Summary
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #28!Years after the Bat-Family’s most powerful member was left behind,Batmanhas finally explained why. Bat-Mite, the Dark Knight’s biggest fan and an all-powerful imp has gotten the opportunity of a lifetime: A chance to work with his all-time favorite hero once more.
Bat-Mite, along withSuperman’s biggest pest Mr. Mxyzptlk, have come to the Third Dimension to stave off an invasion by Doom-Mite, an even craftier imp from the Sixth Dimension who wants to challenge the world’s greatest hero. But before Batman goes after Doom-Mite, the Caped Crusader has a heart-to-heart and reveals why Bat-Mite was left by the wayside of history.
Batman Admits the DC Universe Changed Too Much for Bat-Mite
InBatman/Superman: World’s Finest #28by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Travis Mercer, Tamra Bonvillain, and Steve Wands, Doom-Mite hasproclaimed Jimmy Olsen to be Earth’s mightiest hero. Thankfully, Mr. Mxyzptlk comes in with a save and transfers his Fifth-Dimensional magic to Olsen, giving him all the powers of an imp. Unfortunately, even with Fifth-Dimensional magic at his disposal, Doom-Mite is too powerful to defeat by himself. Worse, Batman and Superman are unable to help as they’re still stuck in the Sixth Dimensionwith Bat-Mite.
Batman tells the imp that the world has simply changed too much for a colorful and silly being like Bat-Mite…
Bat-Mite is the duo’s only way out of this bizarre realm and he’s too occupied looking at temporal echoes, showing him glimpses of Batman and Superman’s past and future selves. Batman’s patience wears thin and he demands that Bat-Mite get them back to the Third Dimension. Bat-Mite begins tearing through the dimensional planes down to Bat-Mite’s home, the Fifth Dimension and then down to the Fourth Dimension: Time. The trio makes to to the Third Dimension, but they’re unable to stop their descent, soBat-Mite, Batman, and Superman all wind up to the lowermost realm, the First Dimension.
Batman rages at Bat-Mite, who apologizes for screwing up. The Dark Knight softens and finally talks things out with Bat-Mite, empathizing with the imp, and bringing up the adventures he used to have with Batman and Robin. Batman tells the imp that the world has simply changed too much for a colorful and silly being like Bat-Mite and emphasizes that for his sake and the sake of innocent lives,Batman can’t indulge in Bat-Mite’s games anymore. However, Batman does reaffirm he needs Bat-Mite’s help one last time to defeat Doom-Mite.
Batman’s Current Adventure with Bat-Mite Was the Last Straw
Once upon a time, Batman and Robin were frequently visited by Bat-Mite an imp who loved popping in and admiring the World’s Greatest Detective as much as Mxyzptlk loved tormenting Superman. He was a frequent nuisance who often got on Batman’s bad side thanks to his bumbling and all-powerful nature. Butwhile Bat-Mite was a common sight during the Silver Age of Comic Books, he was largely phased out during the Bronze Agebefore he was more or less removed from DC’s Post-Crisis continuity.
Bat-Mite’s first appearance was all the way back inDetective Comics #267 (1959)!
Batman/Superman World’s Finestis a book set in an unidentified point in the past, but likely somewhere between the Silver and Bronze Age. As such, Bat-Mite is still a frequent bother to Batman. However, his most recent visit to the Third Dimension wasn’t for fun and games. The Fifth Dimension had been attacked by an unknown figure, later revealed to be Doom-Mite,who attacked Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk’s friends before heading to Earthto challenge Earth’s heroes with an army of villainous imps.
Bat-Mite and Mxyzptlk got Batman and Superman’s help. But while Mxyzptlk was more concerned about stopping Doom-Mite, Bat-Mite was way too hung up on singing Batman’s praises to anyone who would listen. Things only got worse as the heroes tried to stop the imp invasion and Bat-Mite could barely hold focus long enough to help. His only real success was helping Batman and Superman access Doom-Mite’s home, the Sixth Dimension, and that was becauseBat-Mite botched rescuing the duo from the Second Dimension, further infuriating Batman.
This arc is not subtle communicating how Batman feels about Bat-Mite. At best Bruce thinks the imp’s an annoyance who can’t pay attention long enough to help. At worst, he sees him as a legitimate risk to the safety and well-being of others. Given how much chaos imps generally cause, Batman’s not wrong. But this conversation is still interesting because it takes place in the past before Bat-Mite was ever phased out, implying thatthe reason Bat-Mite went away was because Batman asked him to.
Batman means the world to Bat-Mite and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for his hero.
Batman makes a point of saying how the world was changing which, as anyone familiar with the transition to the Bronze Age knows, was absolutely true. Sure, Bat-Mite was always up for helping out, but it wasn’t just that the world was getting darker, Batman was getting darker too. He knew that Bat-Mite was the biggest Batman fan around, but Bruce didn’t want or need fans at that point in his life. He needed to make sure,above all else, that people were safe, even Bat-Mite.
Batman means the world to Bat-Mite and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for his hero. Was it a harsh dose of reality for Bat-Mite? Undoubtedly. But Bat-Mite knows that to be the best hero around, Batman has to make difficult decisions, even if that means sending away his biggest and most powerful fan. Superman unfortunately can’t keep Mxyzptlk away no matter what. But havingan honest conversation about what Batman’s world needed got through to Bat-Miteand convinced the imp to leave for good.
Bat-Mite Still Respects Batman’s Wish
Sure, Bat-Mite makes the occasional cameo here and there in the Modern Age. But he’s largely removed from the Bat-Family these days. It just goes to show that when it comes to fanboy dedication, no one takes their commitment as seriously as Bat-Mite. Sure it means never seeing Bat-Mite anymore. But nothing in the world could ever make him break a promise toBatman.
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.
