For those who celebrate Christmas, it's the time for sharing and spending time with your family. That even includes Superman, who have both occasionally found the time to exchange presents and celebrate together. However, back in the 1990s Superman gave Batman the cruelest gift imaginable: a reminder of the death of his own parents.
In World's Finest #2, Batman and Superman investigate each other's home cities in an attempt to find out what Lex Luthor is doing in Gotham, as The Joker stirs up trouble in Metropolis. After foiling their plans, the issue ends with one of the tenderest moments the two super best friends have ever had. Sadly, a nice gesture turns out to be a massive error in judgment.
After saving the day, Superman hands Batman a gift-wrapped present. Batman opens it to find a wrapped copy of the film, Zorro. What's so bad about that? Well, in Batman lore (specifically started with Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns) Bruce saw Zorro with his parents the night they were killed.
Superman probably didn't know Batman's emotional connection to the film, and thought it would be a relatable piece of material to watch for someone who cloaks themselves in black to fight injustice. Somehow the pair's misunderstanding gets worse, as Batman tries to change the subject by saying Superman would be welcome at Wayne Manor. Superman responds by thanking his colleague, but says "I'll be spending Christmas with friends," before clarifying he meant "friends in Metropolis." Ouch. Superman tries to save face and wishes Bruce happy holidays, but a hurt Batman tells him "crime never takes a holiday, Clark."
Batman rarely opens himself up to others, so to see him do it and get stung by one of his best friends in the world -- twice -- has to hurt. , it's comic canon that Batman's favorite superhero is Superman, which makes this betrayal even more tragic. The Zorro gift just happened to be an extremely unfortunate choice of movie for Clark to give Bruce (how was he to know the movie brings up the biggest trauma from Bruce's childhood?). But intentional or not, Superman's choice of words demonstrates exactly why Bruce keeps people at arm's length. And to make sure Supes isn't let off easy, Clark could have invited Bruce to Metropolis, but didn't.
So keep this in mind, comic readers, the next time you receive a gift you're not happy with. Batman and Superman's friendship is bigger than the moment, so best to avoid making the same mistake.
Source: Reddit
