Absolute Batman Reveals the Dark Knight’s Greatest Weakness (And It’s Not What You Think)

Batman has always portrayed himself as an invincible hero, even though he doesn’t have any powers. While some would argue that his lack of superpowers is Bruce’s most significant weakness, the series Absolute Batman reveals the Dark Knight’s true vulnerability and it’s something readers might not expect. The Absolute Universe depicts a world where classic DC heroes are underdogs fighting corrupt systems of power. Whereas the Bruce of the primary timeline is a billionaire with an endless supply of resources, the Absolute Universe version of the character is a working-class engineer. Despite his relative poverty, this version of Bruce still strikes fear into the hearts of criminals as Batman. Perhaps the most significant divergence from the original storyline is that Bruce in the Absolute Universe is childhood friends with Harvey Dent, Oswald “Ozzie” Cobblepot, Selina Kyle, Edward “Eddie” Nigma, and Waylon Jones. In the main DC continuity, these characters are the villains Two-Face, Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler, and Killer Croc. However, in the Absolute Universe, they are Bruce’s closest allies and his most significant weakness.

Bruce initially tried to keep his friends in the dark about his vigilante escapades. However, when facing the villain Black Mask, he needed their help and resources to take the psychopath down. He told them that he’s Batman, and despite his best efforts to push them away once Black Mask was beaten, his friends told him that they wouldn’t let him continue his crusade alone. Now, Harvey, Oswald, Eddie, and Waylon are all caught in the middle of Bruce’s crusade against the nefarious private prison Ark M that uses its prisoners for human experimentation. Furthermore, they have become the target of Ark M’s deadliest weapon: Bane.

Bruce’s Friends are His Support System

Another significant contrast between the Bruce in the primary universe and the Bruce of the Absolute Universe is what they are fighting for. In the main DC continuity, Bruce’s crusade always has been built on the foundations of vengeance. Ever since the deaths of his parents, aside from Alfred, Bruce has had no friends or family to rely on. This isolationism caused Bruce’s rage and guilt to fester until all that remained was his desire to punish the criminals of Gotham for their transgressions. Even as he traveled the world to learn the skills needed to become Gotham’s protector, he rarely made any long-lasting relationships with his peers or mentors. Bruce’s vendetta consumed him, and for years, he left little room in his heart to form attachments with others. Although over time his mission shifted to focusing on protecting the people of Gotham and he has surrounded himself with fellow crime-fighters, internally Bruce is still the traumatized and lonely person seeking vengeance that he always was.

In the Absolute Universe, however, Bruce avoids this fate by having friends with whom he grew up and who never left his side. After the death of his father, Bruce tried to shut himself off from the rest of the world, but neither his mother, Martha, nor his friends would allow that to happen. As Bruce’s classmates, they were all present and shared the trauma of Bruce’s father’s murder during a school trip to the zoo. They helped Bruce deal with his trauma in a healthier manner and helped him grow up to be a much more mentally stable individual. Despite this support, though, Bruce still swore to become a masked vigilante who is hellbent on taking down the corruption that plagues Gotham City. Without his friend’s knowledge, Bruce absorbed their skills and expertise to become a feared crime-fighter. With these skills, Bruce doesn’t fight for vengeance, but instead for the people and the community he loves.

When Bruce finally donned the cowl, he tried to push his loved ones away to keep them safe. But despite his best efforts, his friends weren’t willing to let him isolate himself from the world, as they kept trying to reach out to him. Even as savage criminals orchestrated by Black Mask overran Gotham, Bruce’s friends still tried to be there for him. And when Bruce finally opens up and reveals his secret to Harvey, Ozzie, Eddie, and Waylon, they join their friend’s crusade to save Gotham. They supply him with tools and information to help in Bruce’s latest mission: to investigate Ark M and its suspected illegal endeavors. By being honest with his friends, Bruce gained some of his greatest allies and is now more motivated than ever to protect them and the city he loves. However, this love also means that Bruce has more to lose, a weakness Ark M plans to exploit. 

Bane Will Use Bruce’s Friends Against Him

Just like with any superhero, the most effective way to hurt them is by targeting their loved ones. With Ark M’s endless resources, they quickly identified Bruce’s inner circle of informants and friends. With this knowledge, they kidnap Waylon and use him for their experiments. Bruce tries to save Waylon, but is beaten and apprehended by Ark M’s enforcer, the hulking supervillain Bane. After months of torture and experimentation, Bruce finally managed to break free of Ark M’s facility. However, he was too late to save Waylon. His childhood friend was transformed into the giant and animalistic Killer Croc. Despite his metamorphis, Waylon still retained some of his memories and helped Bruce escape Ark M. 

However, it turned out that Ark M and Bane allowed Bruce to escape, as part of a final trial to break Bruce’s spirit. Bane wants to transform Batman into a ruthless killing machine like himself. Bane sees a younger version of himself in Bruce, a man who once had strong convictions to protect his community. However, Bane surrendered his family and his humanity to accomplish that mission. Bane wants to break Bruce so that someone else would understand the choices he had made in the past. To break the hero’s spirit, Bane plans to leverage Bruce’s reason for fighting against him. Absolute Batman #11 ends on a cliffhanger of Harvey, Ozzie, and Eddie all cornered by the hulking agent of Ark M. He views Bruce’s friends as holding the hero back from his destiny. Bane plans to hurt them to unlock Bruce’s true potential. Given how Bruce has attempted to close himself off from loved ones both when his father died and when he became Batman, there’s no telling the amount phycological damage Bruce could face if any more of his friends were tortured or killed. However, if there’s anything the Absolute Batman series has shown thus far, it’s that Bruce is willing to fight to the very end if it means saving the people he loves. 

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