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Many consider Batman the greatest superhero because he has no fantastic powers, even if he is also far from a man. It is not only his resources and his wealth that make Bruce Wayne an exceptional individual, it is his determination. But just like Batman’s too high human body can be broken, his will is only Above all invincible. Before Bane cuts the bat “Batman: Knightfall,” The deacon Joseph Blackfire broke his mind “Batman: worship.”
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The deacon is the villain of this comic strip at four numbers from 1988, written by Jim Starlin and designed by artist Bernie Wrightson, and leader in eponymous worship. Religion is not a frequent theme in Batman’s stories (compared to, for example, Daredevil at Marvel). This means that Blackfire, who dresses and speaks like a priest, stands out all the more compared to the usual eccentric enemies of Batman.
“The cult” begins in the media, with Batman chained inside the underground lair of worship. The flashbacks reveal that Blackfire entered Gotham proclaiming benevolence and opened a shelter for homeless with alley. But people started to disappear, and when Batman investigated, he fell into the arms of worship.
The cult holds Batman hostage because Blackfire wants the black knight to be part of his family. You expect Batman to do what he always does: slide his chains with a hidden locking stroke or a Houdini-Esque escape and save the day. But not this time. Deprived of food and hallucinogenic drugs with a deacon sermon, Batman succumbs to indoctrination at the end of number 1.
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Batman’s interior monologue shows that it is not something; He is really defeated and conquered by Blackfire. He does not break so much that he commits a murder himself, but he stands apart when some of the other disciples of the deacon do so.
The origins of Blackfire are kept a mystery through “Batman: worship”. By breaking down Batman, he claims to be an immortal and chosen by God. A thousand years ago, he was sent as a shaman to the Amerindian tribe, the Migani (“Bat People”). They rejected and sealed it, until a badly unlucky colonia opened centuries later. Commissioner Gordon finds proof that black blows commits crimes in Gotham in the 1920s, and the deacon affirms that the blood of others supports his youth. However, he is also a charlatan, knowingly exploiting religion to induce the desperate masses and winning power, so why wouldn’t he lie about his origins?
Blackfire dies at the end of “worship”, torn by his disciples after they witnessed him to beg Batman with mercy. He returned a handful of times, but “cult” is the only classic comic in his name. For this reason, it is not surprising that Deacon Blackfire still appeared in Batman’s films, because “cult” itself is far too brutal for a big budget adaptation.
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