I love that you can see how far Owlman has internalized his own misanthropy in the line "Not good. Never good. After all, I'm only human." And in the end I think that makes Batman's final line that much more poignant. Owlman has tricked himself into believing that humanity is objectively defined by its capacity for inflicting pain and destruction upon each other and the world around them. Batman knows that the pain & destruction is just one of infinite possibilities, even though he's seen things go from bad to worse so often that he's quite literally made a career out of it. Owlman's nihilistic view fails because he still believes in one objective truth, that being that humans are ultimately bad and that any good they do is a fluke. Batman's final line is his main argument against this - he's seen the most terrible things imaginable, and even he knows that humans are ultimately as fluid and capable of change as the world(s) they inhabit. Owlman got freaked out by the worst possible outcomes, and decided to call it quits on existence. Batman faces them, unflinching, only certain that he and the rest of humankind will keep going even if these worst possible outcomes come to pass. In other words, Owlman witnessed atrocities, suffered, and grew bitter. Batman witnessed atrocities, suffered, then pointed that pain back at humankind and challenged it to be better. Owlman looked into the void, saw no light, and let the total darkness crawl inside and make him bitter. Batman looked into the void, saw no light, and kept looking.
@@ambiguousambassador thanks, and i agree! it’s awesome to me whenever it’s tackled in any media, especially because i think attaching it to stories just kinda emphasizes how widely the concept can be applied - and how important it is to bridge it to your individual experience rather than treat nihilism (and by extension, existence) like some objective, amorphous mass to be feared or conquered, as Owlman seems to do
@@largeproblem fr! I wish I had access to this kinda media when I was going through tough times with passive nihilism, really was immature and almost did something Id regret. But man, kurzgesagt, everything everywhere all at once, no longer human, and now this really did help.
@@p.k.5332 Reference to Nietzsche quote: "Whoever fights with monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster in the process. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Both Batman and Owlman did it, but Owlman became monster as result.
@@ceu160193 I love batman's way of saying it here in the movie.. i like to think to myself that I have my alternate evil version and i would say this as well
@P. K. Batman didn't allow the evil of the world to destroy him or break him down. Rather, his courage and spirit and resolve became stronger than ever, despite the odds being stacked against him, he overcomes and triumphs over the abyss/the evil and will still fight the good fight no matter what aka He didn't blink. Owlman saw the evil and became weak, jaded and desperate. Instead of having the courage to stand up to do what's right and fight, he decided to lay down, give up and also take the whole world with him. He blinked.
@@p.k.5332 Freewill necessitates allowing the possibility of evil things happening. Darkness. Owlman chose to annihilate freewill and the only way to do that is annihilate humanity. The abyss is the possibility that the choices we make could at some point result in suffering. Us becoming a monster. I'm sure Batman has thought about killing the Joker many times, but has chosen not to.
You know what's the coldest part about the ending is that considering his agility and speed he could've easily hit that abort button in time.....He just didnt care.
Well he knew that at that point he would’ve just died anyways even if he did stop the bomb because he was now stuck on uninhabited world where he would’ve just frozen to death. Edit: Wait! I just realized the quantum trigger teleported with him so he could’ve technically escaped but chose not to. So yeah you were right he just didn’t care lmao
@@tesfayebelay8439 he believes any choice is meaningless. He is the ultimate nihilist. Him using the teleporter gun to escape would break his logic because it would mean he *does* care about his life. He sticks to his guns confident his death here will change nothing - an exact copy of him could be very likeable or change his mind. Not him though.
I love how Batman threw the portal gun to Owlman as it was teleporting meaning he gave him the option to escape, but Owlman just chose not to because he didn’t care
Yes. Batman doesn't kill. Owlman had a way out but didn't care enough to use it. Batman knew he'd be like this, so he took care of the problem without even resorting to any lethal violence. That's a real hero for you. Not like those Marvel so called heroes who kill swarms of thugs in every movie without court or trial, and even though they are easily powerful enough to simply incapacitate them.
That, “it doesn’t matter” at the end shows he’s not destroying everything just because he’s evil or because he hates everyone else, but he actually believes in his ideology so strongly. Great last line for owl man. My only complaint is that Batman pretty much got his ass beat the whole time
I like to think that he let Owlman push him around, because Batman knew that even though he was crazy, he was prideful, and that was the only way to get Owlman close enough to him, so that he could snag the teleporter off of Owlman and use it against him. Batman expected him to want to fight, which was why he went himself, instead of sending Superman.
Earth prime is unreachable. The moment owl man decided to look for it a duplicate was spawned, birthed by his decision to search for it. It never would have worked.
No necessarily. Reaching Earth prime would be possible, because in Owlman's universe, every decision made in that universe created an alternate version of his specific universe. But it's the decisions he & Batman make on Earth Prime that makes the Prime universe diverge. Every atom of an action, when he looks towards & Away from batman, how batman chooses to act when fighting him, Which random uninhabited Earth Batman sets the nuke to be relocated to, each microscopic twitch would create an alternate version of the Prime universe right next to the original. So you're only half right. The decisions made would indeed create an alternate Earth Prime, but only if those decisions are made in the Prime universe.
That's the New 52 backstory. His original backstory is that Bruce and their mom were murdered instead of just their parents and he became a criminal to punish their father who was the police chief.
There is a comic that talks about Owl Man and his different versions, but it doesn't mention the one in the cartoon which meant that this owl man doesn't have anything to do with the owlmen in the comics The one in the cartoon is ambiguous. We don't know his name or background.
In the comics yes, but movie version is likely Bruce as his origin he seemed resentful toward mankind. Him losing his parents, whether as Thomas or Bruce, seemed to push him into becoming a nihilist and see humankind as an evil in existence that must be eradicated
From what I saw in a video this ver is prob similar to the other comic ver if the villain league or wtv. With him trying to punish the murderer of his family and finding out that maybe it was a waste of time since the Wayne’s might’ve been corrupt all along with him killing the dude by letting him fall screaming “it doesn’t matter” seeming to match this ver. If owl man. The other versions suck ass. Their backstory is beyond edgy and stupid. Doesn’t hit as hard as this one.
I actually like batmans tactics here, he didnt need to change the dimension coordinates on the bomb, he was just throwing owl man off. He actually just wanted him to get close enough to the bomb and steal the mini transponder from owlmans belt. The coordinates were last changed when superwoman was flicking through which world she'd send batman. So in turn superwomans arrogance and cocky nature helped batman win this fight
The actual problem Owlman didn't foresee is that his very presence negated what he was going to do with the bomb. What makes Prime "Prime" is the absence of conscious will to create branches. The second he teleported onto what used to be Prime, that was offset. It branched into a billion Earths that could've taken place had he done things differently. Batman's presence pretty much sealed the deal.
Personally, I don't think he did find "Earth Prime." Because if the universe branches when an event occurs and every resulting branch is each possible outcome, then there really is no beginning or end to the number of Infinite Earths or Parallel Universes, only the bases of specific branches which inevitably lead even further down.
I actually do think this was earth prime. This earth once had consciousness on it and it was still earth prime then. I believe that there is now an “Earth Prime B” out there where Owl Man succeeded, but that is still not “Prime Earth” so it’s destruction doesn’t matter. This was the only fight that mattered-it’s derivatives didn’t matter.
Although Batman uses the line "There is a difference between you and I. We both looked into the Abyss, but when it looked back at us. You blinked." many times in his comic books, it couldn't be more fitting in this movie and scene. Multiple times, owlman points out their similarities. Batman doesn't reply to any of them. When owlman brings up that everything about him screams of outrage, referencing a trauma in Batman's past that lead him into become who he is, batman confronts him when he wins. Owlman when discovering the infinite multiverse and insignificance of his own existence, he is utterly destroyed in his will and is so disturbed at the fact that he decides to attempt to end it all. Batman deals with his trauma by becoming better while Owlman can't and is so utterly destroyed and consumed by it. He blinked.
Funnily enough, their suits are designed the opposite way! Batman has a cowl and so the white that represents his eyes narrow when he closes them. They even fully disappear after he gets punched through the rock at 3:01 The effect makes him more expressive and relatable. In contrast, Owlman has a powersuit with lenses over his eyes. So he’s the one who has a steady, unblinking gaze throughout the scene. The eyes don’t even move when Batman plants an explosive on his FACE at 3:34 The effect makes him unsettling and terrifying.
considering that owlman was able to straight up overpower wonder woman when they fought, it's very likely he could've held superman off long enough to get the bomb to go off and kill everyone.
"With every choice we make, we literally create another world. History branches in two. Creating one earth where we made the choice and a second, where we didn’t. That’s the secret of the universe, you know? Billions of people. Making billions of choices. Creating infinite earths. Some so similar to each other, you can spend a lifetime searching for any distinction. Others so radically different they defy comprehension." I love this line! He explained multi-verse theory down to the letter.
Look man, I’m going off of DBZA multiverse theory. That’s the interpretation of the theory Owlman is referring to. He says "For every choice WE make…" we meaning humans, idk what this "elementary particles" stuff means. You may be reading to much into this…
@@ju5t1ce33 I mean the actual concept of alternate universes present in physics, which all these media are inspired by. REAL multiverse theory, which is an interpretation of quantum physics. Also, DBZ’s is based on time travel.
