The realm of DC Comics is vast, and the theories surrounding its characters even more so. Although recent storylines try to take the DC Universe in interesting directions - like the reveal that Darkseid is the true architect of the "tougher" and "hope"-less Absolute Universe - fans may still reminisce about the way stories of the past have caused just as much of an impact. This is especially when fans still wondered about the fate of heroes whenever a Crisis happens, or debating which storyline was canon every after universe reset.
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Back then, fans were quick to speculate on power levels, match-ups, and even guesses about the fate of characters in climactic storylines. Not only that, there are just some events in DC Comics that have generated so much attention that fans even took it to forums to speculate - sometimes even debate - on the validity of these claims. Among those theories, there are some that just seem "crazy" at first. That is, until DC Comics started giving hints that people were onto something after all.
There Were Three Jokers
Joker's Shifting Personalities Felt More Like Separate People
There can be no Batman without the Joker, and their duality has always been a source of philosophical debate in the comics community. However, one thing perplexed the fandom about the iconic villain: how come the Joker seemed to have different personalities? He was introduced as somewhat methodical, then brutal and campy, and finally sadistically nihilistic. There doesn't seem to be any consistent characterization of the character. Others say it's probably Joker's broken mental state, but others suggest the Joker might actually be a title with a common thread: Batman being their arch-nemesis. Fans finally got an answer in 2015's Darkseid War, when Batman sat on Metron's chair and gained access to all the knowledge in the universe.
Upon asking for the Joker's true name, what the chair spat out was instead three different Jokers - leaving the Batman fandom in shambles until the Three Jokers in 2020 finally explained everything. As it turns out, "The Joker" was a title of three men across history - the Criminal (the original, Golden Age), the Clown (Jason Todd's murderer, Silver Age), and the Comedian (paralyzed Barbara Gordon, Modern Age). Things got shifty afterwards - the Criminal got the other Jokers killed, it turns out Batman knew the Joker's real name all along, and that the "Three Jokers" thing was just the Joker switching between alternate personalities.
Darkseid Has Been An Avatar All Along
A God Has No Business Showing His Real Form To Mere Mortals
When it comes to iconic villains in comics, Darkseid takes the crown for the most menacing. In fact, his design has been credited as the inspiration for Thanos over at Marvel Comics. First starring in Jack Kirby's "Fourth World" metaverse, Darkseid is a New God conceptualized as an embodiment of evil - eventually crossing over to the rest of the shared DC Multiverse and making a mark as one of its most prominent villains. Unfortunately for Darkseid, his plans would constantly be foiled by Superman and the Justice League. Not only that, but the "degrees" of his presence are different - in some instances, he is an immense threat. In some, even the likes of Batman can dodge his supposedly-undodgeable Omega Beams.
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Theorists say Darkseid has inconsistent powers because he is a god, and Darkseid needs an avatar to regulate his presence in physical reality. Detractors think such a theory is just an excuse for bad writing, but Grant Morrison proved the theory right in 2008. In the events of Final Crisis, it's revealed that reality is collapsing because the "true" Darkseid, or his Godhead, is dying. This is expounded further in 2014's DC Multiverse Map, where the New Gods were officially labeled as part of a higher dimension outside the DC Multiverse - ergo, each Darkseid in all universes is just part of a larger whole. In 2021's Infinite Frontier, Darkseid has returned to being an operator in the shadows, as he managed to merge all his previous forms into one whole Godhead and has been made aware of all his previous "lives" (e.g., Pre-Crisis, Post-Crisis, and New 52).
Magog In "Kingdom Come" Is A Cable Parody
It's All About The Pockets, The Guns, And The Edge
Comic book fans who want a "change of pace" from the usual flow of overarching storylines are often redirected to Kingdom Come, a 1996 story by Mark Waid (and amazingly realistic painterly art from Alex Ross) that showed a future where older "traditional" superheroes get in conflict with their younger and more "violent" successors. Among those younglings is Magog, the "New Man of Tomorrow" who served as Superman's "replacement" in this new age of superheroics. Armed with a glowing eye, a bionic arm, an over-the-top energy staff, and even more pockets, Magog is nowhere near the Symbol of Hope that Superman was.
Perhaps more hilariously, fans can look at Magog's design and think it rather looks like Cable. As a matter of fact, Alex Ross confirmed the comparison - that Magog is a jab at Cable. More specifically, Magog's design was a parody of the adopted superhero "aesthetic" of the 1990s that featured rugged and scarred heroes, an emphasis on edgier stories, and proper foot design replaced by an absurd amount of pockets.
Find all 10 pairs
Find all 10 pairs
Doctor Manhattan Indeed Created The New 52 Multiverse
The Hand In The Light Was A Meme That Made Sense
Despite its age, Watchmen remains a legend in the comic book community with its artistic presentation, sociopolitical commentary, and deconstruction of the superhero genre. It's for this reason that Watchmen hasn't generally been touched as a DC Comics property since its 1986 publication, at least not until the 2010s, when DC's initiative to revitalize sales led to a Watchmen prequel (Before Watchmen) and Flash changing his history in Flashpoint. The latter is particularly momentous for DC, as it led to the publication-wide soft reboot called The New 52, creating a more cynical multiverse for younger superheroes.
