Warning! Spoilers for Batman #115 ahead!
An unlikely ally has given Batman another weapon he could potentially use to take down Superman if he needed to. Even without his billions, Batman still finds a way to stock up on essential tech in the midst of the current Fear State event. In the past, a revolving team of allies outfitted Batman’s tech, an operation that relied upon the vast Wayne fortune. Bruce’s money either resourced or bankrolled Harold Allnut, Alfred Pennyworth, Hiro Okamura, and basically every employee of Wayne Enterprises R&D. But all of that went away thanks to the Joker.
The Joker War forced Batman to return to the basics: Batarangs and grappling hooks instead of rocket wings and drones. But Batarangs aren’t much use against a Kryptonian. Batman often frets about Superman’s powers being usurped, and he’s had to stand against his friend on several occasions. How might Batman find new tech without his fortune, mechanics, and inventors? Unsanity Collective vigilante Miracle Molly, that’s how.
Batman just unlocked even more anti-Superman weaponry thanks to a trip with Molly to the Unsanity Collective’s hidden base. In Batman #115 by James Tynion IV, Bengal, and Jorge Jimenez, the Dark Knight gets walloped by an opponent wearing a pair of gauntlets invented by Molly. Although she quickly disables her own tech, Molly lets slip that the weapon is strong enough to fight Superman. That’s a big reveal to Batman, a hero with his own Kryptonite ring.
But that ring is just one piece of a not-so-secret arsenal that Batman has amassed over the years, part of a contingency plan kept in the deepest recesses of the Batcave. Batman’s Justice League contingency plan requires constant refining as the JL roster evolves and their powers grow. Batarangs aren’t much use against Wonder Woman, nor is the Kryptonite bullet a secret, so in order for Batman’s contingency plans to stay relevant he needs fresh ideas and fresh tech, the specialties of Miracle Molly.
For a hero who’s used to jet packs and Batsubs, Molly’s hoverboard must be a refreshing sight. But Miracle Molly also offers a deeper connection beyond the technology - a bonafide genius inventor who believes in a crusade bigger than herself. Alfred tinkered because he loved Bruce. Harold invented tools out of gratitude. Hiro joined for the money, but Miracle Molly fights for a cause.
Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns features a heavily armored Batman beating on Superman, beating with enough brute force to make Clark bleed. Does that armor eventually come from the mind of Miracle Molly? Batman #115 offers a possible path forward, one resplendent with innovative, one-of-a-kind tech. Bruce might be without his billions, he might lack the resources he’s relied upon, but the Dark Knight’s just discovered that tech still abounds in Gotham. Miracle Molly and Batman share a protective spirit of Gotham, and Batman knows they share something else: anti-Superman weaponry.