Batman's New Red Costume Looks Like A Marvel Mash-Up But Its Real Story Is Wilder

Contains spoilers for "Knight Terrors" #3 from DC Comics

In a world where the heroes and villains of the DC Universe have been forcibly put to sleep, Batman and Deadman have merged into a singular hero inside a realm between those left awake and those stuck in a nightmarish slumber.

In DC Comics' "Knight Terrors" crossover event, the new villain Insomnia has emerged, using his incredible powers to force those who stand in the way of pursuing the Nightmare Stone to sleep. As a result, he has been able to sideline some of the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe while bringing their nightmares to life and attacking them from within. With Batman facing Insomnia's dark powers and nearly succumbing to this attack, Boston Brand, aka Deadman, used his powers to possess The Dark Knight in order to protect him from the God of Nightmares.

In "Knight Terrors" #3, Damian Wayne meets with his father and immediately realizes that someone else is in control of his body. When he agrees to fight alongside Deadman and enter limbo, we see Batman and Deadman's connection transform into a joint physical form. And while you'd be forgiven if you thought it was an homage to Marvel's Daredevil at first glance, the combined heroes' new costume actually draws inspiration from both of their classic looks, resulting in an absolutely stellar costume for the sleeping and undead heroes' shared mission.

In "Knight Terrors" #3 (by Joshua Williamson, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi, Caspar Wijngaard, Frank Martin, and Troy Peteri), Deadman (who's controlling Batman's body) and the recently resurrected Sandman (Wesley Dodds) take on Insomnia's army when they are surprised by Damian Wayne. The young hero helps the pair escape via the Batplane, but when Deadman offers him a compliment, Damian calls him a demon and demands he leave his father's body. Deadman agrees, leaving Batman's body limp on the ground.

Damian explains he isn't asleep himself since he trained his mind to control his dreams, utilizing every meditation technique he's ever learned with the League of Assassins. After deducing the Nightmare Stone can't be found because it's someplace between the waking and dreaming worlds, Sandman offers a special sleep gas that puts those infected by it into a state of not quite being awake but not quite dreaming. Batman/Deadman and Damian are soon transported to a limbo-like reality, where Batman and Deadman get a combined form that merges their costumes. Batman keeps his cape and cowl, while his bat logo turns into Deadman's white D logo with the Caped Crusader's symbol inside of it. Meanwhile, Batman's black costume turns red, matching Boston Brand's traditional colors. The result is a version of Batman like we've never seen before.

Batman/Deadman and Damian look for the Nightmare Stone in a world called "The Hollow," also referred to as the reality stream. Deadman says this reality is the part of the space people see out of the corner of their eyes in between the waking world and the dreamscape.

Inside The Hollow, Batman/Deadman and Damian eventually find the House of Horror, sensing the Nightmare Stone is close by. Inside, Deadman is forced to confront his death as a circus performer, revealing the bullet he was shot with didn't instantly kill him before hitting the ground during his final act; instead, he felt the impact. Realizing that there must be a sacrifice to get the Nightmare Stone, Deadman approaches his bloodied body and rips it apart. It's inside his body where Deadman finds the magical artifact. Unfortunately, when Deadman and Damian return to the waking world, the former has seemingly been corrupted by the Nightmare Stone, and the issue ends with his/Batman's eyes glowing the same color as the stone while stating his dreams will come true.

The solicitation copy for "Knight Terrors" #4 indicates Deadman now sees Insomnia's perspective, teasing a villainous turn for the longtime hero: "Insomnia searches the nightmares of all the heroes for his precious Nightmare Stone and keeps on coming up empty-clawed! Wesley Dodds, Batman, and I must return to the haunted Arkham Tower to confront Insomnia, but...now I know why Insomnia hates the heroes. And I gotta be honest: I'm having a hard time not relating. Maybe Insomnia is owed his revenge."

Stopping Insomnia was always going to be an uphill battle, but if Deadman begins to sympathize with the villain, the heroes will lose one of their most important allies in the fight for the Nightmare Stone. Deadman merging with Batman is one of the coolest visuals from the event thus far, but the Nightmare Stone's corruption could transform him into his most frightening nightmare yet. "Knight Terrors" #3 is in comic book stores now.