You're slightly wrong on DBZ. When Trunks went back in time he wasn’t really going backwards in time, he went to a different universe. His future didn’t change. Now onto you being technical. While that all sounds interesting, I really don’t care. You might as well be speaking a different language. Regardless, this & DBZA is where I got my understanding of multiverse theory.
@@ju5t1ce33 Trunks *created* a different universe by travelling back in time, similar to how the time travel works in Avengers Endgame. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense even then and Plague of Gripes has done a good video on the time travel in DBZ and all its faults. I just said quantum physics, which is the branch of science the interpretation is from. Quantum physics itself is like another language, but just bringing it up is not. It’s important to keep in mind that DBZ and DC’s Crisis on Two Earths are separate works of fiction.
Owlman was such a fascinating character, perfectly written and voiced. The entire movie was excellent, but his character was the finest element. I wish we'd been able to see more of this world and of the Owlman entity.
@@OmarHernandez-os9pt I do agree that the film treated Batman poorly overall but he got the only decent fight scene and also saved the day at the very end so it wasn't that bad.
The calmness in Owlmans voice and speech and the way it never falters feels like textbook psychopath. In that way he's the perfect "evil" version of Batman. Both are mentally scarred by trauma. But Batman uses it to fuel his drive to do and be better. He is so close to being like the Joker or all the others but he fights not to be, Owlman didn't.
Owlman almost certainly would kill his Joker, if he hasn't already. It's fun to think about Batman's pacifism as the thing keeping him sane, since Owlman clearly lacks that anti-killing oath and is so radically different.
@@kekyoin1261 im pretty sure the joker in this movie dies trying to save luthor from some dudes who work for the evil justice league. Joker is such a non-issue for owlman in his universe that he doesn't even have to personally deal with him.
(I want to point out something. The dimensional portal gun? It's right there. Batman tossed it with him and knew that he'd be able to use it. The Abort sequence was very clearly flashing, and he had time to push the button. He could have stopped the bomb, grabbed the portal gun, and left, or maybe even had the time to grab the portal gun and leave. He could have done this, and arguably, Batman could have known that he'd have the option simply by the Abort choice and the gun teleporting with him. But Owlman doesn't do this. He declares his death irrelevant by saying 'it doesn't matter' at the end, sticking to his philosophy to the end, and calmly lets himself die. What was going through his mind then? That in the actions performed, somewhere, there was an Owlman who didn't accept his death and escaped, and he was just the one who did accept his death? That even as he failed, another Owlman succeeded, but that success didn't destroy reality, so truly it was all ultimately pointless? I'm honestly not sure. Say what you want about his motivations though... he died by them as much as he lived by them, and faced his end with a smile.)
Earth prime was the end all be all of Owlman’s plan. It was destroy earth prime or bust. It’s not possible for an alternate Owlman to destroy Earth prime as there’s only one earth prime. Maybe an alternate earth prime in another reality, timeline or universe completely separate from ours but in this context Earth prime was one of a kind unique therefore an alternate Owlman would have nothing to destroy.
The last couple seconds are just so good. Batman dropping the "you blinked" line, showing that Batman did not let the Abyss twists his ideology. Him leaving Owlman an out with aborting the explosions because even universe wrecking scum deserve a chance to live, while Owlman gives out the "It doesn't matter" line, knowing that there is infinite universes, probably a bunch of them where he succeeds to stop the bomb, he sticks by his guns and chooses not to act, go out his own way
I love how they decided to make Owlman more of a nihilist than a full-on evil mastermind, his nihilism is his biggest motivator the same way Bruce is driven by his optimism. Under all the brooding, Bruce is driven by a belief that he CAN save Gotham, he CAN rehabilitate his villains, he CAN change the world, it’s a part of why he never kills in the first place, he believes so strongly that things can change for the better that he refuses to make that ultimate call. Bruce tends to be more of a realist compared to other heroes, sure, but at the end of the day he’s one of the biggest believers in humanity and sees all the good it has.
I like to think his Under the Red Hood mindset is the true reason for his no-kill rule. It's not out of any form of morality, simply that if he did kill, he would eventually become a far worse monster than the Joker ever could. Besides, Batman's efforts wouldn't go to waste so much if Gotham didn't give Arkham Asylum a revolving door every time someone gets thrown in there. And therein lies the issue with his code. His struggle will never end as long as people demand Batman stories on a meta level. He can only win and truly prevent his villains from killing and torturing people when the story is over. Jason wouldn't need to make the demand to just kill the Joker already if Gotham actually kept him locked up. That's why this story's moral is so important, that no matter how bad it gets, even if he can never fully win, Batman will never ever give up.
Yea, despite his sour and grumpy attitude, Batman's idealistic outlook actually very high. Like Superman, Batman have very high appreciation to life. Unlike Superman, Batman works in the darkness of the night
Both Batman and Owlman saw the meaninglessness of life in the universe (the abyss), however it changed Owlman’s resolve and made him nihilistic (he blinked)
I think, in essence, both saw meaninglessness, but Owlman took “it doesn’t matter” to heart, whereas it really didn’t matter to Batman and he remained unwavered.
@@solvemproblerstudios5889 Still a stupid saying. In essence, he's just saying he chooses to keep going for no reason that makes logical sense. You can say try to flavor it up all you want but you're still an idiot trying to convince themselves life means something otherwise you wouldn't keep going.
This owlman is alive, when he was sent to the ice earth, by batman, a choice was made. Owl man had the chance to abort the bomb, 4:44, but he chose to die. This means there is a duplicate of the owl man that chose to abort the bomb. Theoretically.
It is also possible that every version of Owlman believes in his ideology of nihilism so strongly that they all thought another version made the choice to live so they all die because it didn't matter because another would live.
2:05-This detail. This right here. The fact that it's still actively counting down instead of being a static background object, with the sound and like 8 PIXELS on that thing moving to denote the timer. Someone knew to pay attention to it and I absolutely love such a tiny detail like that.
There's a difference between you and me = We were once good men We both looked into the abyss = Life beat us down to a dark place But when it looked back at us = After all the hardship You blinked = you've changed your nature, I don't. = you want to destroy life. I embrace life. That's what I learned from what batman is saying
Always thought it was more like: We both looked into the abyss = both discovered the existence of the multiverse But when it looked back at us = But when confronted by the realization You blinked = instead of fighting back and finding a new drive like Batman, Owlman just let that dark feeling of powerlessness and insignificance take hold on him and put him on that psychotic path
The writing here is so good I looked up who wrote it. It was Dwayne McDuffie, the creator of Milestone Comics and the character Static. He wrote this right before he died in 2011. RIP the legend
Honestly Owlman is such a great charac this whole time. He's calm and doesn't struggle, or atleast doesn't show it. All cuz of his one singular point: that the choices won't matter.
@@rushguardto6552 i love and hate characters that are so good at being villains yet arent so hateable and vile. thats why i love Owlman in this movie. his character is that fucking good.
@@sinn4084 If you are not a brainless normie you will justify nihilistic "villains" (who aren't villains in a wider outlook, but in our tiny comprehension of things and for the easiness of judgement, we do so) Humanity is a mistake and you'd have been living under a rock if you can't see it.
@@Red-gg7yx I have lived long enough and fared so much to take that conclusion, and no, stop assuming things, I have a family and kids and I know how shitty this world is and there's no sugarcoating it
It doesn't matter wise words from a really great villain homie doesn't care if he's going to die all he says is "it doesn't matter" shows to go that owlman will forever be my favorite villain
Nigga is dead owl man was a maniac who just wana kill even the innocent and then what after he talk shit just to die with his own bomb 😂😂😂 " it matter now "
High respect for Owlman, he saw human existence as worthless, and at the end, he understood that his strive to end all worlds was pointless as well. Lived and died following his values.
I mean, in a cosmic sense it kind of is. The trick to it is to accept that, know it's completely true, understand it thoroughly, even agree...but not give a fuck. Ride a motorcycle. Do copious amounts of strange, fun chemicals. Have sex or crank one out. Camus, who everyone wrongly attributes this philosophy, said that when faced with the inarguable truth of meaningless the only thing that matters is _rebellion._ Even though you know it's pointless, rebel anyway. Make your whole life a gigantic "fuck you" to the universe. "When faced with the oppressive truths of human existence, the only answer is to become so totally free that you make the whole of your life a rebellion." Time to have a wank and then go jump in the ocean. Party on, Wayne
1:56 I absolutely adore this monologue He monologues plenty during this film and James Woods voices him amazingly but this one in specific is probably one my favourites. It’s the only time he acknowledges the similarities between him and Bruce, I imagine the thought of who Batman was had been consistently running through his mind and this was the one time it came out verbally. But no matter what, in the end he doesn’t leave room for response because he truly believe it wouldn’t matter in the end whether he was given the closure or not if he was fighting his own brother
In the comics, at least, Owlman’s nihilism is so great that he doesn’t care if he dies, because the existence of Batman means that there *has* to be an “evil” version. He’s inevitable.
