After the DC Comics event Absolute Power, Green Arrow told Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman that dismantling the Justice League was a mistake. After Oliver stopped talking, Batman showed him the plans for the Watchtower. In the DC Comics All-In Special, every hero was offered a membership to the Justice League. A novel idea that worked out, but it also left people unaccounted for.
Airwave (a classic villain, who’s back younger and a hero) was manipulated by Gorilla Grodd. This almost caused the Legion of Doom to take over the world (read the crossover We Are Yesterday for that story). After everything was over, DC’s Trinity met to decide what to do next. As predicted, they disagreed.
Bruce suggests it’s time to do thorough background checks on the people allowed into the Justice League. Clark thinks it’s an invasion of privacy. Wonder Woman, being the diplomat that she is, understood both sides. After some insults and shots were thrown from both Superman and Batman, everyone decided to wait to figure out what to do. Shocking to no one, Batman goes behind his teammates’ backs and does whatever he wants. He goes to Red Tornado, tells him about the meeting, and prepares for the background checks.
Justice League Unlimited No. 10
- Writer: Mark Waid
- Artist: Dan Mora
- Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s Batman disregarding the feelings of others. Bruce Wayne feels he knows better than everyone else, leaving him to make decisions that go against the Justice League and the Bat Family. A prime example was in JLA: Tower of Babel, when the League learns that Batman has a contingency plan in case they go bad or get mind-controlled. If you need a more current example, read Hush 2, where Bruce saves The Joker’s life, leaving most of the Bat Family furious.
We could be looking at a Dark Knight without the help of his peers on every level. It’s been a while since Bruce was kicked out of the Justice League or left because of his beliefs. Ignoring the decision made by his peers could lead to this. Plus, with everything going on in Hush 2, it looks like everyone from the Bat Family except Tim Drake is abandoning him.
Batman may act like he doesn’t have emotions, but being alone hurts him. Publicly, he will be stubborn and say he's right. Privately, he'll regret his decision, but stand by it. But, this won’t be the first or last time Batman is on his own, and I'm here for it.
Bruce Wayne’s best stories are when he has little to no help. It shows how resourceful he is. It’s also great for the people he usually teams up with. They’re forced to make tough decisions and admit that maybe Bruce had things right. More importantly, characters like Damian Wayne will become more self-reliant.
There’s no guarantee that this is what’s going to happen. However, if you’re reading the tea leaves, you can see that the Dark Knight’s future is one of loneliness. Thankfully, he’s been here before and, once again, he’ll survive.
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