Deacon Blackfire Origins - This Murderous Cult Leader Who Brain-Washed Batman To Become A Criminal

For the better part of nearly 3 decades, America was gripped by a phenomenon that seemed genuine, even noble at first. Starting in 1960, there was a massive religious boom in the US that saw many new schools of spiritual thought emerge and take root on the national stage. Some of them were working towards genuine reform, trying to build bridges between members of society and use God’s word to spread love, peace, and most of all, Hope. Others used religion as a crutch for “transcendence”; and we don’t mean the kind that brings you closer to the Lord. 1960-1980 is a time period referred to as the Fourth Great Awakening; when Americans were gripped by yet another wave of religiosity. Only this time, they ended up getting more than they’d prayed for, and paid dearly for it; in some cases, with their lives. Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite, David Koresh, David Berg; these names were once revered. They’re now reviled as some of the worst cult leaders in human history, having committed acts under the guise of religion that can only be classified as sin. Cults are not a joke; even the strongest wills can be broken down by the allure of acceptance, and that is something Bruce Wayne found out to his grave misfortune. In his 80+ years of existence, Batman has resisted being broken by psychopaths, street thugs, and literal Gods. It’s somehow fitting that his worst moment would come at the hands of a cult leader. Deacon Blackfire was created by Jim Starlin & Bernie Wrightson in 1988 for the 4-issue mini-series Batman: The Cult, and he has broken down Bruce’s spirit in a way that even the Joker hasn’t managed to do yet. Let’s take a look at how he became the only person to make Batman admit that he had broken him; mind, body, and spirit.
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