The White Knight Batman universe, also known as the Murphyverse, which is published through DC’s more adult-driven Balck Label imprint, is more and more like DC’s answer to Marvel’s Ultimate universe with each volume. The series' creator Sean Murphy himself has recently confirmed that he sees the White Knight as Gotham’s answer to Marvel’s Ultimate line.
When Marvel first launched Ultimate Spider-Man in the year 2000 it was an opportunity to reimagine a superhero comic for a modern audience that hadn’t been bogged down by decades of continuity, eventually leading to a completely separate Marvel universe. With the potential for a White Knight Justice League spinoff, the Murphyverse could be headed in that same direction. The White Knight series chronicles a version of Gotham City where the Joker has reformed himself, having a change of heart after medical treatment subdues his insanity. Now going by the name Jack Napier, a nod to the 1989 Batman film adaptation, the Joker, the titular White Knight, becomes a political voice for Gotham, leading everyone, including Bruce Wayne, to reasonably question the effectiveness of Batman as a hero for their city. The series has an epic timeline that spans from Batman’s earliest days to the futuristic Gotham of Batman Beyond, always highlighting how a pair of fists can’t end corruption and street crime, no matter how well trained.
In a recent interview at San Diego Comic-Con, Sean Murphy revealed to Screen Rant that he’s still somewhat in shock that he’s been given the reigns to a franchise as beloved as Batman. He also acknowledged the similarities with his White Knight universe and Marvel’s Ultimate brand stating: “I feel like I've got all the freedom in the world and my own universe, Batman. I mean, like, everyone wants that. So I don't know how I ended up here. But it's like Marvel's Ultimate Line but with Gotham, right?" Batman is one of the most recognizable brands on the planet, so DC endorsing, promoting, and expanding a storyline that questions whether or not Batman should even exist is no small feat.
Ultimate Spider-Man’s popularity was followed by the launch of Ultimate X-Men and gradually the Ultimate brand grew into a fully fleshed-out world with its own dense continuity. While the brand was eventually discontinued, much to the chagrin of many fans, Marvel’s Ultimate comics would create favorites like the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man and Ultimate Nick Fury, both of whom live on in the main 616 Marvel timeline. The brand also had a major influence on the stories and depictions of Marvel characters seen in Marvel Studios’ films, television, and animation. Now that Sean Murphy has hinted at introducing the Justice League to his Murphyverse, the White Knight comics would seem to be making a similar expansion from Gotham to the entire DC universe.
While the Murphyverse has taken a lot more time to grow than Marvel’s Ultimate universe did, that’s only a reflection of the time and attention that goes into telling these stories. Sean Murphy once laid out the rules to his universe on Twitter including things such as dead characters staying dead, no narration outside of flashbacks, and no convoluted crossover events. It’s evident with every volume that the White Knight intends to be something very different than what fans of Batman and superhero comics, in general, may be used to seeing in the genre, and that’s exactly what makes it feel so modern, much like the Marvel’s Ultimate Universe books did in their prime.