WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Detective Comics #1039!
Batman and Daredevil have been drawing comparisons for as long as they’ve been published, but the latest development for the Dark Knight could lead to Bruce Wayne following Matt Murdock’s footsteps in the most exciting way possible. Things haven’t been going well for Bruce Wayne in the most recent issues of Detective Comics. After being accused of murder and practically sent on the run by the GCPD and other powerful players, the Caped Crusader has finally had enough.
Mariko Tamaki and Viktor Bogdanovic’s Detective Comics #1039 wraps up the storyline, teasing the series' next big development - Bruce tells Oracle that he’ll be turning himself into the GCPD, saying, “If this case is going forward, I need to be able to pursue it without the police after both Bruce and Batman.” While it’s doubtful that Bruce Wayne will stay incarcerated for long, it seems that Daredevil will no longer be the only urban vigilante that’s serving time.
Over in the Marvel Universe, the Man Without Fear has been locked up for second-degree manslaughter since Daredevil #25 by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto. After Daredevil’s actions accidentally resulted in the death of a criminal, Matt Murdock has been racked with guilt, and he’s been trying to make up for it by serving his time in the eyes of the law. In his place, Elektra has been donning the horns and protecting Hell’s Kitchen as the new Daredevil. But while Matt actually did end someone’s life, accidental or not, the crime Bruce has been accused of was committed by someone else. There’s no evidence to convict Bruce Wayne of Sarah Worth's murder, and with a whole family of world-class detectives at his beck and call, proving his innocence should be easy for Bruce. But if something goes wrong for Bruce and he does end up as a long-term guest at Blackgate Penitentiary, there is one hero who could take over for him the way that Elektra did for Daredevil, and she’s already been a major player in the series’ most recent issues – the Huntress.
Tamaki is a talented and inventive writer, so there’s no doubt her story will follow its own path, and it’s hard to deny that Huntress taking over the Batman mantle would certainly get fans talking. Although she and Batman don’t always have the best working relationship, there’s precedent for Huntress watching over Gotham throughout the DC Omniverse. While those versions of Helena have typically been Batman’s daughter, it would be interesting to see how this more independent version fills Bruce’s role as Gotham’s primary protector, and it would be a nice nod to Helena Wayne.
Aside from the potential of Huntress taking over for Batman, this development is interesting because of what it says about Batman as a character. Bruce and Matt’s respective reasons for turning themselves in are very different, but both say a lot about the individual characters’ outlooks. Matt was truly guilty, and in turning himself in, he’s doing what he can to make things right in the eyes of the law and his religion. Bruce, on the other hand, is clearly innocent, but his turning himself into the Gotham City Police Department is a purely tactical decision.
This distinction, despite being marked by two entirely different scenarios, highlight, the differences in the two vigilantes' personalities more than just their costumes and gadgets. Despite what he’s been through, Matt Murdock will always be a man of faith and conscience. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is ever the tactical detective, even when he’s on the run. Batman and Daredevil do have a lot in common, but at the end of the day, the two characters couldn’t be more fundamentally different.