Why hello there, @ObscurityofDCClub and other members of the DC Community! Welcome to Week 76 of Obscurity of DC’s Obscure Book Club! This week, as a Batman Day Special, we’ll be focusing on…
Description from dc.fandom.com: Fleet Delmar also known as Karma was once an insane Markovian terrorist who now wears a psychic helmet that allows him to read the minds and anticipate the moves of his opponents. It also additionally allows him to absorb energy and use it again.
Now that that’s over with, here are some discussion questions:
In your opinion, what does Karma mean when he says “You’re [the Bat Family] making him [Batman] weaker? Do you think he means it? Explain.
Why do you think he goes by the name “Karma,” considering he seems more deadset on hurting Batman than dishing out vengeance?
Batman and Karma have an interesting relationship. How do you think Karma sees Batman? Does he think Batman is his ally or his friend? Does he think Batman is a hero or villain? Explain.
In the middle of issue 895, Karma begins to abduct seemingly-random people from all over Gotham. Why do you think he did that? What was the point?
In issue 894, Karma says that Batman saved him. However, we later learn that Batman just beat him up and sent his bats after him. So, in your opinion, why do you think Karma sees Batman as his savior, instead of his enemy?
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He’s genuinely one of my favorite villains. Glad you covered him.
So if we look at the two members of the Bat-family in this story. Signal and Orphan are examples of people who presence have made Batman a better person and less violent. He doesn’t necessarily regret wanting to kill the Robins but is aware it’s not their fault, it’s why he apologizes to them beforehand.
He believes himself to be Batman’s Karma and wants to punish him for destroying his life while also wanting to face that the brutal version of Batman he met so long ago.
Batman is someone that Karma envisioned as a sort of devil who scarred him but as this individual was already a sadistic killer beforehand and he thinks Batman’s legacy has made him more vulnerable and weaker and he hates that. His views of him are made to be intentionally odd but he most certainly does hate for what he done to him.
It definitely catches the attention of Gotham with the idea that Batman is responsible for these people dying and that children will be next. He specifically wants to target the children though because they are part of his view that his legacy is going to suffer for making him weak.
Karma sees that Batman gave him what he deserved. His evil was punish by someone who truly broke him. Karma is the kind of villain that admires his enemy to not want revenge, but does want Batman to become stronger by eliminating elements like the Bat-family to bring back his view of the dark knight that was ruthless and violent to people like him.
(Karma just essentially wants Batman Zur-En-Arrh) If only he waited longer for the chip Zdarksy run.
