Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #26!There’s a reason why one of the most powerful Bat-Family members just hasn’t been around in modern times. As a terrifying threat emerges from the Fifth Dimension, the otherworldly imp known as Bat-Mite makes his glorious return to Batman’s life.
But why is it that Bat-Mite has become such an inconsistent part of Batman’s canon when Superman regularly encounters his own Fifth Dimensional imp, Mr. Mxyzptlk? The Man of Steel has a very good explanation (and very meta) take on why the Dark Knight’s biggest fanboy has been phased out of the Bat-Family altogether.
In Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #26 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Steve Wands, Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk have successfully convinced their greatest heroes that something awful is coming to destroy the Third Dimension. At the same time, alert signals from various Justice League heroes ring out in the Batcave and inform Batman and Superman that villains are teaming up with imps and running amok all over the DC Universe. With no other option, the heroes head out to confront the madness that’s invaded the Third Dimension.
Sensing how Batman is already getting annoyed with Bat-Mite, Robin asks if Superman will take him while Dick and Bruce team up with Mxyzptlk. Superman agrees and the two head out to aid Flash, currently fighting an upgraded Abra Kadabra and his powerful new imp. Superman is unfortunately outmatched thanks to his vulnerability to magic, but Bat-Mite steps in with a set of armor to protect Clark from magic (which Bat-Mite had actually been saving as a present to give Batman for his birthday).
Superman defeats Kadabra and Bat-Mite uses his powers to send the villain back to the future. Superman decides to have an earnest talk with Bat-Mite about his desire for Batman’s acceptance. Clark tells the imp that Batman isn’t someone who wants the praise of a hardcore fan. Superman goes further, saying that when the Dark Knight fights, he’s taking on a huge risk and that he can’t have distractions. Superman puts it bluntly as possible saying Batman doesn’t want fanboys, but he can always use assets.
Bat-Mite was introduced not too long after Mr. Mxyzptlk. But while Superman’s imp came to the Third Dimension only to annoy the Man of Steel, Bat-Mite was the biggest fan in any dimension. During the Silver Age, Bat-Mite routinely came to the DC Universe and used his extra-dimensional powers to create unbelievable scenarios to see how Batman would overcome them. While Bat-Mite never really meant any harm toward his hero, the imp’s antics would often earn Bat-Mite the Caped Crusader’s ire.
While Bat-Mite was a fairly common side character, his appearances became increasingly uncommon in the Bronze Age. After Crisis On Infinite Earths, Bat-Mite’s history with the Bat-Family was more-or-less removed outside of a few comical (and often non-canonical) appearances. Bat-Mite did make an appearance during Grant Morrison’s Bat-Epic as a possible hallucination while Batman was operating under his Batman of Zur-En-Arrh persona. It was during this time together that Bat-Mite told Batman that imagination and the Fifth Dimension were one and the same.
After the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal, everything in the DC Universe’s history became canon once more, including Bat-Mite’s history with Batman. But while the plucky imp is a firm part of Batman’s history once more, he’s never gotten into his hero’s good graces. He did try to ingratiate himself with the Bat-Family in the DCYou-era series Bat-Mite, but the little guy annoyed Batman as much as he ever did. Of course, that was before the Fifth Dimension came under attack, forcing Bat-Mite to seek out Batman’s assistance.
While Bat-Mite might be the biggest superhero fan in the Fifth Dimension, he’s far from the only mite who has expressed an intense admiration for his favorite hero. Over the years, additional mites have been introduced, many of them modeled after the superhero they like the best. Harley Quinn once met Ms. Trxlchyk, an imp who cribbed Harley’s style. Nightwing finally discovered what Batman went through when he met Nite-Mite, and Batman / Superman: World’s Finest introduced an entire squad of mites with the Just-Us League of the Fifth Dimension.
The biggest problem with imps (aside from the chaos ones like Mxyzptlk can cause), is that they’re so overeager in their admiration. When they’re not causing chaos in their own wacky world, they come to the Third Dimension and use their powers to ‘assist’ their heroes. Oftentimes the DC Universe’s mites can be used to lampoon or satirize the dark sides of fandom. Mr. Mxyzptlk’s son Mickey was used as a metaphor for toxic fans who held the past up in high regard while denigrating the progress made in recent years.
At his core, Bat-Mite is a good character who admires Batman for being one of the greatest heroes around. But in his admiration for the hero, Bat-Mite completely missed that someone like Batman doesn’t need overt praise. Batman needs people who are willing to put everything on the line just like him to overcome tough odds. Superman makes a good point that it’s not enough for Bat-Mite to be a fan. If he wants to be an active part of the Bat-Family, Bat-Mite has to be willing to do more.
Superman made it clear that being part of the Bat-Family means supporting and working with Batman. Thankfully, Bat-Mite has his chance to do that with the threat currently endangering the DC Universe. Even with all the prep time in the world, Bruce can’t fight Fifth-Dimensional magic on his own. But just like how Bat-Mite assisted Superman, the little imp can lend Batman a hand and prove he’s useful. By showing that he’s more than just an overeager fan, Bat-Mite can finally come back after years away and be a full member of the Bat-Family once more.
Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #26 is available now from DC Comics.