We’ve all experienced the feeling of eating way too much at our favorite fast-food restaurant. But what if the food you ate could physically kill you in just one meal? In a newly-released Batman and Robin#19, Batman (or rather Bruce Wayne) suggests that it might do just that. But how could somebody as tough and strong-willed as Batman, who fought some of the strongest villains known to man, imply that a little calorie-friendly meal would be enough to destroy him? And is there any truth to this statement or is Bruce Wayne just exaggerating to get out of a little self-indulgence?
Videos by ComicBook.com
Batman and Robin Grab a Bite to Eat, But at What Cost?
Totally in line with all Batman and Robin adventures, the issue has a rich and action-packed storyline featuring Memento, who is still bringing chaos to Gotham. Meanwhile, Batman and Robin are dealing with their own personal battles, as Damian Wayne questions if he wants to continue being Robin. However, mixed in with the dread we feel knowing Memento is still out there and the growing tensions between father and son after Damian’s declaration that he’s done being Robin, there is an unintentionally light-hearted (for readers at least) encounter that has us questioning Batman’s diet overall.
At one point in the issue, Bruce suggests that he and Damian go out to dinner so that they can grab “burgers, tacos, anything we want.” It’s Bruce’s attempt to build a bridge with his son, but Damian is skeptical and understandably so. The idea of the duo eating “civilian food” is unusual. This is Bruce’s way of trying to experience more ‘normal’ things with Damian as father and son. When Damian calls him out, Bruce concedes that “we don’t compensate for the sodium bloat and weight gain, we could literally die in the field. We’ll extend training to offset the caloric surplus.”
Obviously, this has us doing a double-take. They could literally die from eating burgers and tacos? If this is true, then Batman has some explaining to do. This isn’t the first time that Batman has eaten calorie-intense or sodium-rich food and then gone off to fight crime. It’s happened more than once on the pages of comics.
Batman is No Stranger to Junk Food
Though we know that Batman definitely watches his figure with exercise and consuming the right foods, historically he has been known to indulge just like anybody else. In 2019’s Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman enjoyed a pizza with the turtles at the end of the movie. In other Batman comics and animated series, we see him consuming various items like hotdogs, bacon, Green Arrow’s famous hot chili, and more. He even eats a hamburger in Batman #16 (with a knife and a fork, much to our dismay). We can assume as fact that he hasn’t just been living off of chicken breast, protein shakes, and Greek yogurt for every major meal.
[RELATED: Batman Gets His Own Burger]
Perhaps Bruce Wayne is taking the “we could literally die in the field” a bit too far. Excess sodium won’t directly kill an everyday human but, then again, Batman isn’t what you consider to be a ‘normal human’. As average humans, we aren’t typically spending our entire days fighting crime and pushing our bodies to the absolute limit.
Due to the immense amount of physical activity that Batman and Robin receive in a year’s time, it is safe to say that a few tacos or a packed burger every now and then wouldn’t push them to the brink of death. Too often, though, and it might lead to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even just an extremely upset stomach for our heroes. And maybe that’s what Bruce means in his interaction with Robin: he was implying that unhealthy food can damage your health over time, instead of in a one-off instance. (Unless, of course, Batman has his own type of Kryptonite that we were unaware of, and the idea of it being food-related would certainly be interesting.)
No matter what he was indicating, we know one thing is for certain: Batman and Robin #19 is going to make you hungry for a taco, so be prepared for a late-night fast food stop. Just don’t suit up to fight crime after.
