Berserk Button / The DCU

The DCU

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Comic Books

Comic Books

• Batman:
  • Disrespecting Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of him, even when disguised as Bruce Wayne is the quickest way to piss Batman off.
  • Whatever you do, NEVER do anything to harm children when you’re in Gotham.
  • Killing a couple in front of their young child, the very act that first spawned the Batman, is very much not recommended. If you do this, Batman will 1.) Have a flashback and 2.) Hunt you down no matter where you go. And then 3.) Make. You. Suffer. Like you have never suffered before or, you will hope, since.
    • One story actually deconstructed the "kill a couple in front of their young child" button. Batman was pursuing a criminal named Angel Lupo for murdering his pregnant sister. While on the run, Lupo shot and killed a couple in front of their son leaving the boy in a state of shock. Batman has the usual flashback and is bent on bringing Lupo to justice. Then it's revealed that Angel had nothing to do with the first murder. His girlfriend (without his knowledge) had his sister killed in order to free him of the responsibility of caring for his sister. Not that it matters, since the baby's father (the Ventriloquist) guns down Lupo in a fit of misdirected vengeance. Then it turns out that Lupo didn't kill the boy's parents either — the boy shot and killed his own parents and Lupo just happened to be nearby when it happened. Batman's Berserk Button made him pursue a man who, while still a career criminal, didn't commit any of the murders in the story and led him astray from the real killers.
      Batman: Everything I've done in the past three nights, I've been doing for the wrong little boy.
    • Also? Please do not pull a gun on him while he is visiting Crime Alley, where the aforementioned parental murder took place. He will not have mercy on you.
  • The Joker himself will become crazier than usual if you make a joke he finds bad or unfunny. Especially if you have the nerve to try and explain it to him afterwards. As well don't call him "puddin" (only Harley can call him that) and don't compare him to Batman, or he'll blow up your house.
    Joker: WHAT?!! Compare me to Batman?! I got more style, more brains! (looks in a mirror, fixing his bowtie) I'm certainly a better dresser!
    • And whatever you do, don't tell him that someone else came closer to killing Batman than he ever could. If you're going to hurt Batman, do it right. One of the supplementary stories for Joker War had him beyond furious with Bane - to the point of promising him he'd kill him in a way he would never see coming - for showing so little imagination in killing Alfred in City of Bane without even letting Batman listen to it to torture him. By his reckoning, if you have a great gag to break the Bat, use it to break the Bat - don't blow it by having Robin be the only one to witness it.
    • The Joker also goes nuts if he finds out that somebody has made some grand villainous all-star Legion of Doom without inviting him (a common occurrence since Even Evil Has Standards). Lex Luthor actually usually includes him simply because he doesn't want to deal with the mad homicidal clown coming after him angry he's been snubbed.
    • Oh, and if you do invite him into your Legion of Doom, don't let on that you've invited in The Batman Who Laughs as well. The Joker was probably going to betray you anyway and kill you all for craps and giggles. However, if he finds that you're working with The Batman Who Laughs... well let's just say a crazily cackling Joker is scary, a Joker in Tranquil Fury is FRIGGIN' TERRIFYING.
    • Also, Joker is an Attention Whore who loves being above the normies and likes to hear himself laugh even if others don't like his jokes. He does NOT like it when others tell him that someone else trolled him or that his jokes are uninspiring, especially in his face, and he also absolutely hates being made the butt of a joke or laughed at. Doing so tends to end very badly for anyone foolish enough to do it. This flaw has been used against him many times just so he can be driven to a Villainous Breakdown.
  • Batgirl:
    • In Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl Barbara Gordon is pretty temperamental, but don't suggest that she rules Gotham like a dictator or bring up family or she will rip into you.
    • Prior to the New 52, anyone else declaring themselves to be Batgirl is a good way to piss her off. She chewed out Batman when she found out that someone else was running around as Batgirl during the No Man's Land and he was letting her, was initially distrustful of Stephanie Brown wearing Cassandra Cain's costume and tore into Misfit when she tried claiming the name herself. To Barbara, Batgirl wasn't just a name; it was her life and her legs.
  • Don't touch the Mad Hatter's hat, or he will turn from a delusional mind control expert who is more likely to brainwash some henchmen to attack you into an Ax-Crazy foaming-at-the-mouth maniac.
  • Bane is a very dangerous person, but he is usually stoic and reserved. Even try to touch Scandal Savage in front of him, however, and there is nothing on this Earth that will stop him from beating you to a pulp.
