Batman killed

[terry26 6]

Pictured: The moment Batman meets a grisly end as comic hero is killed off in helicopter crash
His crime-fighting duties have spanned almost 70 years in an ongoing quest to clean up the violent streets of Gotham City.

But now Bruce Wayne, better known by his alter ego Batman, has been killed off.

Batman meets his maker in a grisly fireball after battling with his enemy Mangrove Pierce on a helicopter.

Dastardly demise: Batman No. 681, in which the Caped Crusader dies, is predicted to be a sell-out

Fans of the comic book version of the Caped Crusader today learned the tragic fate of the philanthropist turned super-hero.

Batman confronts Mangrove Pierce, aka The Black Glove, after he storms Wayne Manor and destroys the Bat Cave.

After being shot by the Black Glove, who initially claims to be his father Thomas Wayne, Batman manages to sum up enough strength to jump onto his helicopter as he attempts to flee following the assassination attempt.

After fighting over the controls, the two enemies are killed when the copter crashes to the ground.

In one of the final scenes, Batman's friend Nightwing, aka Dick Grayson, is seen looking at the late superhero's cowl and cape as stands overlooking the fiery scene.

Nightwing, the first Robin, has long been predicated to become Batman's successor and has appeared to be 'groomed' to do so by Bruce Wayne in previous comic issues.

Batman perishes on the fourth-to-last page of DC Comics' Batman No.681.

Grant Morrison, the Glasgow-born writer of the Batman series for DC Comics, revealed the character had reached the end of the line earlier this week.

BRUCE WAYNE (ALIAS BATMAN) HAS BEEN KILLED OFF IN THE 681ST ISSUE OF THE COMIC

'What I am doing is a fate worse than death, things that no one would expect to happen to these guys at all,' said Morrison.

His comments to a trade magazine based in Los Angeles sparked an internet frenzy over what would actually happen to Batman, one of the most popular and well known of all the comic book characters.

One rumour that proved false was that Batman would meet a grisly end after his sidekick Robin goes over to the 'dark side' and succeeds where villains like The Joker and The Penguin have failed... and kills Batman.

The classic: Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin in the Sixties series

Others speculated that Wayne will retire or be killed by a mystery villain known as the Black Glove.

Morrison refused to give any clues in an interview with a US-based trade publication. But what is certain is that the Batman character will live on in the form of another person.

Tim Drake, who has been Robin since 1991, is favourite to slip into the black cape and mask for the DC Comics.

Batman R.I.P., the story penned by 48-year-old Morrison, is predicted to be a sell-out.

Over the years Batman has battled villains such as The Riddler, Joke and Penguin.

But the caped crusader's demise will not be the first time a super-hero has been killed off.

Superman's death in 1992 became the biggest-selling Superman comic in history.

Last year Captain America was killed off when he was shot by a sniper's bullet.

The demise of Batman in comic book form is unlikely to have an effect on the Hollywood version.

The Dark Knight, starring British actor Christian Bale as Batman, has taken over £500million at the box office worldwide.

The super-hero was first co-created by artists Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger for DC Comics in 1939.

Morrison has been the lead writer for the Batman series since 2006.




:(

[BlueLion. 21,491]

NO BATMAN CAN'T DIE!

[Kez 2,727]

Well thats a shock