Summary
For a long time, fans weren’t sure if Batman survived the events of the Batman: Arkham Knight video game, but now DC Comics has given a definitive answer. A trip through the multiverse reveals many different iterations of the Dark Knight, with the Arkham version sharing his counterparts’ ability to make it through even the most harrowing life-threatening situations.
The Arkham franchise games version of Batman make a surprise appearance in Batman #135 by Chip Zdarsky, Mike Hawthorne, Jorge Jimenez, Mikel Janin, Adriano Di Benedetto, Tomeu Morey, and Romulo Fajardo. Batman has recently embarked on a multiversal chase sequence, going after the new villain Red Mask. Every time Red Mask moves to a new universe, Batman is pulled after him. This opens up the door to cameos from a ton of Batmen across the multiverse, such as Michael Keaton, Adam West, Batman: The Animated Series, and Batman Beyond. But the most surprising Batman appearance by far is the Arkham franchise version of Batman, who not only gives readers insight into how this Batman feels about the death of the Joker but also definitively confirms what happens after Batman: Arkham Knight.
The Arkham Series’ Batman Is Alive, But Bitter
While the Batman of the main comic universe has faced an unbelievable amount of tragedy and hardship, the Batman of Rocksteady’s famous Arkham series of games suffers some of the most difficult years any Batman has ever gone through. The Arkhamverse Batman experiences the loss of Jason Todd, the loss of Talia al Ghul, the death of Joker, the near destruction of his city, and the loss of his secret identity and fortune, all in the span of just a few years. The ending of Arkham Knight involves Scarecrow unmasking Batman for all the world to see. While Batman does manage to capture Scarecrow and also remove Joker’s infection from his blood, he loses everything. The game ends with Bruce destroying Wayne Manor in an explosion as reporters gather outside, seemingly destroying the Bruce Wayne identity. Shortly after, a new Batman, one seemingly using Scarecrow’s fear toxin, appears in Gotham, but players never get a hard confirmation if this Batman is in fact, Bruce Wayne.
Arkham Knight’s ending left a lot of fans confused about who the new Batman could be; is it Bruce or someone else who uses a fear toxin to just appear as Batman? While certain people in Rocksteady, like Creative Director Sefton Hill, have confirmed on Reddit that it was in fact Bruce in the ending, this is just a Reddit post and isn’t exactly well known. And while The new Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League game officially takes place after Arkham Knight, and has Batman in it, many people are likely not even aware it takes place in the same universe as the Arkham games. This is why, despite there being several official answers out there, the confusion has persisted. Thankfully DC has finally put an end to it definitively. By having Arkham Knight Batman appear in the comics, even referencing the events of Arkham Knight, it shows in no uncertain terms that Batman survived.
Arkham Knight Showed Batman’s Evolution, Not His Death
No matter what universe he’s in, Batman always goes through major life-threatening scenarios, with the events of the Arkham franchise truly pushing the Dark Knight to his limits. But despite that, there can no longer be any doubt that Batman survives the ending of Batman: Arkham Knight.
Batman #135 is available now from DC Comics.
Source: Sefton Hill via Reddit
