Pokemon fan reimagines Batman as Pokemon Team Bat Leader

Villainous teams are some of the most iconic aspects of the Pokemon franchise. Often having the entire plot of their game revolve around their group and their plans to use the Legendary of their region to fulfill their goals, these staples of any mainline Pokemon title are their leaders and their crew of elite admins.

One creative user on the Pokemon subreddit, u/budayarif, has taken inspiration from DC's cast of iconic superheroes. They cast Batman as the leader of one of the creature-catching franchise's team leaders. They cast millionaire Bruce Wayne as the leader of Team Bat.

I made Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) as Pokemon Team Bat Leader, what do you think? byu/budayarif inpokemon

Bruce utilizes a general theme of creatures that many fans of both Pokemon and the Batman series would expect. His team consists of many bat and night-themed creatures, with his ace most definitely being his Urshifu. Though it is a bit hard to tell from the design of the creature and the costume it now wears in the fan art, it is most likely Single-Strike Urshifu, a Dark and Fighting-type.

Comment byu/budayarif from discussion inpokemon

Of course, the first thought of many fans is that Robin should make an appearance as well since he is Batman's iconic sidekick. User TACOTONY02 is one of the many users who echo this sentiment. With various incarnations of the Boy Wonder across the many generations of the Batman series, it would be fitting for Damian Wayne or Dick Grayson to show up as admins of Team Bat.

Comment byu/budayarif from discussion inpokemon

Another user, u/WickedFox1o1, commented on the distinct lack of Bat-Cow representation. Bat-Cow is a cow Batman and Robin saved from a slaughterhouse to test for diseases in the comics. With Bat-Cow still living at Wayne Manor in a barn, a Paldean Tauros would have made an excellent addition to Bruce's hypothetical team.

Many fans appreciate this interesting take on a beloved superhero (Image via Reddit)

One detail that stuck out in the design for Team Bat's leader is that he does not wear his iconic costume. Rather, the Batman aspect of Bruce Wayne comes through in his Urshifu, which wears a similar costume. Bruce Wayne appears to be the focus of this design concept rather than Batman, which makes a lot of sense considering how team leaders in the Pokemon franchise are usually decently wealthy.

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Could DC's Bruce Wayne work as a Pokemon villain?

Bruce Wayne has a lot of the resources many of the Pokemon villains have, but he does not have a malicious nature (Image via The Pokemon Company/Warner Bros)

This artistic rendition raises the question of whether or not Bruce has what it takes to be a good antagonist in the Pokemon franchise. With advanced technology, exceptional intelligence, an intimidating demeanor, and a team of allies, the millionaire from Gotham stands on par with other team leaders from the games.

While Bruce fights crime with his hero alter ego, this concept could be reflected in this new hypothetical incarnation while still keeping him as the main antagonist. The ambitions of Team Bat could be to create a perfect world free from crime and war, but using brute force to do so, building an army of merciless grunts with powerful Pokemon in an attempt to replace the region's military power.

Overall, Bruce Wayne and Team Bat may not ever be a part of an official Pokemon game, but the concept makes for a very interesting thought.