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Warning! Spoilers for Absolute Batman #4!One of the big things that helps Batman control crime in Gotham City is that criminals are terrified of him. Batman is a lot more than just a man to the average criminal. He’s a horrifying inhuman monster who can appear from the shadows. But that’s something that never really made sense to me – until I saw the first outing of the Absolute version of Batman.
The thing that I never understood about the Caped Crusader was Batman having this reputation as an inhuman monster, but all my questions were answered in Absolute Batman #4 by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, and Gabriel Hernández Walta, wherein Absolute Batman reveals his very first costume and set of weapons – which all make him seem like a genuine vampire.
There are plenty of times when criminals are led to believe that Batman isn’t just a normal man: that Batman is a vampire or is capable of literally appearing from shadows or other supernatural abilities. Batman has never been supernatural – at least not on Earth-1 – and honestly, Batman has never really shown any ability to make criminals think so. I never understood where this misunderstanding came from, but Absolute Batman #4 fixes this problem.
Yes, Absolute Batman’s First Vampire Costume Includes a Gun
Absolute Batman #4 by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Gabriel Hernández Walta, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles
It took a long time for Batman to figure out exactly what kind of vigilante he wanted to be. While he always knew that he didn’t want to use lethal force, he wasn’t exactly sure how to control criminals without it, leading to Batman trying to become a terrifying force who would keep criminals in line through fear. It’s one of the biggest reasons Batman has the Bat-Signal, as it shows criminals that Batman is currently active in Gotham, and they can never be too sure if Batman is coming after them specifically or some other crime across town.
Batman is an exceptional ninja. He can appear and disappear without anyone noticing, especially with the use of his iconic gadgets like smoke pellets. But that’s not exactly enough to label him supernatural. Batman can be punched, stabbed, or even shot. Granted, it’s not easy to do, but it has been done. Plus, it never made sense to me that criminals would view Batman as supernatural when they could turn on the TV and see Batman fist-fighting the Joker on top of a blimp. It should be pretty apparent to any criminal that actually pays attention that Batman is just a man.
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DC Unveils Absolute Batman’s First Costume, And It’s Absolutely Terrifying
Absolute Batman reveals the prototype costume he wore before his now-iconic bulky suit, and it’s already his most horrifying look in DC history.
Absolute Batman #4 completely fixes this issue, as the first time Bruce goes out, he intentionally tries to present himself as a demon. He wears bright red contact lenses and fake vampire teeth filled with a paralytic, which he promptly uses to bite criminals. If I saw a man dressed in black with bright red eyes and long sharp teeth who could bite people and paralyze them, I would probably assume he was a vampire as well. While Bruce quickly ditches this vampire idea, it makes sense that rumors would spread about some leather-winged beast in Gotham City.
Even the DCU Version of Batman Has Always Tried to Rely on Fear
Scared Criminals Don’t Commit Crimes
Unlike most other heroes in the DC Universe, Batman doesn’t have powers. He needs criminals to be afraid of him so that he can prevent crime. If criminals realize that Batman is just a man, they would have no problem going up against him in a fight or even realizing that he couldn’t possibly be in two different places at once. Because of this potential problem, Batman built a reputation of fear that he could use to keep criminals in line, but the Prime Universe Batman simply never put all that much effort into truly presenting himself as a supernatural threat.
The Absolute version of Batman is young, and he’s still trying to figure out what being Batman means and what the best way to be Batman is.
The Absolute version of Batman is young, and he’s still trying to figure out what being Batman means and the best way to be Batman. On his first outing, he even brought a gun to try and terrify the criminals he stopped. Ultimately, Bruce decided that fear wasn’t going to save Gotham and that dressing up like a vampire might help build a terrifying reputation, but relying on gimmicks isn’t always going to win him fights. Batman eventually moved away from these gimmicks, wanting to become a symbol of more than just fear.
Absolute Batman Needs to Find the Balance Between Hope and Terror
The Absolute Story Continues in 2025
With all of this in mind, I think it makes perfect sense now why the criminals of Gotham consider Batman inhuman, especially when considering the symbiote-like cape that he’s been using recently. Terrifying criminals is a great way to keep them under control, but Batman also needs to be a symbol of hope, someone that citizens know they can depend on and follow the example of. That’s never going to happen when everyone in Gotham City thinks Batman is a lunatic vampire who goes around biting people and waving a gun in their faces.
Absolute Batman #4 is available now from DC Comics!
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