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batman begins batcave
via Warner Bros.

Scarily plausible theory explains how Batman unleashed an accidental plague that doomed Gotham City

Has Batman's entire existence been dealing with problems of his own making?

Bruce Wayne has spent his entire life dedicating every ounce of himself to protecting Gotham City as Batman, but what if every single problem to have manifested in his hometown dating back decades was entirely his fault?

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That’s the fascinating theory to have been put forward on Reddit, which suggests that the intense levels of crime, madness, and murder in Gotham were caused by the Dark Knight. When you break it down, it makes an alarming amount of sense, and it would be unfortunately ironic were the billionaire to have spent his existence dealing with nightmare scenarios of his own creation.

As the theory goes, Wayne Manor is home to a voluminous amount of bats – with the flying mammals known to carry all sorts of contagious infections and diseases, along with a massive number of parasites. Having spent a great deal of his life there, Batman has developed an immunity of sorts, one that’s been enhanced by his vast wealth giving him access to top-tier medical care.

Bats are capable of carrying and distributing at least 60 diseases we know of, with side effects including mental health issues through inflammation of brain tissue, as well as the fact “feline toxoplasmosis has been shown to aggravate schizophrenia and schizotypal disorders”.

Basically, the Caped Crusader has been unwittingly and unknowingly spreading a rampant plague throughout Gotham that he and his allies are resistant to due to their physical condition and extensive exposure at low levels. It not only helpfully explains why so many villains emerge from WayneCorp, the city’s elite, and the residents of Arkham Asylum, not to mention many of Bruce’s conquests, but it would also tie canon together nicely be acting as an explanation for his mother Martha’s deteriorating mental state – having spent a lot of her own existence in the cavernous Wayne Manor.

Suave playboy by day, costumed crimefighter by night, but was Batman the one who doomed Gotham all along?


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Scott Campbell
News, reviews, interviews. To paraphrase Keanu Reeves; Words. Lots of words.