But do you understand it???...DUN DUN DUUUUNN...lol... I posted this in response to someone saying that Owlman was right, but I'm to lazy to retype it, so I'll just copy/paste... It's not that Owlman was right or wrong, but that he failed. His last line illustrates this when he gives up saying that nothing matters when he fought so hard just moments before...Owlman is the embodiment of meaninglessness...the conflict here is about Nihilism, the difference Batman was talking about is that he has the will to not blink when he stares into the abyss, or as Nietzsche called it, "Der wille zur macht" (The will to make or create). The point of Nihilism, or the theory that nothing has meaning, is not only to realize that fact, but to strive to rise above it and create meaning out of nothingness, becoming the uber-mensch (Over-man or ascended-man) and transcend the seeming meaninglessness of the universe itself...and when you link it to the idea of multi-verse theory and we realize that we may in fact be creating whole universes unintentionally, it makes you think that much harder about each little decision you make...there is no right and wrong here, just a battle of philosophies...
@@42Mrgreenman It's something I actually considered but from a more infantile level - you're evil because you blinked! However, yours is a much better and more accurate response.
He is not underrated at all. He is acknowledged worldwide as a fine actor. I think half you people just see comments that say this and then parrot it looking for likes.
This really shows how different Batman and Owlman are. Batman, despite what you may believe, is deep down an optimist who wants what is best for everyone, including his enemies. While Owlman is a man so broken by life, that he sees every choice now as meaningless, he is beyond reasoning, and James Wood does a fantastic job as him.
Fitting that an evil alternate batman would be the main and most dangerous villain of this movie and that he proves he has a philosophy just as strong as batman
Owlman's read of Batman give me goosebumps everytime. The line of "They all scream of outrage, despair, vengeance." Has to be my favorite line from this movie.
“There is a difference between you and me. We both looked into the abyss. But when it looked back at us. You blinked.” That is the coldest line most sickest line Batman can say to a version of himself
Everybody who doesn't understand the whole multiverse idea needs to watch this scene. It's crazy how superhero movies seem to have just leaned straight into all these multiversal shenanigans without bothering to explain it to casual audience members. I think a scene like this would be extremely useful for people who aren't accustomed to these kinds of stories.
Marvel also use the concept of time travel like how a 9 year old would understand it. Idk if you watched it but the animation Ben 10 gave a very nice episode regarding time travel and it's consequences.
There's a massive flaw in Owlman's logic for his reason to blow up Earth Prime, but that might actually be consistent with his philosophy in the movie. Owlman says that each time someone makes a choice there is another universe that is created where the opposite choice was made. So obviously the existence of sapient being capable of thinking is necessary to create a branching universe. He even says to Batman that "Before thoughts existed there was this place". Now, the massive flaw here is that Owlman was looking for an Earth Prime in a sea of infinite universes where he KNOWS for certain that intelligent alien life existed long before humanity did. The fact that there is an evil Green Lantern means that the Guardians of Oa (or whatever evil equivalent is in that universe) also existed. Perhaps the Earth Prime Owlman was searching for was OUR Earth, the one that exists in real life.
@@roetheboat1 I always get the feeling that his final "it doesn't matter" has a dual meaning. First that whether or not he bothers to abort the bomb doesn't matter, and second that he realized this mistake. The only potential way it *could* have worked is if he just...kicked the bomb into the past and didn't follow it. His own thoughts and actions created several universes in itself. But if you send a pre-programmed machine to the past by itself and cut it off, could there even be a universe where it suddenly doesn't work without living beings around to tamper with it? And who knows if "OUR Earth" is really how that would work. If his understanding of the multiverse holds true for us, then it wouldn't work with us either by his own logic. Sure if he sent it to the one that exists because of the existence and timing of our comments, then maybe, but that would only be our current living perspective. We can never tell if there's billions of copies of our very soul making alternate decisions, we just get the one life in this one dimension. ..I'm gonna *choose* to stop now before I give myself a headache.
"Does it really matter? There are alternate versions of me that you can find quite charming." And the smirk seals the deal. Best DC animated villain I've ever encountered.
This was the best DC animated movie I have ever seen. It is way too underrated. It is not talked about enough and the voice actors that put the heart and soul into these performances, including the great James Woods, Don’t get enough recognition for it.
Notice he died with a semblance of a smile on his face. He actively found joy in his misanthropy amd nihilism. Its what makes him truly evil and not a "misunderstood broken villain"
Yeah. Like, he did genuinely have a mental breakdown and became consumed by nihilism, but his solution -- that he can only make himself matter philosophically by killing literally everyone and everything else -- doesn't logically follow unless he was already an incredibly selfish and sadistic person. And, of course, he was.
He really stayed true to his philosophy to the end. Respect. Although he could've aborted, wait a little bit for Batman to leave (not that he would know when Batman would leave), and finish his mission.
Here me out here about the genius writing in this sequence. In this sequence, Batman exits the portal. Owlman greets Batman and elaborates Earth Prime's history to the multiverse. Batman enters Negotiator mode and allows Owlman to continue while he marches closer scanning for anything critical he could use. Owlman gives a grim remark on humanity-Batman breaks Negotiator mode (you can't say negatives) "You can't be sure of that" that wasn't Batman talking... it was Bruce. Owlman remains intact yet throughout the fight Bruce is the true person he's fighting and worst he sees through all of him almost instantly and mockingly calls his own story/identity meaningless! Bruce continued to appeal to Owlman's humanity to stop but fails.
"With every decision we make, we literally create a world. History branches in two. One were we made the choice, and another were we didn't. That's the secret of the universe." Kinda puts a different spin on why he didnt stop the bomb and said it doesnt really matter. Because as soon as he made that choice, he created an alternate reality where he did stop it. Kinda makes you wonder though... if history branches with each decision, then as soon as owlman arrived on earth prime and, idk, chose to arm the bomb, did he create an alternate reality? And if he did, was he still on earth prime or one of it's close cousins?? Following that thread a little further, did batman already save the multiverse by just showing up? Every punch, kick, and batarang essential created a new earth, pushing that current reality further and further away from earth prime. Maybe this is why there was only one batman, one owlman and only one bomb present on "earth prime" instead of countless versions of them. As soon as they got there, it was no longer "earth prime." Because surely other realities were going thru a similar situation (infinite universes and all that). Be kinda pandemonium of suddenly 100 owlman, batman and bombs showed up all around the same time. Maybe this owlman realized all this at the end, that he really couldn't destroy earth prime no matter what, that his only really choice, wasn't real, that it didnt really matter.... Nothing really matters.
@@justrandomthings319 Its more that Earth Prime is the source from where duplicate decisions first split off from, the origin. The creators explained that the moment you make a decision on earth prime, it means you've already split off into multiple different dimension where you made different choices anyhow, so Owlman would have failed either way because the bomb went off on a duplicate earth where he managed to blow up the bomb vs all the ones where he didnt.
@@tenjenk What I mean is the Earth Prime itself can't be duplicated so if he destroys it, there won't be a duplicate decision creating another Earth Prime because Earth Prime is gone.
@@justrandomthings319 Thats the thing though, due to its nature it cant be destroyed because the "decision" to destroy it creates one earth where it wasnt destroyed and another where it did blow up, but neither are Earth Prime.
"OK, Owlman, consider this, there must have been an infinite amount of people who came to the same conclusion as you and an infinite amount of them tried your ploy and an infnite number of them must have succeeded and yet...here we are" "Infinity's a bitch!"
The Owlman/Batman conflict is probably the best bit of the movie, while they are intellectual, and physical equals, they are clearly not "the same guy, but one is evil" that seems to plague mutliverse stories. I wish more creators would take note.
This is how you do multiverse stuff. It's not a guy who is exactly the same just in a slightly different costume, it's the same character either with a different first or last name and completely different motive
"Does it really matter? There are alrernate versions of me you'd find quite charming," Owlman said, to an alternate version of him that is widely considered to be quite charming.
For one of my philosophy classes, I actually used this version of Owlman to discuss on my final paper an instance of nihilism, and I’m so thankful I got a 100 on that paper. I genuinely find Owlman to be chilling almost, seriously one of the best villains I’ve seen in a while.
I have to see that paper, that sounds awesome. It'd be even funnier if your teacher was more used to Adam West Batman, in case they went "Batman went from goofy to teaching kids accurate nihilism, what did I miss???"
batman is nietzchean ubermench, he doesn't care about anything other than what he thinks should be right. it's a callback to nietzches quote "if you look into abyss, abyss also looks into you", meaning that if you fight the meaninglessness you become meaningless person and you should avoid that, or something like it. batman knows the world is meaningless but stays as a batman to uphold himself, while owlman sees the meaninglessness and becomes the abyss itself because he doesn't fear it, in search of morality, desperate to find control and god in illogical and scattered world of abyss, he becomes self hating misanthrope, unlike batman who is unapologetically selfish and arbitrary "personhood" fundamentalist in nature, meaning he is categorical and relentless in his quest to uphold himself and his ideals in a world of chaos and possibilities. hope i make sense. also in a way this difference makes owlman, in a twisted way, more heroic and selfless than batman, who only uses abyss for his own goals, while superwoman is a reversed superman who is selfish idealist rather than selfless idealist it should be said that it is very common for existentialist thinkers to fall in that line of thinking, because one slip and you become an absurdist/cynic/self defeating nihilist ect.
This is one of my favorite DCAU movies. They do Owlman so much justice and he works so well as a foil for Batman. The delivery of all his lines are so deadpan and without remorse that you see how cold of a character he actually is. His final “It doesn’t matter” still gives me chills
In a way, he perfectly mirrors Batman here. Batman is hopeful to the end no matter how bad things get. Owlman doesn't give up his virtues even while staring at his own inconsequential death in the face. And we all know that one Joker quote about people's last moments, which is why Owlman's are so powerful.
