Batman and Wonder Woman have been teammates and friends for generations. Some stories even establish a romantic link between the two, based on their physical attraction and passion for their causes. Unfortunately, that same dedication once created a major rift between the two when Batman decided he needed to come up with contingency plans to neutralize every member of the Justice League in the event they went rogue – even Wonder Woman.
Of course, coming up with an effective strategy against an Amazonian warrior princess is easier said than done. Not only is Diana an expertly trained warrior with a keen mind, her power comes from the gods, making it very hard for anyone to take her down physically. As a result, Batman devised a way to neutralize Wonder Woman by taking advantage of something she long considered her greatest strength – her need to win.
Reasoning that Wonder Woman would rather die than allow an opponent to best her in battle, Batman devised a way to implant a device in Diana’s ear that would trap her in a virtual reality combat scenario against an opponent that was in every way her equal. Although Diana’s physical body would go inert during this fight, her heart rate and other functions would just keep rising as she exerted herself in the virtual world. Eventually, she would suffer a heart attack and pass out of exhaustion.
While Batman intended this strategy as a weapon of last resort to be used against an out-of-control Wonder Woman, his enemy Ra’s al Ghul got his hands on the Dark Knight’s plans and decided to use them against the Justice League himself. Unfortunately, in Diana’s case, it worked all too well and the Amazonian Princess was soon locked in a battle she didn’t realize was an illusion that was gradually killing her.
Before things could get too critical, however, other JLA members began recovering from Batman’s attacks and managed to help their teammates escape from their traps. Surprisingly, Wonder Woman received aid from Plastic Man who was able to stretch his fingers directly into her ear and remove the implant, ending the VR scenario and allowing Wonder Woman to recover.
Naturally, Diana was furious – not only for nearly dying but from the fact that Bruce took advantage of her psychological profile to create a trap that would have caused her to literally kill herself. Her rage was so great that when the JLA voted on whether to let Batman stay in the Justice League, Diana voted against her friend and comrade. Later events would see Wonder Woman and Batman bury the hatchet – but Bruce’s unique solution to neutralizing Diana does show how well he knows her – and how willing he is to use that knowledge against her.