It's been a long time since my last Predictions Panel-the series I do in which I predict what will happen to a character or series in the next year or so-and with "Batman Day" on the horizon, I thought it would be fitting to make a guess at where The Dark Knight will be in the year to come.
Okay, here is the current situation with Batman: After a battle with The Joker-who had returned from the dead again in "Endgame"-Batman was thought to have died fighting his old foe. With Batman dead, the city of Gotham and The Powers Corporation appointed a new Batman in the selection of former police commissioner Jim Gordon. Jim was given a new, sleek Batsuit with a batarang-firing pistol and-more advertised-a Batman themed mech-suit. As the corporate-backed Batman of Gotham, Jim carried his cop/soldier mentality into the role of his former ally. We also learn that Alfred Pennyworth found Bruce Wayne after the "Endgame" battle and upon Bruce waking up with no memory, Alfred explained everything to Bruce: the death of his parents, his transformation into Batman, his many sidekicks and superhero friends, all of it. Bruce decides to leave that life behind and help Gotham just as his parents did. He works for a community center under a false name with his girlfriend Julia and believes this new life is right for him. But this is DC Comics, and if the past ten years have taught us anything it's that DC Comics can't survive with Batman.
So what could happen next? I have a few predictions, one starting with the upcoming "Batman & Robin Eternal" a weekly series set to star Batman and Robin (in the past) and Batman and Grayson (in the present). Currently Dick Grayson (the first Robin, then Nightwing, now former secret agent) is returning to Gotham to find Bruce, who hasn't kept in contact with Dick because of recent events. I'm predicting that the events of "Batman & Robin Eternal" will end with Bruce Wayne/Batman's decade long secret being revealed to the world. As a result, Bruce Wayne will become an enemy of the state pressed with charges of vigilantism, child endangerment, resisting arrest, tampering with crime scenes and many more crimes. Julia Masterson, Lucius Fox, and other supporting characters will be arrested for "aiding a criminal". Alfred will be appointed into Arkham Asylum, deemed insane for allowing/assisting the person he was responsible for to proceed a life of vigilantism. Jim Gordon will be forced to lead the manhunt for Bruce Wayne or be thrown in jail with the other supporters. Gotham's citizens will be torn in two by this reveal, most people stating how dangerous Bruce Wayne is, as a smaller percent still believe in "The Batman". In an attempt to escape capture, The Batman Family (Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Jason Todd/Red Hood, Tim Drake/Red Robin, Stephanie Brown/Spoiler, Harper Row/Bluebird, Damian Wayne/Robin) destroy Wayne Manor, cave in The Batcave, and get help from crime boss Selina Kyle/Catwoman to find a safe-house to hide Bruce. Upon seeing how Gotham responded to the big reveal, Bruce decides he needs to be their Batman once again and dons his costume from "Zero Year".
The Batman comics would be shuffled to fit these events. "Detective Comics" would follow Jim Gordon in his attempt to continue his role as a corporate Batman, a Batman that Gotham regards as a joke. This book would also show Gordon under the command of Wayne/Powers, the conjoined corporation fused from Powers and the bankrupt Wayne Industries. "Batman" would be Bruce's book, showing him readjusting to Gotham. With less gadgets and more enemies, the amnesiac Batman would treat every returning threat like his first. Sure, Mr. Freeze could be handily beaten before, but now it's like their first fight all over again. This book would also see the return of Bruce's criminal disguise Matches Malone, an alter ego he'd use to move amongst the Gotham crowds. "Batman & Robin" would show the year between Bruce's identity being revealed and his return to Gotham. In this missing year, Bruce's former-assassin son Damian Wayne/Robin would help his father retread his training in martial arts, science and other fields of knowledge. It would be a father/son road trip story better bonding the two and reestablishing Batman's abilities. "Grayson" would become a book about Dick Grayson traveling the world as an unmasked Nightwing to protect Batman's international allies. After all, with Bruce's secret out, many of the international versions of Batman may be under threat too.
Now for my reasoning. What logical proof may lead to this scenario being a reality? My main thought behind this being the course is "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice", the next Warner Bros/DC Comic's film coming in 2016. As per the course, when a superhero movie comes out, it's corresponding company wants to return their comic presence to the standard hoping fans of the movie will hop on the comics without any confusion. Dumb strategy, but with DC Comic's pushing the element of change with their current books I feel that returning Batman to the norm would be too predictable. By revealing his identity and establishing a new status quo DC Comics can add a new angle to Batman that he's never had before. This change would effect the rest of the DCU too and allow readers who like Jim Gordon's Batman to still follow his story, while older fans can experience their Batman once again under new circumstances. This way you can have Batman recapture what made him so legendary and work his way back to where he was before "Endgame" and make it feel deserved and not rushed. This is a chance to see a fresh Batman, one who smiles and is surprised and has weakness and doubts. One of the reasons so many people love Batman is the fact that he is only human, so advancing that element could really shake the game up. How will Bruce Wayne-this normal guy-respond to fighting clay monsters and having an assassin ten year old son and being best friends with freaking Superman!? What new make-shift tools will he use, how will Gotham react to essentially treating Batman like a masked lunatic again? This is a story setup that will continuously make readers ask, "What will happen next".
That is my prediction on where Batman will go in the year to come and I whole heartily hope we get something like this rather than getting a "he got his memory back, back to basics" kind of wrap-up to what has been one of the greatest runs on Batman in past couple of years. Scott Synder and Greg Capullo have blown readers out of the water so many times before, and I think with DC getting back into the movie game and shaking up their comics once again, now is the time to tip the ocean over. Thanks for reading and Happy Celebration September!
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