Have you seen the comment section? Just normies demonizing him because he said the effing truth about humans, which hurt them a lot. We need more nihilistic characters and depictions of humanity as the antagonist, that would be a breath of fresh air in the modern platitudes of normies.
The reference to Nietzsche's quote is fucking gold. I didn't catch it back when I watched this movie as a kid because I didn't read it. But is amazing to realiza now after all this years
@@rishabbhattacharjee9587 It's a reference to his quote on staring into the abyss. So while the greater context is surely a nod to Nietzsche's works, there is a quote it is referencing.
I watch this clip every so often, massive fan of how well Owlman is portrayed, but this time something clicked... Surely his plan would lead to the Grandfather Paradox. If he succeeded, all life, past, present, and future, would cease to be, including the past where he came up with this plan, and followed through. Meaning he would never have existed, and thus couldn't perform this plan, because he never existed, but if he never existed, the plan would have happened, and he would exist, and try to make this plan happen... Meaning, he never stood a chance of succeeding, he was doomed to failure by cause and effect...Nothing matters.
Owlman is one of the very few humans that qualify as a true Super Villian. The diologue is as good as it gets. "You should have sent your flying man...." that line gets me every time
James Woods Absolutely Nailed It as the Villainous Voice of Bruce Wayne/Owlman from *Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths* Film right here! James Woods is the Perfect Voice Role for the Evil Villainous Alternative Version of Bruce Wayne/Owlman right here!
Owlman isn't another Version of Batman within a alternate world. Owlman is just a Villain similar to Batman within the same world. Similar to L and Kira
My favorite line is where batman tells him that life is meaningless and that hasnt ever stopped batman from living The idea being that if nothing matters then you shouldnt do anything But in reality you were born into a world that didnt matter, with instincts that dont matter but still exist You can either leave, and refuse the parts that are good, or join everyone else in the cosmic dance But dont take that choice from everyone else The only thing they did, was be born One *accepted* the pointlessness, the other was outraged by it, couldnt look it in the eye, he languished against it and demanded that it be different. And when he realized it was impossible, he broke Batmans acceptence, walking away from the idea that things matter, is what allows him to stay pragmatic enough to actually succeed in making things better. The point is the journey, not the desrination Lifes only destination is death, the POINT, was the life you lived Owlman needed life to have a point beyond having life itself, he needs things to be perfect or they just exist in chaos Batman knew better. Batman knew that death is order, and life, is chaos, because he didnt blink when the realization hit him The epiphany was that death, chaos and destruction, is necessary not bad. Life that is perfect is stagnant. It goes extinct. He didnt know what exactly led to the destruction, only that it was caused by people who were just as human as he was Very important that last part Owlman is arrogant, not special
I watched this as a little kid and then asked to be owlman to a modeling company showing Halloween costumes, i just got a owl costume and i was disappointed
I realized their dedication to their philosophy is something they have in common, if not Owlman being more dedicated. Batman attempts to never kill under any circumstances but sometimes he breaks this rule, Owlman stayed loyal to the very end with his idea of "it doesn't matter, nothing matters"
![АЛАУДИНОВ у Скабеевой: эти их ВСУ нас НЕ ДОГОНЯТ 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/an0anqU4WGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I love that you can see how far Owlman has internalized his own misanthropy in the line "Not good. Never good. After all, I'm only human." And in the end I think that makes Batman's final line that much more poignant. Owlman has tricked himself into believing that humanity is objectively defined by its capacity for inflicting pain and destruction upon each other and the world around them. Batman knows that the pain & destruction is just one of infinite possibilities, even though he's seen things go from bad to worse so often that he's quite literally made a career out of it.
Owlman's nihilistic view fails because he still believes in one objective truth, that being that humans are ultimately bad and that any good they do is a fluke. Batman's final line is his main argument against this - he's seen the most terrible things imaginable, and even he knows that humans are ultimately as fluid and capable of change as the world(s) they inhabit. Owlman got freaked out by the worst possible outcomes, and decided to call it quits on existence. Batman faces them, unflinching, only certain that he and the rest of humankind will keep going even if these worst possible outcomes come to pass.
In other words, Owlman witnessed atrocities, suffered, and grew bitter.
Batman witnessed atrocities, suffered, then pointed that pain back at humankind and challenged it to be better.
Owlman looked into the void, saw no light, and let the total darkness crawl inside and make him bitter.
Batman looked into the void, saw no light, and kept looking.
Very well put.
@@justrandomthings319 Thanks! And thanks for posting this clip, it’s one of my favorite DC animated scenes!
Amazing take man, exactly what I was thinking, optimistic nihilism is key.
@@ambiguousambassador thanks, and i agree! it’s awesome to me whenever it’s tackled in any media, especially because i think attaching it to stories just kinda emphasizes how widely the concept can be applied - and how important it is to bridge it to your individual experience rather than treat nihilism (and by extension, existence) like some objective, amorphous mass to be feared or conquered, as Owlman seems to do
@@largeproblem fr! I wish I had access to this kinda media when I was going through tough times with passive nihilism, really was immature and almost did something Id regret. But man, kurzgesagt, everything everywhere all at once, no longer human, and now this really did help.
His final “It doesn’t matter” line gets me every time
Facts
that's when you know it's over 🤣
Same :( I wish I could write villains that good for my YT channel lol
Because in one alternate reality he made the choice to stop the bomb and survived
@@SatireNewsNetwork any progress ?
James Woods doesn't get enough props for this role that deadpan delivery of "it doesn't really matter, nothing matters" is genuinely chilling
Agreed.
Where did he say it?
02:13
It's a shame we don't see James Woods in films any more because he doesn't go along with Hollywood's politics. He is a brilliant actor.
Holy christ! That was James woods!? :O
“We both looked into abyss , but when it looked back at us you blinked” 🔥🔥always my favorite line
what that line means? please can you explain?
@@p.k.5332 Reference to Nietzsche quote: "Whoever fights with monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster in the process. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you."
Both Batman and Owlman did it, but Owlman became monster as result.
@@ceu160193 I love batman's way of saying it here in the movie.. i like to think to myself that I have my alternate evil version and i would say this as well
@P. K. Batman didn't allow the evil of the world to destroy him or break him down. Rather, his courage and spirit and resolve became stronger than ever, despite the odds being stacked against him, he overcomes and triumphs over the abyss/the evil and will still fight the good fight no matter what aka He didn't blink.
Owlman saw the evil and became weak, jaded and desperate. Instead of having the courage to stand up to do what's right and fight, he decided to lay down, give up and also take the whole world with him. He blinked.
@@p.k.5332 Freewill necessitates allowing the possibility of evil things happening. Darkness. Owlman chose to annihilate freewill and the only way to do that is annihilate humanity. The abyss is the possibility that the choices we make could at some point result in suffering. Us becoming a monster. I'm sure Batman has thought about killing the Joker many times, but has chosen not to.
You know what's the coldest part about the ending is that considering his agility and speed he could've easily hit that abort button in time.....He just didnt care.
Well he knew that at that point he would’ve just died anyways even if he did stop the bomb because he was now stuck on uninhabited world where he would’ve just frozen to death.
Edit: Wait! I just realized the quantum trigger teleported with him so he could’ve technically escaped but chose not to. So yeah you were right he just didn’t care lmao
@@huntercool2232 escaping would violate his belief system completely. He stuck to his guns.
Batman let him have the teleporter to prove him wrong.
@@cr4yv3n explain
@@tesfayebelay8439 he believes any choice is meaningless. He is the ultimate nihilist.
Him using the teleporter gun to escape would break his logic because it would mean he *does* care about his life.
He sticks to his guns confident his death here will change nothing - an exact copy of him could be very likeable or change his mind. Not him though.
@@tesfayebelay8439 If he escapes, it means, that him not dying DOES matter.
I love how Batman threw the portal gun to Owlman as it was teleporting meaning he gave him the option to escape, but Owlman just chose not to because he didn’t care
Yes. Batman doesn't kill. Owlman had a way out but didn't care enough to use it. Batman knew he'd be like this, so he took care of the problem without even resorting to any lethal violence. That's a real hero for you. Not like those Marvel so called heroes who kill swarms of thugs in every movie without court or trial, and even though they are easily powerful enough to simply incapacitate them.
@@mitromney oh great, here we fucking go...
@@mitromney Ok fanboy, keep reading your daddy Batman and let others have their fun too
I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you.
@@roroc.2944what did he say ?
"No. Not good. Never good. After all, I'm only human"
Love that line.
It doesnt matter
No wonder he’s a despicable human being.
That line is the reason why I came here.
Did we forget that Batman is doing this with a broken rib
And Owlman has a exosuit
Not really, considering batman has the biggest plot armor out of all of them.
@@Mannyhdz0052plus with prep time-
@@Mannyhdz0052that plot armor thing starting to get annoying now
@@jayyy1677word too its like they keep forgetting hes not a normal human, no human could survive batmans workout training
That, “it doesn’t matter” at the end shows he’s not destroying everything just because he’s evil or because he hates everyone else, but he actually believes in his ideology so strongly. Great last line for owl man. My only complaint is that Batman pretty much got his ass beat the whole time
To be fair, Batman is fighting with a broken ribcage
@@GARGANTUANMASKEDFISH And Owlman had a more advanced arsenal, it's like you with a flak jacket fighting against you with Doomslayer's armor
I like to think that he let Owlman push him around, because Batman knew that even though he was crazy, he was prideful, and that was the only way to get Owlman close enough to him, so that he could snag the teleporter off of Owlman and use it against him. Batman expected him to want to fight, which was why he went himself, instead of sending Superman.
