Batman is Gotham's greatest villain. Gotham City is under the protection and defense of The Dark Knight. But does he do more harm than good? The Batman abides by a strict moral code that has allowed some of DC's most notorious villains to terrorize the citizens of Gotham. Batman comic writers James Tynion IV and Warren Ellis have recently explored the implications of The Caped Crusader's moral code in two different story arcs. Many of Batman's own colleagues disagree with his methods and restraint when dealing with some of Gotham's most sadistic supervillains.

Batman discourages increases in petty crime because of his brutal interaction with criminals. Supervillains, on the other hand, always seem to return to Gotham from prison or Arkham Asylum with deadlier schemes and plots. Batman deturs small-time crooks and essentially invites supervillains to challenge him by temporarily slowing down their criminal enterprises. Several of Gotham's villains have made it their personal mission to best Batman and use civilians as pawns in their eternal game of chess. Bruce Wayne has vowed to wage a war on crime since childhood but has he inadvertently caused more damage since he began his crusade of justice?

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Writers James Tynion IV and Warren Ellis have been alluding to the consequences of having The Batman as Gotham's self-proclaimed protector. In arcs such as The Batman's Grave and The Joker War, the talented writers give a voice to a character that has been silenced throughout the 80-year-old franchise: The City of Gotham. Despite Batman and The Bat-Family's massive presence in the city of Gotham, it is anything but safe. In fact, the civilians are often caught in the crossfire of Batman's war on crime. Batman's own teammates like Jason Todd have also been casualties in Bruce Wayne's war. The Batman created his persona to become a symbol of fear for criminals but instead, he has become a symbol of fear for Gotham's residents as his presence indicates that the war rages on.

Jason Todd embodies the pitfall of upholding Bruce Wayne's idealistic sense of justice. As Batman's sidekick Robin, an orphan like Bruce received a home, a family and a purpose. He was trained to fight crime alongside The Dark Knight and strike fear into the hearts of criminals. In the process of upholding that sense of justice, Bruce let the brutal torture and apparent murder of Todd go unavenged. The Joker physically and mentally tortured Jason, a minor who had lived a life of poverty prior to being taken under Batman's wing. Though Jason's apparent death was one of Bruce's biggest regrets, he went on to train several other minors to join his war on crime. All of Batman's Robins note his emotional detachment and failure to connect with them as a foster parent. After his beating and torture at the hands of The Clown Prince of Crime Jason became the gun-wielding vigilante Red Hood, an anti-Batman that fights (and kills) for what he interprets as justice.

Tynion IV and Jorge Jiminez's Clownhunter is the voice of the average Gotham Citizen. Clownhunter is a component of The Joker War that displays the perspective of the Gotham everyman. He is a character that is tired of being caught in the never-ending battle of good vs evil. As a resident of Gotham's narrows, Clownhunter's main concern is survival and the safety of the innocent by any means necessary. Like Todd, he has come to the realization that Batman's methods cannot protect everyone. Batman's shortcomings and inability to permanently defeat The Joker have spawned yet another vigilante.

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Clownhunter is the result of Gotham city's weariness with the current system. Villains commit crimes, they are jailed or sent to be reformed, only to develop more intricate schemes and attack the city once again. The Joker has amassed a huge following in The Joker War and Batman seems to be losing allies by the minute. Gothamites are exhausted and tired of living with the constant fear of villains like The Joker ruining their lives. Neutrality in Batman's war on crime and The Joker's war on Gotham means vulnerability.

Clownhunter Batman

Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch's Scorn character is at war with the criminal justice system and he has judged Batman as complicit in their failures. Introduced in The Batman's Grave arc Robert Anthony is a Gothamite that witnessed the death of his father. Unlike Bruce Wayne, his family was not divided by a common criminal. The police killed his father, cultivating an urge to destroy Gotham's justice system within him. In The Batman's Grave #9 Alfred points out the parallels between Batman and Scorn going as far as saying "he is you" to Bruce.

In Anthony's eyes, the members of the criminal justice system are the villains. They abused their power and took his family from him. From Scorn's perspective, the justice system is corrupt and cruel to Gotham's civilians. Like Batman, Scorn seeks to impose his own brand of justice onto Gotham but there is one huge difference between the two vigilantes. Scorn has a massive following of people who would die for the same beliefs he holds strong to. Gothamites are so fed up with the justice system that they would give their lives if it meant enacting change through Scorn's movement.

Batman has played a role in creating a toxic cycle in Gotham. This cycle has turned Gotham into one of the most dangerous cities in DC comics. The Joker's every act is in hopes that he will one day push Bruce to break his moral code proving that all it takes is one bad day to abandon all notions of ethics. If a villain is someone who hurts others and seeks to force their will upon those who disagree with their beliefs, is Batman not Gotham's greatest villain?

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