DC Has A Batman Who Kills And It Has Nothing To Do With The Multiverse

Ghost-Maker is Batman without the morals. Minkhoa Khan was diagnosed as a psychopath at a young age, meaning that he lacks empathy or fear. Where that sentence would normally be a setup for one of the Dark Knight’s more dangerous rogues, due to a childhood tragedy similar to the one Bruce Wayne experienced, Khan instead chose to fight crime.

As a result, Khan traveled the globe seeking out the same mentors as Bruce Wayne. The two rich orphans with dreams of vengeance crossed paths many times and even became friends. However, that friendship ended when the two men discussed their motivations for fighting crime.

Khan was in it for the challenge and considered fighting crime an art. Bruce, meanwhile, was fueled by vengeance and the desire to protect others from harm. The two men fought over the difference in their philosophies, something they would do many times, even after adopting the Batman and Ghost-Maker personas.

For years, the two heroes had a live-and-let-live attitude toward each other. Ghost-Maker agreed not to set foot in Gotham City as long as Batman stayed out of Southeast Asia, where he was operating. The former friends kept to their bargain until one of Batman’s early cases had him tracking an escaped Gotham criminal into Ghost-Maker’s territory.

Batman begrudgingly allowed Ghost-Maker to handle the criminal due to their agreement. The two men wouldn’t cross paths again for years until Batman tracked down Ghost-Maker to offer him a position in the global crimefighting network Batman Incorporated. The offer only enraged Khan, leading to yet another fight between the two vigilantes.

Ghost-Maker made his first pilgrimage to Gotham following a devastating crime wave called the Joker War that practically crippled the city. Judging Batman unfit to protect the people of Gotham, Ghost-Maker decided to take over as Gotham’s protector. Eventually, Batman convinced Khan to join him instead with the one caveat that Ghost-Maker couldn’t kill anyone.

Ghost-Maker saw using non-lethal methods as a challenge and eagerly accepted Batman’s invitation to become one of Gotham’s protectors temporarily.

Ghost-Maker’s skills are, for the most part, equal to Batman’s. He is skilled in all the same martial arts as Batman, making him a formidable hand-to-hand opponent—not that most foes would get the chance to find out. The hero’s impeccable marksmanship and swordfishing abilities mean that most fights are over before the other combatant can even get close enough to throw a punch.

All of Batman’s other abilities, like disguise, stealth, tracking, and investigation, were also taught to Ghost-Maker, and in most instances, by the same people that taught Bruce. In addition, Ghost-Maker’s computer skills are on par with or slightly better than Oracle’s, AKA Barbara Gordon, who is considered by many to be one of the best hackers in the DC universe.

All in all, Ghost-Maker is an interesting character and a fun rumination on what it would be like to have a Batman who kills. Plus, the name Ghost-Maker is just awesome. Tells you all you need to know about the character right there in the name.