Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Help Support the Channel: patreon.com/ZCInfinity
Let's take a look through DC Comics' Elseworlds imprints, and see where and when the imprint has decided to place these legendary heroes! And if they work in their new environments.
Transcript:
Black Masterpiece. In Renaissance Italy, Giuliano de Medici and his family checks in on a piece commissioned to Leonardo Da Vinci, where they're impressed by his artistry, but not so much with his philosophy or egocentric aspiration. They leave later that night, where Giuliano and his wife are assassinated, their son Tomas spared only by the sudden appearance of Da Vinci frightening off the attacker. Tomas becomes Da Vinci's apprentice with the goal to become the greatest painter in the world, but as the years pass, becomes frustrated with that goal, knowing he'll never be as good as Da Vinci. Thus he aspires to be something just as great. Meanwhile, Da Vinci paints a portrait of the Mona Lisa Del Gioconda, wife of Francesco Del Giocondo, the present couple making it no secret they're secretly sleeping together. Francesco does find out and abducts her, demanding a king's ransom from Da Vinci for her return, which he intends Tomas to pay from the Medici fortune. Francesco also proving unfaithful to his marriage, but it's fine when HE does it! Tomas says he could pay the ransom, but would prefer a more direct way of intimidation, declaring himself Da Vinci's demon protector as he fashions an outfit to give him the form of a bat man. He drops in on co-conspirator Roberto de Pazzi, who tells him she's being kept at the tower of the four winds. They can't risk fighting their way up, so instead, they modify Da Vinci's designs for flight into a hang glider, which the bat man uses to fly towards the top of the tower, while Da Vinci fires a flaming bomb projectile at the ground level to distract the guards. Some of Francesco's men see through the diversion and go to Mona Lisa's room to finish the job, when the bat man swoops in through the window and takes down the guards, one of whom he recognizes as the same person who assassinated his parents. And while he's tempted to kill him, instead mutilates his hand and sends him running while he saves Mona Lisa. Back at the studio, Da Vinci puts the finishing touches on the portrait, the mysterious smile revealed to be her barely contained excitement in announcing they're about to have a child. However, Tomas later comes in and paints over a certain feature Leonardo put in, saying it's best the bat man's image doesn't sully the beauty of Mona Lisa. Intercut throughout the story are scenes in present day Gotham. Batman learns from Commissioner Gordon that the Mona Lisa has just been stolen from the Museum of Art where it was on loan from the Louvre, as the gang who did it hide out and pontificate on the meaning behind the painting and her smile. Before announcing their ransom of fifty million dollars. Bruce Wayne disguises himself as a representative from the Louvre and meets with the museum curator Mr Lofgren, who's secretly also the one behind the theft. They also wax poetic on the Mona Lisa, before Bruce says it's suspicious that Lofgren had briefly held a position at the Louvre but was forced to leave due to his lack of French heritage, which Lofgren seems very bitter about, all but confirming he was behind the heist. That night, the gang wonder if the portrait is a fake, including Lofgren, and as they take it from the frame, they see not only is it real, but also notice the area Tomas painted over. Lofgren intends to remove the paint to see the hidden image, but his gang attack him for potentially destroying the portrait. Just then, Batman drops in using his own glider and takes out Lofgren's henchmen, before knocking him out and rescuing the canvas. He returns it to Gordon, the both of them wondering what Lofgren meant about a painted over feature, but despite their curiosity, decide to leave it alone no matter what it's hiding. Yeah, I don't like this one. I appreciate it for trying to educate the audience and give them an appreciation for classical art, but the whole thing is just boring. It's mostly comprised of people standing around, giving dramatic speeches or presenting fancy conjectures on the nature of the famous painting, or uninspired, extended fight scenes. The modern day story brings almost nothing, save for some slight juxtaposition between the actions of the past and present bat men, and ultimately, this just doesn't feel like an Elseworlds story. DC Comics could easily argue it's canon that the Wayne family had an ancestor that just so happened to also become a bat hero. It's not a terrible story, but I got nothing out of it, and I don't recommend you check it out. Also, the Mona Lisa has recently been X-rayed, and we sadly didn't find a bat man hiding anywhere.
