Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham

Among the most well-known Marvel and DC superheroes, Batman is unique in that he not only possesses no superhuman abilities, relying more on his wits, he’s a very versatile character. You can place him in just about any situation or tone and it somehow makes sense. From the more grounded Batman: The Animated Series to the sillier Batman: The Brave and the Bold or even the more fantastical Batman Ninja and Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, just about any situation works for the world’s greatest detective as long as there’s some sort of mystery to solve. In one of the more unique takes from back in late 2000, DC published a three-issue “Elseworlds” story written by Mike Mignola and Richard Pace called Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, which places Batman in a cosmic horror story heavily inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft. This story later got loosely adapted into a film of the same name in 2023.

Although I had not read the original comic story, the premise of The Doom That Came to Gotham piqued my interest since I had read some of Lovecraft’s work when I was younger and had been fascinated with different takes on it ever since. Unfortunately, while it hits many of the elements found in Lovecraft’s style of cosmic horror, and has a lot of potential within the context of Batman, the film doesn’t quite hit it out of the park.

In the 1920s, Bruce Wayne (David Giuntoli) has been traveling abroad for twenty years following his parents’ murder. While investigating the disappearance of an expedition crew under the command of Oswald Cobblepot (William Salyers), Bruce subdues Grendon (David Dastmalchian), an undead crewman freeing an otherworldly creature encased in ice, and brings him back aboard his ship. After looking into Cobblepot’s journal, Bruce returns to Gotham with his crew (Kai Li Cain (Tati Gabrielle), Dick Grayson (Jason Marsden), Sanjay “Jay” Tawde (Karan Brar), and butler Alfred Pennyworth (Brian George)) in search of answers to a mystery surrounding the creature he had seen in the ice. Back in Wayne Manor, however, Bruce meets Jason Blood (Matthew Waterson), the current host of the demon Etrigan (Matthew Waterson), who informs him that to stop the creature, he must perform a ritual that must be performed with his death and Gotham’s destruction.

After years at sea, Bruce Wayne (David Giuntoli) returns to Gotham with
his faithful butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Brian George).

As a fan of the works of H.P. Lovecraft, I noticed that The Doom That Came to Gotham did indeed touch on many of the elements found within the author’s cosmic horror work. Some references are more specific, like the Testament of Ghul standing in for the Necronomicon, the Cult of Ghul representing cults that are often associated with Elder and Outer Gods and Ra’s al Ghul himself standing in for Abdul Alhazred, the “Mad Arab” and author of the Necronomicon. There’s even a nod to “Herbert West–Reanimator” with the cameo appearance of a Herbert West (uncredited). More than that, however, the broader theme of mankind’s powerlessness against that which it can’t comprehend is woven throughout, as those who interact with the Outer God of the story, The Lurker at the Threshold, eventually lost themselves to insanity or performed certain actions at the revelation of the Outer God’s existence and ability. Religion plays a part in the story as well through this interpretation of Oliver Queen (Christopher Gorham), including the concept of the “sins of the father” discussed in some other Batman stories, and there’s a quick and subtle commentary on racism from the time period through the presence of Lucius Fox (Tim Russ), possibly doubling as an acknowledgement of Lovecraft’s own unfortunate history. At times, the dialogue also evokes Lovecraft’s own cadence in his writing. I’ll note here, however, that The Lurker at the Threshold is actually a creation of August Derleth, who wrote the short story of the same name as a “posthumous collaboration”, and not necessarily Lovecraft himself.

For a good amount of the nearly 90-minute runtime, the movie does an admirable job with its premise, creating an air of mystery as Bruce Wayne grapples with the supernatural horrors that threaten Gotham while introducing alternate versions of characters like Mr. Freeze, Ra’s al Ghul and Killer Croc (uncredited) that fit the setting. As with many other Batman stories, the death of Bruce’s parents plays an important role in the story, in this case recontextualized in a more original way that actually ties more directly into the plot. Even with the mostly consistent horror atmosphere, Oliver Queen provides some levity at more appropriate opportunities. An example:

Commissioner James Gordon (John DiMaggio): Oliver Queen. What are you doing here? Expecting another dozen cases of your bootleg hooch, are we?

Oliver Queen: And flout the prohibition laws that help keep Gotham the fine and chaste city we’ve all come to love? Why Jimmy Gordon, you slay me! Tell you what though, if I do happen upon a case, I’ll let you watch me polish it off. At least then, you and your boys can see what getting to the bottom of a case actually looks like.

Oliver Queen (Christopher Gorham) provides some good levity.

By the end of the film, however, the flaws are more apparent. For one thing, the movie assumes you already know who Etrigan is, as it makes no attempt at explaining who he is or his connection with Jason Blood. Although Poison Ivy (Gideon Adlon) makes an appearance, her relevance to the plot is so minor that she feels inserted for the sake of including more familiar characters. Although the prophecy delivered to Bruce Wayne comes true, through methods that wouldn’t be too out of place in cosmic horror, it leads to a rather underwhelming finale. That’s not to say one goes into a story like this expecting a completely happy ending, as this genre usually has some sort of tragic twist, but more the execution wasn’t satisfying. Perhaps because of this, the film isn’t particularly memorable, as I had to watch the film twice to more effectively write this review.

Really, the animation carries the rest of the film, as it’s actually pretty good, especially the fight scenes and special effects, and the art style does a good job of capturing the time period. The voice acting is also pretty good for the most part, with a special highlight on Jeffrey Combs, who shows off his talent for both horror and voice acting in his role as Kirk Langstrom (though there was a missed opportunity to have him reprise his role as Herbert West from Re-Animator). I also liked the touch of incorporating backwards audio into Ra’s al Ghul’s chant near the end of the film, as it helps give it an otherworldly vibe.

Guest Starring The Man on Fire

Although a great concept on paper, The Doom That Came to Gotham’s inability to stick the landing sadly hurts it in the long run. There are better DC Elseworlds stories and spins on Lovecraft’s continuously influential body of work out there and, as such, I would encourage you to seek those out instead.