My Latest Black Glove Theory

My Latest Black Glove Theory

Aug 27

I guess I’ll put a jump in for “spoilers,” although the chances I’ve managed to ferret out Grant Morrison’s mental machinations before he’s chosen to reveal them to us is indeed slim…

What if the Black Glove is the DC Universe itself?

The idea occurred to me last night when I was finally reading Batman 679, specifically the scene where the two gargoyles are talking to Batman about Gotham City’s “grid,” and Batman describes it as “a machine to make Batman.”

Well, what is a superhero universe itself, if not a machine to create superheroes?

There’s also the idea floating around (from some older Morrison interview or another) that the writer’s longing to transform the DCU into a sentient being. I’ve long wondered (as others have, I’m sure) if that’s not the ultimate gambit in Final Crisis–Morrison’s finally gonna get to turn the DCU itself into a character in its own adventures. (Shades of Libra’s origin, if you’ve read that Len Wein issue from back in the day.)

It also fits in with Morrison’s ongoing obsession with meta-fiction–while it’s not quite as far a leap as making the grand puppetmaster Grant Morrison himself, as he was in Animal Man, it’s still consistent with his continual creation of layer upon layer within and around the fictional worlds he manipulates.

Finally, let’s be honest–NO ONE would see this one coming. The DC Universe itself as Batman’s creator and greatest villain…just as he has been for all of DC’s heroes, since the dawn of time itself.

Again, what the fuck do I know? It sure is fun to speculate, though.

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