Batman Just Gave Superman the Ultimate Key to Stopping Him, and It’s Perfect for His Character

Batman has a reputation for being extremely paranoid, and to that end, he prepares contingency plans to bring down not just his villains, but even his friends in the Justice League. This tendency to plan for the worst with his allies first appeared in the legendary “Tower of Babel” storyline, and has since become a core aspect of his character. There’s a popular meme that Batman could defeat anybody and everybody if he has enough time to plan accordingly, and while that idea is definitely overblown, there’s no denying that Batman can figure out how to knock out even some of the strongest heroes around. Now, Batman’s paranoia is coming back to reward him, but not because he planned against his friends.

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Detective Comics #1104 revealed that not only does Batman have contingency plans to defeat his allies, but he’s made some to take down himself. Batman was compromised by a virus that was sapping his ability to feel fear and his inhibitions, and he only had so long until he became a threat to everyone around him. To ensure that he could never become something that he hates, he gave Superman access to three different plans that can stop him without question. Not only is this an awesome bit of worldbuilding, but it also shows a major aspect of what makes Batman such an interesting character.

Courage That Dulls the Senses

Batman was infected by the Lion’s virus, and only had a few hours left before he had to go into quarantine. Already, he could see how his fading fear was affecting his judgement. Lois Lane pointed out how he was charging forward into the mystery without questioning why it was so easy, like someone wanted him to follow the trail. As the issue started, Bruce swung across the Gotham City skyline with only the barest speck of fear, which he knew was much less than he should feel. He interrogated one of the Lion’s fearless lackeys and got a location where the Lion is definitely waiting for him.

Back in the Batcave, Batman considered his options, knowing he had less than three hours until he had to go into quarantine. With his walls coming down, he called Catwoman, something that he normally wouldn’t be able to force himself to do. Before he could say anything, Superman arrived, and Bruce told his best friend that he only had so much longer until he became a liability. He was already acting out of character, and so, he had to be sure that Superman would be able to stop him before he hurt anyone. To that end, he gave Superman a flash drive.

The drive was coded to Superman’s fingerprint and could only be opened with an astronomical amount of pressure, meaning that Superman alone could open it. Batman said it contained three distinct plans to stop him that he couldn’t fight against. This drive was his Kryptonite, and he made Superman promise to use it if he lost control. Clark asked Bruce if he would trust him with this knowledge if he wasn’t already affected by the courage, and Bruce answered that he legitimately could not tell.

A Paranoid Man Chooses to Trust

Batman has a hard time trusting people, which has been shown time and time again over the years. And yet, despite all his concerns and need to be in charge, which drives him to control every situation he’s in, here he gave Superman the silver bullet to stop him. Obviously, the validity of Batman choosing to give this to Clark comes into question, given that he’s already losing his ability to fear, but he had this flash drive prepared well before this event. Even if Batman hadn’t given it over, the fact that he created it alone is more than enough of a show of trust that he is willing to put these ideas into the world.

The fact that Batman created these contingency plans to stop himself, meant to be used by Superman, shows an incredible mix of trust and paranoia. He trusts Superman to use this information wisely and understands that he cannot do everything himself. On the other hand, the fact that he’s made these plans at all comes from a place of fear and anxiety over what he can do, showing his paranoid nature. These two conflicting aspects of Batman’s character worked together to create these plans, which demonstrates what makes him so interesting. Batman is a paranoid man who puts his life in the hands of others. He’s at once extremely overbearing and choosing to let go of control.

Batman has worked with others and put their judgment above his own, and he’s also gone behind everyone’s backs to do what he alone thinks is right. This single event demonstrates how he can do both and how both parts of him can work together to build something greater. This is a great callback to “Tower of Babel,” while also showing how much Batman has grown as a character since then. That version of Batman would never have even made this flash drive, but the current one did. Batman has changed for the better, but he’s still very much Batman.

Detective Comics #1104 is on sale now!

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