Bat-Mite is a fictional
character
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. Bat-Mite is an
imp
IMP or imp may refer to:
* Imp, a fantasy creature
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power''
* Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony''
* Imp, a character in the '' Clan ...
similar to the
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
villain
Mister Mxyzptlk
Mister Mxyzptlk (, ), sometimes called Mxy, is a character who appears in DC Comics' '' Superman'' comic books. He is usually presented as a trickster in the classical mythological sense. Mxyzptlk possesses reality-warping powers with which he en ...
. Depicted as a small, childlike man in an ill-fitting Batman costume, Bat-Mite possesses what appear to be near-infinite magical powers, but he actually uses highly advanced technology from the Fifth dimension that cannot be understood by humans' limited three-dimensional views. Unlike Mxyzptlk, Bat-Mite idolizes his superhero target and thus he has visited Batman on various occasions, often setting up strange and ridiculous events so that he could see his hero in action. Bat-Mite is more of a nuisance than a
supervillain
A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero.
Supervillains are oft ...
, and often departs of his own accord upon realizing that he has angered his idol.
Publication history
Bat-Mite made his first appearance in ''Detective Comics'' #267 (May 1959) in a story titled "Batman Meets Bat-Mite" written by
Bill Finger
Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974) was an American comic strip, comic book, film and television writer who was the co-creator (with Bob Kane) of the DC Comics character Batman. Despite making major (sometimes, signatu ...
, with art by
Sheldon Moldoff
Sheldon Moldoff (; April 14, 1920 – February 29, 2012) was an American comics artist best known for his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" (uncredited collaborator ...
.
Bat-Mite, along with
Batwoman
Batwoman is a name used by several characters of DC Comics, both in mainstream continuity and Elseworlds. The best known Batwomen are Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Kathy Kane and Kate Kane.
History
* The first Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Batwoman, Kathy Ka ...
,
Bat-Girl and
Ace the Bat-Hound
Ace the Bat-Hound is a superhero dog appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is commonly featured as the canine crime-fighting partner of Batman and the mentor of Krypto, Streaky and the Dog Star Patrol.
Kevin Hart voices t ...
, retired from the comic in 1964, when editor
Julius Schwartz
Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various t ...
instituted a "New Look" Batman that shed some of the sillier elements in the series.
Fictional character history
Pre-''Crisis''
Bat-Mite regularly appeared in ''Batman'', ''Detective Comics'', and ''World's Finest Comics'' for five years. Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk teamed up four times in the pages of ''
World's Finest Comics
''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...
'' to plague Superman and Batman together, as well. In 1964, however, when the Batman titles were revamped under new editor
Julius Schwartz
Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various t ...
, Bat-Mite vanished along with other members of the Batman extended family, such as
Batwoman
Batwoman is a name used by several characters of DC Comics, both in mainstream continuity and Elseworlds. The best known Batwomen are Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Kathy Kane and Kate Kane.
History
* The first Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Batwoman, Kathy Ka ...
,
Bat-Girl, and
Ace the Bat-Hound
Ace the Bat-Hound is a superhero dog appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is commonly featured as the canine crime-fighting partner of Batman and the mentor of Krypto, Streaky and the Dog Star Patrol.
Kevin Hart voices t ...
.
After this, only three more Bat-Mite stories were published in the Pre-''
Crisis
A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
'' DC Universe: two more Bat-Mite/Mr. Mxyzptlk team ups in ''World's Finest Comics'' #152 (August 1965) and #169 (September 1967) (which were not edited by Schwartz, but by
Mort Weisinger
Mortimer Weisinger (; April 25, 1915 – May 7, 1978) was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' ''Superman'' during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features a ...
), and "Bat-Mite's New York Adventure" from ''Detective Comics'' #482 (February–March 1979), in which the imp visits the DC Comics offices and insists that he be given his own feature in a Batman comic. This story featured protestors with
picket signs shouting "We want Bat-Mite!" outside the
Tishman Building (where DC's editorial offices were located at the time), and was accompanied by an editorial comment that this story was published specifically to acknowledge the actual requests of fans for this character's revival.
Later Bat-Mite appeared in a one-page story in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #200.
Post-''Crisis''
After the continuity-changing 1985
limited series Limited series may refer to:
*Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series
*Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered
*Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
''
Crisis on Infinite Earths
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...
'' was published, Bat-Mite was mostly removed from the Batman comics canon.