Batman wasn't there to win a fight, he was there to stop Owlman. he played Owlman against himself.
@@onizagru Nah batman was getting his ass handed to him owan was just better equipped
Earth prime is unreachable. The moment owl man decided to look for it a duplicate was spawned, birthed by his decision to search for it. It never would have worked.
Built in universal protection
wouldn't that just have made another earth where he didn't look for it instead of a copy of earth prime?
@@radude4763 Universal plot armour
No necessarily.
Reaching Earth prime would be possible, because in Owlman's universe, every decision made in that universe created an alternate version of his specific universe.
But it's the decisions he & Batman make on Earth Prime that makes the Prime universe diverge. Every atom of an action, when he looks towards & Away from batman, how batman chooses to act when fighting him, Which random uninhabited Earth Batman sets the nuke to be relocated to, each microscopic twitch would create an alternate version of the Prime universe right next to the original.
So you're only half right. The decisions made would indeed create an alternate Earth Prime, but only if those decisions are made in the Prime universe.
As much as we try, we can never go back to the beginning. The best we can do is work towards an end.
I love how owlman doesn’t yell or scream. He constantly talks in a calm tone
He can't be bothered to get mad. Things just don't matter enough... or at all.
Which I found him pretty quite scary.
thats not something to admire, thats the voice of a serial killer/school shooter
It' doesnt matter.
James Woods has one of the best calm villain voices. Just his voice tone makes it seem like he’s in total control.
Fan Fact: Owlman was actually Bruce’s brother in his universe. His name is Thomas Wayne Jr. and he and Alfred both murdered his parents and Bruce
Thomas Jr murdered Bruce by accident as truly did care his brother, and decided to kill everyone else just help him feel better.
That's the New 52 backstory. His original backstory is that Bruce and their mom were murdered instead of just their parents and he became a criminal to punish their father who was the police chief.
There is a comic that talks about Owl Man and his different versions, but it doesn't mention the one in the cartoon
which meant that this owl man doesn't have anything to do with the owlmen in the comics
The one in the cartoon is ambiguous. We don't know his name or background.
In the comics yes, but movie version is likely Bruce as his origin he seemed resentful toward mankind. Him losing his parents, whether as Thomas or Bruce, seemed to push him into becoming a nihilist and see humankind as an evil in existence that must be eradicated
From what I saw in a video this ver is prob similar to the other comic ver if the villain league or wtv. With him trying to punish the murderer of his family and finding out that maybe it was a waste of time since the Wayne’s might’ve been corrupt all along with him killing the dude by letting him fall screaming “it doesn’t matter” seeming to match this ver. If owl man. The other versions suck ass. Their backstory is beyond edgy and stupid. Doesn’t hit as hard as this one.
I actually like batmans tactics here, he didnt need to change the dimension coordinates on the bomb, he was just throwing owl man off. He actually just wanted him to get close enough to the bomb and steal the mini transponder from owlmans belt. The coordinates were last changed when superwoman was flicking through which world she'd send batman. So in turn superwomans arrogance and cocky nature helped batman win this fight
Interesting insight.
More likely it was two plans. Either he sends the bomb from the bomb or he steals the transponder. Owl Man can only counter one plan not two.
Well explained
It doesnt matter...
Nothing matter...
Yeah but didn’t Owlman take it out of Batman’s hand and toss it back behind him?
The actual problem Owlman didn't foresee is that his very presence negated what he was going to do with the bomb. What makes Prime "Prime" is the absence of conscious will to create branches. The second he teleported onto what used to be Prime, that was offset. It branched into a billion Earths that could've taken place had he done things differently. Batman's presence pretty much sealed the deal.
even when he tried to make the one choice that mattered he did just the opposite without knowing it
Personally, I don't think he did find "Earth Prime." Because if the universe branches when an event occurs and every resulting branch is each possible outcome, then there really is no beginning or end to the number of Infinite Earths or Parallel Universes, only the bases of specific branches which inevitably lead even further down.
I actually do think this was earth prime. This earth once had consciousness on it and it was still earth prime then. I believe that there is now an “Earth Prime B” out there where Owl Man succeeded, but that is still not “Prime Earth” so it’s destruction doesn’t matter. This was the only fight that mattered-it’s derivatives didn’t matter.
Dang bro I didn’t think of that
@@stonemims159 Also consider, if he did find Earth Prime, shouldn't there be EVERY instance of Owlman on Earth Prime withnhim?
Although Batman uses the line "There is a difference between you and I. We both looked into the Abyss, but when it looked back at us. You blinked." many times in his comic books, it couldn't be more fitting in this movie and scene. Multiple times, owlman points out their similarities. Batman doesn't reply to any of them. When owlman brings up that everything about him screams of outrage, referencing a trauma in Batman's past that lead him into become who he is, batman confronts him when he wins. Owlman when discovering the infinite multiverse and insignificance of his own existence, he is utterly destroyed in his will and is so disturbed at the fact that he decides to attempt to end it all. Batman deals with his trauma by becoming better while Owlman can't and is so utterly destroyed and consumed by it. He blinked.
Funnily enough, their suits are designed the opposite way!
Batman has a cowl and so the white that represents his eyes narrow when he closes them. They even fully disappear after he gets punched through the rock at 3:01 The effect makes him more expressive and relatable.
In contrast, Owlman has a powersuit with lenses over his eyes. So he’s the one who has a steady, unblinking gaze throughout the scene. The eyes don’t even move when Batman plants an explosive on his FACE at 3:34 The effect makes him unsettling and terrifying.
Well said
@@JadedKid47 That's also because he's an owl, whose eyes are almost constantly open.
I love that owl man says “if u sent ur flying man u might have had a chance” like he can take on superman
He just made Batman look like a chump. I'm sure he had plans upon plans to take care of Superman.
@Wilt&Blush *batman can beat a superman who holds back immensely
considering that owlman was able to straight up overpower wonder woman when they fought, it's very likely he could've held superman off long enough to get the bomb to go off and kill everyone.
That's what narcissistic sociopaths/psychopaths often suffer from, delusions of grandeur and egomania.
@@Charismaniac npd's action dont match their words, owl man is no narcissist he can back up his words
"With every choice we make, we literally create another world. History branches in two. Creating one earth where we made the choice and a second, where we didn’t. That’s the secret of the universe, you know? Billions of people. Making billions of choices. Creating infinite earths. Some so similar to each other, you can spend a lifetime searching for any distinction. Others so radically different they defy comprehension."
I love this line! He explained multi-verse theory down to the letter.
It doesn’t actually work like that. The many worlds interpretation is based on changes at the level of elementary particles, not human choices.
Look man, I’m going off of DBZA multiverse theory. That’s the interpretation of the theory Owlman is referring to. He says "For every choice WE make…" we meaning humans, idk what this "elementary particles" stuff means.
You may be reading to much into this…
@@ju5t1ce33 I mean the actual concept of alternate universes present in physics, which all these media are inspired by. REAL multiverse theory, which is an interpretation of quantum physics.
Also, DBZ’s is based on time travel.
You're slightly wrong on DBZ. When Trunks went back in time he wasn’t really going backwards in time, he went to a different universe. His future didn’t change.
Now onto you being technical. While that all sounds interesting, I really don’t care. You might as well be speaking a different language.
Regardless, this & DBZA is where I got my understanding of multiverse theory.
@@ju5t1ce33 Trunks *created* a different universe by travelling back in time, similar to how the time travel works in Avengers Endgame. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense even then and Plague of Gripes has done a good video on the time travel in DBZ and all its faults.
I just said quantum physics, which is the branch of science the interpretation is from. Quantum physics itself is like another language, but just bringing it up is not.
It’s important to keep in mind that DBZ and DC’s Crisis on Two Earths are separate works of fiction.
i dunno why but i've always loved how Owlman says:
"their are alternate versions of me, you'd find quite charming"
"Lets see Bruce Wayne's Card"
"oh my God, the slight off coloring, the tasteful thickness of it, it even has a watermark"
- Owlman, Thomas Wayne Jr.
@@forickgrimaldus8301 American Psycho reference and it was done with such ease and it made sense…. Bravo…. You win the internet lol
there*
Amazing pfp
He's probably right. Who knows what the alternate versions of ourselves are like in another universe.
Owlman was such a fascinating character, perfectly written and voiced. The entire movie was excellent, but his character was the finest element. I wish we'd been able to see more of this world and of the Owlman entity.
I agree with you on this. However I feel like the movie kinda humiliated Batman. I wish the fight scenes with them were better.
Bro he had the chance to abort the bomb and this idiot said it doesn't matter
@@OmarHernandez-os9pt I do agree that the film treated Batman poorly overall but he got the only decent fight scene and also saved the day at the very end so it wasn't that bad.
@@Archedgarto be fair, Justice League is more dangerous than the criminals they fought, Crime Syndicate is Justice League but chose the wrong path
dude i love owl man
The calmness in Owlmans voice and speech and the way it never falters feels like textbook psychopath.
In that way he's the perfect "evil" version of Batman. Both are mentally scarred by trauma. But Batman uses it to fuel his drive to do and be better. He is so close to being like the Joker or all the others but he fights not to be, Owlman didn't.
