7MMO
Moderator
Full spoilers follow for Absolute Batman #25!
Absolute Batman #25 may well be the most important chapter of this series to date. It marks the end of the "Straw Man" story arc, culminating in the long-awaited showdown between Batman and the Joker and a truly game-changing final page. This issue is such a big deal that the series is going on a short hiatus for the remainder of 2026, leaving readers to sit with these major revelations for a few months.
What happens in issue #25, and how does this showdown redefine Batman's crusade going forward? Here's what you need to know.
Absolute Batman Meets Absolute Joker
Having finally overcome Scarecrow and his relentless campaign of psychological manipulation, this storyline ends with Batman finally venturing into Grimm Manor and preparing to confront the man they call the Joker. There, he's surprised to find not Jack Grimm, but his friends gathered in a sitting room. Waylan Jones, Eddie Nygma, Oswald Cobblepot, and Harvey Dent have all staged an intervention to convince Bruce to give up his fanatical crusade.
In turn, each man admits that they were approached by Jack Grimm, who revealed that he's been secretly helping Bruce evade the authorities. Grimm provided each with evidence that his business empire is 100% legitimate, that he's been campaigning against the Ark-M facility, and that he genuinely wants to help Bruce before Bruce gets himself killed. The friends tell Bruce that he has one last chance to turn himself in for psychological treatment, or else Grimm will finally leak his identity to the authorities.
Batman knows his friends have been fooled by a master manipulator, so he leaps out a window and flees into the woods with the GCPD hot on his trail. He then falls through a hole and lands in Grimm's version of the Batcave, complete with all the trophies that, in another universe, are the rightful property of Bruce himself.
Grimm is waiting for Batman in his disgusting but rejuvenating cocoon of dead babies. He emerges and tells Batman how happy he is to finally have a worthy nemesis again after so many years of boredom. It's here we learn that all the costumes on display in the "Joker Cave" are those worn by warriors that Grimm bested over the years. Previously, the series suggested his origins date back to the 1800s, but it would seem he's actually far older still, possibly dating back to the Roman Empire.
Joker reveals his true, monstrous form and the two men begin battling. Though Batman is able to repeatedly wound Joker with his battle ax and razor-sharp ear daggers, the villain shrugs off the damage and keeps laughing. To him, the funniest joke of all is the idea that one man thinks he can stand up to the systems of power that have existed since the dawn of civilization.
Just as Joker prepares to devour Batman and cut their rivalry short, The Bat (or Barbara Gordon) shows up to give the villain a faceful of her shotgun. The two heroes plunge into the river at the depths of the Joker Cave and make their escape.
Absolute Batman #25's Twist Ending
The Bat brings Batman back to Harley Quinn's hideout, where they stitch up the battered hero and Batman makes peace with his jilted partner. Batman has survived his first battle with Joker, but it's become clear just how badly outmatched he is. And now he faces the possibility that Joker will escalate their feud by revealing his identity to the world (not that this hulking, 6' 9" powerhouse has ever done a particularly great job of hiding it).
But even that problem takes a backseat to the stunning revelation that closes out issue #25. Bruce is suddenly reunited with Selina Kyle, who reveals she's pregnant. It seems Absolute Batman is about to become a father.
One of the biggest differences between the regular and Absolute versions of Batman is that the latter has more to lose in his quest to save Gotham City. Absolute Batman still has a mother and a loving relationship with Selina. And now that difference looks to be intensified, as he's about to have a child to protect on top of everything else.
The idea of Batman and Catwoman becoming parents is hardly new for DC. In the classic Earth-2 universe, the two eventually marry and raise a daughter named Helena, who grows up to become the vigilante Huntress. At one point it appeared as though DC would follow suit in its core comic book universe with Tom King's Batman series, but they've since rendered the Batman/Catwoman comic that closes out King's run as non-canon.
As you'd expect, this twist is going to dramatically affect the arc of Absolute Batman's journey. Writer Scott Snyder posted on Bluesky, "It'll set the stage for the entire series going forward." More than ever, he stands to lose everything if he doesn't find a way to overcome Jack Grimm and his army of horrible creations.
Let us know what you think of this latest Absolute Batman twist in the comments below. For more on the series, check out IGN's review of Absolute Batman #24 and see how the series reinvented one of Bruce Wayne's greatest tragedies.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
Continue reading...
