THE SLAP HEARD AROUND THE WORLD

We all know the infamous Bat-slap – it’s been the subject of countless memes since before many of us even knew what a meme was. But what’s the real story behind it? Why would Batman slap Robin like that, especially in the days before Burt Ward’s portrayal of the Boy Wonder?

To find the answer, we dive into World’s Finest #153 from November 1965. A quick look at the splash page tells us two things: 1) Batman seems furious with Superman, and 2) this is an "imaginary story." (And, as readers at the time would know, "imaginary" meant anything could happen!)

The tale begins with a revenge-fueled Batman. In the Batcave, he stands before a poster of Superman on an easel, slashing it to pieces – because in this alternate reality, Batman believes Superman murdered his father.

The story flashes back to the days when Superman was still Superboy, and Bruce Wayne was just a kid. Bruce's father, Dr. Wayne, develops a serum to protect Superboy from Kryptonite, but it hasn’t been fully tested. One night, Superboy urgently asks for the serum to defend himself against Lex Luthor, but Dr. Wayne refuses, concerned it’s not safe. Shortly after, Bruce finds his father dead in his lab – and spots a familiar blue-and-red blur fleeing the scene.

Though Superboy vows to help find the killer, Bruce suspects him from the start. Bruce makes a private vow to one day bring his father's "killer" to justice. Years later, Bruce has become Batman, and he’s still determined to bring Superman to justice. Lucky for him, he gains a partner when he meets Dick Grayson (aka Robin) after the tragedy at the circus.

Robin, however, is still a fan of Superman, even excited to meet him. Batman tries to contain his bitterness, but later in the Batcave, when Robin overhears Batman's vengeful vow against Superman, he’s shocked and tries to defend the Man of Steel. This defense provokes Batman, and he slaps Robin – a slap so infamous that it became an iconic panel.

Batman is so enraged that he decides to end his partnership with Robin altogether. Using a hypnosis machine (courtesy of the Crime Doctor), he wipes Robin’s memories, then sends Dick Grayson off to an orphanage and heads off to confront Superman.

Sure, this is an "imaginary" tale, but it's shocking nonetheless. While some readers might share Batman's frustrations with Robin’s "holy this" and "holy that" lines of the 1960s, this slap and the fallout take it a step too far.

If you want to see how the rest of this wild story unfolds, check out World’s Finest #153!