To Solve ‘The Batman Problem,’ DC Desperately Needs Its Own Iron Man

DC Comics has a serious Batman problem, and only an Iron Man-style hero can save the company from succumbing to massive overuse of its flagship character. The Dark Knight is DC’s most popular character – arguably even more so than Superman nowadays – and has carried the comics giant through the decades with excellent stories and memorable characters. But Batman is everywhere in 2022, and if or when Bruce Wayne is no longer popular, he can take the entire comic publisher down with him…unless drastic, Marvel-ous measures are taken.

Out of the 24 active comic series published by DC in 2022, eleven are Batman-centric (and/or also star his villains). The same can also be said for ten out of the 25 limited series of comics this year. He frequently makes appearances outside of his own books anyway, usually in Superman or Wonder Woman publications, and plays a central role in many crossover events (see Flashpoint, etc). The issue is equally prominent in DC films and the DCEU; Batman will soon get his third theatrical reboot in less than ten years and 2022’s The Flash will see two versions of Batman (Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton) threaten to upstage the Fastest Man Alive in his own movie. Comic book fans aren’t tired of Batman yet – but they will be if DC’s over-saturation of the Caped Crusader continues. Batman is dominating the DC Universe, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Pre-2008, Marvel’s Iron Man was a C-list hero at best; he was in fact so unpopular that in 1996’s Marvel vs. DC mega-event in which champions from each universe fought one another to a standstill, he not only failed to receive a match of his own, he didn’t even get a line. That changed with the release of the Iron Man film, and along with the popularity boost from 2005’s Civil War event, propelled the character of Tony Stark into the ranks of the most popular superheroes in the world. Unable to use the already popular Spider-Man or the X-Men thanks to other companies holding the film rights, Marvel was forced to push Iron Man, and the plan worked (to the point that the MCU was successful even without Peter Parker or Wolverine).

The candidates for DC’s own Iron Man – a character who can be elevated to A-tier status with the right stories and marketing – are many. The Justice League superhero Cyborg immediately comes to mind as an ordinary college student who, through tragic circumstances, loses his mother along with most of his body in an accident but learns to use his abilities to save others. The Question, as the original inspiration for Rorschach, already has recognition (and is a slightly more grounded character). Martian Manhunter’s powers and extrasolar origins, John Constantine’s gothic horror stories, Blue Beetle and his barely-understood alien technology – the possibilities are endless (so long as those possibilities don’t include Batman).

DC’s decision to continually promote Batman while other interesting characters await their turn in the sun does a disservice to all heroes involved. How many times can Bruce Wayne’s story be told and retold before the schtick gets old? Admittedly, elevating one of the above heroes to Iron Man levels of popularity would require the publisher to take a certain creative risk – but the alternative is to continue pushing the Dark Knight to the masses until DC Comics finally achieves what the Joker never could: kill the Batman.