  • Catman is given two in New 52. First, restraining him in any way, handcuffs included, which will end with the guilty party having their throat torn out. Second, animal abuse, even if they're dogs.
  • Oswald "the Penguin" Cobblepot may be one of Batman's saner rogues, but a childhood full of mockery has left him extremely embittered, particularly towards people laughing at him. Even laughing in his general vicinity can set him off and make him ruin your life, whether it was aimed at him or not; he will not give you the benefit of the doubt.
• Deadshot has two. Mentioning his deceased son, and treating guns carelessly/like toys. It's not that he's in favor of gun control or anything, it just annoys him to see fine weapons in the hands of idiots.
• Never mention the name of Houdini around Evil Sorcerer Abra Kadabra, a The Flash villain. Just don't. Also, he loathes not being the center of attention, and if someone else takes away applause from him.
• Do NOT call Gorilla Grodd a "monkey". Don't make jokes about bananas either.
• Gotham Central reveals what might actually be Two-Face's only Berserk Button. Most things he does, even his most heinous of crimes, are only done after he flips his trusty coin. It is not personal, just the law of averages, chaos and chance. Except for one thing: Do not look at Renee Montoya. Seriously. No, I'm completely serious, do not even look at her, Two-Face will blow off your damn head for glancing at her. He will take out his gun and shove it down your throat... and then he will tell Renee about how he has prepared her steak dinner (He's wacky like that). But seriously, don't look at her.
  • However, it's probably true that Harvey Dent had one other 'Berserk Button', which got hit with the acid and prompting his turn to Two-Face to begin with. Whether that berserk button was his commitment to justice, latent schizophrenia or just an investment in his own good looks depends on the interpretation.
  • Harley Quinn loves animals. Abuse an animal in front of her, and she'll remind you what being the Joker's former sidekick means she's capable of.
• Green Lantern: Whatever you do, do NOT mention Mongul's name around Arkillo. It doesn't matter if it was an accidental mention or not, he WILL kill you on the spot.
• Speaking of the Secret Six, don't bring up Scandal Savage's dad or do anything to remind her of him. Just don't do it. You'll be very lucky to still be in one piece if you make him enter her mind. Actually, that's probably the easiest way to piss Scandal off, given that she is definitely the most Ax-Crazy of the team and has a ridiculously short fuse.
  • As far as Vandal Savage is concerned, do not call him a caveman, at least not if you don't want to be beaten around like a red-headed stepchild. Tomcat (and Wildcat) learn this the hard way in JSA.
• Supergirl:
  • In Krypton No More, Supergirl tells her cousin that they need to undertake a space mission to save an alien race from being wiped out. When Superman says he's sitting it out because he is very busy dealing with Earth concerns, she gets so mad she slaps him hard, calls him a coward and flies away.
  • Red Daughter of Krypton showed the buttons of several characters:
    • God helps you if Supergirl realizes you're trying to manipulate her. Also, until she got her mind back right after getting her Red Ring, mentioning Superman around Kara was a bad idea.
    • If Red Lantern Zilius Zox's body doesn't look perfectly round, don't mention it. Just don’t do it.
  • Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade: Belinda goes utterly nuts when she meets Supergirl's alternate self and thinks she has been replaced, protesting loudly that she is the original copy. She is just as self-centered.
  • Bizarrogirl: Don't try to harm Bizarrogirl's rocket. It's a very, very bad idea. Don't speak too loud when Bizarrogirl is around, either. She doesn't like loud people and usually shuts them up. Permanently.
• Superman:
  • As every employee of the Daily Planet can tell you, editor Perry White hates being called "Chief".
  • Superman: Brainiac: In quick succession Brainiac threatens Superman with capturing Kara, abducting people from Earth before blowing it up, and accuses him from betraying his race (because is a Kryptonian who considers himself human). That's when Superman has had it, so he grabs a tube connected to Brainiac's head and bites through it.
    Superman: Inflicting pain on others doesn't seem to bother you. It bothers me. Usually.
• Wonder Woman:
  • Calling the Holliday Girl Bobby Strong a "lady" gets her royally pissed off. It's been used too many times as a prelude or excuse for why she can't do something and a man should get whatever position she's vying for.
  • Wonder Woman (1942): In "Etta Candy and Her Holliday Girls: The Toothache" the mobsters manage to find a temporary one of Etta's by hitting her in the jaw. Despite them having threatened her and pointed a gun at her face she was just going to ignore them since she really needed to get to the dentist. Once they hit her in the jaw aggravating her already hurting tooth she disarms and beats the lot of them unconscious and angrily waits for the cops to show before getting to her appointment.
• Don't confuse Flash villain Captain Cold with Mr. Freeze. Ever. Don't bring up Cold's evil, abusive father either.

