With a nickname like the Dark Knight, it’s no wonder that Batman is often considered one of DC Comics’ most melancholy heroes. From his reputation as a brooding loner to his traditional darker color scheme, Bruce Wayne is, in many ways, one of fiction’s greatest emo boys.

Throughout his decades of history, Wayne has proven on more than one occasion just how much of an edgelord he can really be. And while this list can’t possibly cover every aspect of Bruce’s decades-long goth phase, the entries below are some of Batman’s greatest emo moments that fans won’t want to forget.

10 Brooding In The Rain

Superman’s Pal: Jimmy Olsen #5 by Matt Fraction, Steve Leiber & Nathan Fairburn

Some of Bruce’s most resonant iconography features the Dark Knight perched upon a rainy rooftop in Gotham, but Superman’s Pal: Jimmy Olsen #5 by Matt Fraction, Steve Leiber and Nathan Fairburn takes this trademark brooding to a far new level in a meeting between the World’s Finest heroes. Rendezvousing with the Batman, Superman and Jimmy Olsen arrive as Clark hopes that he hasn’t left his friend waiting in the rain too long.

Not breaking character for an instant, the Dark Knight replies, “It always rains…but never washes away the suffering of the innocent…silences the…screams…of those who Gotham destroyednnmmmmnnmnnmm….” Musing to himself about the darkness of Gotham is a classic Batman trait, but waxing poetic about his city’s grime to Superman and company highlights just how dramatic Bruce Wayne can really be.

9 Checked Into Arkham

Batman #33 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, & Danny Miki

Obviously, Gotham’s favorite son had a more troubled childhood than most, despite his immense wealth, but a hidden chapter from the “Zero Year” story arc during Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, and Danny Miki’s run on the Batman title during the New 52 proves just how pained the young Wayne truly was. Flashing back to his teenage years, issue #33 finds Bruce voluntarily checked into Arkham Asylum after paying a homeless man to pretend to be Alfred so that he could be itted as a minor.

Wanting a clean break from his pain after being haunted by visions of his parents everywhere he looked, Bruce even almost underwent voluntary electro-convulsive therapy only to call it off at the last minute – choosing to literally fight his way through his grief for the rest of his life.

8 The Death Of Superman

Justice League #0 by Brad Meltzer, Dan Jurgens, & Kevin Nowlan

Batman is no stranger to loss, but, despite all his skills, he’s never been particularly good at handling death. His reaction to the death of his best friend, Superman, was no different in a brief sequence from Justice League #0 by Brad Meltzer, Dan Jurgens, and Kevin Nowlan. Arriving at Superman’s Fortress of Solitude in search of Bruce, Wonder Woman recounts all her fellow heroes who’ve informed her of the Man of Steel’s demise.

Noting to herself that she’s forgotten how poorly Batman handles death, she comforts a broken Batman as he attempts to maintain his composure, promising to rebuild a stronger Justice League and insisting that Superman will return. Ultimately, Bruce was right, but his assertion came not from his trademark intellect, but rather from his equally strong sense of denial.

7 Left At The Altar

Batman #50 by Tom King, Mikel Janín, & June Chung

Batman’s relationship with Catwoman is one of the most enduring aspects of both Gotham City vigilantes, but the road to romance hasn’t been easy for either hero. One of their lowest points came in the now-infamous Batman #50 by Tom King, Mikel Janín, and June Chung when Selina is manipulated due to the machinations of The Man Who Broke The Bat – Bane – into leaving Batman at the proverbial altar on their supposed wedding day.

Naturally, a despondent Bruce tearfully leaps across the Gotham City rooftops in order to run from his pain, but this same heartbreak fuels his actions for much of the rest of King and company’s run, leading Wayne down a darker and darker emotional spiral and nearly convincing him that he can never know true happiness while remaining Batman.

6 The Fall Of The Graysons

Batman: Dark Victory #9 by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, & Gregory Wright

One of Bruce’s most emotional moments comes not from his own traumatic origin, but from that of the boy who will one day become his prodigal son and one of DC Comics’ longest lasting icons: Dick Grayson a.k.a. Nightwing. Batman: Dark Victory #9 by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, and Gregory Wright captures this defining moment for Dick and Bruce perfectly as the aftermath of the Flying Grayson’s final performance leaves the audience horrified as only an empathetic Bruce Wayne looks on in kinship with his now-fellow orphan.