Owlman almost certainly would kill his Joker, if he hasn't already. It's fun to think about Batman's pacifism as the thing keeping him sane, since Owlman clearly lacks that anti-killing oath and is so radically different.
@@kekyoin1261 im pretty sure the joker in this movie dies trying to save luthor from some dudes who work for the evil justice league. Joker is such a non-issue for owlman in his universe that he doesn't even have to personally deal with him.
man is a cancer
@@lunar6239This world's Joker was a hero so
@@twinzzlers the Jester
(I want to point out something. The dimensional portal gun? It's right there. Batman tossed it with him and knew that he'd be able to use it. The Abort sequence was very clearly flashing, and he had time to push the button. He could have stopped the bomb, grabbed the portal gun, and left, or maybe even had the time to grab the portal gun and leave. He could have done this, and arguably, Batman could have known that he'd have the option simply by the Abort choice and the gun teleporting with him.
But Owlman doesn't do this. He declares his death irrelevant by saying 'it doesn't matter' at the end, sticking to his philosophy to the end, and calmly lets himself die. What was going through his mind then? That in the actions performed, somewhere, there was an Owlman who didn't accept his death and escaped, and he was just the one who did accept his death? That even as he failed, another Owlman succeeded, but that success didn't destroy reality, so truly it was all ultimately pointless? I'm honestly not sure. Say what you want about his motivations though... he died by them as much as he lived by them, and faced his end with a smile.)
Now this is some underrated shit
This help makes it understandable for that you get a like
This comment is EVERYTHING!!!
Earth prime was the end all be all of Owlman’s plan. It was destroy earth prime or bust. It’s not possible for an alternate Owlman to destroy Earth prime as there’s only one earth prime. Maybe an alternate earth prime in another reality, timeline or universe completely separate from ours but in this context Earth prime was one of a kind unique therefore an alternate Owlman would have nothing to destroy.
@@Zzzquil_Lord_v2 long story short, the main poster is just overthinking it too much and what it is is right in our face
The last couple seconds are just so good. Batman dropping the "you blinked" line, showing that Batman did not let the Abyss twists his ideology. Him leaving Owlman an out with aborting the explosions because even universe wrecking scum deserve a chance to live, while Owlman gives out the "It doesn't matter" line, knowing that there is infinite universes, probably a bunch of them where he succeeds to stop the bomb, he sticks by his guns and chooses not to act, go out his own way
"What terrible wrong was done to set you on this path?" Such a delivery. It sounds sincere.
I love how they decided to make Owlman more of a nihilist than a full-on evil mastermind, his nihilism is his biggest motivator the same way Bruce is driven by his optimism. Under all the brooding, Bruce is driven by a belief that he CAN save Gotham, he CAN rehabilitate his villains, he CAN change the world, it’s a part of why he never kills in the first place, he believes so strongly that things can change for the better that he refuses to make that ultimate call. Bruce tends to be more of a realist compared to other heroes, sure, but at the end of the day he’s one of the biggest believers in humanity and sees all the good it has.
I like to think his Under the Red Hood mindset is the true reason for his no-kill rule. It's not out of any form of morality, simply that if he did kill, he would eventually become a far worse monster than the Joker ever could. Besides, Batman's efforts wouldn't go to waste so much if Gotham didn't give Arkham Asylum a revolving door every time someone gets thrown in there.
And therein lies the issue with his code. His struggle will never end as long as people demand Batman stories on a meta level. He can only win and truly prevent his villains from killing and torturing people when the story is over. Jason wouldn't need to make the demand to just kill the Joker already if Gotham actually kept him locked up. That's why this story's moral is so important, that no matter how bad it gets, even if he can never fully win, Batman will never ever give up.
Yea, despite his sour and grumpy attitude, Batman's idealistic outlook actually very high. Like Superman, Batman have very high appreciation to life. Unlike Superman, Batman works in the darkness of the night
Isn't destroying all universes evil enough?
Batman's mission is a never ending battle after all, he'll never stop fighting
Batman: "There is a difference between you and me. We both looked into the abyss, but when it looked back at us, you blinked."
Nuff said, Batman.
What does that exactly mean
@@astronomy4569 owl man couldnt watch the whole thing, but Batman saw the whole thing.
Both Batman and Owlman saw the meaninglessness of life in the universe (the abyss), however it changed Owlman’s resolve and made him nihilistic (he blinked)
I think, in essence, both saw meaninglessness, but Owlman took “it doesn’t matter” to heart, whereas it really didn’t matter to Batman and he remained unwavered.
@@solvemproblerstudios5889 Still a stupid saying. In essence, he's just saying he chooses to keep going for no reason that makes logical sense. You can say try to flavor it up all you want but you're still an idiot trying to convince themselves life means something otherwise you wouldn't keep going.
This owlman is alive, when he was sent to the ice earth, by batman, a choice was made. Owl man had the chance to abort the bomb, 4:44, but he chose to die. This means there is a duplicate of the owl man that chose to abort the bomb. Theoretically.
But he's gonna die there either way so it doesn't matter
It doesn't matter.
It is also possible that every version of Owlman believes in his ideology of nihilism so strongly that they all thought another version made the choice to live so they all die because it didn't matter because another would live.
@@kaelkirkby9191 But
"I'm just a human after all"
@@Shadow_Rogue
And humans are stubborn bastards.
2:05-This detail. This right here. The fact that it's still actively counting down instead of being a static background object, with the sound and like 8 PIXELS on that thing moving to denote the timer. Someone knew to pay attention to it and I absolutely love such a tiny detail like that.
There's a difference between you and me = We were once good men
We both looked into the abyss = Life beat us down to a dark place
But when it looked back at us = After all the hardship
You blinked = you've changed your nature, I don't. = you want to destroy life. I embrace life.
That's what I learned from what batman is saying
Always thought it was more like:
We both looked into the abyss = both discovered the existence of the multiverse
But when it looked back at us = But when confronted by the realization
You blinked = instead of fighting back and finding a new drive like Batman, Owlman just let that dark feeling of powerlessness and insignificance take hold on him and put him on that psychotic path
UnderRated Comment
The way you interperated Batman's saying, sounds quite cool and intelligent, ngl 👍
The writing here is so good I looked up who wrote it. It was Dwayne McDuffie, the creator of Milestone Comics and the character Static. He wrote this right before he died in 2011. RIP the legend
Maybe it's so good because he was already facing his own mortality.
He also made all of Ben 10
@@MJX225and Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
*"I'm Batman."*
*"It doesn't matter."*
*"Yes... because I'm Batman."*
3:59 "There is a difference between you and me. You are an owl. I am a bat."
Something about Owlman's eyes are creepy like a real owl. Omen of death. Never blinked until batman outsmarted him with his own bomb.
I legit forgot James wood played owl man so rewatching this and hearing Owlmans voice was like getting clocked across the jaw with a haymaker
Long live the new flesh...
This just ruined it for me.
"We both looked into the abyss, but when it looked back at us, you blinked " are the coldest lines 🥶
And then he sent him to a cold Earth, to boot.
Honestly Owlman is such a great charac this whole time. He's calm and doesn't struggle, or atleast doesn't show it. All cuz of his one singular point: that the choices won't matter.
If you read the comics about him it's so dark tho. I hate his character that he's so good at being a villain.
@@rushguardto6552 i love and hate characters that are so good at being villains yet arent so hateable and vile. thats why i love Owlman in this movie. his character is that fucking good.
@@sinn4084 If you are not a brainless normie you will justify nihilistic "villains" (who aren't villains in a wider outlook, but in our tiny comprehension of things and for the easiness of judgement, we do so)
Humanity is a mistake and you'd have been living under a rock if you can't see it.
@@aetherland1883 The Philosophy of a 12-year-old who thinks he has seen it all. Cringe man, last time I talked similar crap was in elementary school
@@Red-gg7yx I have lived long enough and fared so much to take that conclusion, and no, stop assuming things, I have a family and kids and I know how shitty this world is and there's no sugarcoating it
That "You blinked" line goes so hard.
It doesn't matter wise words from a really great villain homie doesn't care if he's going to die all he says is "it doesn't matter" shows to go that owlman will forever be my favorite villain
I respect him for that.
@@blair5475 Right. Because most would stop it or cry but he just took it like a man committed to his beliefs. That's what I respect.
Cus he sounded like Hades.
Nigga is dead owl man was a maniac who just wana kill even the innocent and then what after he talk shit just to die with his own bomb 😂😂😂
" it matter now "
@@orkoskang7967He IS HADES
High respect for Owlman, he saw human existence as worthless, and at the end, he understood that his strive to end all worlds was pointless as well. Lived and died following his values.
I mean, in a cosmic sense it kind of is. The trick to it is to accept that, know it's completely true, understand it thoroughly, even agree...but not give a fuck. Ride a motorcycle. Do copious amounts of strange, fun chemicals. Have sex or crank one out.
Camus, who everyone wrongly attributes this philosophy, said that when faced with the inarguable truth of meaningless the only thing that matters is _rebellion._ Even though you know it's pointless, rebel anyway. Make your whole life a gigantic "fuck you" to the universe.
"When faced with the oppressive truths of human existence, the only answer is to become so totally free that you make the whole of your life a rebellion."
