Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman #159!Everyone knowsBatmancan be a hypocrite sometimes, but his latest stunt, frankly, sees the Dark Knight do something that could be considered irredeemable. An old enemy has come back for Batman, and it’s pushing the Caped Crusader in ways fans never saw coming.
After years of teasing,Batman’s old enemy Hushhas finally returned, and he’s got big plans for Bruce Wayne and his extended collection of allies and enemies. But it allbegan with the Joker, whom Hush kidnapped and tortured. Now one of Batman’s allies is questioning Bruce, who does something that is going to leave fans absolutely shocked.
Batman Seriously Just Shot Red Hood in the Head
How on Earth Could the Dark Knight Do Something So Hypocritical?!
InBatman #159by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, and Richard Starkings, Bruce brings the Joker to Dr. Leslie Thompkins’ clinic on Park Row. Thompkins has reservationsabout treating the Joker, but she agrees to see him, though it’s hard to tell how much damage has actually been done to the Clown Prince of Crime. The doctor patches the Joker up, but implores Batman to get him seen by professionals at Arkham. Instead,Batman takes the comatose villain back to the Batcave for observation.
Batman fumes at the position Hush has put Bruce in, but the hero continues keeping a close eye on the Joker. At least until an intruder distracts Batman by holding him at gunpoint. Batman points out his cowl is reinforced, but the gunman notes that the Joker isn’t bulletproof. Before the intruder can shoot the Joker, Batman directs the shot into the Batcave’s power grid. Though it’s hard for Bruce to tell, he identifies the shooter as the Red Hood,but Batman isn’t certain if it’s a duplicate like last time.
Don’t forget, Clayface briefly assumed Jason Todd’s identity in the originalBatman: Hushstory!
Batman gets the Red Hood to drop one of his guns and grabs it, immediately pulling the gun on his adversary.Batman fires the gun point blank at Red Hood’s face, only to determine that this isn’t Clayface, but the genuine Jason Todd. Thankfully, Todd is fine as his mask is just as sturdy as Batman cowl, though the shot causes Jason’s mask to crumble. The two hold one another at gunpoint until Red Hood gets Batman to drop his weapon, and giving Red Hood the opening he needs to escape.
Batman gets the Red Hood to drop one of his guns and grabs it…
He Couldn’t Figure Out Any Other Way to Determine if Red Hood Was Real?
There are two things fans know about Batman: He doesn’t kill, and he doesn’t use guns. So it is positively wild to see him not only grab a gun mid-fight and actually pull the trigger on one of his closest allies. Yes, Batman was previously fooled by Clayface when he imitated Jason, but why on Earth would that be Bruce’s go-to move for sussing out a fake? What if it hadn’t been Jason or Clayface,but someone else who, heaven forbid, wasn’t wearing a reinforced Red Hood mask?
Granted, there have been times when Batman has used guns, most notably duringFinal Crisiswhen he had no other option than to use a radion-infused bullet to stop Darkseid. But that was an extreme example; a scenario where the fate of the universe was hanging by a thread. This was just a fight in the Batcave and, honestly, no different from most of Bruce’s other altercations in his secret lair.Batman has been painted as a hypocrite from time to time, but nothing this extreme.
Watching Bruce pick up a gun so easily and seeing him shoot at someone he considers family is a rough sight indeed.
Batman may not be a big boy scout like Superman, but he’s got an internal code that he generally lives by. Watching Bruce pick up a gun so easily and seeing him shoot at someone he considers family is a rough sight indeed. This is so much worse than Batman creating something like Failsafe or his contingencies against the Justice League. This is a moment thatmakes his infamous ‘No guns’ rule look more like a suggestion rather than a tenet Batman lives his life by.
No Matter The Threat, Batman Simply Shouldn’t Use Guns
Even Just to Test Out a Potential Danger
Admittedly, things can happen in the heat of the moment, but Batman is a seasoned-enough hero to know not to do something like shooting someone in the face point blank. Even if he’s facing a legit threat, it feels very ‘un-Batman’ to see the Caped Crusader pulling out a move like that so glibly, even if he’s positive whomever he’s shooting at will survive it.Batman’srefusal to use guns is so baked into his character, it’s hard to rationalize him using a firearm like that and, hopefully, fans will never see him do anything like that again.
