DC heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman of their signature advantages and gives the power to the villains, making for a greater challenge that fans have not been able to get enough of so far.

Absolute Batman #20 is now available in comic book stores and on most digital platforms.