Time to have a wank and then go jump in the ocean. Party on, Wayne
He's Pure Evil
@@NoelJohnCarlo I don't think he really was evil, just nihilistic
@boy_with_sleeveless_jacket7951H is lack of care, understanding and empathy for anything or anyone is what makes him evil
@@NoelJohnCarlo Not evil, once you grow the hell up you will understand it.
1:56 I absolutely adore this monologue
He monologues plenty during this film and James Woods voices him amazingly but this one in specific is probably one my favourites. It’s the only time he acknowledges the similarities between him and Bruce, I imagine the thought of who Batman was had been consistently running through his mind and this was the one time it came out verbally. But no matter what, in the end he doesn’t leave room for response because he truly believe it wouldn’t matter in the end whether he was given the closure or not if he was fighting his own brother
In the comics, at least, Owlman’s nihilism is so great that he doesn’t care if he dies, because the existence of Batman means that there *has* to be an “evil” version. He’s inevitable.
"We both looked into the abyss. But when it looked back at you, you blinked." I loved that line
But do you understand it???...DUN DUN DUUUUNN...lol...
I posted this in response to someone saying that Owlman was right, but I'm to lazy to retype it, so I'll just copy/paste...
It's not that Owlman was right or wrong, but that he failed. His last line illustrates this when he gives up saying that nothing matters when he fought so hard just moments before...Owlman is the embodiment of meaninglessness...the conflict here is about Nihilism, the difference Batman was talking about is that he has the will to not blink when he stares into the abyss, or as Nietzsche called it, "Der wille zur macht" (The will to make or create). The point of Nihilism, or the theory that nothing has meaning, is not only to realize that fact, but to strive to rise above it and create meaning out of nothingness, becoming the uber-mensch (Over-man or ascended-man) and transcend the seeming meaninglessness of the universe itself...and when you link it to the idea of multi-verse theory and we realize that we may in fact be creating whole universes unintentionally, it makes you think that much harder about each little decision you make...there is no right and wrong here, just a battle of philosophies...
@@42Mrgreenman It's something I actually considered but from a more infantile level - you're evil because you blinked! However, yours is a much better and more accurate response.
James Wood is highly underrated actor. His voicework in this is exceptional.
He is not underrated at all. He is acknowledged worldwide as a fine actor.
I think half you people just see comments that say this and then parrot it looking for likes.
This really shows how different Batman and Owlman are. Batman, despite what you may believe, is deep down an optimist who wants what is best for everyone, including his enemies. While Owlman is a man so broken by life, that he sees every choice now as meaningless, he is beyond reasoning, and James Wood does a fantastic job as him.
"Actually... *punches Batman around* ...I thought I'd beat you to death."
Haha, so cold. 😂
Fitting that an evil alternate batman would be the main and most dangerous villain of this movie and that he proves he has a philosophy just as strong as batman
Owlman's read of Batman give me goosebumps everytime. The line of "They all scream of outrage, despair, vengeance." Has to be my favorite line from this movie.
“There is a difference between you and me. We both looked into the abyss. But when it looked back at us. You blinked.” That is the coldest line most sickest line Batman can say to a version of himself
It’s my favorite part of the film. The music that plays is icing on the cake.
Everybody who doesn't understand the whole multiverse idea needs to watch this scene. It's crazy how superhero movies seem to have just leaned straight into all these multiversal shenanigans without bothering to explain it to casual audience members. I think a scene like this would be extremely useful for people who aren't accustomed to these kinds of stories.
Absolutely.
Marvel also use the concept of time travel like how a 9 year old would understand it. Idk if you watched it but the animation Ben 10 gave a very nice episode regarding time travel and it's consequences.
There's a massive flaw in Owlman's logic for his reason to blow up Earth Prime, but that might actually be consistent with his philosophy in the movie.
Owlman says that each time someone makes a choice there is another universe that is created where the opposite choice was made. So obviously the existence of sapient being capable of thinking is necessary to create a branching universe. He even says to Batman that "Before thoughts existed there was this place".
Now, the massive flaw here is that Owlman was looking for an Earth Prime in a sea of infinite universes where he KNOWS for certain that intelligent alien life existed long before humanity did. The fact that there is an evil Green Lantern means that the Guardians of Oa (or whatever evil equivalent is in that universe) also existed.
Perhaps the Earth Prime Owlman was searching for was OUR Earth, the one that exists in real life.
@@roetheboat1 I always get the feeling that his final "it doesn't matter" has a dual meaning. First that whether or not he bothers to abort the bomb doesn't matter, and second that he realized this mistake. The only potential way it *could* have worked is if he just...kicked the bomb into the past and didn't follow it. His own thoughts and actions created several universes in itself. But if you send a pre-programmed machine to the past by itself and cut it off, could there even be a universe where it suddenly doesn't work without living beings around to tamper with it?
And who knows if "OUR Earth" is really how that would work. If his understanding of the multiverse holds true for us, then it wouldn't work with us either by his own logic. Sure if he sent it to the one that exists because of the existence and timing of our comments, then maybe, but that would only be our current living perspective. We can never tell if there's billions of copies of our very soul making alternate decisions, we just get the one life in this one dimension.
..I'm gonna *choose* to stop now before I give myself a headache.
"No, not good, never good"
Since they're opposites, this prove that Batman will always be a good man, despise his problems.
At his core super-man is "good" man
At his core batman isn't
@@ryan1000011 Batman knows of darkness he carries within, and tries to keep it contained, as if he does let it free, it can't be stopped.
@@ryan1000011he’s a just a self loathing dirt bag,dudes a cutie patootie in actuality
@@ryan1000011
Both are good, That Batman doesn't consider himself "good" another thing.
Batman is not a good man. He said so himself. He’s just well trained mentally.
I’m late but James woods playing owl man is legendary
"Does it really matter? There are alternate versions of me that you can find quite charming." And the smirk seals the deal. Best DC animated villain I've ever encountered.
This was the best DC animated movie I have ever seen. It is way too underrated. It is not talked about enough and the voice actors that put the heart and soul into these performances, including the great James Woods, Don’t get enough recognition for it.
When you forgot to do your homework yesterday but then you remember your having a substitute teacher 4:46
"It doesn't matter" 😏
Did you blow up?
Notice he died with a semblance of a smile on his face. He actively found joy in his misanthropy amd nihilism. Its what makes him truly evil and not a "misunderstood broken villain"
Yeah. Like, he did genuinely have a mental breakdown and became consumed by nihilism, but his solution -- that he can only make himself matter philosophically by killing literally everyone and everything else -- doesn't logically follow unless he was already an incredibly selfish and sadistic person. And, of course, he was.
He really stayed true to his philosophy to the end. Respect. Although he could've aborted, wait a little bit for Batman to leave (not that he would know when Batman would leave), and finish his mission.
Owlman "the batman who laughs is just the flavour of the month...I AM THE WHOLE FREAKING MEAL!"
Here me out here about the genius writing in this sequence.
In this sequence, Batman exits the portal. Owlman greets Batman and elaborates Earth Prime's history to the multiverse. Batman enters Negotiator mode and allows Owlman to continue while he marches closer scanning for anything critical he could use. Owlman gives a grim remark on humanity-Batman breaks Negotiator mode (you can't say negatives) "You can't be sure of that" that wasn't Batman talking... it was Bruce.
Owlman remains intact yet throughout the fight Bruce is the true person he's fighting and worst he sees through all of him almost instantly and mockingly calls his own story/identity meaningless! Bruce continued to appeal to Owlman's humanity to stop but fails.
The fact that Batman was fighting with multiple broken ribs against an insane counterpart to himself makes his victory even sweeter.
The reason he says “it doesn’t matter” in the end is probably because he believes in another universe, he succeeds.
I think people forget that Batman saved all universes so casually and humbly.
What a mad lad
"With every decision we make, we literally create a world. History branches in two. One were we made the choice, and another were we didn't. That's the secret of the universe."
Kinda puts a different spin on why he didnt stop the bomb and said it doesnt really matter. Because as soon as he made that choice, he created an alternate reality where he did stop it.
Kinda makes you wonder though... if history branches with each decision, then as soon as owlman arrived on earth prime and, idk, chose to arm the bomb, did he create an alternate reality? And if he did, was he still on earth prime or one of it's close cousins??
Following that thread a little further, did batman already save the multiverse by just showing up? Every punch, kick, and batarang essential created a new earth, pushing that current reality further and further away from earth prime.
Maybe this is why there was only one batman, one owlman and only one bomb present on "earth prime" instead of countless versions of them. As soon as they got there, it was no longer "earth prime." Because surely other realities were going thru a similar situation (infinite universes and all that). Be kinda pandemonium of suddenly 100 owlman, batman and bombs showed up all around the same time.
Maybe this owlman realized all this at the end, that he really couldn't destroy earth prime no matter what, that his only really choice, wasn't real, that it didnt really matter.... Nothing really matters.
I think the only place where decisions aren't duplicated is on Earth Prime. That's why he went there.
stop hurting my brain
@@justrandomthings319 Its more that Earth Prime is the source from where duplicate decisions first split off from, the origin. The creators explained that the moment you make a decision on earth prime, it means you've already split off into multiple different dimension where you made different choices anyhow, so Owlman would have failed either way because the bomb went off on a duplicate earth where he managed to blow up the bomb vs all the ones where he didnt.
@@tenjenk What I mean is the Earth Prime itself can't be duplicated so if he destroys it, there won't be a duplicate decision creating another Earth Prime because Earth Prime is gone.
