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There are no famine ofBatmandoppelgangers inDC Comics , butMidnighterstands above the rest for one simple grounds : musical house . Originally created as part of the WildStorm Universe during the 1990s , Midnighter can be described as a more brutish interlingual rendition of the Dark Knight , with forcible enhancements that make him an intimidating opponent in the field . WhileBatman traditionally relies on gadgets , martial arts education , and his detective skills , Midnighter benefit from superhuman velocity , forte , speed healing , and a combat computer in his brain that calculate every potential outcome of a brawl before it even start . Coupled with the fact that Midnighter lacks Batman ’s " no kill " rule , he makes Bruce Wayne look like a coward .
While Midnighter ’s viciousness is part of his appeal as a character reference , he also has a deeply tragic backstory , one that is even sorry than Bruce Wayne ’s . Kidnapped as a small fry and brought to a woman diagnose the Gardener , Midnighter has no retentivity of his lifetime before he was turned into a inhabit weapon . He adopted the name " Lucas Trent " as an attempt to survive a " normal " life story like his husband , Apollo . Midnighter has been a dupe of depersonalization based on his capacity for ferocity , a treatment he has fought against by utter his personality and using dismal humor . So while there are some rightfully depressing panorama to his story , Midnighter focuses more on his present tense , rather than a past tense he ’ll never find the answers to .
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Midnighter may not submit himself with a façade of tragedy like Batman , but he inadvertently took the crown when he directly quotedStephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler ’s musical , Sweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street . While on a mission in space to contain a deadly computer virus in Steve Orlando , Aco , Hugh Petrus , and Romulo Fajardo , Jr. ‘sMidnighter#9 , Lucas pick up a crowbar and prepares to unleash carnage , smiling joyously as he suppose , " Atlast , my arm is complete again . " This references a moment inSweeney Toddwhere the titulary Demon Barber reacquaints himself with the square razor he uses to kill his enemies , uttering the same product line at the end of the song , " My Friends . " While Midnighter’sSweeney Toddline is a adorable nod to one of the most iconic LGBTQIA+ figures in musical theater , it ’s also an face of how deeply tragic his character is .
The parallels between Sweeney Todd and Midnighter are striking , as both of them are victims of injustice , and utilize brutal violence as a means of revenge . In the melodic , Sweeney Todd ’s married woman was assaulted by a corrupt judge , and the barber spends the show killing off everyone responsible . At this point in time , Midnighter and Apollohad broken up , and without the love of his living , Midnighter was hazardously closemouthed to gyrate into the same directionless violence that Sweeney Todd end up in . While Midnighter surpass at using his fell exponent for good , his trade name of justice always come at the expense of bloodshed , just like Sweeney Todd . It is for this grounds thatMidnighter is more tragic than Batman , because the creature of justness available to him are define by the fact that he was created for one intention : to kill .
in the end , Midnighter being a Stephen Sondheim fan reminds fans that he is more than just the killing automobile he was intended to be . Him referencingSweeney Toddimplies that he check himself in the main persona , a fact supported by his flight in DC Comics . WhileBatmanhas the reputation of being DC ’s darkest hero , it isMidnighterwho truly deserves the deed of conveyance , thanks to Stephen Sondheim .
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