What Is Your Head-Canon DEFINITIVE Ending For Batman?

[Ascended]

So, we all love origin stories. There's a lot of them out there and we all have our favorite. And Im willing to bet that for a lot of us, in our own heads we have what we consider the definitive version of Batman's origin, likely combined from multiple stories across different formats and maybe even stuff that wasnt actually related to Batman in the first place.

But what about the way Batman ends? There aren't nearly as many tales from that end of the story (though DKR does loom large). So in your own head, how does that go down? If you could tell the story of how Batman ends, without any constraints, what would it be?

Does Bruce die young or live to old age? Is his death a small, poignant moment, like saving a family from a nameless mugger in crime alley? Or is it full of flash and spectacle, saving the entire city or even the world from Armageddon? Does he die peacefully in his sleep after a long retirement from being Batman? Does he die at all, or does he gain immortality somehow, perhaps by becoming a vampire or using Lazarus pits after taking over the League of Assassins from Ra's?

Does Bruce use an army of drones to enforce justice, ala Kingdom Come? What about powered armor when his body starts to fail? Does he pass the mantle on to someone else and advise them from the Cave, taking over Alfred's position ala Batman Beyond?

Does Bruce have any children before he dies, and if so who and how close is he to them? Does he have an army of sidekicks or only a couple young people who are as exceptional as he is? Does someone else take up the mantle? Who? Does Bruce get married? If so, to who and how many ex-wives does he end up with?

If anyone has any ideas about the villains or supporting cast that could be fun to hear too. What becomes of Barbara Gordon? Does she become police Commissioner? Maybe the CEO of a tech startup? Does she retire from Batgirl, become Oracle, join the League? Do any of the villains find redemption or do they rot in prison? Does Bruce finally snap and start killing them?

I'd like to hear what everyone thinks and how the final days of Batman's life plays out in everyone's imagination.

Hope ya'll have fun with this.

[Frontier]

The only certainty I have about the end of Batman is that he won't die before ensuring that The Batman, and the mission, continues on successfully even without him. Whether it be through robots, clones, a successor, or what have you.

As long as that is assured, he can go in peace.

[Lhynn]

Batman has alienated all of his allies, his war on crime has taken a huge toll on him and he is completely alone as the situation in the city worsens. Nightwing has taken his place on the JLA, Jason has retired, leaving behind his crappy life and past to start a family and keep a bar in some small town in the south. Alfred dies of old age, he has a big private funeral. Selina marries some rich loser, she spends her days in surrounded by luxury but feeling empty inside. Tim remains loyal to Bruce, and the only one of the batfamily that puts up with his toxic and obsessive personality, he visits him at least once a week, cooks for him, plays chess with him and discusses current events, Bruce never says so much as a thank you, but he doesnt stop him from coming either, he remains a part time vigilante. Damian is the head of Wayne enterprises, he wrestled control from his father, after bruce tried to do an overly risky but well meant maneuver, that could have costed the company a lot. He keeps doing good work, he grew disilusioned with batman and vigilantism as a whole as he grew older, he belives there are better ways to make the world a safer place.
Old and tired, with no one to leave the mantle to he goes out to fight crime one more time. He gets fatally wounded by some common thug after failing to move fast enough. He dies on the batcave that very night, completely alone. He is found by Tim a few days later. No one even notices the transition for a long time, Batman still does his rounds every night. The situation improves in gotham in a matter of weeks.

[byrd156]

Batman has alienated all of his allies, his war on crime has taken a huge toll on him and he is completely alone as the situation in the city worsens. Nightwing has taken his place on the JLA, Jason has retired, leaving behind his crappy life and past to start a family and keep a bar in some small town in the south. Alfred dies of old age, he has a big private funeral. Selina marries some rich loser, she spends her days in surrounded by luxury but feeling empty inside. Tim remains loyal to Bruce, and the only one of the batfamily that puts up with his toxic and obsessive personality, he visits him at least once a week, cooks for him, plays chess with him and discusses current events, Bruce never says so much as a thank you, but he doesnt stop him from coming either, he remains a part time vigilante. Damian is the head of Wayne enterprises, he wrestled control from his father, after bruce tried to do an overly risky but well meant maneuver, that could have costed the company a lot. He keeps doing good work, he grew disilusioned with batman and vigilantism as a whole as he grew older, he belives there are better ways to make the world a safer place.
Old and tired, with no one to leave the mantle to he goes out to fight crime one more time. He gets fatally wounded by some common thug after failing to move fast enough. He dies on the batcave that very night, completely alone. He is found by Tim a few days later. No one even notices the transition for a long time, Batman still does his rounds every night. The situation improves in gotham in a matter of weeks.

Wow that's really depressing.

[geomon]

My head canon is more along the lines of the ending to Arkham Knight. Bruce Wayne is outed as Batman by a villain. In one last sweep, Batman captures the vast majority of his rogues and then "dies", giving birth to a new Batman myth.

