DC Just Brought Batman Back to Life, With a Twist

DC just brought The Batman back to life – with a twist. The Dark Knight has seemingly died (or been gravely injured) before, but the miniseries Batman vs. Robin and its “Lazarus Planet” crossover event tie-in really did take Bruce Wayne to hell and back. However, it’s the way that writer Mark Waid chooses to resurrect Batman that will probably be discussed and debated amongst DC fans for some time… 

WARNING: SPOILERS for Batman vs. Robin #5 

In the epilogue to “Lazarus Planet” Damian Wayne/Robin barely gets a minute to breathe after stopping the Lazarus Storm from raining on planet earth, as well as defeating evil entities the Devil Nezha and his estranged son, King Fire Bull, and establishing a whole new magical order to the DC Universe. Little did Damian (or anyone else) know that when Nezha battled Batman, Robin, and a squad of other heroes, the demonic creature got hold of Batman (via a healing spell) and infected the Dark Knight with his essence. Batman wasn’t just possessed by Nezha (as Robin had been previously), he became the vessel for the devil’s spirit! 

In Batman vs. Robin #5, Damian and the other DC heroes still on Lazarus Island are given a major dilemma to weigh. Nezha got his hooks into Batman when Black Alice had to heal Bruce Wayne from a mortal injury he sustained while protecting Damian; Damian learns that while they can exorcise Nezha from his father’s body, doing so will return Batman to his mortally-wounded state and cost him his life. Being his father’s son, Damian does the hard, dark, heroic thing, and orders Zatanna and other mystical heroes to proceed with the exorcism. Nezha is sent back to his original body, while Batman is left a lifeless husk. 

…And that’s where things get wild. 

Damian quickly reveals that his true plan was to sacrifice his own lifeforce to save his father; however, Zatanna and the other sorcerers tell Damian that his life alone wouldn’t be enough lifeforce to resurrect Batman. Instead of one life, Damian broadcasts a message to the world, asking anyone in earshot to donate a small sliver of their own lifeforce in order to help save Batman. Robin’s epic speech gets heard all over the world, and people all put their fists in the air and surrender a piece of themselves to restoring Batman’s lifeforce. In the end, Batman gest a new lease on life – in larger part as payback from those whose lives he saved at one point or another. 

Mark Waid has never been shy about swinig big with comic book-ish concepts. ‘The Batman of the People’ was certainly one of them. 

Batman vs. Robin is now entirely available over at DC.