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If there is one thing that Marvel and DC fans can pretty much always agree on, it’s that a crossover between the two comic book universes is always a welcome thing. There have been several legendary crossovers over the years and, most recently, fans have had a lot of fun with 2025’s Batman/Deadpool and 2026’s Superman/Spider-Man crossovers. There have even been other, more subtle nods at each other’s worlds over the years with characters appearing in one publishers books that look an awful lot like a character appearing in the other’s stories. But this week, DC fans spotted someone in Gotham City that made them wonder if Batman was being joined by a certain iconic mutant in his pursuit of justice, but it’s not quite what you think.
Spoilers for Batman #11 beyond this point.
In this week’s Batman #11, we see Bruce stop by to visit Dr. Annika Zeller. He’s there to explain himself to her a bit, specifically his complicated relationship with Damian’s mother, in an effort to perhaps get her to stay in Gotham. But what is particularly notable in the panel isn’t what Bruce is saying. It’s the other details, little snippets of what Annika is seeing in news reports and the like on her phone. There are quite a few different thing going on—references to an illegal dog fighting ring, some kids engaging in some questionable and dangerous activities due to “unlicensed dojos” among other things—but the reference that will likely jump out to most folks is an ad for a “Mighty Meaty Mutant Meal”. The image advertises the meal deal as starting at $9.99, which seems reasonable, but the real draw? The figure in the advertisement is wearing a visor with a red-colored lens not unlike a certain visor-wearing X-Men leader from Marvel’s side of the publishing divide.
No, That’s Not Exactly a Cyclops Reference in Batman #11
So, if you saw the Mighty Meaty Mutant Meal ad and immediately thought to yourself that that guy looks an awful lot like a take on Cyclops, you’re not entirely wrong. At first glance, with red lens having visor not only does he look a bit the part, but that mutant reference certainly puts you in the mindset that, hey, this is a Cyclops nod or an X-Men riff. However, there’s actually quite a bit more to this clever little easter egg of sorts. It turns out that Mutant Leader is actually a real DC Comics character. First appearing in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, Mutant Leader is a major antagonist in that story. As his name implies, he’s the leader of the Mutant Gang, a vicious gang operating out of the Gotham City dump. The gang became popular among Gotham’s impressionable youth and Mutant Leader encouraged them to carry out chaos and acts of violence, helping to make Gotham more dangerous than anyone since the Joker.
While the character hasn’t been utilized a lot in comics since his original appearance, he does pop up every now and again. He has, however, been a bit more popular in various adaptations. Mutant Leader has appeared in an episode of The New Batman Adventures as well as The LEGO Batman Movie as well as in live action, appearing in the fifth season of Gotham as played by Sid O’Connell during the No Man’s Land storyline. Another live action version of the character that arguably looks even closer to Cyclops’ overall appeared in The CW’s Gotham Knights. That character had a proper name, Vernon Wagner.
As for the connection between Mutant Leader and Cyclops, that’s a little less direct. While the character is not an official reference to Cyclops or the X-Men, the elements of the character’s design are pretty undeniable. You also have to remember that both DC and Marvel have a long history of making characters that are sort of winks and nods to their competitor’s characters. But while the Batman #11 moment isn’t really the arrival of the X-Men in the DC universe or even really a nod to that, what it actually is is a really nice reference to one of the more interesting and somewhat forgotten characters in the deep catalog of figures in Batman’s world. It makes for a nice little treat for longtime DC fans and makes for an interesting conversation starter for newer fans who are just starting to fully explore the long, rich history of comics.
The real question we have, however, is what comes in that Mighty Meaty Mutant Meal. Just saying.
Batman #11 is on sale now.
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