Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman Secret Files: The Signal #1 ahead!
Batman has no shortage of allies that he’s trained to assist his war on crime and carry on the torch of justice into the future, with his newest being the Signal. Though his most iconic sidekick happens to be Robin, it stands to reason that Bruce Wayne would be preparing his son Damian to eventually lead a crimefighting team of his own, like the Justice League. However, in Batman Secret Files: The Signal #1, it is revealed that Duke Thomas is Batman’s pick for the next Justice League Leader.
Batman Secret Files: The Signal #1 by Tony Patrick and Christian Duce follows Duke Thomas’ routine as Gotham’s daytime protector. As Duke’s routine is disrupted by the reappearance of his former friends, Rook and Alt, Duke realizes that it’s up to him to break down Gotham’s latest crime ring, The White Market. As he trains, battles, and syncs up with his allies and Batman, Signal thinks back to various key instances in his past, including his parents’ unfortunate fate and his recruitment into the Bat-Family as its sole “dayshift” hero.
When Signal thinks back to his reinstatement into the Bat-Family following the Dark Multiverse’s incursion, a key phrase he remembers is Batman describing him as “A born-and-bred Gotham metahuman with unparalleled detective skills who will be trained to lead the Justice League…” This reveals to readers, and to Signal himself, that Batman has high hopes for Duke and where his career as a superhero will take him. Batman describes in this scene the other phases of Duke’s career as a crimefighter as steps necessary to Duke’s continued growth as a superhero, and each offering unique learning opportunities that will equip him to be the best of the best. Batman explains to Duke that his next step is to focus on citywide response and ecosystem analysis. Essentially, Duke has become responsible for running his own investigations during the daytime and being Gotham’s sole active vigilante.
This next step of Duke’s training is shaping up to be the most pivotal as he continues his heroic journey to eventually becoming a Justice League level hero. As he gets little support and must rely on his own strengths and powers, Duke is closely following Batman’s early years as a crimefighter. Batman was a solo hero first, and eventually, as he learned the importance of allies, Batman developed a strong web of connections that would be the Bat-Family. Batman sees a lot of potential in Duke, pointing out the flaws the Robins have and simply stating that Signal represents Gotham’s best. It’s clear that Batman believes that providing Duke a curated version of his own experiences will allow Signal to become the crimefighter Batman sees in him.
Batman’s Bat-Family is filled with competent crimefighters and outstanding individuals, such as Robin, yet the Signal is the one Batman sees with Justice League-level potential. As Batman provides Duke Thomas with an opportunity to prove himself as a detective and a superhero, the young hero appears to be rising to the occasion laid out for him by his mentor.