Gotham's Newest Villain Is Definitely More Terrifying Than the Joker: Please Meet the Wound Man

WARNING! Spoilers for Batman: Dark Patterns #1

The Joker is known to strike fear in the hearts of heroes and villains alike, and he's regarded as Batman's arch-nemesis for good reason. Now, though, a new villain has been introduced in Gotham who makes the Joker look like - ironically enough - a joke. The Wound Man is scarier than the Joker could ever dream of being, shifting Gotham's hierarchy of villains.

Batman: Dark Patterns #1 by Dan Watters, Hayden Sherman, Tríona Farrell, and Frank Cvetkovic serves as the debut of the Joker's unexpected challenger. Batman investigates a series of gory murders, where the killer has covered victims in nails and tortured them in brutal fashion by removing their teeth and tongues. This killer is revealed to be a new villain, the Wound Man, who boasts a truly grotesque design.

The Wound Man's design and vile crimes make him a cut above the Joker in terms of his terror-inducing potential, and he would even instill fear within the Clown Prince of Crime himself if they crossed paths.

Sorry, Joker: The Wound Man Is Officially Batman's Scariest Enemy

The Wound Man Has a Creepier Design Than Any Other Gotham Villain

Close

From a visual standpoint, the Wound Man is difficult to look at due to his gruesome appearance and thus a more horrifying sight than any other Gotham villain. His searing red body is covered head-to-toe in nails, bearing a resemblance to a surgical diagram intended to indicate possible injuries medics could treat. While the diagram depicts potential wounds, the Wound Man makes every single wound a reality by seemingly inflicting them upon himself. While the Joker's clown design is frightening in an uncanny way, subverting a look that's typically silly and unassuming, the Wound Man's design is straight out of a horror film.

Related Who is The Joker, Really? The DC Villain's True Identity Explained The Joker is one of the most mysterious characters in comic books with multiple backstories, but there is an official identity for the Joker.

Like the Joker, the Wound Man's fear factor also lies deeper beneath the surface level. The sickening condition of his victims proves that he's as cruel as they come, surpassing even the Joker's level of violence. Moreover, the scariest aspect of his actions is that they're a misguided attempt at helping others. The image of the Wound Man features hypothetical wounds to be mended, and the real Wound Man is forcing those wounds upon others as he tries to "heal" them. The Joker hurts for the sake of hurting, whereas the Wound Man may genuinely believe he's in the right - making Gotham's latest villain that much more twisted.

The Wound Man Dethrones Joker As Batman's True Nemesis

Gotham Faces the Ultimate Threat as Batman Meets His Match

The Joker may get under Batman's skin like no other villain in Gotham, but the Wound Man is an even greater adversary for one key reason. Because he's covered in nails that are positioned around his organs and arteries, one strike can kill him on impact. Batman's no-kill rule forbids him from dealing a blow that could be fatal, so he must abstain from attacking the Wound Man. However, the Wound Man still attacks relentlessly as the Dark Knight is frightened into inaction. The Joker has officially lost his status as Batman's most fearsome foe with the arrival of the Wound Man.

Batman: Dark Patterns #1 is available now from DC Comics.