Batman (Justice League: Gods and Monsters)

Kirk Langstrom, a scientist who has inadvertently transformed himself into a vampire in an attempt to cure his cancer, feeding on criminals to satisfy his hunger becoming Batman. He is one of the main protagonists in Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles, and Justice League: Gods and Monsters.

Early Life
At Gotham University, Kirk Langstrom studied with Dr. Lex Luthor for three years. While living in Gotham City, Kirk was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. As a man of science, he refused to give in and sought to beat it. He tried to cure himself of the cancer with a compound named Bat-Venom. It became his project at the University. On graduation day, Kirk left to finish his lab work amid a flimsy promise to go to a party that night with his friends Will Magnus and Tina. That night, Magnus and Tina found Kirk asleep in a lab and woke him up. Kirk revealed he thought he was getting close to perfecting his Bat Venom. The coefficient on the blood coagulants were almost matching.

Langstrom wanted to stay and keep working but Tina convinced him to go the party for her. Tina, the designated driver, took Magnus and Kirk back to their apartment. He noticed Magnus brought his project home, nanites constructing a ship in a bottle. Kirk got an idea and asked if the nanites could be applied to organics. He wanted Magnus to program the nanites to acts as agents in the Bat Venom and stabilize it. He suddenly collapsed. After being taken to a hospital, Kirk was scolded by Tina for not admitting to how far his cancer had come. Magnus looked through Langstrom's research and agreed to try and help. Five days later, one of the lab mice survived the trials. The mouse's erythrocyte count was still up and its agglutination was still normal. Magnus wanted to run another test but Kirk was cognizant of the time he had left. Kirk held the syringe to his arm but couldn't go through with it. Magnus took it and injected it for him. In a feverish state, Kirk was taken to his bedroom by Tina.

The Bat Venom was a success but Kirk was turned into a pseudo-vampire as a result. He tore up his room then jumped out the window. Staggering through Gotham, Kirk was stopped by two criminals. Kirk suddenly had super strength, agility, and speed. He threw one in a dumpster and dodged bullets before tackling the second to the ground. Overcome by the sight of blood, Kirk bit into him. Kirk saw his reflection in broken glass and saw what he became.

Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles
Batman entered a Gotham warehouse used by the serial killer Harlequin as a hideout. After observing her handiwork, a refridgerator full of body parts and heads, Batman came upon three over-sized jack-in-the-boxes. One contained a dead man turned into a jack with his lower body removed. Batman found a blonde woman, still alive, tied up in another box. Harlequin attacked them with her mallet. While the woman ran out the warehouse, Batman went further in and clutched the ceiling of a hall filled with cracked mirrors. Harlequin caught up and the fight continued. Batman punched her through one of the mirrors and revealed an entrance into her inner sanctum populated with her "family" - a dead man, woman, boy, and eldery woman with expressions stapled in place, stitched up, and festering with flies. Harlequin came at Batman with a chainsaw. He dodged her attacks and tossed her onto a television set then tricked her into swinging into a concrete pillar. The chainsaw came apart and wounded Harlequin. She surrendered and requested to be taken to jail. Batman had no intention of doing so, bit Harlequin's neck, and fed on her blood.

Justice League: Gods And Monsters
Batman joined Superman and Wonder Woman on a raid on terrorists occupying a bunker under the Kasnian embassy in Metropolis. Batman killed several of the men such as breaking necks and punching through chests but he had a more difficult time with the terrorist known as Blockbuster. Unable to hurt him with punches or kicks, Batman was caught in a bear hug. He sank his fangs into Blockbuster's neck and fed. Blockbuster tried slamming him into a wall but it was too late. Blockbuster was weak from the blood loss and fell over. Steve Trevor showed up when the battle was over and read the League the riot act. Batman pointed out they weren't police so the bunker wasn't off-limits to them. Back at the Tower, at Superman's behest, Batman revealed the Justice League had a 22% approval rating domestically and 29% worldwide. Superman noted revolutions were built on less and thought briefly about taking over the world. Batman returned to his home near Gotham City that night. While making a batch of plasma, he received a call from Magnus.

Magnus asked him if the League could look into the disappearance of Ray Palmer, an old classmate, upstate a couple days ago. After contemplaing jurisdiction, Batman promised to check into it. The next day, Batman recalled Superman and Wonder Woman to the Tower. He presented them with reports on the recent murders of three scientists - Victor Fries, Ray Palmer, and Silas Stone. Superman realized someone was framing the Justice League for these murders. Batman noted all three worked together at one time or another on government projects. Since Stone was a visiting professor at Gotham University, Batman elected to sneak into his office in the Physics Department. While looking through Stone's emails, Batman noticed one where all three of the scientists were CC'ed along with Magnus. A Project Fair Play. Batman copied Stone's files then noticed an old graduation photo he was in and remembered his graduation day. A janitor approached the office. Batman removed his flash drive and went out the window. After the janitor turned her back, Batman leaped off the window sill and flew off.

