Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman: The Joker Warzone #1
When one takes stock of just how many villains and rogues Batman has in the DC Universe, the number is quite impressive. However, one might argue that an even more impressive number is how many henchmen each of those villains manages to have in their employ to carry out their plans and schemes, time and time again, no matter how many inevitably get put in the hospital due to the Batman and his allies. Where do all of these henchmen come from? Thankfully, Batman: Joker Warzone #1 has the answer.
This latest tie-in issue to James Tynion IV's Joker War event exists as a collection of short stories, with each of them taking place during the war itself from a variety of writers and artists. One such story is titled "The Symbol" written by Joshua Williamson with art by David Lafuente. Featuring a mission of Bat-Family members Orphan and Spoiler, the issue sees the duo teaming up to try and reclaim the iconic Bat-Signal so that they can give the city a renewed hope as the war rages on. However, before they can get to the storage facility where it's being kept, the pair have to face an all-new villain: The Hench Master.
The Hench Master's deal is exactly what it sounds like: he's the master of all henchmen. Apparently, Hench Master is the guy Gotham's villains call when the need some premium goons, doing all of the recruiting, vetting, and training for them, providing a steady supply of supposedly reliable lackeys. As of right now, the Hench Master's primary client is obviously the Joker, as the Clown Prince of Crime needs as many men for his army as possible. When Orphan and Spoiler arrive on the scene, Hench Master is mid-way through training Joker's latest recruits.
In Hench Master's warped mind, he believes that he and Batman aren't so different. His perspective is that they both train people to die for others, to be used as weapons by someone else as he puts it. However, Orphan and Spoiler end up taking out Hench Master rather quickly. A master of henchmen is apparently still a henchman, and therefore easy to beat.
They also prove the new villain quite wrong at the story's end. Finding the Bat-Signal broken and destroyed, they instead choose to don new costumes that proudly bear the bat symbol on them. Why? Because they know that they aren't just weapons in the Dark Knight's arsenal. Rather, they've joined alongside Batman in his crusade, as he saw their potential, giving them the tools and weapons they needed to be a force for good in Gotham, and he values their worth. The symbol itself is what provides people with hope, regardless of whether it's shining in the sky or not. While this story is a great issue for both Orphan and Spoiler, it does help clear up the question as to how Batman's villains always have henchmen at their disposal. It's because they know a guy.
More: Batman Finally Calls The Whole Bat-Family For Joker War