Films

Films

• Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (and thus extending to the entire DC Animated Universe):
  • Batman listens to Joker's story about how he tortured Tim Drake patiently, but when Joker says, "You're just a little boy in a playsuit crying for Mummy and Daddy. It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic... oh what the heck, I'll laugh anyway." and laughs at Batman, he flips his shit, to use a technical term, and instantly charges Joker and pummels him, delivering one of the most furious beatings Joker's taken from Batman.
    
    That scene was really one giant Berserk Button for Batman; it just took all of his self control to keep from losing his shit any sooner than he did. But seriously, when he did, it was SCARY. Kevin Conroy had voiced Batman for the better part of a decade up to that point, but NEVER had his gravelly voice sounded as beyond-the-grave chilling as it did when he ground out through gritted teeth, "I'll break you in two." Ironically, Batman soon after LOSES the fight and is at The Joker's mercy, possibly because he was overcome with rage and thus could not fight logically and sensibly.
  • In the same animated movie, Terry also managed to drive Joker over the edge by denigrating his skill as a comedian in one hell of a "The Reason You Suck" Speech, capped off by laughing at him, something Bruce never bothered to do.
• In Man of Steel, the normally calm Clark goes nuts when Zod threatens Martha Kent.
  Superman: You think you can threaten my mother!?
• The Dark Knight Trilogy:
  • The Joker in The Dark Knight always gets a little bit more serious whenever someone calls him crazy or a "freak." At first, he merely shows annoyance, but the final time he angrily orders a man cut into pieces and fed to his dogs. Ironically, he tells Batman he's a freak "like him." Which kind of fits the Joker's character of changing things along the way if it benefits him.
  • Do not remove Bane's mask. Ever. When the CIA agent asks him if pulling it off would kill him, Bane calmly remarks, "It would be extremely painful." Literal truth! It's an anasthetic mask that's crucial for his survival due to the injuries he got in the Pit. He then promptly turns the comment into a threat by adding "for you." In their second fight, when Batman damages Bane's mask, Bane ignores all forms of fighting and just starts punching through columns.

Live-Action TV

Live-Action TV

• Gotham:
  • Because Harvey Bullock is on the take does not mean he's a bad cop, as he reminds Montoya and Allen early on.
  • Playing Salvatore Maroni for a chump is a bad idea.
  • At first, Oswald Cobblepot reacts violently to being called a penguin or compared to one... until, that is, Maroni convinces him to embrace his once-hurtful nickname.
    • It's also a very bad idea to hurt or threaten Oswald's loved ones. And yes, he does have them. Just ask Theo Galavan.
  • Carmine Falcone generally puts up with treacherous plots against him by his caporegimi, but when he finds out that Fish's latest scheme invoked the memory of his "sainted mother", that's where he draws the line!
    Falcone: How dare you use my sainted mother against me!? That's wrong. You'll suffer for that.
  • The Mad Hatter loves his sister so much (too much), that he hates it when people take her away from him. And telling him that his sister is afraid of him, which is why she ran away from him in the first place, is one way to make him lose his composure.
• Gotham Knights (2023): Harper, who was abused by her dad, jumps out and angrily tells off Stephanie's mother for slapping her the moment she sees it.
• Legends of the Superheroes: "The Roast" has a bit where Ed McMahon riles up Solomon Grundy whenever he mentions the swamp or anything related to it. Even an attempt to talk about beaches sets Grundy off because of beaches being near water and water being found in swamps.
  Solomon Grundy: Grundy hate swamp!
• Lucifer (2016):
  • Daniel loves puddings. He loves them so much that he keeps stacks of them in the precinct fridge and labels them with his name so that other people won't touch them. He becomes so upset when he realises someone is stealing all his puddings that Chloe sarcastically asks him if she should put some unis on the case and arrange for him to receive counselling.
  • On a serious note, blaming Lucifer for humanity's evil is a sure way to get him legitimately angered. He also doesn't like being compared to God or called by his former name, Samael (in the comics, Lucifer still answers to the name Samael, but objects to being called the "Lightbringer"). And please do not lay hands on his father or try to kill him.

