The spring of 2021 saw the release of the third and final volume of Batman: Earth One. The trilogy by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank gave fans a unique, more realistic incarnation of the Dark Knight's world. With the third volume of the series bringing the story to its conclusion, some loose ends have been tied up, but several questions have been raised.
That said, part of the series' appeal is that it isn't slavishly loyal to the classic interpretations of the characters loved by many fans. Instead, it reinvents them. Sometimes the changes are minor, but sometimes they make the characters unrecognizable from their original counterparts.
Accurate: Catwoman
Eight months before Zoe Kravitz played Catwoman, fans got a glimpse at an early version of the character in the third volume of Batman: Earth One. That said, this wasn't Selina Kyle's first appearance in the series, as she was a cat burglar who tended to an injured Batman's wounds in Volume 2.
This version of the character maintains the catty and flirtatious banter with The Caped Crusader that are evocative of their legendary relationship. At the end of Volume 3, Catwoman is seen alongside the newly formed Outsiders team in a different costume, implying her relationship with Batman is far from over.
Inaccurate: Alfred Pennyworth
Arguably the most important Bat-Family member, Alfred Pennyworth usually approaches his duties as Bruce Wayne's butler with a stiff upper lip but a lot of love for his surrogate son. Alfred in Earth One is nothing like that, as he is a stern, militaristic advisor who resents being called a butler.
That isn't to say that this Alfred doesn't love Bruce — in fact, quite the opposite is true — but their relationship has a lot more tension than usual. This version of Alfred is also far more willing to murder people than the original version of the character, perhaps being even more dangerous than Batman himself.
Accurate: Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon doesn't have a gigantic role in Batman: Earth One, but the times when she does appear present a very familiar version of the character. Barbara maintains her upbeat personality and has a job as a librarian, similar to her traditional counterpart.
When Batman saves her life from The Birthday Boy, a serial killer who Mayor Oswald Cobblepott employs, Barbara begins mulling over the idea of ing Batman in his war on crime. At the end of Volume 3, Barbara s the newly formed Outsiders team as Batgirl.
Inaccurate: The Riddler
The Riddler is among Batman's greatest foes, but to call him a true threat to the hero would be a stretch. That isn't the case in Earth One, as Johns and Frank's incarnation of The Riddler that appears in Volume 2 is a remorseless serial killer whose drive to murder those who stand in the way of his takeover of Gotham's criminal empire leaves hundreds if not thousands dead.
Also, this version of The Riddler is never identified as Edward Nygma, serving to make him all the more mysterious. Though he is ultimately defeated by Batman, the effects of his killing spree are still felt in the next volume.
Accurate: The Penguin
Outside of being the mayor of Gotham, something that isn't common for The Penguin in the comics, Earth One's version of Oswald Cobblepott maintains a lot of what makes the character special with only a few key differences. While he carries the umbrellas and top hats fans expect, the Penguin of the traditional comics would be horrified by this version's actions.
Penguin is usually far from a wholesome individual, but this universe's version of the character is a depraved elite who looks as monstrous on the outside as he does within. Not only does he play a key role in Gotham's corruption, but he also supplies little girls to a serial killer called The Birthday Boy.
Inaccurate: Two-Face
Earth One has a very unusual version of Two-Face, with Harvey Dent being a childhood bully of Bruce Wayne's who resented Bruce's friendship with his sister, Jessica Dent. With the siblings now serving as district attorney and mayor respectively, Harvey and Jessica attempt to collaborate with Bruce to save Gotham, but Harvey turns on Bruce when The Riddler attempts to pin his crimes on him.
During a prison riot, Harvey has a Molotov cocktail smashed onto his face, which actually kills him. In Volume 3, it is believed that Harvey has returned and is responsible for a spree of crime, only for it to be revealed that Jessica Dent is behind all of it, having developed dissociative identity disorder.
Accurate: Jim Gordon
Though Jim Gordon's portrayal is true to the comics, he isn't initially the good egg in a bad bunch as fans typically see him. It's revealed early on that Gordon has turned a blind eye to the corruption of Gotham after his wife was seemingly killed by criminals, that is until he and Batman save his daughter Barbara from The Birthday Boy.
While Earth One's Jim Gordon is initially shown to be on the take, his encounter with Batman lights a fire in his soul, and he begins his own war on crime. In Volumes 2 and 3, Gordon begins his friendship with Batman as well as becoming captain of the GD.
Inaccurate: Harvey Bullock
As opposed to the slobbish but lovable detective he is in traditional depictions of the character, Harvey Bullock in Earth One is initially portrayed as a handsome reality TV police officer who has transferred to Gotham after his show, Hollywood Detectives, is canceled. Fascinated by Gotham's criminal history, Bullock sets out to solve the Wayne murders.
However, upon witnessing the actions of The Birthday Boy, Bullock's mind bends at just how wretched a city Gotham truly is, eventually coping with the trauma through the unhealthy means of alcohol. As the series goes on, Bullock's downward spiral only deepens as he begins to resemble his traditional character more and more.
Accurate: Killer Croc
Batman: Earth One is mostly a grounded take on the character's world, but it isn't afraid to go sci-fi on occasion with characters like Killer Croc. Out of all the characters in Batman: Earth One, Croc is the most in line with his classic counterpart, as he actually isn't a cannibalistic monster.
Instead, Croc is portrayed as sympathetic and helpful, eventually ing Batman's war on crime. Though he and Alfred develop a frosty relationship, Croc proves his loyalty to Batman, eventually ing The Outsiders in Volume 3.
Inaccurate: Batman
It's a bit strange that one of the least accurate characters in Batman: Earth One is Batman himself, but this Dark Knight is far from The World's Greatest Detective. In Earth One, Bruce Wayne was a spoiled brat who is 100% responsible for his parents' deaths, growing up to dress up as a vigilante in a bat suit.
Batman's comeback is pretty major though, more or less becoming an urban legend by accident before becoming recognizable as the Batman fans are more familiar with. Though fans may miss the more capable Caped Crusader, Johns' writing and Frank's art do a good job making him seem human.