When The New 52 didn't resonate with comic book fans, DC Comics opted for yet another relaunch. This time it's Rebirth, and the 2016 tease reveals superheroes reaching for a light that is hiding an outstretched hand. Fans joked the hand might have been Doctor Manhattan, until Rebirth #1 revealed there has been a "break" in the timeline - 10 years just stolen from everyone in the DC universe. The clue? A bloodied yellow smiley pin - the same smiley pin from Watchmen. At this point, fans already knew Doctor Manhattan was somewhat involved, and others already thought everything was Doctor Manhattan's fault. This theory was confirmed in Rebirth #7, where it's revealed that Doctor Manhattan "created" The New 52 because he wanted to try and break the "hopeful" DC Multiverse. Superman convinces Doctor Manhattan to fix the timeline in 2018's Doomsday Clock.
Jason Todd Is The Red Hood
Some Felt It Was Way Too Early To Resurrect Him
Modern comic books always portrayed Jason Todd as the Red Hood - the "black sheep" of the Bat Family, whose penchant for guns and murder had never appealed to Batman. Seasoned fans will remember Jason's more humble beginnings: the second Robin that Batman met, trying to steal the Batmobile's tires. While already infamous to Batman fans for his explosive personality, the real shocker came in 1988 in A Death in the Family when DC Comics asked fans to vote on whether Jason lived or died at the hands of the Joker. After the Joker tortures Jason and blows him up in a warehouse in Batman #427, the Dark Knight discovers, due to a 72-vote margin, his lifeless body in Batman #428.
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Even when Tim Drake becomes the new Robin in 1989, Jason's death will take the Batman mythos to a much darker direction. Jason, as a character, would be left untouched until 2003, when the end of the Hush storyline revealed his body as absent from its coffin. Things come to a head in 2004, when Under the Hood introduces a new Red Hood with a more lethal take on Gotham's criminals. More notably, Red Hood is aware of Batman's gadgets, tactics, and his identity. Fans already had Jason as one of the prime candidates for the Red Hood, but some doubt those claims as they feel his death is still "fresh." In the climax of Under the Hood, Batman is shocked to see his former protege operating as a criminal, with Jason now permanently alive and angrier than ever.
Harley Quinn And Poison Ivy Are Lovers
There Was Already Tension In The Comics
Despite the popularity of Harley Quinn in DC Comics, her character actually didn't originate in the pages of Detective Comics. Instead, she became a permanent part of Batman's rogues after her popularity in Batman: The Animated Series. In fact, it's from the animated series that the Harley Quinn x Poison Ivy ship started, specifically in 1993's Harley and Ivy (Episode 47), when Harley is kicked out by the Joker and forms a team-up with Ivy. Throughout the episode, Ivy expresses her disgust at Joker's treatment of Harley. She even injects her with a special chemical that mimics Ivy's immunity to her plants, which in turn enhances Harley's physiology (something the comics picked up).
Since their team-up, Harley and Ivy were implied to have been more than just associates but rather close friends. This carried over when Harley officially entered the DC Comics universe in 1999, and the ship picked up steam when Harley and Ivy were observed calling each other pet names and being more physical towards each other. After years of will-they/won't-they-ing the fanbase, it was a 2015 tweet that finally confirmed "Yes, they are girlfriends without the jealousy of monogamy." Moreover, it's 2017's Harley Quinn #25 that alluded to an ongoing intimate relationship.
Jim Gordon Knew Batman's Alter Ego All Along
One Of Comics History's Best Open Secrets
The Batman mythos is incomplete without the presence of the Bat-Signal, and when Batman approaches from the shadows, it's usually Commissioner Jim Gordon who apprises him of Gotham's latest horrors. However, some observant fans have been thinking: for a police officer to have made Commissioner, surely Jim Gordon would've already deduced that Batman is Bruce Wayne, right? Others say Batman is just that skilled in hiding traces of his identity. What convinces others is one simple thing: maybe Jim Gordon knew Batman's identity all along, but he just chooses not to acknowledge it.
The argument here is that Jim Gordon probably believes he needed to keep the act of willful ignorance to ensure Bruce stayed as Batman, because of how he knew Gotham needed the Dark Knight. The comics also demonstrated Jim Gordon's investigative acumen across different storylines: in Batman: Year One where Bruce saves Gordon's son and the Commissioner says he's "practically blind" without his glasses, in No Man's Land where Gordon turns back from a maskless Batman because he'd figure out who he was "years ago" if he wanted to, and in The Robin Factor where Gordon noticed a new "smaller Robin" (Jason Todd) and Batman's depression in that Robin's absence. It's never officially acknowledged that Gordon put two and two together, but always implied that he knew.
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