Warning: Spoilers for Batman: Dark Age #3 ahead!
Summary
Batmanis a brilliant detective and formidable physical opponent, but his superpower has always been his wealth. It’s a long-running joke that Bruce Wayne could do more good in Gotham by investing his money in the community rather than fighting villains, and a new comic is showing that he can actually do both.
InBatman: Dark Age#3 by Mark Russell and Michael Allred, Wayne Enterprises is under the control of a corrupt board of directors. They’re destroying Gotham with the combined efforts of the corporation, the False Face Society gang, and corrupt cops.The Wayne Enterprises board is also out to kill Bruce Wayne, who gets a large portion of their profits as inheritance.
When punching False Face thugs isn’t creating the change he wants, Batman uses his alter ego to “fight like the enemy” andhit the executives where it hurts by spending their money. By investing in orphanages and rehab centers, he’s fighting back with a two-pronged attack.
Superman vs Batman: DC’s New ‘Dark Age’ Puts Their Entire Friendship in Jeopardy
In the alternate universe of Batman: The Dark Age, his and Superman’s friendship gets off to a much rockier start, putting the whole thing in jeopardy
Batman Fights His Corporate Enemies by Spending Their Money on Worthy Causes
Batman: Dark AgeSets Batman’s Origin in the Real World
Batman: Dark Agereinvents Batman’s origin storyvia the memoirs of an elderly Bruce Wayne, recounting his memories before he loses them to age. In this new history, he’s just returned from fighting in the Vietnam War, having trained in an elite squad under Ra’s al Ghul. Batman has been using this training to take down the False Face Society, but feels discouraged that his skills aren’t doing much good. After a run-in with Superman gives him hope that he’s not fighting a losing war,Bruce realizes he has another strength he hasn’t been using - his public-facing image of a rich playboy.
Though not necessary reading to getBatman: Dark Age, Superman’s half of this story takes place inSuperman: Space Age, by the same creative team. That story similarly looks at Superman’s origin through the lens of real-world events, privilege, and what it means to be a superhero. It also introduces Pariah’s warning that the world will end soon.
Led bythe mysterious Pariah,the Wayne Enterprises board is making money hand over fist by creating experimental, addictive painkillersunder Wayne Pharmaceuticals (led by Dr. Jonathan Crane). They release the same pills as street drugs through the False Face Society at a drastic markup, so people turn to the gang when the prescriptions run out. The gang recruits desperate people who need money (despite the fact that the gang also caused that desperate need), and once they’ve squeezed someone for all they’re worth, they leave them on the streets. The corrupt police finish the job by throwing the homeless into prison.
Batman Fights Billionaires Like Only Another Billionaire Can
Batman Knows Who His Real Enemies Are
By spending as much Wayne Enterprises money as he can, Bruce is not just fighting back by draining the piggy bank, he’s makingGotham a better place. Rehab centers mean people have help getting off of harmful drugs, and a bigger orphanage means children have more support growing up; two problems Batman can’t fix by punching people. He can also do these things in broad daylight without anyone questioning his motives or suspecting he knows more about the company than he’s letting on. It’s an elegant solution that showsBatmanis aware of his privilege — and how to use it to fight Gotham’s true enemies.
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.
