Warning: Spoilers for Future State: Gotham #13!
The Dark Knight of Gotham City known as Batman has a well-known and highly tragic origin that has deeply affected him for decades, and now it’s been revealed that not only is Crime Alley responsible for the creation of one of DC Comics’ best characters, but it’s also one of the only places on Earth where Hell can quite literally come knocking.
Brought to readers’ attention in Future State: Gotham #13, by Dennis Culver and Geoffo, this series continues the future adventures of a Gotham City that unfortunately isn’t better off compared to the corrupt, grimy, and violent place it is today. Scattered to the wind after the supposed “death” of the Bruce Wayne aka the original Batman, and the rise of the fascist forces known as The Magistrate, the rest of the Bat-Family has taken up various roles across the city to help protect their home in their own ways.
Following the exploits of Nightwing and Talia al Ghul as they search for her son, Damian Wayne, this particular issue delves into what Damian has been up to in Future State continuity as he was not seen at all in the initial 2021 event. Convinced that his father had truly died instead of being forced underground, Damian took it upon himself to find a way to resurrect Batman, eventually leading him to dabble in the dark arts on Lazarus Island and as an ultimate act of selflessness, dive into Hell itself to find his father in the afterlife. And it’s here, upon Damian’s return to the real world that Batman’s Crime Alley origin is shown to be a place that Hell can use whenever they see fit.
As seen on the final pages of this issue, readers are brought to Crime Alley as a disembodied voice cuts through the darkness. Walking out from a magical portal conjured from thin air, a new and improved mystical version of the mercenary known as Grifter steps into view. Seemingly talking to himself before it’s revealed that he’s working with the Batman 666 version of Damian, Grifter says, “There are a few other spots on Earth with the kind of residual pain required to open a portal to Hell,” immediately and succinctly telling fans that Batman’s origin is so tragic and traumatizing that it transcends not only time, and if the portal to Hell is any indication, space as well.
A moment that saw Bruce Wayne’s parents gunned down in front of him in a horrible display of thievery gone wrong, Crime Alley being steeped in tragedy and loss was already well associated with the location, yet the full breathe of how bad that negative energy affected the spot where Batman's parents died only now being fully realized. And since a literal portal to what is arguably the worst place in existence has honed in on and fed off that lingering pain, nobody can tell Batman that his origin isn’t one of the most defining and iconic backstories of all time, but also one that can now be used as a quick travel location to the underworld.
Bruce Wayne was unknowingly put on the path to becoming Batman on that fateful night in Crime Alley, and the lingering pain and tragedy that is his origin is clearly still alive and well, even decades into the future. Batman may still need to work on his trauma on a personal level, but Hell has no qualms about exploiting said trauma when needed.