@@justrandomthings319 Thats the thing though, due to its nature it cant be destroyed because the "decision" to destroy it creates one earth where it wasnt destroyed and another where it did blow up, but neither are Earth Prime.
Owl Man is so underrated, a more nihilistic, more cold hearted Batman.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Oooh, piece of candy.”
*BOOM*
I just watched this movie and realized Batman is fighting with a broken rib from superwomen
Yup. Crazy.
This should have been a live action Movie ... frame by frame. Writting and Directing was excellent. One if my favorite animations in my collection.
The scariest thing is this is a version that Batman could always become if he wanted; he could destroy all living things
Gotta say, I think James Woods hit it outta the park as owlman, he’s perfect, really showcases why he’s a great voice actor.
Always loved this scene
“There is a difference between you and me.
We both looked into the abyss, but when it looked back at us…
You blinked” 🔥
owlman is what the batman who laughs tries to be, a nihilistic, genocidal maniac. the only difference is owlman is far more entertaining.
"OK, Owlman, consider this, there must have been an infinite amount of people who came to the same conclusion as you and an infinite amount of them tried your ploy and an infnite number of them must have succeeded and yet...here we are"
"Infinity's a bitch!"
"Try getting Reservations to Dorsia now Bruce!!"
- Owlman
I understood that reference
Lets see Paul Allen's Earth
@@nabeelnaqvi1415 Man, that Earth even has a watermark.
@@SwagDoritosamazing how Christian Bale can play both Batman and Owlman if given the chance
The Owlman/Batman conflict is probably the best bit of the movie, while they are intellectual, and physical equals, they are clearly not "the same guy, but one is evil" that seems to plague mutliverse stories. I wish more creators would take note.
You either live as Batman or live long enough to realize you're Owlman
This is how you do multiverse stuff. It's not a guy who is exactly the same just in a slightly different costume, it's the same character either with a different first or last name and completely different motive
This movie hints a lot at nietchze and his nihilism, only that owlman interprents him wrong and batman get's it right.
Nietzsche is optimistic garbage. Owlman is a legitimate pessimist and misanthropic.
@@abyss5467 ok rick and morty fan.....
How is that?
It doesn’t really matter nothing really matters
Nietchze wasn’t even a nihilist to begin with.
"Not good.....never good" oh yeah he evil evil
"Does it really matter? There are alrernate versions of me you'd find quite charming," Owlman said, to an alternate version of him that is widely considered to be quite charming.
For one of my philosophy classes, I actually used this version of Owlman to discuss on my final paper an instance of nihilism, and I’m so thankful I got a 100 on that paper. I genuinely find Owlman to be chilling almost, seriously one of the best villains I’ve seen in a while.
That's awesome bro
massive W for using him as an example
I have to see that paper, that sounds awesome.
It'd be even funnier if your teacher was more used to Adam West Batman, in case they went "Batman went from goofy to teaching kids accurate nihilism, what did I miss???"
So what no one's going to talk about that abyss line from batman
Not only is it an amazing tagline, but it actually perfectly sums up the difference between them and what drove Owlman to do this
seemed kinda cheesy/edgy to me
batman is nietzchean ubermench, he doesn't care about anything other than what he thinks should be right. it's a callback to nietzches quote "if you look into abyss, abyss also looks into you", meaning that if you fight the meaninglessness you become meaningless person and you should avoid that, or something like it. batman knows the world is meaningless but stays as a batman to uphold himself, while owlman sees the meaninglessness and becomes the abyss itself because he doesn't fear it, in search of morality, desperate to find control and god in illogical and scattered world of abyss, he becomes self hating misanthrope, unlike batman who is unapologetically selfish and arbitrary "personhood" fundamentalist in nature, meaning he is categorical and relentless in his quest to uphold himself and his ideals in a world of chaos and possibilities. hope i make sense. also in a way this difference makes owlman, in a twisted way, more heroic and selfless than batman, who only uses abyss for his own goals, while superwoman is a reversed superman who is selfish idealist rather than selfless idealist
it should be said that it is very common for existentialist thinkers to fall in that line of thinking, because one slip and you become an absurdist/cynic/self defeating nihilist ect.
@@giorgisabashvili2664 good, now get the job
@@giorgisabashvili2664 yeaaaah....you completely have that wrong
This is one of my favorite DCAU movies. They do Owlman so much justice and he works so well as a foil for Batman. The delivery of all his lines are so deadpan and without remorse that you see how cold of a character he actually is. His final “It doesn’t matter” still gives me chills
In a way, he perfectly mirrors Batman here. Batman is hopeful to the end no matter how bad things get. Owlman doesn't give up his virtues even while staring at his own inconsequential death in the face. And we all know that one Joker quote about people's last moments, which is why Owlman's are so powerful.
Batman was really getting his ass beat for a Whole good min.
To think hades is fricking owlman. Wild
Owlman: existence is pointless, so let it die
Batman: existence is pointless… if we do nothing
It is still pointless, _and_ agonising, and everything you do only adds to it...
Vengeance vs Nihilism? Interesting... you wouldn't think nihilism would be so freaking strong with its tendencies to self destruct lol
Thats why its so strong it doesn't gaf. Open season on everything including itself.
Owlman is badass! Would love if they can make an animated movie just focused on him reliving his backstory/past and such.
Have you seen the comment section? Just normies demonizing him because he said the effing truth about humans, which hurt them a lot.
We need more nihilistic characters and depictions of humanity as the antagonist, that would be a breath of fresh air in the modern platitudes of normies.
@@aetherland1883 man is a cancer
The reference to Nietzsche's quote is fucking gold. I didn't catch it back when I watched this movie as a kid because I didn't read it. But is amazing to realiza now after all this years
It's actually a reference to Nietzsche's own views. Owlman is more of a violent nihilist while, Batman probably is an obsessed absurdist.
@@rishabbhattacharjee9587 It's a reference to his quote on staring into the abyss. So while the greater context is surely a nod to Nietzsche's works, there is a quote it is referencing.
I watch this clip every so often, massive fan of how well Owlman is portrayed, but this time something clicked... Surely his plan would lead to the Grandfather Paradox.
If he succeeded, all life, past, present, and future, would cease to be, including the past where he came up with this plan, and followed through. Meaning he would never have existed, and thus couldn't perform this plan, because he never existed, but if he never existed, the plan would have happened, and he would exist, and try to make this plan happen...
Meaning, he never stood a chance of succeeding, he was doomed to failure by cause and effect...Nothing matters.
The Fact that Owlman is Batman’s Older Brother.
Owlman is one of the very few humans that qualify as a true Super Villian. The diologue is as good as it gets. "You should have sent your flying man...." that line gets me every time
James Woods Absolutely Nailed It as the Villainous Voice of Bruce Wayne/Owlman from *Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths* Film right here! James Woods is the Perfect Voice Role for the Evil Villainous Alternative Version of Bruce Wayne/Owlman right here!
Owlman isn't another Version of Batman within a alternate world. Owlman is just a Villain similar to Batman within the same world.
Similar to L and Kira
The Manbat and batman are also a good example. While there are similarities they are ultimately not the same.
Fan Fact: Owlman was actually Bruce’s brother in his universe. His name is Thomas Wayne Jr. and he and Alfred both murdered his parents and Bruce
They're literally from alternate universes, tf are you on?
I love the voice for Owlman and the first time I heard it I thought it sounded like an older, much more tired Kevin Conroy.
My favorite line is where batman tells him that life is meaningless and that hasnt ever stopped batman from living
The idea being that if nothing matters then you shouldnt do anything
But in reality you were born into a world that didnt matter, with instincts that dont matter but still exist
You can either leave, and refuse the parts that are good, or join everyone else in the cosmic dance
But dont take that choice from everyone else
The only thing they did, was be born
One *accepted* the pointlessness, the other was outraged by it, couldnt look it in the eye, he languished against it and demanded that it be different. And when he realized it was impossible, he broke
Batmans acceptence, walking away from the idea that things matter, is what allows him to stay pragmatic enough to actually succeed in making things better. The point is the journey, not the desrination
Lifes only destination is death, the POINT, was the life you lived
Owlman needed life to have a point beyond having life itself, he needs things to be perfect or they just exist in chaos
Batman knew better. Batman knew that death is order, and life, is chaos, because he didnt blink when the realization hit him
The epiphany was that death, chaos and destruction, is necessary not bad. Life that is perfect is stagnant. It goes extinct. He didnt know what exactly led to the destruction, only that it was caused by people who were just as human as he was
Very important that last part
Owlman is arrogant, not special
This is my favorite DC animation (and most of them are pretty good!) mostly due to James Woods' performance. Scary as hell!
Batman: “you’re insane”
Owlman: “does it really matter. Other versions of me would find me quite charming”
Batman Who Laughs: 👀
I watched this as a little kid and then asked to be owlman to a modeling company showing Halloween costumes, i just got a owl costume and i was disappointed
Owlman is an extreme Nihilist where nothing truly matters because the universe will go on with or without you.
I realized their dedication to their philosophy is something they have in common, if not Owlman being more dedicated. Batman attempts to never kill under any circumstances but sometimes he breaks this rule, Owlman stayed loyal to the very end with his idea of "it doesn't matter, nothing matters"
Much like Batman Begins, Batman didn't kill him. But he didn't have to save him.