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Warning: Spoilers for Absolute Batman #4Absolute Batman has rewritten Bruce Wayne’s classic status quo by lacking his millions, but this change is ultimately for the better. As a member of the affluent Wayne family, Batman is infamously wealthy, but his Absolute Universe variant doesn’t have nearly as much money to his name due to his working-class portrayal. In fact, this new Batman isn’t fond of the rich, resulting in a bold switch-up from his usual position as one of them.
In an interview with CBR, Scott Snyder – the writer of Absolute Batman – sits down to talk about the hit series that has paved the way for DC’s new Absolute Universe. When Batman’s refusal to back down against a powerful gang that boasts money to its name comes up in the conversation, Snyder has this to say:
He’s not ONE of them. So it’s not a case of him having to move among them and pretend this. He just is out to get them, and I love that about him.
While Batman’s civilian persona would usually be lumped in with the elites of Gotham City due to his money and fame, Absolute Batman doesn’t share that societal privilege, choosing to combat the rich and not join their ranks. Ultimately, this alteration is for the better and makes this Batman stand out.
Absolute Batman’s Lack of Wealth Is A Welcome Change to DC Lore
Batman Targets the Rich and Powerful In This Subversion of His Status Quo
Because Batman is typically a millionaire, it’s surprising to see a revamp of Bruce Wayne who stands opposed to those who can control people by waving their money around. Snyder dives deeper into Absolute Batman’s stance:
He’s very much against, not like rich people in general, but people that abuse and have their power, people that are hypocritical, people that are helping foster a system that disenfranchises people from their own principles, that allow it makes them feel like they have no access to anything they’re supposed to have access to, or that redirects their feelings of longing and frustration towards anger and ugliness at each other or in the wrong misdirects it with conspiracies and all this. He hates all of that.
This version of Batman’s selection of villains reflects this shift, as he’s facing off against a wealthy Joker with influence on his side instead of the usual take on the character who festers in Gotham’s grimy underbelly. Batman’s greatest adversaries in the Absolute Universe are those who hold power over the less fortunate, setting him apart from his traditional counterpart with his focus on dismantling these structures.
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This dichotomy becomes evident in Absolute Batman #4, when Bruce looms over a party full of Gotham’s upper-class citizens. As he looks down on them, his monologue reads: “Like there’s anything left of this city to eat. No, you ate it all years ago, and ate well. It’s just bones now.” His bitter words here are a twist on his iconic monologue from Batman: Year One by Frank Miller, in which he accuses a mob of “eating well”. Here, he aims his disdain towards the rich rather than the overtly criminal. Through this realigning of where his grudges lie, Batman becomes far more relatable to the average reader.
Batman Fighting The Rich Is The Perfect Modernization of Bruce Wayne
The Absolute Universe’s Batman Dismantles Oppressive Systems
Now more than ever, people need a superhero to admire who isn’t afraid to take a stand against those who wield their money over others to exert their power, and Absolute Batman fits the bill. Scott Snyder’s words about Bruce’s goals illustrate the goal of his unending struggle against Gotham’s wealthiest.
He believes in the idealistic, believes in the ideals and principles of the country, believes in all these things, and believes that they’re being hijacked by the rich and powerful. And that, to me, is, you know, it feels very real, but it also feels fun and big and comic book and epic in the ways that it can play out without feeling, you know, descriptive.
In the Absolute Universe, Bruce strives to make the world a better place, while the powerful operate against that notion due to its conflict with their personal interests. Therefore, Batman fights on behalf of “the little guy” in DC’s updated continuity, and this change in ideals cements him as the working-class hero the world deserves.
Absolute Batman #4 is available now from DC Comics.
Source: CBR
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