Warning: Contains spoilers forBatman #151!
Summary
Batmanis known for his contingency plans. The myth goes that, given enough prep time, Batman can beat any hero or villain in the DC Universe. Through his history, more than a few of those plans have hurt his friends, especially Superman. Yet with the introduction of a surprising villain on the Suicide Squad, Batman might finally be justified for all contingency sins.
Superheroes like Superman have fallen under Amanda Waller’s regime in DC’s currentAbsolute Powerevent, masterminded by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. In a preview for theAbsolute Powertie-in,Batman#151by Chip Zdarsky and Mike Hawthorne, an unexpected fight is teased as Batman and Catwoman don disguises to sneak under Waller’s nose to commit a military heist.
Waiting on the tarmac to greet the arriving Suicide Squad is none other than Bizarro himself-a Superman villain come to test if Batman really can take down the Man of Steellike he always claims he can.
One Powerful DC Villain Understands Bruce Wayne Better Than the Bat-Family
One surprising Batman villain knows the Caped Crusader better than his own Family does – but for now, they seem to be using that knowledge for good.
Bizarro Is the Dark Version of Superman
Everything Superman Does Right, Bizarro Does Wrong
Bizarro is the defective clone of Superman and his exact opposite. In ethical ways, he is evil where Superman is good, and he harms people when Superman saves them.Bizarro has vacillated betweenbeing a hero and being a villain, but seeing howBatman is prepared to take down even his friends, it can be assumed that when it comes to this inevitable clash, the Dark Knight will hardly take his tenure as a hero into consideration. Batman will only fight to win.
Bizarro was most notably a hero during his team-up with Batman teammate Red Hood inRed Hood and the Outlawsby Scott Lobdell and Dexter Soy!
Batman has been waiting his entire life to take downan evil Superman. The fact that he hasn’t battled Bizarro yet is almost — pun intended — bizarre, especially considering his distaste for unchecked Kryptonians and his fear that they might become de facto rulers of Earth, should they so choose.Batman’s very fear of his inadequacy when standing up to Supermantranslates into these contingency plans, and through them, Superman has had more than enough harm done to him throughout the years.
Batman Has Been Testing Plans on Superman For a Day Like This
Superman Takes a Kryptonite Punch inBatman: Hushby Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee
Superman has often been defeated by Batman’s piece of kryptonite, which he keeps inside a lead pouch in his belt, as in Heroes in Crisis by Tom King and Clay Mann. InHush,Batman had a ring made of kryptonite that he used to stop Superman when he fell under Poison Ivy’s control. But Batman’s contingency plans often backfire. Earlier in Zdarsky’sBatmanrun, Bruce’s artificial intelligence, Failsafe, the very synthesis of all of his plans, nearly tore his creator’s mind apart and threatened to kill the entire Bat-Family. Then, inAbsolute Power,Batman’s Red Channel contingency plannearly fractured the Justice League.
At a certain point, one would think that Batman would learn his lesson. But Bizarro’s arrival justifies the eventuality that Batman has been waiting for this whole time: an evil Superman. And if Bizarro has the same powers as Superman, then he has the same weaknesses too, rendering Batman’s plans necessary. Batman might just be DC’s last hope in the wake ofAbsolute Power, soSuperman should be thankful for all the experiments that led to this day: the day thatBatmanwas ready to take down a Kryptonian.
BATMAN #151 (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.
