Batman #666
Batman #666 — titled 'Batman in Bethlehem' — is the first appearance of Damian Wayne as Batman, presenting a future-set version of Bruce Wayne's son who has taken on the cowl after Bruce's death, becoming a darker, morally compromised Dark Knight willing to kill. The issue introduced Gotham's '666 Future,' a dystopian timeline that became a structural cornerstone of Grant Morrison's entire seven-year Batman epic: subverting that grim prophecy ultimately drives both Bruce and Damian's arcs across Batman R.I.P., Batman and Robin, and Batman Incorporated. The issue also contains the cameo debut of Professor Pyg and the first appearances of Flamingo and the Bat-Devil iteration of Michael Lane — characters whose 'present-day' introductions would come only in subsequent issues, making this a rare case of a future-set story retroactively becoming a first-appearance issue for the main DC Universe. Its deliberate exploitation of the issue number — 666, the biblical 'number of the beast' — to load the narrative with Satanic themes and devil-deal mythology showed how thoughtfully Morrison and Kubert engineered meaning into the comic's very serial number.
In "Batman in Bethlehem," Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert deliver a chilling glimpse into a future Gotham on the brink, where Damian Wayne—Batman of Tomorrow—faces a world unraveling in just 24 hours. With the fate of existence hanging in the balance, Damian must confront his legacy and the weight of his bloodline in a story that redefines what it means to be the Dark Knight. The issue's haunting visuals, rendered with precision by Kubert and Major, underscore a narrative that’s as introspective as it is urgent.
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Batman #666 was written by Grant Morrison and pencilled by Andy Kubert, with inks by Jesse Delperdang, colors by Guy Major, and lettering by Jared K. Fletcher; editors Mike Marts and Jeanine Schaefer shepherded it to its cover-dated July 2007 publication. The issue appeared somewhat abruptly between Batman #665 and #667, interrupting the natural flow of Morrison's ongoing arc — a structural choice that Morrison later wove into a broader narrative revelation about the nature of the '666 Future' itself. Morrison had arguably been foreshadowing elements of this specific future as far back as DC One Million #3 in 1998, where a 853rd-century Batman alludes to a 'second Batman' defeating the villain 2-Face-2 — a detail retroactively pointing to Damian Wayne, seeded nearly nine years before Damian's comics debut. Kubert had signed a three-year exclusive DC contract before pairing with Morrison, and the creative partnership on this arc became the launchpad for Damian Wayne's entire existence in DC continuity.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Damian Wayne as Batman, set approximately 15 years in a possible future where Bruce Wayne is dead and Damian has assumed the mantle.
- Written by Grant Morrison, pencilled by Andy Kubert, inked by Jesse Delperdang, colored by Guy Major; cover date July 2007, published July 10, 2007.
- Story title is 'Batman in Bethlehem'; the issue's number (666) is deliberately echoed throughout the narrative via themes of devil-bargains, the Antichrist, and selling one's soul — Damian is depicted as having traded his soul to Satan (later identified as Doctor Simon Hurt) in exchange for supernatural healing abilities and Gotham's protection.
- Contains the first cameo appearance of Professor Pyg (Lazlo Valentin) — shown as a murder victim, crucified upside-down — two years before his mainstream DC Universe debut in Batman and Robin #1 (August 2009); also features first cameo appearances of Flamingo and the Bat-Devil version of Michael Lane.
- Commissioner Barbara Gordon appears in a future role as Gotham's police commissioner, pursuing the new Batman out of revenge over a death she blames on Damian.
- The '666 Future' established here was revisited by Morrison in Batman #700 (2010) and Batman Incorporated Vol. 2 #5 (2013), forming what analysts have described as a loose trilogy within Morrison's run; co-creator Andy Kubert later returned to the timeline as writer-artist of the miniseries Damian: Son of Batman (2013–2014).
- The issue was collected in the Batman and Son hardcover (2007) and subsequent trade paperback editions, including the expanded 2014 Batman and Son paperback and the Batman Unwrapped: Andy Kubert hardcover (pencils only), and has continued to be reprinted in omnibus formats through the mid-2020s.
- Morrison had foreshadowed a 'second Batman' defeating villain 2-Face-2 as early as DC One Million #3 (1998) — a detail later interpreted as referring to the Damian Wayne of Batman #666, planting seeds nearly nine years before the character's actual debut.
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Reprinted in Batman and Son #[nn] (2007), Batman #11 (2007), Batman #68 (2008), Batman and Son #[nn] (2008), Batman: Under the Cowl #[nn] (2010), Batman de Grant Morrison #1 (2011), Batman: The Black Glove Deluxe Edition #[nn] (2012), Batman and Son #[nn] (2014), Batman Unwrapped: Andy Kubert #[nn] (2014), Damian: Son of Batman The Deluxe Edition #[nn] (2014), Damian: Son of Batman #[nn] (2015), DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection #67 (2016), Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus #1 (2018), Batman by Grant Morrison #1 (2024)
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