Batman Officially Considered A Metahuman

07/27/2017 04:26 pm EDT

The Dark Knight has always been proof of what the human body can achieve when honed and trained with discipline and determination, but it seems he isn't considered completely human any longer.

Spoilers incoming for Suicide Squad #22, so if you haven't read it yet you've been warned.

Batman has long been the non-superpowered member of the Justice League, though to be fair it hasn't exactly held him back. While he has yet to manifest any actual powers, according to Amanda Waller the Dark Knight is not a normal human. Towards the end of this week's issue, she instructs the remnants of her team (Digger Harkness notwithstanding, long story) to retrieve two metahumans, which include Killer Frost and...Batman.

Yep, Batman is now considered a metahuman by the federal government in DC proper. Now, this isn't the first time he's been categorized as such, but it is the most recent. Batman and Green Arrow were considered metahumans by the slimmest of margins under Chuck Dixon, but that has since faded until now.

The reasoning for it has been teased by DC in Dark Days. In that series, it is revealed that Batman had contact with Nth metal in an unexpected way when he was healed by the metal dionesium. Since it contains Nth metal properties, Batman was essentially restored to peak condition.

The Joker also revealed that Nth Metal can have unexpected effects once introduced into the bloodstream, turning normal beings into metas. While thus far it only seems to have healed him and nothing more, that doesn't mean it hasn't given him other abilities. Even if not, he is now still considered a metahuman, and odds are that will start showing up more and more in DC's upcoming Metal event.

You can view the image below, and a full preview of Suicide Squad #22 is in the gallery.

Suicide Squad #22 is written by Rob Williams with art by Gus Vazquez with covers by Eber Ferreira, Eddy Barrows, and Whilce Portacio. You can find the official description below.

"KILL YOUR DARLINGS" part two! Face to face with the Russian mastermind she's been tracking since SUICIDE SQUAD: REBIRTH #1, Amanda Waller is horrified to find the Suicide Squad commanded by her own dark mirror, the enigmatic Direktor Karla, who's surpassed the Task Force X leader in the one game she cannot afford to lose: control.

Suicide Squad #22 is in stores now.

(H/T Bleeding Cool)

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