The Batman's Infinite Crisis
Author: John Liette
Monday, December 19, 2005

The status quo of Batman comics has stayed relatively the same over the last decade or so. Batman has been the darkness to Superman’s light, and has provided an always paranoid, always prepared for the worse possible scenario attribute to all of the books has appeared in. Within his own stories, he has utilized his now extensive family of vigilantes to protect Gotham City from one threat to the next. As a member of the Justice League of America, he has been a controlling leader who other heroes seem to either love or hate. This year DC Comics has built up and is currently presenting its company wide mega event Infinite Crisis which promises to shake up the DC Universe as we know it.

Infinite Crisis itself is a seven part story that is built upon several intense plot lines. Over the summer, DC published four mini series that served as a “Countdown to Infinite Crisis.” Batman was featured predominately in The OMAC Project written by Greg Rucka. In this series, a spy satellite and computer was being used by a secret government agency to monitor, and later attack, metahumans around the globe. How does this tie to Batman?

He created the satellite.

Originally, it was intended to be a fail safe against his super powered counterparts after he learned that Zatanna, a heroine who utilizes magic, erased a few minutes from his memory when Batman walked in on her and other heroes mindwiping a villain who had learned their secret identities. The satellite was hijacked and its programming was perverted. Obviously, when the other heroes learned of this, they were not happy. Now, Batman and his allies are at odds with each other, making teamwork extremely difficult. Of course, from a story telling point of view, this is the perfect time for the “worst day to ever face the DCU.”

The ultimate destination of the crisis is still relatively unknown. It is itself a sequel to the 1985 maxiseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. The original rebooted the DC universe, allowing writers to build their own histories with decades old characters. This new crisis is supposedly not a reboot, but it will definitely reshape the DCU. Facts are few, but speculation is wild on what will lay in store for the dark knight. With the third part of the story to be released on December 21, the story will shift to focus on Batman. The upcoming issue will present Bruce Wayne with the option of living life as it was on an alternate earth where he was retired from crime fighting, married to Selina Kyle (Catwoman), and had a daughter.

If Bruce would pursue this, the status quo is obviously shaken up. This, however, is extremely unlikely to actually happen, as it would remove Batman from DC’s ranks and that, my friends, is a horrible business decision. Fans have hypothesized several theories on how Batman will be different after the dust has settled. The most incredible rumor could be the one that has Batman as an inmate in Arkham Asylum, presumably put there by his “allies” because he cannot be trusted and they see him as a risk. There are several variations on another rumor which has Bruce retiring as Batman and letting Dick Grayson or the recently resurrected Jason Todd taking over the mantle of the bat. To me, this seems unlikely as well, especially with the marketing power that the Batman franchise has, particularly with Batman Begins and its future sequels.

The most likely result of the crisis will not be an aesthetic one, but rather a shift in how the character is written. It is rumored that whatever transpires within the crisis, the result will be a less paranoid, more socially open Bruce Wayne who just may crack a smile from time to time. Over the last twenty years, Batman has gotten darker and darker, and now may be the time to reverse that trend.

Now is a great time to be a Bat-fan. One of the most iconic characters in American pop culture is stuck right in the thick of things during DC Comics’ biggest event in twenty years. I cannot see DC making any drastic changes to Batman, or the man who wears the mask, especially ones that may be perceived as threatening to lifelong fans of the character or to DC’s profits. So, the next year should be intensely interesting to fans who want to see their favorite hero develop and change, allowing countless stories to be produced to continue the legacy which has enthralled generations.