Netflix and Mappa could adapt Absolute Batman into anime

Polygon reports Netflix’s deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s movie studio and streaming business is all but assured if European and U.S. regulators meet eye to eye, and that Netflix has solidified a deal with anime studio Mappa under which the two will "work together on new projects with a global perspective," with Netflix securing exclusive rights to a slate of Mappa productions.

The outlet argues their first project should be an anime adaptation of Absolute Batman. Absolute Batman, created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta as part of DC’s Absolute Universe, reimagines Bruce Wayne as a young blue‑collar engineer with no wealth, experience, or tech.

In this version the villains are ultra‑rich elites (and, in one issue, white nationalists), and the Batman is far more brutal—making explosives and even blowing up skyscrapers—to take on better‑equipped adversaries. The comics have been a breakout hit and rank among the few Western books competing with manga on The New York Times Best Sellers, the piece says.

Key Topics

Culture, Netflix, Mappa, Absolute Batman, Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta