Summary
- Batman’s traumatic hand injury is finally fixed in a bizarre way – a clone offers his own hand in exchange.
- The prosthetic hand given to Batman by another Earth’s Batman was versatile, but now he has a literal replacement.
- While it resolves the plot, some fans may feel Batman’s injury was resolved too soon, taking away a reminder of his vulnerability.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman #149!The most traumatic injury Batman suffered in some time has finally been fixed, albeit in the strangest way possible. It wasn’t too long ago that Bruce Wayne lost part of himself while traversing the multiverse. Now the Dark Knight has found a solution thanks to a literal once-in-a-lifetime solution from an unexpected ally.
In Batman #149 by Chip Zdarsky, Steve Lieber, and Michele Bandini, Bruce rescues Zur-En-Arrh’s Robin, a clone of Bruce, from the streets and brings him back to Batman’s brownstone. Batman discovers that Zur-En-Arrh accelerated the cloned Bruce’s aging process, but didn’t have anything to stop it.
In the following weeks, the clone Bruce grows older and by the time he reaches the original Bruce’s age, the clone makes a shocking decision. He chops off his hand and offers it to Batman in exchange for the robotic replacement Bruce received from The Dark Knight Returns’ Batman while hunting Red Mask.
Batman’s Hand Injury is Finally Fixed Thanks to a Bizarre Swap
Batman may be one of the DCU’s greatest heroes, but he’s as susceptible to injuries as any other person. After being transported to another Earth, Batman ran afoul of the villain Red Mask and his numerous enforcers. While trying to stop one of Red Mask’s plans, Bruce fought this new world’s version of Ghostmaker, who wound up taking Batman’s right hand. Not long after, Bruce traveled from world to world looking for Red Mask and eventually wound up on The Dark Knight Return’s Earth and met its Batman, who gave the Prime Batman a robotic hand to replace his old one.
Batman has sustained a lot of injuries over the years and has the scars to prove it. But losing a part of his body was an extreme turn that shocked even Batman’s biggest fans. That said, the prosthetic Bruce received from his doppelganger was quite, for lack of a better word, handy. It could help him stick to walls and disperse smoke to make for an easy escape. It was a cool development that seemed to shake up things for Bruce, but now it’s been completely undone thanks to the unexpected and fortuitous arrival of a Batman clone.
Batman’s Robot Hand Was Fixed Way Too Soon
Having a severed extremity fixed thanks to a rapidly aging clone is just another Tuesday in Batman’s world. But while this puts an end to this plotline, it’s a shame to see Bruce’s injury resolved so soon. It was a reminder that Batman isn’t invincible and that there are real dangers to his work. Plus Batman thrives on cool gadgets and what’s cooler than a multi-functional robot hand? But whether fans liked Bruce’s prosthetic or not, Batman getting a hand from his close puts an end to this chapter of the Dark Knight’s life.
Batman #149 is available now from DC Comics.
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Batman #149 (2024 |
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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.
