Batman is known as the Dark Knight for a reason. While every superhero faces darkness and evil, Batman is one of the few heroes who do more than just fight it on a case-by-case basis. The character's entire ethos is built around actively searching out and eradicating evil from Gotham city. This dedication to a mission is one of Batman's most defining characteristics. But what if Batman himself becomes compromised? What if the only way for Batman to end his mission is to end himself? Readers found out from a surprising source. When Batman becomes a vampire in Batman: Crimson Mist, the Dark Knight chose to die a glorious death rather than live as a monster.
Crimson Mist is part of a trilogy of books by writer Doug Moench and artist Kelley Jones. The trilogy sees Batman confront a horde of vampires led by none other than Dracula himself. While Bruce is initially able to defeat Dracula, he ends up being bitten himself. He is able to keep himself under control until the Joker takes over Dracula's horde and kills Catwoman. The death of Catwoman sends Batman into a downward spiral that ends with him killing the Joker and drinking his blood. Knowing that his thirst cannot be quenched, he has Alfred stake him through the heart. But that's only where Crimson Mist begins.
In the wake of Batman's apparent death, Gotham experiences an unprecedented wave of crime from supervillains. Alfred un-stakes Batman in a desperate attempt to do something about the anarchy in Gotham, but what he unleashes is far from the good man they knew. The decayed remnants of Batman instantly go on a killing spree. Without hesitation, the vampiric Batman decapitates Scarecrow, rips the Penguin's throat out, and feasts on Poison Ivy's blood.
Eventually, only Two-Face and Killer Croc are left, but in a surprising move, they align themselves with none other than Jim Gordon and Alfred. Together they plot to end Batman once and for all by luring him to the Batcave. Their plan goes awry as soon as Batman shows up, though. It all ends with Alfred decapitated, Killer Croc impaled, Two-Face shot through the head, and Gordon blowing up the Batcave. Gordon is crushed by the rubble, leaving a lonely Batman realizing that the only monster left in Gotham is himself. Satisfied that his mission will soon be complete, Batman walks out into the sunlight and dies.
One of the most interesting things about Crimson Mist is seeing what an unhinged Batman would look like. While there are plenty of evil versions of Superman, evil versions of Batman tend to either be characters other than Bruce Wayne, or a Bruce Wayne with such a different backstory that it is hardly the same character. The Batman presented in this trilogy is undeniably the Bruce Wayne readers are familiar with, but warped and twisted by his mission to eliminate crime. Obviously the vampirism is to blame for Batman's turn to evil, but it is telling that he almost exclusively kills criminals, showing that there is still something of Bruce left in the decaying corpse of Batman. It is a fitting end to him, then, that he chooses to end himself rather than live on as a monster.
Batman: Crimson Mist is a perfect example of how Batman's dedication follows him even beyond the grave.
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