John Cleese's Official Redesign of Batman Is Hilariously Literal

Summary Superman accidentally creates "Bat-Man" after a cricket game mishap.

Batman seeks revenge on Superman by exposing his true identity.

John Cleese's humorous take on Batman vs. Superman is a refreshing twist.

From a dark God who watches over Gotham to a vigilante in Victorian England, there have been countless interpretations of Batman over the years. But his most hilarious re-invention came when famous comedian John Cleese changed Batman's origin to make him a victim of Superman's super-strength — after a disastrous cricket game.

Superman: True Brit by Kim Johnson and John Cleese set out to answer the timeless question of "What if Superman were British?" This experiment naturally had hilarious results, as Superman was encouraged to never use his powers (for fear of what the neighbors would think). This led Superman to repress any memory of his powers, including his super strength.

During a cricket game, Superman accidentally tosses his cricket bat straight through another person's abdomen, creating the new "Bat-Man." While this seems like a lethal injury, Stoat-Bagge is able to walk it off, and it actually wins him and his team the cricket game, but he slowly begins to plot his revenge against Superman.

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Superman Accidentally Creates the Hilariously British Version of Batman

Superman: True Brit by Kim Johnson, John Cleese, John Byrne, Mark Farmer, Bill Oakley, Jack Morelli, and Alex Bleyaert

Typically, Batman's story starts after the murder of Martha and Thomas Wayne in Crime Alley. When young Bruce Wayne witnesses the death of his parents, he decides right that he will wage a war on crime as Batman. It's a tragic, timeless backstory. No matter the year, people can understand the pain of potentially losing a parent. But this wasn't the case in the True Brit universe. In this world, Batman's pain began when a cricket bat pierced his abdomen at light speed.

Having to go through surgery in order to live, Stoat-Bagge never forgot the name Colin Clark and plotted his revenge. Eventually, after tricking Superman into wearing Kryptonite, he tries to ruin Superman's life by reporting him to the Inland Revenue service, who audit Colin and try to make him repay billions of dollars. It seems that Superman's life is well and truly ruined, but after Superman exposes his true identity as Colin Clark to the world, Stoat-Bagge ends up suing Whyte-Badger, the owner of the Daily Smear, due to all the negative press Whyte-Badger had made up, which ends the feud between Batman and Superman for good.

Batman Never Forgave Superman for This Brutal Injury

Or Should that Be "Bat-Man"?

Batman versus Superman is a classic fight that fans often want to see. No matter the reason, DC constantly finds new reasons for the two to go against each other, but Superman: True Brit has to be the silliest version of the iconic Batman vs. Superman feud. There were no opposing ideologies about how to save the world or an argument that spiraled out of control; it was just a bad cricket match that nearly turned the two into bitter enemies. John Cleese's reinterpretation of these characters is perfectly in character for what one would expect if Superman had a British rivalry with Batman.

Superman: True Brit is available now from DC Comics!