The Dark Knight has some of the most menacing and noteworthy villains in all of Comics. Batman has faced off against everyone from the Joker, Bane, Scarecrow, the Penguin, and the Riddler, just to name a few. However, in 2020, Batman will have an all-new adversary to take on: The Designer.
There’s not much known about the Designer or his real identity, as the character hasn’t appeared before assumably getting introduced in the upcoming run of Batman. However, the Designer seems to have deep connections to Gotham City and an ability to bring some of the most frightening Batman villains together.
In DC’s solicits for March 2020 for Batman #90 and Batman #91, written by James Tynion IV and with art by Jorge Jimenez, the Designer was teased as a new villain ready to bring a reckoning to Gotham. Described as a “mysterious master criminal,” the Designer will have unleashed his grand criminal scheme upon the city, leaving Batman and Catwoman to figure out exactly what’s going on. It won’t be easy for Batman, as he will face off against the Penguin, the Riddler, a horde of assassins and the Designer all at once. The series will also see Batman team up with Harley Quinn.
According to the March solicits, Catwoman is in on the Designer’s “greatest secret,” so the character seems to have some sort of connection to Selina. Whether it’s a character that’s already been introduced in the previous canon isn’t known, nor is the villain’s costume. As of right now, the Designer is a total mystery.
Current Batman writer Tom King will be passing the series over to Tynion IV starting in January with Batman #86 - while the new Batman writer will have a small two-page prelude in Batman #85. Tynion’s impressive track record includes working on Detective Comics, Justice League Dark, and Justice League. Artist Tony S. Daniel will draw the book before Jimenez takes over on issue #90.
It makes sense Tynion would introduce a new character of his own to make an immediate stamp on his new Batman arc. King’s run has featured a wide cast of familiar Bat villains, so putting in a fresh character will allow the story to go to new places. It will be interesting to see what the Designer looks like and whether his costume will unveil any clues about who he is and his potential relationship with Catwoman and Batman.