Batman went to Magnus' home and overheard an argument between Magnus and another scientist, Karen Beecher, who refused to be killed by the League next. After Beecher left, Magnus realized Batman was waiting outside. Batman asked Magnus if he was keeping anything to himself. When Magnus reiterated non disclosure agreements, Batman asked about Project Fair Play. Magnus stopped and asked how he heard of it. Batman explained the email but Magnus denied it was anything he had to worry about. Batman stepped outside concerned and was approached by Tina. She admitted he was always too clever for his own good. Batman promised he wouldn't let anything happen to her or Magnus then left. With the implication of the League's involvement in the murders hitting the news thanks to Lois Lane, Batman did not return to the Tower and instead went to Beecher's country mansion to eavesdrop on a meeting of scientists who worked on Fair Play. They contemplated on what to do next before they were killed next. The real killers soon arrived, three killer robots.

Batman engaged the Batdroid but was thrown through a window. The robots slew several scientists. After the Batdroid tore Pat Dugan in two, Batman tackled and threw it into the fireplace then kicked the Superdroid. He raced to save Tina from the Wonderdroid but was punched by the Superdroid. He watched in horror as Tina was stabbed through with a sword then Magnus was incinerated. Wonder Woman and Superman came to Batman's aid but it was too late. Superman heard a faint heartbeat. Magnus was barely alive... and a witness to their innocence. They took Magnus back to the Tower and speculated on the who the robots were. Batman didn't think they were from New Genesis since the government was trying to duplicate the Boom Tube ever since they learned about it from Wonder Woman's exploits. No closer to solving the issue of who framed them, Batman suggested Superman go see Dr. Luthor on his space ship. However, as soon as Superman left, the Superdroid blew the ship up. President Waller authorized Trevor to take the League down.

As Trevor's forces surrounded the Tower, Batman realized it was 10 years since he and Superman first met. After Superman and Wonder Woman went outside to 'talk' to Trevor, Batman raised the shield around the Tower. To his surprise, Tina appeared to Batman. Her right arm stretched out, grabbed Batman, and slammed him to the ground. Tin, a robot created by Magnus, formed a restraint around Batman. Tina showed her true form, a robot called Platinum. She revived Magnus with organic nanites and restored him to normal. He explained to Batman that Fair Play entailed lasers that could mimic red sun radiation like Krypton's sun. Batman asked about Tina. Magnus admitted he accidentally killed her a year into their marriage due to her constant urging to find a cure for Kirk. He finally snapped and hit her but she knocked her head on a table and died. Magnus admitted he knew Tina truly loved Kirk then explained his plan to change the world by linking all minds with his Nanite Bomb and eliminating all anguish, hatred and guilt.

Dr. Luthor boomed to the battle outside the Tower and revealed Magnus was the real culprit. Superman's assault on the Tower shield gave Batman enough momentum to kick a nearby pedastel and expose some wiring. Batman flipped Tin on it then karate chopped its head off. Magnus sent his three droids after Batman but he managed to drop the shield just in time. He dodged Superdroid's heat vision but the Batdroid pounced on him and prepared to bite. Superman decked the Batdroid. Superman and the droids battled in the city. Batman made his way to the center of the Tower then knocked Platinum away and gut punched Magnus as they worked on connecting the Nanite Bomb to Superman's ship. Magnus displayed newly acquired strength and healing factor thanks to the nanites. As Batman sneaked around, Magnus asserted if Tina didn't love him who only loved bats and test tubes - this wouldn't have all happened. Batman replied he was wrong and admitted he only loved two people but they were gone. Magnus was momentarily stunned by the admission.

Batman pulled one of Magnus' legs and threw him over, kicked him hard in mid-air then punched his face into a pulp. He stopped at the sight of Magnus' blood. Magnus implored him to take a bite. Batman mused he tasted like crap and tossed him then returned to the bomb. He was unable to stop the timer. Wonder Woman intervened and plunged her sword into it. It worked but the core in Superman's ship became unstable. Superman took the ship into space, where it detonated safely. Seeing the error of his ways, Magnus asked Batman to forgive him then deactivated his nanites. Magnus was reduced to a pile of dust. A week later, Batman was surprised to hear Superman propose no more politics or killing and that Wonder Woman was returning home with Dr. Luthor in tow. Batman and Superman immediately went to work going through the original files from Superman's ship and learning about the revolutionary applications of Kryptonian science.

Trivia

 * This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the film Justice League: Gods and Monsters and is an adaptation of Kirk Langstrom. The original character was created by Frank Robbins and Neal Adams and first appeared in Detective Comics #400.