Fans know the rest of the story as Batman takes on the grieving Grayson as his ward and eventual partner, but this striking moment of tragedy is portrayed in this issue as one of the most somber and silently emotional moments in all Batman lore.

5 A Good Death

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, & Lynn Varley

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley is one of the most iconic Batman stories in the character’s entire history, and as such, it’s undeniably full of equally iconic emo Batman moments. The opening of issue #1 is just such a moment, as a retired Bruce Wayne nearly gets himself killed in a fiery car crash in a Gotham stock car race.

Pushing the vehicle far past its limits to the point of ignition, Bruce thinks to himself, “This would be a good death. But not good enough,” before bailing out at the last minute. While this far from Bruce’s most dangerous undertaking in this seminal story, it’s one of the defining moments for his character at this stage in his life: dejected and borderline suicidal without his Batman persona.

4 Identity Crisis

Batman: Ego by Darwyn Cooke & Jonathan Babcock

Bruce Wayne’s relationship with Batman is one of comics’ most complex identity crises. In some iterations, Wayne is merely a mask to carry out Batman’s mission, while in others, the opposite is true. Either way, it’s clear that Batman’s sense of identity is an ongoing issue, and no story captures that more fully than Batman: Ego by Darwyn Cooke and Jonathan Babcock.

Left guilt-ridden from his perceived failings after a particularly traumatizing case, Bruce Wayne is ready to hang up the cape and cowl, immediately knowing peace after concluding that he can no longer carryon. Unfortunately, Batman has other ideas as Wayne’s darker persona manifests itself to goaded him into continuing their war. Eventually, the pair come to amicable , but the happening of this crisis of conscience at all remains one of Wayne’s more emotional moments.

3 Rejecting Catwoman

Batman #619 by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, & Alex Sinclair

The “Hush” storyline by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, and Alex Sinclair remains one of the Dark Knight’s most popular sagas to this day, but it features its fair share of heartbreak for the Caped Crusader. Left suspicious and untrusting after foiling the scheme of his childhood friend, Thomas Elliot, a broken Batman begins to self-isolate even from the woman he loves.

Having only recently revealed his secret identity to Catwoman in this very arc, Bruce inevitably pushes her away for fear that their romance was yet another manipulation to impede his mission in Gotham. Looking on as Catwoman its she doesn’t care how their relationship began, he stands silently as she hopes that one day he can come to trust what they have – only for Bruce to think to himself, “Someday…”

2 Bruce Loses His Favorite Color

Justice League #9 by Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, & Scott Williams

Batman’s war in Gotham is unfortunately never-ending, and while Bruce rarely its this himself, the weight of these insurmountable odds does weigh on him. Justice League #9 by Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, and Scott Williams perfectly captures this weight, as a demoralized Dark Knight stands in the Batcave, staring at the letter from his father, Thomas Wayne, given to him by the Flash as he listens to a radio broadcast confirming that Gotham City has the highest murder rate in the country despite Batman’s best efforts.

If that isn’t emo enough, Bruce’s mind flashes back to a childhood memory in which the newly orphaned Wayne begins painting over the walls in his room. Shocked, Alfred reminds Bruce that his mother painted his room in his favorite color, only for Bruce to reply, “I don’t have a favorite color anymore.”

1 He Shall Become A Bat

Batman #404 by Frank Miller, David Mazzuchelli, and Richard Lewis

Batman is an inherently emo character, and that’s been the case from the moment he first decided to don his trademark cape and cowl – moment expertly presented in Batman #404 by Frank Miller, David Mazzuchelli, and Richard Lewis. Wounded and bleeding out in his Wayne Manor study after a failed first foray into Gotham’s seedy underbelly, the broken Bruce Wayne contemplates letting himself die if he can’t successfully undertake his mission to avenge his parents.

Reliving his parents’ murder as he speaks to his father, Bruce is soon stunned and inspired by a massive bat crashing through his window and landing on his father’s statue. Taking this as a sign, Bruce thinks, “…Yes. Father. I shall become a bat,” birthing the Dark Knight mythos as fans know it and cementing Batman as one of comics’ most emo heroes around.