[RedQueen]

For a Happy Ending...That he retires and he realises he fulfilled his legacy cause the batfamily is carrying on his legacy in a brighter future. He eventually eases more into a more Oracle/Alfred like capacity. Barbara eventually becomes the new commissioner Gordon and honors the legacy of her father while assisting the new Batman and Batfamily. It's not about regurgitating the same story in a new generation but it's more of an ode to the legacy and how much of an impact Bruce had on everyone. He eventually dies of old age realises he fulfilled what he set out to do and that he actually has some mental peace in his last few years.

Alternatively I would go for the Arkham route as well if I wanted a much more oomph of an ending. Plus it's one of my favorite endings too.

[JBatmanFan05]

Dark Knight Returns + Batman #700 by Grant Morrison (some Batman #666 aspects too) + some aspects of Snyder's Detective #27 Special short story

That's mine. Grant did a cool mining up of future Batmen from the Silver Age, etc in Batman #700.

[Korath]

Endgame had an excellent end for me. I also liked his "clone machine" for a more insane "Ending" of Batman (hell, I want to see some of those Bruce's adventures in an Elseworld series !).

[MindofShadow]

Something horrid happens to someone (pick anyone close)

He finally snaps and throws out his moral, no kill code. Finally throws away the fake Bruce Wayne disguise, fakes Bruces death and becomes Batman full time. Quits the justice league and gives Gotham 100% of his time. Quits all bat familly operations.

Becomes a true "Dark" Knight. He gives criminals one chance... go to prison peacefully, serve your time, and reform... or die.

He takes care fo the super villains one by one, the Joker is last and finally kills him.

He basically becomes the Punisher-lite (since he gives people at least one chance) of Gotham and finally reforms it. (think Nighthawk at Marvel)

Uses the Lazzarus Pit to live forever in isolation

[Lhynn]

Wow that's really depressing.

I like my batman bittersweet and in character.

[DurararaFTW]

Through a series of deagings, resurrections, clonings and some such Batman keeps going for thousands of years, until just before the advent of the Legion of Superheroes.

[Aioros22]

Batman has alienated all of his allies, his war on crime has taken a huge toll on him and he is completely alone as the situation in the city worsens. Nightwing has taken his place on the JLA, Jason has retired, leaving behind his crappy life and past to start a family and keep a bar in some small town in the south. Alfred dies of old age, he has a big private funeral. Selina marries some rich loser, she spends her days in surrounded by luxury but feeling empty inside. Tim remains loyal to Bruce, and the only one of the batfamily that puts up with his toxic and obsessive personality, he visits him at least once a week, cooks for him, plays chess with him and discusses current events, Bruce never says so much as a thank you, but he doesnt stop him from coming either, he remains a part time vigilante. Damian is the head of Wayne enterprises, he wrestled control from his father, after bruce tried to do an overly risky but well meant maneuver, that could have costed the company a lot. He keeps doing good work, he grew disilusioned with batman and vigilantism as a whole as he grew older, he belives there are better ways to make the world a safer place.
Old and tired, with no one to leave the mantle to he goes out to fight crime one more time. He gets fatally wounded by some common thug after failing to move fast enough. He dies on the batcave that very night, completely alone. He is found by Tim a few days later. No one even notices the transition for a long time, Batman still does his rounds every night. The situation improves in gotham in a matter of weeks.

Not sure about Bruce dying alone, but a common thug doing it would not only be simbolical but bittersweet tragedy. Recalls me one thing I read in Don Newton`s (funtastic and fantastic) Phantom stories about how Chris Walker considered old age: he beat up a whole squad earlier in the story and Diana (his sugar sweet) and others mention how much he looked like a God, singlehandly taking apart an armed squad of men with his own hands. How super he was. And his response is bittersweet in the sense of: "Sure, but one day I`ll get slower a second than I used to be and that day will be enough for someone to be able to take me down".

We`ll never see it but that sort of instropective nature is what makes the like "human". It isn`t the lack of superpowers, it`s the knowledge that they`re mortal.

I see that your Jason is basically FE Tim. I still need to read it whole, just to get that feel. It doesn`t sound bad to me the way you`ve described it before. As for the question, generally I don`t have a set story. I like bits of Arkham Knight, Morrison`s distopian future, Batman Beyond and of course the DKR.

[Lhynn]

That whole endgame was based on the pre flashpoint continuity.

After new 52 i would change it to him falling into a support role for his 5 replacements, blue batman, red batman, red batman, purple batman and black batman, and his 4 robins, robin, red robin, blue robin and yellow robin with black stripes.
He would live a normal life with a mass murderer and theyd have 10 pretty little kids, the girls would wear kitten themed clothes, the boys would wear bat themed clothes.

[WhipWhirlwind]

Bruce Wayne eventually retires. Damian is Batman, Nightwing is a global hero/leader of the JL.

He continues living his life and improving the city outside of the costume, but certain areas of the city still see crime since its not something that can be totally eradicated.

One day Mask of Zorro is showing at an old theater in a bad part of town, and leaving the theater he hears commotion in an alley, and sees a family being mugged at gunpoint. Bruce charges the mugger, taking multiple shots to the chest, but manages to tackle the guy allowing the family to escape. The GCPD show up to find the mugger unconcious and bruce dead, with a small smile on his face.

[Aioros22]

@reads last two comments.

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