Batman Just Broke His No Guns Rule (But Does He Have a Good Reason?)

In case you haven’t been keeping up, the latest run on Batman sees the long awaited reunion of all-star team Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. The two collaborated over two decades ago on the classic “Batman: Hush” storyline, and have now returned to shake things up with a sequel titled “H2SH.” The story is just two issues in so far, and already making some pretty big waves with what it’s putting the Dark Knight and his allies through. Thomas Elliot is back, and has his sights set on ruining Batman’s life in some way, not that we know what his method is going to be yet. We do know one thing though, he’s willing to use Batman’s closest allies to dig the knife in.

The most shocking twist so far came in the newest issue #159, which saw Batman be forced into combat against his son, Red Hood. The two had previously fully patched up their relationship, with Jason even choosing to sacrifice himself and risk not coming back in order to stop Failsafe and Zur-En-Arrh. The two are actively working together in the current Batman and Robin arc, too. However, this story has unfortunately put them on the rocks once again, and led to a confrontation where Batman used one of Jason’s guns against him.

Why Did Batman Break His Rule?

The first issue saw Hush’s mysterious ally Silence use his abilities to capture the Joker. Hush proceeded to use his next-level surgical skills to slice up the Joker in such a way that he would bleed out in just under a day without medical attention, and wired his mouth open. Batman followed a set trail to find the Joker left in his own abandoned amusement park base, and was forced to take him to Leslie Thompkins’s clinic to save the life of his worst enemy. After she patched him up, Leslie said that Joker will still need constant monitoring, but Batman knew that taking the Joker to a hospital will be a death sentence for him, so he brought him to the Barcave.

Bruce took the chance to study the Joker, noticing how he lacked any fingerprints or even toe prints, and considered how he was working to save the life of the man he hated most. Of course, around then Red Hood appeared and held a gun to Batman’s and Joker’s head. It led to an all out brawl between father and son, with Jason screaming that letting the Joker live is the ultimate betrayal. With Jason getting the drop on him, Batman grabbed one of Jason’s guns and used it to shatter his helmet, knowing it would stun him.

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The two end up in a deadlock, both pointing a pistol at each other, but Jason knows Bruce would never pull the trigger if there was a chance it would kill him. In the end, Jason manages to knock Bruce out. When Batman wakes up, he finds the Joker and Red Hood gone. Since he previously shut down all Bat Family communications due to suspecting Hush of having compromised them, he knows the only way that Red Hood could have known he had the Joker is if he was working with Hush. Across Gotham, the newly redesigned Riddler has entered Oracle’s Clocktower, and says that if she and Nightwing want to survive, they’re going to need his help.

What Does This Mean for Batman?

It seems apparent that this run on Batman is taking him in an entirely different direction than fans were expecting. Seeing the Dark Knight use a gun is as rare as it is completely jarring, especially because he chose to use it against his own son. It repeatedly emphasized that he would never kill, as the idea that Batman will never kill or willingly let someone die is the cornerstone of these first two issues, but it’s still disheartening to see. Batman’s hatred of guns runs deep, and Bruce choosing to use the weapon that killed his parents in this type of situation seems like it happened a little too easily. A lot too easily, actually. That panel of Batman and Red Hood holding each other at gunpoint will definitely circle the internet and be taken wildly out of context. Not that the context would help much, honestly. Batman should never use guns, period.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, this run promises to pit Batman against some members of the Bat Family, which feels out of place considering he only just did so in the “Gotham War” arc not that long ago. It didn’t work then, and it’s possible it won’t work here, either. Ultimately, these first two issues can be described with the same words as that panel of Red Hood and Batman. It’s just very strange and feels disjointed with the canon of the world around it. This story feels like it should have been written 20 years ago, as how it presents its characters just does not mesh with who they are today. We’ll have to wait and see where Hush takes Batman next on this crusade he’s determined to end.

Batman #159 is on sale now.