Joe Rogan appears to be no match for Batman.
The top-rated host of Spotify’s “The Joe Rogan Experience” was knocked off his perch as the streaming service’s most listened-to show by a Batman-themed podcast called “Batman Unburied.”
“Batman Unburied,” which was the top Spotify podcast in the US, Australia, Brazil, France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and India, is a fictional audio narrative that flips the usual script of the famous DC Comics story.
The podcast, which is the brainchild of “Dark Knight” screenwriter David S. Goyer, tells the story of Bruce Wayne (voice-played by “Black Panther” star Winston Duke), a forensic pathologist who “has no memory of being the Caped Crusader at all.”
This isn’t the first time that Rogan’s podcast has been overtaken for the No. 1 slot. Last September, gaming stars Sapnap and Karl Jacobs grabbed the top spot with their debut “Banter With Sapnap and Karl Jacobs.”
Rogan, who signed an exclusive licensing deal with Spotify in 2020 for an estimated $200 million, commands an estimated audience of some 11 million listeners.
His tenure on Spotify has been controversial as critics accuse him of giving a wide platform to vaccine skeptics and others who have questioned coronavirus lockdown measures.
Grunge rock legend Neil Young pulled his songs from Spotify in protest of Rogan’s presence on the streaming service — as have other artists including Ava DuVernay, Joni Mitchell, Nils Lofgren, India Arie, Graham Nash, David Crosby and Stephen Stills.
Rogan has also come under fire for interviews with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Nonetheless, Spotify management has resisted calls to terminate its arrangement with Rogan.
“Batman Unburied” is part of a licensing deal that Warner Bros., the parent company of DC Comics which has since been renamed Warner Bros. Discovery following a recent merger, signed with Spotify in 2020.
According to official description of the podcast, Wayne is on the trail of a serial killer, The Harvester, who is “terrorizing” Gotham City. He develops an “obsession” with the murderer while performing autopsies of the victims.
The Harvester then targets Wayne himself, prompting his parents, who are alive, to encourage him to go to therapy. In the Batman films, Thomas and Martha Wayne were fatally shot in front of Bruce, who was a young boy at the time.
Gotham police, who can’t rely on Batman, instead call upon the city’s “second-smartest detective” — The Riddler, who is voiced by Hasan Minhaj.
“Harry Potter” actor Jason Isaacs plays Alfred, the Wayne family butler, while Gina Rodriguez portrays Barbara Gordon, Gotham’s chief of police.
The first two episodes were released on May 3. A new episode will premiere every Tuesday.