While Stan Lee might be famous for his work at Marvel, the iconic creator also co-created a version of Batman and a world in the DC Multiverse.
While Stan Lee will be forever remembered as the co-creator behind many of Marvel’s most iconic characters, he also co-created one world in the DC Multiverse. In 2001, Lee was paired with some of comics’ greatest artists to reimagine DC’s most iconic superheroes in the Just Imagine… series of interconnected one-shot, which built the world that would come to be known as Earth-6.
The first of these one-shots saw Lee team up with Joe Kubert, Sibin Slavkovic and Bill Oakley to reimagine Batman as a young Black man named Wayne Williams.
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Wayne’s father was a police officer who was killed in the line of duty, amidst the violence and crime within his Los Angeles neighborhood. Working at a mini-market, Wayne struggled to provide for his mother. One day, a local gangster named Handz passed by the mini-market, when a car of rival gang members attempted to gun him down. Witnessing Handz’ girlfriend in the line of fire, Wayne stepped in to save the young woman. This noble action got Wayne in trouble with Handz, who later framed Wayne for armed robbery.
In prison, Wayne vowed revenge against Handz and was determined to be free. Wayne was also regularly visited by a bat, who, for a time, was his only friend. Later, Wayne befriended a physicist and inventor named Frederick Grant. This scientist trained Wayne to build both his mind and his body, taking him to the prison library and out to the courtyard for weight-lifting.
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Sadly, with no one to take care of her, Wayne’s mother died while he was in prison. Fueled with grief, Wayne blamed Handz for his mother’s death, more determined than ever to get out of prison. Wayne found the opportunity for freedom during a prison riot. Rather than escape, Wayne saved the warden from the other inmates, which earned him a full pardon. On the outside, Wayne went into hiding in a shabby hotel, where he shaved his head to disguise himself from Handz. Wayne also kept his bat from prison as a pet as he plotted his revenge on Handz.