This article contains SPOILERS for Batman: The Knight #8
In the latest issue of DC Comics' Batman: The Knight, the man who taught Bruce Wayne how to become a "Dark Knight" is revealed (as well as what that truly means). Nearing the end of his training abroad, young Bruce Wayne is nearly ready to make his return to Gotham and become its new protector. While he's learned countless new skills and all sorts of knowledge to make himself a peak vigilante, there's more to learn when it comes to conquering his own mind.
Previously in Batman: The Knight from writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Carmine Di Giandomenico, Bruce Wayne has traveled all over the world, meeting with all sorts of escape artists, detectives, thieves, masters of disguise, weapons experts, and more. Learning and absorbing all of their teachings, Bruce Wayne has gradually been gaining all the skills he needs to eventually become Gotham's Batman (before he would actually get the bat inspiration).
However, the new Batman: The Knight #8 reveals that the "Dark Knight" title came before the bat as well. Meeting with one of his final teachers, Bruce Wayne knows that his primary obstacle will always be his fear and emotions. As such, Dr. Daniel Captio agrees to help Bruce manipulate and mold his mind, making himself a cold and unfeeling creature of the night. To that end, Captio understands that Bruce is seeking to weaponize his mind to match his body, becoming not just a Knight of Gotham, but a Dark Knight capable of withstanding so much more.
Through Captio's teachings, Bruce learns how to hone his mind to an extremely high degree. For example, after a few weeks of training Bruce can convince his brain that he can't feel pain, a disturbing yet useful ability considering how much constant fighting he'll do as Batman. However, Bruce finds himself holding back from the full potential Captio can help him attain, not wanting to rewrite his entire being by erasing his emotions completely. While he learns just enough to block out any distractions and become a Dark Knight when needed, he still retains the core emotions that make him Bruce Wayne.
Although Bruce was ready to call his training complete after his transformation into a Dark Knight, there's still one last teacher who sends a representative at the end of this issue. Arguably Bruce's most important teacher who becomes one of his biggest rivals, the future Batman is ready to learn from none other than Ra's al Ghul. Effectively serving as Bruce's final test before he returns to Gotham, it's going to be very exciting to further explore Bruce Wayne's first interactions with al Ghul (especially now that Bruce has mastered his mind as a Dark Knight). Batman: The Knight #8 is on sale now.