Bat-Mite

History

He appears as a small childlike man in an ill-fitting Batman costume, with a black lightning bolt instead of the Bat-insignia. In Bat-Mite's dimension, his people idolize the heroes of the DC Universe and impersonate them, acting out their heroic adventures. Bat-Mite's favorite is Batman, and he has visited Batman on many occasions, often setting up strange events to see his hero in action. However, Bat-Mite is more of a nuisance than a supervillain, and often leaves when he becomes aware that he has angered Batman.

Bat-Mite regularly appeared in Batman, Detective Comics, and World's Finest Comics for five years. Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk teamed up four times in the pages of World's Finest Comics to plague Superman and Batman together, as well. However in 1964, when the Batman titles were revamped he vanished. He would later appear teaming-up with Mr. Mxyzptlk in "Bat-Mite's New York Adventure" from Detective Comics #482 where he traveled to the DC Comic offices asking for his own comic. He appeared again in Legends of the Dark Knight, but he was more than likely a hallucination of a drug-addled criminal named Bob Overdog. He also appeared in the One-Shot Mitefall (a spoof on Knightfall with Overdog in the role of Azrael). In issue 6 of the 1999 World's Finest miniseries, Mr. Mxyzptlk encountered Bat-Mite, shortly after being mistaken for him by Overdog. While in this story the post-Crisis Bat-Mite encountered Batman for the first time; Superman and Batman subsequently concluded that Mxyzptlk had created him, inspired by Overdog's ravings.

In Superman/Batman #25, it was revealed that the Joker had taken Bat-Mite's powers by absorbing his essence and was freed by Bizarro. Since then Bat-Mite has fully re-established into the current continuity. He recently appeared in Batman #672 after Batman was shot in the chest by Sleeper and had a heart attack.

The first Post-Infinite Crisis appearance of Bat-Mite was in Batman #672, written by Grant Morrison. Batman is confronted with Bat-Mite (or "Might") after being shot in the chest and suffering a heart attack. Might, who bears a green insectoid creature on his back, claims to have come from "Space B at the Fivefold Expansion of Zrfff" (Batman #674) (At times Zrfff has been used as the name of Mr. Mxyzptlk's home dimension). Only Batman sees him. As Batman is having an increasingly difficult time keeping his grip on reality during this period, it is possible that Might is a mental delusion.

In Batman #678, Might reappears at the last page, commenting, "uh-oh" to Batman's increasing delusions. He then, throughout the whole Batman R.I.P. series, appears to counsel the Batman of Zur En Arrh, a delusional personality manufactured by Bruce himself to keep Batman able to fight in case he was mindwiped, or driven to insanity. Batman #680 reveals that Might is indeed a product of Batman's imagination being Batman's rationale, although he comments that he is from the 5th dimension because the fifth dimension is imagination.

In Superman/Batman #52, Bat-Mite appears having had a bet with Mr. Mxyzptlk similar to that of World's Funnest. This Bat-Mite appears to have an admiration of Batman and Batman addresses him with familiarity.

Mitefall: The day after Bane-Mite is created, he is locked in a small box. Each evening he was fed roots and lichens by his unseen jailer. Each morning he as unceremoniously hosed down with ice water. And each year on his birthday he was transferred to a larger cage. There are only two things one can do in that situation: isometric exercises and brooding. Bane-Mite excelled at both. He breaks out of prison at age nineteen - he commits mass murder, discovers an evil drug and becomes Mite-World's only registered toxik addict. First thing he does is blow up ArkMite Asylum and release all the kooks - just like it happens on Earth. So Bat-Mite spends the next couple of weeks hunting down and recapturing the bad guys, using up his magic and seriously weakening himself in the process. While Bat-Mite deals with Bane Mite's three stooges, he pumps himself full of the wonder drug toxik - doubling his strength, intelligence, and fighting skills (though it wreaks havoc with his appearance). The battle between the two was long and hard, but the Bat-Mite was weak and close to exhaustion, and the Bane Mite burned with a very special hatred. The outcome was inevitable. Bane became the mite who broke the Bat. Bane Mite had long dreamt of this moment - when his enemy, Bat-Mite, is at his mercy. Now Bane-Mite rules the night. And once all Gotham is his, he plans to take over the rest of his world. Then he will burst through to other dimensions, and destroy them, too. He will run a protection racket that takes in the whole universe. He'll be rich and powerful. But Bat-Mite isn't dead, though. He uses what little power he has left to heal himself and come to Earth - where he hopes to find help. Bat-Mite needs a hero. A true champion. Someone who can face up to the Bane-Mite and his foul toxik - a man who does not shrink from danger or violence - not even from death itself. He goes to Batman - he's the perfect symbol, a rallying point for the few heroes left. But Bat-Mite is too weak - Bruce can't even see him. So he goes to Bob, whom Bat-Mite threw in Arkham Asylum before. But Bob has changed, he is now a positive force in society instead of evil and corrupting. Bob agrees to become a hero and save the world. Of course, no hero can go into battle dressed in an Arkham zoot-suit. Bat-Mite says he will give Bob the kind of costume that will have the ladies swooning and the guys' tongues drooling on the pavement. And he does. Bob isn't any kind of dog any more. He becomes Overbat - champion of the little guy. A hero for the dimensionally challenged. Meanwhile on Mite-World, the super-heroes attempt to stop Bane-Mite, but they face pulverization at the hands of ultimate evil. Bane's toxik - leavened with his deep, unreasoning hate - makes him better than all of them. He kicks the crap out of the super-heroes, rounds them up, and detains them under the highest security. But it isn't over yet. The Super-Mite family still has to get back from their mission in space. Bane-Mite injects himself with a special formula blended with his regular toxic. The Super-Mites attempt to stop him, but with the aid ot toxic, he is invincible. As soon as the Super-Mites are dead, it's next stop Earth - and hello, universe for Bane-Mite. He injects himself with one final dose of toxic, doubling his power, destroys Mite-World's last hope and heads out. With the help of Ra's Al-Mite, Bane-Mite constructs a vast accelerated cloning plant, whose first operation comes to a close. But while standing ready for dimension travel while his clones pump up with toxik, Overbat steps in and orders Bane-Mite and his army to surrender. By using the golden light of purity (which no evil or corruption can exist in), Bob is able to stop Bane-Mite. It's over. Bat-Mite can now release all the Hero-Mites from Arkham. Overbat is an inspiration to all - living proof that any adversity can be overcome. Unfortunately, Bob can't resist and experiments with toxik, which kills him with one sniff. A ceremony is later held and a golden statue is put up in Bob's honor.

Powers and Abilities

 Bat-Mite possesses near-infinite magical powers and comes from another dimension, much like Mr. Mxyzptlk

In other media