Summary
Warning! Batman and Robin #10 spoilers ahead!It took some time, but one ofBatman’svillains is finally calling out the biggest flaw with the hero’s name. Man-Bat has been out to replace the Dark Knight as the city’s number one hero. Apparently, there’s one thing about Batman’s name that irks the hybrid villain more than anything else.
InBatman and Robin #10by Joshua Williamson, Simone Di Meo, and Nikola Čižmešija,Man-Bat’s sinister new alter ego, the Bat, is out to transform Gotham into a city of animal-human hybrids using genetically altered bats. While Damian figures out a way to save the bats, the Dark Knightdeals with Man-Bat.
Upon a high building, Batman tackles the Bat and the the two fight in midair as they fall to the ground. Amid the confrontation,Man-Bat defends his ambition to be Gotham’s new ‘Batman’, asking the original how he can call himself that when he can’t fly.
Man-Bat Calls Out Batman’s Inability to Fly
Batman and Robin finally mended their relationship after spending months apart. However, things for the father and son quickly got out of hand when they discovered someone was hitting science labs and experimenting with genetic splicing. Bruce and Damian eventually discovered the perpetrator was Man-Bat, or rather, a sinister new personality that emerged within Kirk Langstrom called the Bat. The Bat saw himself as Gotham’s true heir and embarked on a mission to displace Batman. The Bat inspired a cult to fight Batmanwhile Langstrom continued his work in genetic engineering to transform Gotham in the Bat’s image.
The Bat might be a killer, but he’s not wrong. Batman has adopted a lot of different elements of his namesake. He’s usually dressed in colors associated with bats, has capes stylized like bat wings and his cowl is meant to make Bruce look like a bat. That’s to say nothing of his infamous base, the Batcave. However, despite the Caped Crusader’s proclivity towards making himself seem like a bat, he generally doesn’t fly. That said, Bruce is capable of making armor that can fly and it makes one wonderif that’s something Batman should incorporate into his usual outfit.
Batman Should Have Something That Lets Him Fly
Batman swings, swoops, and glides through the Gotham skyline. And while he gets fine with a grapple gun to make those things possible, it seems like a glaring oversight to not have Batman fly. Of course, Bruce has been doing this for close to a century and if it ain’t broke, why change things now? But Man-Bat’s observation is some interesting food for thought. Bruce is more than capable of making something to help him fly, so why not add something to his daily routine to helpBatmantake to the skies and him seem a little more ‘bat-like’?
Batman and Robin #10is available now from DC Comics.
Batman and Robin #10 (2024)
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.
