Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Future State Gotham #18With DC Comics' Future State: Gotham finally coming to an end, the sacrifice of Dick Grayson's Nightwing proves a dark truth about Batman and his role in Gotham. Set in a potential future where the Magistrate has turned the city into an oppressive police state and the original Dark Knight was believed to be dead, Future State has culminated with a massive war involving 5 different characters vying for Batman's cape and cowl. While the still-living Bruce Wayne has finally revealed himself, it's become clear that his mission in the DC Universe will never be fulfilled.
Previously in Future State: Gotham, Tommy Elliot's Hush disguised himself as Bruce Wayne's Batman to manipulate Damian Wayne who's returned from Hell as Batman-666, having been corrupted while searching for the soul of his actual father whom he believed had actually died. Meanwhile, Nightwing has been taking doses of a new compound known as Brane which has given him a vision of the future, motivating him to become his own Batman while refusing to accept help from the rest of the Bat Family. Likewise, Bruce Wayne's Dark Knight has returned to try and save his son while the Next Batman of Future State Jace Fox has been very surprised by all the new Batmen who've suddenly come out of the woodwork.
With the Court of Owls by his side Hush summons the dark spirit of Joe Chill, the man who killed Bruce's parents, to take over Damian's body in the new Future State: Gotham #18 from Dennis Culver and Justin Greenwood. However, Nightwing convinces Chill to possess him instead, claiming that he's the one true Batman. This was Dick Grayson's endgame all along. While the rest of the Bat Family thought he'd been corrupted by the Brane compound, Nightwing's vision was of Joe Chill returning to kill Batman. Not wanting to risk changing the outcome of what he saw, Dick knew that Batman would have to die. As such, he did everything he could to make himself the only Batman, ensuring that no one in his family would die so long as he sacrificed himself, killing the spirit of Joe Chill in the process.
Bruce Wayne's Batman Was Never Going Save Gotham
Whether it's the future presented by Future State or some other future entirely, this issue helps argue that Bruce Wayne's Batman will never succeed in his mission to save Gotham. Instead, It's going to be heroes like Dick Grayson and others who've chosen to carry and eventually continue the legacy when Bruce can't any longer. They'll eventually become better than Batman ever could be. Likewise, it's already been proven that Nightwing is an A-list hero who's far better than the Dark Knight himself in the present DC Universe.
With Nightwing's sacrifice in this final issue of Future State: Gotham, the city is saved and Red Hood and the Next Batman have begun the work of removing the Magistrate (who lost a lot of public support thanks to Hush). As such, Bruce seems to retire as the Dark Knight, content to watch the rest of his family continue his legacy and fulfill the mission Batman was never going to accomplish himself. Future State: Gotham #18 is on sale now.