9) Steampunk Batman
On and off from 1989 onwards, DC released dozens of tales under their Elseworlds label. Freed from regular continuity, these stories could offer fresh takes on the usual DC mythology. Naturally, a common choice to play around with was the Dark Knight.
The first Elseworlds tale was Gotham By Gaslight, which offered a Victorian-set steampunk version of the usual Batman story. Written by Brian Augustyn with art from Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, it sees masked vigilante the Bat-Man on the hunt for Jack the Ripper, who has escaped London and is now operating in Gotham City.
The actual story of Steampunk Batman might not be remembered all that well, by some, at least, but the blending of the Batman mythos with the steampunk aesthetic was such a perfect match that Gaslight has now become one of the most popular Elseworlds stories of all-time.
[zergpaid]8) Nazi Batman
The final issue of Grant Morrison’s 52 introduced Earth-10. Just like in The Man in the High Castle, the Nazis won World War II in this world and went on to take over the globe. To ensure his hold, Adolf Hitler personally formed his own superhero team – the JLAxis, which was led by Uberman (AKA Superman). Their aim was to weed out the weak from humanity, leaving the strongest to be taken to breeding centres where they’re forced to mate.
The Nazi Batman is called Leatherwing. Though he looks identical (apart from the swastika on the bat-symbol) to how you’d normally see the character, he’s pretty much the exact opposite of our hero. Not only is he a Nazi, but he’s also a sleazebag. When the hero Forerunner ends up on his world and takes down some Nazis, Leatherwing is attracted to her despite, in his words, usually being “averse to interracial relationships.” When he asks to show her a good time, Forerunner threatens to castrate him – which sort of puts the dampers on that romance.
