Warning: spoilers ahead for Future State: Dark Detective #1!
In DC's Future State, Gotham City is not doing so well. Thanks to the efforts of its new mayor, a new private security force known as the Magistrate has free reign over the city, completely overtaking Gotham and turning it into a police state. The Magistrate's agents - known as "Peacekeepers" - are given shoot on sight protocols towards vigilantes and indeed anyone found wearing a mask, and that especially holds true for the next Batman, who's become public enemy number one. In Future State: Dark Detective #1, it's publicly believed that the Magistrate actually succeeded in killing Batman, though Bruce Wayne managed to survive that attack. Additionally, one of the Magistrate's leaders known as Peacekeeper-01 is revealed. Is it possible that he could be a Batman ally from the present, now corrupted and evil in the DC Universe's near future?
In the new issue from writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Dan Mora, Bruce Wayne recalls being shot in a Gotham alley, just like his parents before him. Stumbling and crawling to an underground surgeon, Bruce ended up spending the last of his family's fortune getting stitched up without the new regime's knowledge, continuing on as a ghost of the Batman he once was, as the general public now believes he and the Dark Knight are dead. However, Bruce acknowledges that many of the problems facing Gotham are partly his fault, which means that he is not going to stop fighting, adopting the new persona of the Dark Detective.
However, continuing his crusade as the Batman's ghost is easier said that done, as the Magistrate holds all the men, resources, technology, and firepower at their disposal all throughout Gotham. One of the organization's key leaders is the mysterious agent known as Peacekeeper-01. Positioned in his control room, the helmeted leader is able to monitor all of the city's activities at once, thanks to a vast network of cameras and drones. He's also the one who announced Batman's death to the public. However, is it possible PK-01 is actually Ghost-Maker, Batman's newest ally in the present?
Not only does Ghost-Maker wear a similar face mask and have an affinity for high-tech methods, but he also holds to the belief that he can protect Gotham better than Batman. Bruce convinced him to join him in his crusade in the recent Batman #105 from James Tynion IV, but even then Ghost-Maker made it clear he considered Bruce's efforts deeply flawed and would push back where he thought he could do better. While it seemed as though the two had buried the hatchet, it's entirely possible events down the line motivated Ghost-Maker to turn against Batman and his Bat Family, leading to the formation of the Magistrate.
While a betrayal by Ghost-Maker would no doubt be devastating for Batman on multiple levels, it would also mean that he learned all the wrong lessons from the former Dark Knight if he is indeed PK-01. While Batman is hoping to win Ghost-Maker over to his moral perspective, it's possible his rival will learn all the tactics and none of the restraint. While Ghost-Maker had been isolated and a loner for years before joining the Bat Family, his preference for lethal solutions and his ultra-efficient approach gel perfectly with the Magistrates' way of doing things, and the character has yet to be accounted for in this future Gotham, despite being as skilled as Bruce himself. Fans were shocked when Ghost-Maker agreed to join Batman as a new face in Gotham - could his deadly corruption in Future State explain DC's decision to keep him around?