Warning: Spoilers for Absolute Batman #3Absolute Batmanmakes its own points about Bruce Wayne’s Bat-Family, showing just how important his supporting cast really is. While the character of Batman has always had a reputation as a brooding loner, the reality couldn’t be further from the truth, and it’s proven even more false in DC’s new Absolute Universe.
Absolute Batman#3 by Scott Snyder and Nick Draggotta intersperses its present-day narrative withflashbacks to Bruce Wayne’s childhood, showing him spending a night with Selina Kyle after his father’s death. These flashbacks ultimately conclude with Selina leading Bruce tothe theater to watch Zorro, surprising him with his friends to watch the film as Martha Wayne watches from the back row. The present also features a scene where Bruce tries to convince his mother to lie low, with their disagreements causing them to depart on bad terms.
The moments of connection Bruce has with his friends and familyunderscore the importance of these connections to him, even earlier than when his mainstream counterpart learned their personal importance. These connections are what help keep Batman rooted, and each of them also keeps him keenly aware of everything he has to lose.
Absolute Batman’s New Bat-Family Is Full of Surprises
Absolute Batman#3 by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles
One of thebiggest changesAbsolute Batmanhas made to the character’s mythos has beenrecasting the Bat-Family with characters who would traditionally make up his iconic rogues' gallery, such as Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent, Waylon Jones, Edward Nygma, and Oswald Cobblepot. Moreover, the nature of this found-family is also changed by recasting them as Bruce’s childhood friends, rather than being connections he made in adulthood. Additionally, Bruce has cultivated these relationships into adulthood, though his actions as Batman still make him somewhat distant from his childhood friends.
The presence of these childhood friends as a part of Batman’s adult life gives him the kind of social support that his mainstream counterpart never had in his early years.
As a result, this version of Bruce differs from his mainstream version by havinga larger support network to fall back upon. In a practical sense, they give him insight and information which he otherwise wouldn’t be able to obtain, such as Harvey discovering that the Ark-M fund was being paid for by J.K. Holdings. But more importantly, the presence of these childhood friends as a part of his adult life gives him the kind of social support that his mainstream counterpart never had in his early years, as Bruce has traditionally been solitary when starting out asBatman.
Absolute Batman’s Relationship with the Living Martha Wayne Changes Everything for Bruce
Having His Mother Around Makes a Huge Impact
One of the othermajor changesAbsolute Batmanhas made to the mythology of the character issparing Martha Wayne, letting her survive well into Bruce’s adulthood. Following Mayor Jim Gordon’s injuries in the first issue, as well as his deputy mayor quitting as a result of the Party Animals, Martha has stepped in as his new deputy mayor, with Bruce worried about her safety due to the Party Animals. Their argument ends with them parting on bad terms, with Bruce worried that his mother will get killed like his father was.
As with Bruce’s friends, Martha serves as a part of Bruce’s support network, as her presence in his childhood helped him process the loss of his father, though it’s still a loss Bruce hasn’t completely recovered from. Narratively,Martha’s survival also makes Bruce more emotionally vulnerable, as his mother’s continued involvement in city politics makes her a target.Alfred notes this vulnerability early on, as he observes that Martha is essentially Bruce’s weakness and that his compassion for her makes him an idealist - a weakness in a place like Gotham City.
BothBatman’s new Bat-Familyand Martha Wayne serve as an emotional safety net for Bruce, as well as emotional motivation, and both of these traits emphasize how important emotional connections are to Batman. The emotional connections help to ground Bruce, letting him bemore connected to others at this stage of his career than his mainstream counterpart, whose only real confidant was Alfred Pennyworth. These connections also motivate Bruce, as his mission of saving his home is connected to real, tangible people in his life, and failure could have very real, tangible consequences for them.
Absolute Batman’s New Bat-Family Gives Him Major Support
But They Also Make Him More Vulnerable
These connections also introducea more outward layer of emotional vulnerability to Absolute Bruce Wayne.Most versions of Bruce, early on in his career, aren’t necessarily worried about losing everything, because the mission is all that matters to him. Because of these connections, the Absolute Universe’s Batman is acutely aware of everything he has to lose if he fails, which is why he snaps at his mother at first and brings up Thomas; he’s afraid of losing her, too. His devotion to the mission, then, is forced to contend with his desire to protect the people he loves.
Looking for more radical re-interpretations of classic DC characters? Don’t forget to check out the other Absolute books, includingAbsolute Wonder Womanby Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman andAbsolute Supermanby Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval, both available now from DC Comics.
Above all else, these aspects ofAbsolute Batmanunderscore one of the most important components of Batman’s character arc across nearly every iteration of the character: realizing thathe is not alone. So many different versions of the Caped Crusader begin their mission thinking they are alone, and it becomes a major flaw that he must learn to overcome.Absolute Batmanquickly averts this weakness by understanding that Batman has never been alone. Fostering these connections helps underscore how important they are to Batman’s humanity, as well as making him recognize that he isn’t and has never been alone.
Absolute Batman’s Emotional Connections Raise the Stakes of the New Series
The True Role of the Absolute Bat-Family
These connections don’t just inform Bruce that he isn’t alone, but they also make his mission feel more important, as he’s not just fighting for himself or the spirit of his father.He’s fighting for his mother and his childhood friends, too.These connections make the mission more personal, but they also make Batman more vulnerable if anything happens to them that he could have personally prevented. In totality, these changes differentiate the Absolute Universe’s Batman from his mainstream counterpart while also helping him still feel like Batman at his core.
Absolute Batman Unveils His Batmobile’s Full Arsenal Including a Literal Wrecking Ball - Seriously
Absolute Batman reveals the full capabilites of his brutal new Batmobile, compelte with a bat-branded wrecking ball that does some major damage.
Absolute Batmanmakes key points about the Bat-Family, proving how important they are to the character. This new take on the core Bat-Family group as Bruce’s mother and childhood friends reminds Batman that he’s never been alone, sa they act as his support network while also being emotional motivation for Batman’s mission. But by fostering these connections, especially early in his career,Absolute Batmanintroduces a new level of emotional vulnerability that Bruce hasn’t had before at this stage of his career. With how muchAbsolute Batmanfocuses on this new Bat-Family, they’re sure to remain an important part of Bruce’s life.
Absolute Batman#3is available now from DC Comics.
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