Video Games

Video Games

• Injustice: Gods Among Us:
  • Regime Superman has several of these, all of which tend to end badly for those who hit them:
    • Anything related to the fugitive Batman, his biggest opposition and the leader of the Insurgency opposed to his Regime, has become this to him in Year Two of the prequel comics. By Year Five, he's practically obsessed.
    • Do not ask what Lois would think of his present actions. Ever. In fact, criticizing him at all is liable to get you killed, as poor Billy Batson learned the hard way. Deep inside, he is aware that Lois would disapprove of his actions, even if he did it in her memory, but his grief prevents him from moving on.
    • Anything to do with the Joker, whose actions in the Injustice-verse led to his Start of Darkness. This not only gets Injustice!Lex Luthor (who is nowhere near the villain he is in the regular DC Universe) killed, but everyone in the Joker Underground, an offshoot of the Insurgency who idolizes the maniac who blew up Metropolis and got Lois and Superman's unborn kid killed.
  • Never tell Thaal Sinestro that there's someone more important than he is. He's that much of a raging egomaniac.

Western Animation

Western Animation

• Batman: The Animated Series:
  • The Riddler does not take it well when his henchman questions his sanity in "Riddler's Reform".
    Henchman: Gee, boss, you're starting to scare me. You're talkin' kind of crazy.
    Riddler: DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT!!!
  • Also, it is not wise to sexually harass Poison Ivy or Harley Quinn. Let's just say they tend to use big paddles.
    • And if Poison Ivy sees you hurt or kill a plant, she so won't take kindly to that.
    • Even if she's doing it to end you, don't spit after Poison Ivy kisses you. Earned Batman a hard stare in her debut episode.
  • The Joker
    • Don't ever pull a prank on this guy. You'll be lucky if you're already dead.
    • Don't try to kill Batman if you work for him.
    • "If you have to explain the joke, THERE IS NO JOKE!"
    • In Justice League, he doesn't seem too happy about having to do this himself in order to get a laugh out of a camera crew.
  • Ubu hates it when someone goes before his master Ra's al Ghul, or when someone tries to leave without his master's permission. (If he does let you without objecting, that means you're walking into a place he knows is dangerous, the very reason Batman figured out Ra's knew more than he let in their first encounter.)
• In Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League, Darkseid existing is a Berserk Button for Superman. Darkseid is the only villain that Superman is fully prepared to kill (well there's Mongul too, but a lot of passion was involved with that). Given how monstrous many villains in the DCAU are, the fact that Darkseid in general is a Berserk Button for Superman, and the only villain he wants to kill, is quite impressive on his part. In the Justice League episode "Twilight (of the Gods)," Superman goes into a blind range and beats up Darkseid just for showing his face.
• Teen Titans (2003)
  • Raven: "No one should ever go into my room."
  • Robin does not like being compared to Slade. At all. (Most noticeable in the Apprentice episodes, he manages to get over it but it's still a sensitive issue for him.) However, this is partially true, since he's as obsessive as Slade. Deep down Robin does realize this, but doesn't want it to be pointed out. This may be why he's so obsessive with Slade, as he made him something he doesn't want to be and is always many steps ahead of Robin.
  • Don't talk about Terra's betrayal in front of Beast Boy.
  • Starfire hates being pranked.
    Starfire: On my planet, we have a name for people who do such terrible things, you are a... a.. (head expands) CLORBAG Varblenilk!!!
    • Don't flirt with Robin.
    • While she's used to being called a "Troq" by every other alien race in the galaxy, she doesn't want her friends to call her that when they assume it was a nickname.
  • Slade hates it when someone makes him lose his cool, outdoes him, or when his apprentices betray him.
• Young Justice (2010)
  • Superboy will flip out when anyone mocks his lack of acceptance from Superman.
    • Also, due to an incident with an illusion of the Joker in Mount Justice, he hates monkeys. And apes. Not that he's ever come across a normal ape or monkey, mind, nor one that isn't trying to kill him.
    • In "Agendas" he does not take being stuck in a pod wearing his Cadmus suit again very well, even though it's ostensibly meant to heal him.
  • Do not taunt Miss Martian about losing Conner's love, the team's approval, or being banished back to Mars for being a White Martian. When Psimon did it, M'gann put him into a coma.
  • Due to the time traveling shenanigans, Bart Allen lives with his 30-something grandparents Iris and Barry and his toddler father and aunt. Iris wants him to call her by her first name but he insists on calling her “Grandma”. He also calls the kids “Dad” and “Aunt Dawn” to her dismay because she doesn’t want to confuse them.

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