Morrison’s toilet humor transforms one of history’s most evil despots into a miserable, laughable figure. In a critical examination of the use of Nazi iconography for comedic purposes, writer Daniel A. Gross observes that such humor helps audiences cope with the horror of Hitler:

“It can be comforting to laugh at Hitler. Laughter helps audiences feel that they’ve overcome evil — that a mass murderer is not only safely locked away in the history books, but also somehow defanged. During World War II, anti-Nazi propaganda aimed to make Hitler look either incredibly evil or utterly ridiculous.”

Used for comedic effect in The New Adventures of Hitler, Hitler’s constipation is rendered with more humorous detail by Lee in The Multiversity: Mastermen. Teeth bared, sweating profusely, veins bulging — Hitler is in agony. The dictator is unable to enjoy his bathroom reading, a copy of the American superhero comic Superman. (This comic, among others, would later inspire Hitler to turn his new alien super-child into a costumed champion, a nod to Showcase #4, in which DC character Barry Allen is inspired to become Silver Age superhero The Flash due to his reading comics featuring the Golden Age Flash.)

From The Multiversity: Mastermen #1

Morrison’s portrayal of a constipated Hitler was likely influenced by historic evidence of the dictator’s digestive ailments. From childhood, Hitler suffered from painful stomach cramps; his condition worsened as an adult, with alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea, as well as embarrassing, uncontrollable flatulence. Hitler was so concerned about his flatulence that he supposedly became a vegetarian hoping to make his farts smell better (although his high-fiber diet did not help to diminish their frequency).

While modern readers laugh at Hitler’s digestive troubles, Hitler took them quite seriously, turning to quack doctor Theodor Morell for relief. Morell prescribed anti-gas pills that contained strychnine as an ingredient. Some speculate that strychnine poisoning, along with other harmful drug injections administered by Morell, may have impacted Hitler’s health and judgment, leading to irrational decisions that were disastrous for Germany’s war effort and hastened the end of World War II.