Despite the dull conclusion to “The Button” in The Flash #22, the arc did leave us mulling the possibility that Bruce Wayne could be ready to hang up the cape and cowl after a conversation with his father in Batman #22. Now, don’t pop a blood vessel here, because there’s no chance that DC Comics will kill off its biggest cash cow for good. That’s never going to happen. It’s like Superman dying every couple of years; you know he’ll always come back to life after some time. What we’re likely to see is Bruce Wayne giving up being the Bat (temporarily), while someone else takes up the mantle.
This wouldn’t be the first time that DC hands the keys to the Batmobile to someone else, and it won’t be the last, either. We’ve already seen the likes of Azrael, Dick Grayson, and even Jim Gordon become Gotham’s protector while Bruce goes off to do his thing, so it wouldn’t be a decision that shocks anyone at this point. Although, it would be rather strange for the powers that be to pull the trigger on this idea so soon in Rebirth.
Look, we can only speculate what might be coming, but the signs do point to the possibility of a new Batman. And so, after much research and internal debate, we’ve identified the potential candidates to step into Bruce’s shoes if he does indeed take a sabbatical. But before you freak out and send us hate mail, rest assured that we haven’t put Damian Wayne on the list. We’re smarter than that.
So, without further ado, let’s kick off this new battle for the cowl. Round one… FIGHT!
