[batman who?]

I would vouch that employing a pop culture icon such as Bruce Wayne served the work well in that it does not take away from its literary merit in any significant way. This method serves to connect the reader to the work which makes it all-the-more readable.

In his piece “The Other Universe of Bruce Wayne,” Bucky Sinister’s reference to one of the most prevalent of pop culture icons is effective in that it feels like an inside joke of sorts for its readers. He utilizes this most potently at the onset of the poem by alluding to things that the general public would associate with the Batman we all know and love: “no Batmobile, no Batcave, no utility belts, much less a cool butler and a trusted sidekick.” 

The fact that we know these things to have existed (at least in the fictional world) makes their absence in this alternate universe all the more distinct. This also provides a backdrop for the story Sinister presents; the “original” universe we know Bruce Wayne to exist in serves as a vivid comparison. If it were not for this, the narrative would simply appear to be arbitrary and of no remote relevance. Put harshly, it would just be another account of heartbreak and alcoholism. Sinister creates a sense of familiarity despite describing a completely foreign scenario. 

Also, his referencing an icon so well known makes the satirical nature of the work much more palpable. In the work, Sinister truly tears down the Bruce Wayne that we have built up in our minds and that media has fashioned for us. 

The last portion of the story is especially powerful in that the other other universe (where Bruce Wayne is Batman) is acknowledged and Bucky Sinister even manages to raise the question, who is he (or even, who are YOU) in an alternate universe?