Warning: this article contains spoilers for Future State: Dark Detective #1
Last week readers got a first glimpse into the new world of DC Comics’ Future State. With the trials of The Next Batman and Harley Quinn all set up, it was time for fans to finally learn what happened to the original Batman, aka Bruce Wayne. If there were any doubts that the fate of Gotham and the ultimate destiny of Bruce Wayne were linked, then surely they’re now dispelled. As the opening text describes, “Gotham is a funeral no one’s attending.” An apt metaphor considering that according to the news, Bruce Wayne is dead and his fortune is gone. The first chapter is dishearteningly grim for the once rich son of Gotham. Despite the Dickensian opening, the story quickly ramps up.
The saga of the Bat Empire continues, though considerably diminished under the resourceful regime of the Magistrate. By all accounts, Wayne Enterprises went bust with Batman. Heavily armed and well-equipped paramilitary forces under the new order’s control patrol the streets. All “Masks” are outlawed and hunted down with extreme prejudice. This is a Gotham city reborn under the Magistrate. The technological advances that swayed the people to accept the change in government have come at a hefty price. What’s most disturbing is that none of Gotham’s citizens seem to care. So why does Bruce Wayne continue to fight from beyond the grave?
Future State: Dark Detective #1, by writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Dan Mora, pins the hopes of a return to normalcy squarely on the shoulders of Bruce Wayne. A herculean task bearing in mind that he barely has enough credits for a cup of coffee. However, just as there always has been, and always will be, an all-consuming desire to right the world’s wrongs has taken over Bruce. His new mission: bring down the Magistrate before it’s finished devouring Gotham. To do so, not only has he carved out a new identity, but also admitted to himself the truth regarding the role he played in his newest enemy’s emergence.
On the final page of the first chapter, Bruce makes his most disturbing revelation yet when he admits that it was his company, his technology that helped build the Magistrate. But it goes even deeper: it isn’t just Wayne Enterprises that’s responsible, it’s Batman and the Batman’s brand of justice that opened the door to what Gotham has now become in this new era of DC Comics. This explains his deep feelings of responsibility and guilt, but also offers a possible solution to the pall blanketing Gotham. If he built it, then he knows just how to tear it down.
Though a concrete explanation of what exactly happened to Batman, and who is behind the Magistrate, has yet to be given, readers can now appreciate the scope of Batman’s fall from grace. Could this mean that Bruce Wayne, in his desire or his hubris to keep the city safe, has fallen into the same trap others—such as Marvel’s Tony Stark—have? That is to say, creating a bigger monster than the one he’s trying to slay? It’s still too early to tell, but the clock is ticking quickly on the future of Gotham City.