Bat-Mite made an appearance in ''
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #38, although he may have been the
hallucination
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinatio ...
of a drug-addled criminal named Bob Overdog. This comic states that Bat-Mite is one of the many admirers of superheroes from another dimension. This version of Bat-Mite later returned in ''Batman: Mitefall — A Legends of the Dark Mite Special'', a
one-shot
One shot may refer to:
Film and television
* One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so
* ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake
* ''One Shot'' (2 ...
book which was both part of, and a parody of, the Batman storyline ''
Knightfall
"Knightfall" is a 1993–1994 Batman story arc published by DC Comics. It consists of a trilogy of storylines that ran from 1993 to 1994, consisting of "Knightfall", "Knightquest", and "KnightsEnd".On the comic book covers, only the third part ...
'' (with Overdog briefly in the
Jean-Paul Valley role). In #6 of the 1999 ''Batman and Superman: World's Finest'' miniseries, Mr. Mxyzptlk encounters Bat-Mite, shortly after being mistaken for him by Overdog. While in this story, the Post-''Crisis'' Bat-Mite encounters Batman for the first time, Superman and Batman subsequently concluded that Mxyzptlk had created him, inspired by Overdog's ravings.
Bat-Mite also appeared in the 2000 one-shot ''
Elseworlds
''Elseworlds'' was the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that took place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realitie ...
'' comic special ''
World's Funnest
''Superman and Batman: World's Funnest'' is an American single issue prestige format comic book published in 2000 by DC Comics. It was written by Evan Dorkin and illustrated by many artists. It is an Elseworlds tale and as such is not considered ...
'', in which he battles Mr. Mxyzptlk, destroying the Pre-''Crisis''
multiverse
The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...
and the Post-''Crisis'' DC Universe, as well as the Elseworlds of ''
Kingdom Come
" Kingdom come" is a phrase in the Lord's Prayer in the Bible.
Kingdom Come may also refer to:
Film
* ''Kingdom Come'' (1919 film), a Western short featuring Hoot Gibson
* ''Kingdom Come'' (2001 film), a comedy starring LL Cool J
* ''Kingdom ...
'', ''
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'', and the
DC animated universe
The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televi ...
. As an ''Elseworlds'' story itself, ''World's Funnest'' has no impact on continuity, as inferred from ''The Dark Knight Returns'' and ''Kingdom Come'' being introduced to the official DC multiverse as a result of the maxiseries ''
52''.
Apart from ''World's Funnest'', there has been no direct connection between Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk. In the ''Bizarro Comics'' anthology, Mxyzptlk's native Fifth Dimension seemed to include beings similar to Bat-Mite and
Johnny Thunder
Johnny Thunder is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. A fourth character has the variant name Jonni Thunder.
The character appeared in the second season of '' Stargirl'' on The CW network played ...
's Thunderbolt. Neither of these comics are considered canonical; however, in a
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
/
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...
crossover in ''Justice League'' and in ''Justice Society of America'' #78–80 it was revealed that both Mxyzptlk and Thunderbolt come from the Fifth Dimension.
Letter columns and writer interviews suggest that Bat-Mite comes from there as well, although this has never been shown thus far in the comic stories themselves.
In the post-''Crisis'' issue ''
Superman/Batman
''Superman/Batman'' is a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular superheroes: Superman and Batman. ''Superman/Batman'' premiered in August 2003, an update of the previous series, ''World's ...
'' #25, it was revealed that the
Joker had gained Fifth Dimensional powers by maintaining the essence of Mr. Mxyzptlk from the earlier "Emperor Joker" storyline; at the end,
Bizarro
Bizarro () is a supervillain/anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in ''Superboy'' #68 (1958) ...
was able to extract this latent magical essence from the Joker, which manifested in a form recognizable as Bat-Mite. As such, a Bat-Mite has been fully reestablished into the current continuity as an outgrowth of Mr. Mxyzptlk, incubated within the Joker.
The first Post-''
Infinite Crisis
"Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, a ...
'' appearance of Bat-Mite was in ''Batman'' #672, written by
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narrative
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...
. Batman is confronted with Bat-Mite (or "Might") after being shot in the chest and suffering a heart attack. Might, who bears a green
insectoid An insectoid is an insect-like creature.
Insectoid may refer to:
* Insectoid robot
* Insectoids in science fiction
{{dab ...
creature on his back, claims to have come from "Space B at the Fivefold Expansion of Zrfff" (at times, Zrfff has been used as the name of Mr. Mxyzptlk's home planet in the Fifth Dimension). Only Batman sees him. As Batman is having an increasingly difficult time keeping his grip on reality during this period, it is possible that Mite is a mental delusion.
In ''Batman'' #678, after Batman transforms himself into "the
Batman of Zur-En-Arrh
Batman of Zur-En-Arrh is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. In the Silver Age story, the character is an alien named Tlano from the planet Zur-En-Arrh who decided to become a version of Batman for his own planet. The character's rea ...
