Spoilers for "Cheer" in Batman: Urban Legends #3 ahead!

In Batman: Urban Legends #3, Batman reveals the weirdest - and maybe sweetest weapon he keeps in his utility belt.

Batman: Urban Legends is an anthology book starring various members of the Bat-Family, with Red Hood among them. In a previous issue, Red Hood had killed a dealer trafficking in a new drug called Cheerdrops. Doing so broke his pact with Batman, and a panicking Red Hood goes to the dealer’s apartment and learns that he had a wife that he'd put in the hospital, as well as a young son named Tyler. Believing Red Hood had come to save him, the little boy bonded with him. Matters are complicated further when Batman arrives on the scene.

Related: The Batman Needs the 60's Utility Belt to Suit Pattinson's Year Two 

As the story opens, Batman is attempting to question Tyler, who is now calling himself “the Blue Hood.” Batman asks him to wait for a few while he talks with Red Hood. Batman then pulls a lollipop out of his utility belt, smiling as much as he possibly can. Tyler happily takes it. A clearly surprised Red Hood asks about the lollipops, and Batman informs him that he keeps a supply on hand as a way to distract children who are on an emergency scene.  While Tyler enjoys his lollipop, Batman and Red Hood discuss what to do about the boy, and Red Hood is adamant that the boy not go into foster care as he once did. Batman agrees but decides to take Tyler to a safe place, to someone who can properly take care of him: Doctor Leslie Tompkins, who helped care for Bruce Wayne after his parents were killed.

While lollipops might seem a weird item for Batman to keep on hand, consider that he sees many emergency scenes just in the course of one night. Children are present at many of the scenes, and many of them are no doubt freaking out over what they have seen. While a lollipop may not be much, it can still provide a small degree of comfort and take a kid's mind off what they have seen, if only briefly. Batman’s use of lollipops to comfort children has precedent in the real world, as some law enforcement organizations use quilts or stuffed animals to comfort children at crime scenes. And it could also be Batman’s way of empathizing with these children, as some of them will become orphans - just like he was.

Batman’s utility belt contains the tools he needs to wage his war on crime, but it also has what he needs to provide comfort to the disturbed, in this case, lollipops for children. Batman: Urban Legends #3 is on sale now in print and digital; the story is written by Chip Zdarsky, with art by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Jesus Merino, and Marcus To, with colors by Adriano Lucas and letters by Becca Carey.

Next:  DC Reveals Batman's Anti-Crisis Weapon