Over the years, Bruce Wayne has strained his relationships with his extended family to the breaking point. While the Dark Knight has come far in overcoming his control issues, the healing has been slower for some than others.
However, Batman #148 by Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez gives him a chance to mend fences. Indeed, he is able to reconcile what was perhaps the most broken relationship in the Bat-Family.
Subtitled “The Storm,” Batman #148 continues the war between the Dark Knight and the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. The alternative persona, intended to take over if Bruce Wayne was ever mentally compromised, took on a life of his own. Thankfully, Batman’s allies soon saw through Zur-En-Arrh’s charade that he was the real Bruce Wayne in the robotic body of Failsafe. Unfortunately, this still left them fighting to retake Gotham City, as the GCPD and military were turned against them.
Before leading the final assault on Zur-En-Arrh, Bruce Wayne apologized to his partners. Not only for setting up their current situation, but for pushing himself “away from the people I love.” In particular, he apologized to Jason Todd, the Red Hood, for everything he had ever done to hurt him. Jason forgave his mentor, saying they could atone and move forward together.
How Batman and Red Hood Affirm Their Trust
When the heroes of Gotham City move out, Red Hood fights alongside Batman in the direct assault on Zur-En-Arrh. Jason is seemingly killed in the battle, after making a suicide charge at Zur-En-Arrh. The revelation that he has killed forces an automatic shutdown of Failsafe’s body, as the AI was intended to maintain every aspect of the Dark Knight’s code. This ends the threat of Zur-En-Arrh, seemingly at the cost of Jason Todd’s life. However, Batman, as always, had a plan.
A flashback reveals that Bruce Wayne’s original plan was to temporarily sacrifice himself to shut down Failsafe’s body. However, Jason Todd pointed out that only Batman could be sure of shutting down Failsafe. He then offered to play the pawn instead, hoping that Batman’s diluted “Lazarus Fluid” would be able to resurrect him one Zur-En-Arrh was stopped.
While this was a thrilling climax to the Zur-En-Arrh storyline, it also confirmed the mutual respect Bruce Wayne and Jason Todd hold for one another. Batman trusted the Red Hood to make his own decisions in the heat of the moment. Jason Todd, in turn, trusted that, this time, Batman would be able to save his life.
Batman #148 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