", Might reappears on the last page with him, commenting "uh-oh" regarding Batman's increasing delusions. He then counsels the Zur-En-Arrh Batman, a 'back-up' personality manufactured by Bruce himself to keep Batman able to fight in case he was
mindwipe
A mindwipe is a fictional memory erasure procedure in which the subject's memories and sometimes personality are erased. Often those are replaced by new memories more useful to those who are carrying out the mindwiping. It is a more thorough for ...
d, or driven to insanity. ''Batman'' #680 reveals that Might is indeed a product of Batman's imagination, representing the last vestiges of Batman's rational mind within the Zur-En-Arrh Batman, although when asked by Batman whether he is an extra-dimensional being or a figment of his imagination, Bat-Mite responds that "the Fifth Dimension ''is'' imagination".
In ''Superman/Batman'' #52, Bat-Mite appears, having had a bet with Mr. Mxyzptlk similar to that of ''World's Funnest''. This Bat-Mite appears to admire Batman, and Batman addresses him with familiarity.
''The New 52''
On February 6, 2015, DC Comics announced a ''Bat-Mite'' monthly miniseries for release in June 2015. The six-issue miniseries concluded in November.
Publications
2015 series
*Bat-Mite (2016-02-17): Includes Bat-Mite #1-6, Sneak Peek story from Convergence: Supergirl: Matrix #2.
In other media
Television
Animation
* Bat-Mite appeared in ''
The New Adventures of Batman
''The New Adventures of Batman'' is an animated series that aired on CBS from February 12 to May 28, 1977, featuring the DC Comics superheroes Batman and Robin, and Batgirl. The series was a Filmation and DC Comics production in association with ...
'', voiced by
Lou Scheimer
Louis Scheimer (October 19, 1928 – October 17, 2013) was an American producer and voice actor who was one of the original founders of Filmation. He was also credited as an executive producer of many of its cartoons.
Early life and education
...
. This version is a well-meaning magical fan of Batman's who tries to help him despite usually complicating matters. One episode featured his home planet of Ergo as well as a villain of Bat-Mite's species named Zarbor.
* An
animatronic
Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions.
It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...
Bat-Mite briefly appeared in the ''
Batman: The Animated Series'' episode "Deep Freeze", voiced by
Pat Fraley
Patrick Howard Fraley (born February 18, 1949) is an American voice actor and voice-over teacher, known as the voice of Krang, Casey Jones, Baxter Stockman and numerous other characters in the 1987 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' animated tele ...
.
* Bat-Mite appeared in ''
Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens (; born Rubenfeld; August 27, 1952) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and children's entertainer. He is known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s, an ...
. This version regularly breaks the
fourth wall
The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...
, reads to Batman his past, present, and future exploits from real world comic books, and makes fun of real-world comic convention fans.
* Bat-Mite appears in ''
Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered'', voiced again by Paul Reubens.
* A stuffed Bat-Mite toy appears in ''
DC Super Hero Girls
''DC Super Hero Girls'' or ''DC Superhero Girls'' (in various countries) is an American superhero web series and franchise Produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Cartoon Network based on characters from DC Entertainment that launched in the thi ...
''.
Live-action
* Bat-Mite is mentioned in the second episode of the
DC Extended Universe
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that ...
series ''
Peacemaker
Peacemaker or The Peacemaker (in various forms) may refer to:
Individuals and groups
* UN Peacemaker, a project of the UN to support international peacemakers and mediators
* Peace makers, a list of contemporary individuals and organizations inv ...
'', "
Best Friends, For Never", when John Economos mentions he would rather be working with Bat-Mite than
Peacemaker
Peacemaker or The Peacemaker (in various forms) may refer to:
Individuals and groups
* UN Peacemaker, a project of the UN to support international peacemakers and mediators
* Peace makers, a list of contemporary individuals and organizations inv ...
.
Video games
* Bat-Mite appears in ''
Batman: The Brave and the Bold - The Videogame'' as a special assist character in the
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
version that can be summoned and controlled with a running copy of the game's
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
counterpart to drop anvils, bombs, and power-ups via Wii-DS connectivity.
* Bat-Mite appears as a playable character and game navigator in ''
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham'', voiced by
Roger Craig Smith
Roger Craig Smith (born 11 August 1975) is an American voice actor. He is well known for his video game voice roles as Chris Redfield in the ''Resident Evil'' series (2009–2017), Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series ( ...
.
References
External links
Bat-Miteat DC Database
Bat-Miteat Comic Vine
{{Batman characters
DC Comics aliens
DC Comics deities
DC Comics supervillains
DC Comics superheroes
DC Comics characters who can teleport
Fictional characters from parallel universes
Fictional characters who can manipulate reality
Fictional higher-dimensional characters
Fictional tricksters
Comics characters introduced in 1959
Characters created by Bill Finger
Characters created by Sheldon Moldoff
Characters created by Bob Kane