Help Support the Channel: patreon.com/ZCInfinity
Let's take a look through DC Comics' Elseworlds imprints, and see where and when the imprint has decided to place these legendary heroes! And if they work in their new environments.
Transcript:
Black Masterpiece. In Renaissance Italy, Giuliano de Medici and his family checks in on a piece commissioned to Leonardo Da Vinci, where they're impressed by his artistry, but not so much with his philosophy or egocentric aspiration. They leave later that night, where Giuliano and his wife are assassinated, their son Tomas spared only by the sudden appearance of Da Vinci frightening off the attacker. Tomas becomes Da Vinci's apprentice with the goal to become the greatest painter in the world, but as the years pass, becomes frustrated with that goal, knowing he'll never be as good as Da Vinci. Thus he aspires to be something just as great. Meanwhile, Da Vinci paints a portrait of the Mona Lisa Del Gioconda, wife of Francesco Del Giocondo, the present couple making it no secret they're secretly sleeping together. Francesco does find out and abducts her, demanding a king's ransom from Da Vinci for her return, which he intends Tomas to pay from the Medici fortune. Francesco also proving unfaithful to his marriage, but it's fine when HE does it! Tomas says he could pay the ransom, but would prefer a more direct way of intimidation, declaring himself Da Vinci's demon protector as he fashions an outfit to give him the form of a bat man. He drops in on co-conspirator Roberto de Pazzi, who tells him she's being kept at the tower of the four winds. They can't risk fighting their way up, so instead, they modify Da Vinci's designs for flight into a hang glider, which the bat man uses to fly towards the top of the tower, while Da Vinci fires a flaming bomb projectile at the ground level to distract the guards. Some of Francesco's men see through the diversion and go to Mona Lisa's room to finish the job, when the bat man swoops in through the window and takes down the guards, one of whom he recognizes as the same person who assassinated his parents. And while he's tempted to kill him, instead mutilates his hand and sends him running while he saves Mona Lisa. Back at the studio, Da Vinci puts the finishing touches on the portrait, the mysterious smile revealed to be her barely contained excitement in announcing they're about to have a child. However, Tomas later comes in and paints over a certain feature Leonardo put in, saying it's best the bat man's image doesn't sully the beauty of Mona Lisa. Intercut throughout the story are scenes in present day Gotham. Batman learns from Commissioner Gordon that the Mona Lisa has just been stolen from the Museum of Art where it was on loan from the Louvre, as the gang who did it hide out and pontificate on the meaning behind the painting and her smile. Before announcing their ransom of fifty million dollars. Bruce Wayne disguises himself as a representative from the Louvre and meets with the museum curator Mr Lofgren, who's secretly also the one behind the theft. They also wax poetic on the Mona Lisa, before Bruce says it's suspicious that Lofgren had briefly held a position at the Louvre but was forced to leave due to his lack of French heritage, which Lofgren seems very bitter about, all but confirming he was behind the heist. That night, the gang wonder if the portrait is a fake, including Lofgren, and as they take it from the frame, they see not only is it real, but also notice the area Tomas painted over. Lofgren intends to remove the paint to see the hidden image, but his gang attack him for potentially destroying the portrait. Just then, Batman drops in using his own glider and takes out Lofgren's henchmen, before knocking him out and rescuing the canvas. He returns it to Gordon, the both of them wondering what Lofgren meant about a painted over feature, but despite their curiosity, decide to leave it alone no matter what it's hiding. Yeah, I don't like this one. I appreciate it for trying to educate the audience and give them an appreciation for classical art, but the whole thing is just boring. It's mostly comprised of people standing around, giving dramatic speeches or presenting fancy conjectures on the nature of the famous painting, or uninspired, extended fight scenes. The modern day story brings almost nothing, save for some slight juxtaposition between the actions of the past and present bat men, and ultimately, this just doesn't feel like an Elseworlds story. DC Comics could easily argue it's canon that the Wayne family had an ancestor that just so happened to also become a bat hero. It's not a terrible story, but I got nothing out of it, and I don't recommend you check it out. Also, the Mona Lisa has recently been X-rayed, and we sadly didn't find a bat man hiding anywhere.
