Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: catwoman, harley quinn, joker, Penguin, riddler, two-face

Create A Batman Villain For DC Comics Continuity, Get Paid… Nothing?

Create a brand new Batman villain as part of DC Comics continuity and get paid... nothing?

Published Thu, 14 May 2026 11:57:14 -0500

Article Summary

DC’s Building Bad Sweepstakes lets fans help create a new Batman villain for official DC Comics continuity.
The winning Batman villain is set to debut in Detective Comics #1113, Batman #14, and a DC GO! webcomic.
DC and Warner Bros. Games will also add the new Batman super-villain to LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight DLC.
The catch: despite shaping a canon Batman villain, the winner gets no credit, royalties, or payment from DC.

This is one of those weird things from Free Comic Book Day that is definitely worth revisiting, as it is still on. DC Comics announced "DC's Building Bad Sweepstakes", a competition allowing one winner to help create an all-new DC Batman Super-Villain who may become part of the official DC canon. The character will debut in the pages of DC's comics, along with an appearance in the highly anticipated video game LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, both scheduled for September."

Create A New Batman Villain Canon To The DCU And Receive No Payment — DC's Building Bad Sweepstakes

Running until the end of the month, DC's Building Bad Sweepstakes "invites fans ages 13+ across the U.S., U.K., and Canada to enter for a chance to collaborate with DC on the creation of a brand-new Batman Super-Villain who will debut in DC's Detective Comics #1113 this fall, appear in Batman #14, and also have a cameo in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight as part of post-launch downloadable content (DLC)."

And they state that "this marks the first time DC Comics and Warner Bros. Games have come together to give fans a direct role in shaping a new character across both publishing and games. The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to work with DC to select character traits for a new original Batman DC Super-Villain, play a role in naming the new DC character, see the character introduced in DC's core comic book line in September 2026, see a LEGO version of the character incorporated into the new LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight game, planned for September 2026 as part of the post-launch DLC, and see the character included in a DC GO! webcomic, targeted for Batman Day (September 19, 2026)"

To summarise, "DC's Building Bad Sweepstakes is an opportunity for a fan to participate in DC's storytelling and contribute to building a new character, while also celebrating the upcoming launch of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight on May 22, 2026." So, yeah, create a new DC Comics Batman villain, for the comics, for the games, and receive no payment, no royalties in the future, not even a mention of credit or exposure. Not even Bill Finger got that awful a deal…