Zur-En-Arrh is both a location and a concept, seen and used primarily for Batman.
History
Planet
Zur-En-Arrh was the name of a distant planet. Here, a scientist called Tlano became the Batman from Zur-En-Arrh inspired by the Batman of Earth. When Zur-En-Arrh is attacked by robot invaders, Tlano teleports Batman to his planet to help him battle robots. While on the planet, Earth's Batman found he had "Superman-like" powers and helped Tlano defeat the invaders.[1]
Concept
Pre-Flashpoint
The phrase Zur-En-Arrh started appearing in Gotham City on the streets and dark alleys where Batman would capture some criminals like the Joker.[2] The phrase continued to appear, usually as a background element graffiti, until Batman was attacked by the Black Glove and his mind was broken as a result of a past psychological trauma triggered by the Black Glove's leader, Simon Hurt. As Bruce's mind was wiped away, it was later revealed that he had created a back-up personality which had been stored on Bruce's subconscious for years and was triggered by the phrase, "Zur-En-Arrh". With this personality, Bruce became the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, who was a psychotic version of himself, with visions of the imp from the fifth dimension, Bat-Mite, which was the representation of Bruce's last bit of sanity in his mind.[3]
As the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, Bruce was able to confront the Black Glove at Arkham Asylum, where they tried to keep a gambling game over his life.[4] He also confronted the Joker, but was ultimately defeated and buried alive on the Asylum's graveyard. After this experience, Bruce's mind recovered naturally and the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh was eliminated from his subconscious as he confronted Hurt and the Black Glove until his apparent demise.[5]
The phrase "Zur-En-Arrh" comes from Bruce Wayne's mishearing of his father's last words, "the sad thing is they'd probably throw someone like Zorro in Arkham."
Post-Flashpoint
During his travels, Bruce meets Daniel Captio where he learns how to create multiple personas[6]. Batman created Zur-En-Arrh when a villain name Professor Achilles Milo poisoned his mind, and caused him to experience his fears. In order to prevent his mind from getting hijacked, Bruce uses a machine to create his Zur-En-Arrh personality. During a fight against the Joker, Batman witnesses Joker killing innocent people which enrages Bruce to allow Zur-En-Arrh to take over his body. Batman of Zur-En-Arrh nearly kills Joker, but stops when his visions of Martha Wayne and Joker convince Bruce to not break his no-killing rule. Bruce then uses the machine to lock the Zur-En-Arrh personality to make sure it does not happen again.[7]
When Batman has to face off Failsafe (a robot that Batman created in case the Justice League went rogue), he is forced to unlock Batman of Zur-En-Arrh from his consciousness and let him take over his body. Tim Drake is surprised by the Zur-En-Arrh personality, but remembers reading Bruce's files, and realizes that Zur-en-Arrh is the back-up personality of Batman without Bruce Wayne's morality and personality. Zur-En-Arrh also revealed that he created Failsafe himself, and when Failsafe attacks, Tim Drake and Zur-En-Arrh take him on. However, when Batman of Zur-En-Arrh refers to Tim Drake as just a soldier and Failsafe nearly kills Tim, Bruce takes over his body again, locking Zur-En-Arrh away once again.[8]
When Failsafe transports Batman to a different Earth, Batman meets a man name Darwin Halliday (an alternate version of Joker who never became insane). While traveling Batman travels throughout the Multiverse and meets multiple versions of himself (like the 1989 version, DCAU, Adam West, Arkham, Injustice, Kingdom Come, The Dark Knight Returns, etc.), which causes his mind to fracture and his Zur-En-Arrh personality to infect the other Batman, creating their own Zur-En-Arrh. After Batman's mind was possessed by Deadman, this allows Zur-En-Arrh to manipulate and cause Batman to act irrationally during his conflict with the Batman Family and Catwoman. As a result, Batman decides to isolate himself from the Bat-family to make sure no one gets hurt again and as repercussions for him forcibly using mind control on Jason Todd.
Batman finds Joker killing innocent people again, and Joker tells Batman that he wants to meet the real version of him. He then subjects Batman to gas, and forces his Zur-En-Arrh personality to come out, and Batman of Zur-En-Arrh recruits the alternate versions of him selves to hold off Batman.[9] The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh defeats Joker and breaks his back, then implants his consciousness in Failsafe.[10] Batman of Zur-En-Arrh tells Bruce he plans to replace him due to his old age and his humanity holding Bruce back. Bruce tries his best to stop Zur-en-Arrh, but is quickly defeated and sent to Blackgate Penitentiary where Joker is at. It is also revealed that the main Zur-En-Arrh has forced other Zur-En-Arrh's personalities to follow his orders, and created a machine where he absorbs the other personalities into his mind.[11]
Zur-En-Arrh goes back to Gotham, and meets Jason Todd who attacks him due to Zur-En-Arrh influencing Bruce to violate his mind during Gotham War. Failsafe tries to trick Jason Todd, but it doesn't work. Regardless, Failsafe announces himself in Gotham and Damian Wayne joins with him in his crusade against crime, while Jason, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, and Stephanie Brown try to find where Bruce is.[12] Zur-En-Arrh warns Amanda Waller to stay out of his way, and confronts Daniel Captio on letting Bruce escape. While fighting crime, Damian is suspicious of Zur-En-Arrh's activities and uncovers Zur-En-Arrh creating Amazo bodies where he will upload variations of Batman across the universe into those bodies. This results Zur-En-Arrh takes control of Damian Wayne when he learns the truth and fights back. Zur-En-Arrh is eventually defeated when Batman tricks him to kill Jason temporarily, which allows Failsafe to reactivate and weaken Zur-En-Arrh's personality. Batman reached into Zur-En-Arrh's memory, and discovered a way to shut down Failsafe, effectively neutralizing Zur-En-Arrh. However, Amanda Waller secretly stole Failsafe's body for her own purposes.
Later it was revealed that Failsafe under the control of Zur-En-Arrh had created a clone of Bruce Wayne to serve as his Robin of Zur-En-Arrh. Though Failsafe engineered the clone to rapidly age to prevent it from turning against Failsafe[13].
Notes
- The planet Zur-En-Arrh truly exists in the realities of Earth-One, Prime Earth,[14] and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, but appears to be only a figment of Bruce Wayne's imagination in the continuity of New Earth.