This article contains spoilers for Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point #2
Batman is one of D.C.’s most cunning minds, and his latest appearance in Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point #2 further solidifies that status. Ushered into the completely alien world of Fortnite, Batman has quickly adapted to a world that subverts his expectations and strips him of some of his more iconic tools and even the ability to speak. Probably the biggest obstacle to Batman’s survival, however, is his chronic amnesia, which Batman temporarily circumvents by breaking several of Fortnite’s key rules.
Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point #2 by writer Christos Gage and artist Reilly Brown begins with the Dark Knight spawning on Fortnite’s iconic island with a severe case of amnesia, and a lot of notes carved into different parts of his armor and batarangs. The notes are instructions and reminders to help him get situated, written over untold previous games. He quickly finds and teams up with Catwoman, as instructed by his notes, and both begin to work together over several matches to find a way to escape the game, losing their memory in between skirmishes.
Despite his complete amnesia, Batman has retained several pieces of his equipment and nearly all his skills most fans would recognize from the comics. Among the gadgets Batman has brought into the world of Fortnite are his augmented cowl, several batarangs, a portable analyzer, and a GPS device. While the GPS device would probably be a user interface element in the game Fortnite, Batman’s other gadgets are unique and fundamentally different from those available in the game. Furthermore, Batman has retained his martial arts skills and is able to easily defeat enemies in hand-to-hand combat, forgoing Fortnite’s pick-ax melee fights and quickly decking enemies with flying kicks and right-hooks.
As if that wasn’t enough, Batman breaks two of Fortnite’s fundamental rules throughout the majority of the issue. First, he has built safehouses around the map filled with notes and gear which persist in between rounds of the game. While player structures are a hallmark of the game, the fact that Batman's persist between matches and hold equipment and documents written by a “player” goes against the game’s rules. Second, he has modified his outfit in the game, with custom messages. While this use of intuition is perfectly in character for Batman, the fact that he modified parts of his own “skin” further breaks Fortnite’s rules and monetization system. As a free-to-play game, players purchasing cosmetic items and character skins are essential to the game’s ongoing support and development. Therefore, players being able to modify their skins for free, as Batman has, goes against the game’s design in an extremely visible way. Batman’s circumstances and behavior are necessary from his perspective, but to other players in the game, it probably looks like the Dark Knight is hacking!
Not only can Batman boast about being one of DC’s sharpest minds, but now he can also boast about being one of Fortnite’s most powerful hackers. His game-breaking exceptions to Fortnite’s rules give him an edge in his quest to escape the island. If that edge will be enough to overcome both his hostile environment and recurring amnesia remains to be seen.