DC just revealed the dark backstory of Batman’s newest opponent, with an origin tied to Bruce Wayne’s past and his early tactics as the Dark Knight.
Batman Created New Villain the Lion
new batman villain the lion 2
In a preview of next week’s Detective Comics #1105 – from Tom Taylor, Mikel JanÃn, Wayne Faucher and Norm Rapmund – fans learn the full origin of new villain the Lion. The supervillain has concocted a virus that removes all fear (before eventually killing the infected), and has successfully infected Batman, who is beginning to doubt his judgment – and is now stuck in a custom suit designed to keep others safe.
The preview reveals that the Lion is the son of Mark Kingsford – a hitman who Batman took out during the early days of his war on crime. However, the Dark Knight’s fear tactics traumatized Kingsford’s son Leo, leading to him becoming obsessed with fear.
batman fights the lion
Leo became agoraphobic, with his fears specifically focused on Batman. He later sought out the Scarecrow, who has studied the creation of fear on the chemical level. Now, the exact opposite threatens to destroy Gotham – a virus that removes all self-preservation instincts, creating a lethal world without fear.
Our Take on Gotham’s Latest Mega-Villain
new batman villain the lion
The best Batman villains reflect the Dark Knight in some thematic way – Two-Face’s dual identity, Riddler’s intelligence and Joker as an agent of chaos. The Lion is the latest in that lineage, obsessing over fear in a way similar to the Caped Crusader. But while Batman has always relied on terrifying his enemies, the Lion is obsessed with an absence of fear.
batman causes creation of new villain the lion 2
Another quality of the best Batman villains is that they’re personal, and the Lion’s origin gives the character that advantage too. Batman’s tactics go further than most other superheroes, and there are side-effects of forging an identity built on abject terror. The Lion was born out of this decision, and there’s no way Batman won’t consider the new villain his fault.
This new lore sets the Lion up as a classic Batman villain in the making, with his anti-fear virus making for an awesome debut to DC lore.
Detective Comics #1105 is coming 28 January from DC Comics.
Created By
Bob Kane, Bill Finger
Alias
Bruce Wayne
Alliance
Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family
Race
Human
Franchise
D.C.