Warning: Spoilers for Detective Comics #1092
To hide your vigilante activities from the public Batman always drew a firm line between his Dark Knight alter ego and his civilian self, leaning toward a playboy act like Bruce Wayne. Now, Batman is conducting an investigation with the help of his Bruce Wayne identity, proving that his womanizing personality has a practical application beyond keeping his superhero lifestyle a secret.
In Detective comics #1092 by Tom Taylor, Mikel JanÃn and Wes Abbott, Batman continues taking doses of Sangraal, a youth serum that can reverse the effects of aging. To learn more about the operation behind this medicine, Bruce tries to ask Scarlett about it, but she changes the subject out of fear.
Batman realizes that Scarlett cannot discuss the Sangraal openly, so he decides to change the subject and use his Bruce Wayne charm to gather information.. Bruce asks Scarlett out on a date, and this creative interrogation style shows that Batman's secret identity can benefit his detective work.
Batman uses his Bruce Wayne identity to his advantage in an investigation
Batman's Playboy Character Helps Him in a Surprising Way
When Batman can't get the job done through his usual means of investigation despite being DC's greatest detective, he takes Scarlett out to dinner in hopes of uncovering the truth about Sangraal through a heart-to-heart. On their date, Bruce casually mentions why she didn't pull strings to get her sick mother to take Sangraal, and Scarlett alludes to the lack of control she has over who her investors approve for the miracle cure. Although Batman could have gathered this information through more covert means, Bruce's gregarious approach works best here due to his history with Scarlett as an old family friend..
Bruce's date with Scarlett goes very well and the two end up spending the night together. At first, it appears that Batman has found a new love interest in Scarlett, but he exposes his true motivations when she leaves him alone in the room. With Scarlett out of sight, Bruce plugs a hard drive into his laptop and downloads files related to Sangraal. Later, Batman delivers the stolen files to Oracle, and she taunts him about how Batman and Bruce Wayne are "making some kind of secret team". Where Batman fails, Bruce manages to uncover the secrets of Scarlett's operation.
Bruce Wayne has abilities that even Batman lacks, proving the importance of Alter Ego
Batman may be skilled, but Bruce Wayne has valuable skills of his own
As proficient as Batman is thanks to his investigative skills, he has now learned that some cases can only be solved by his billionaire side. Bruce is able to get close to people, especially women, making them let down their guard and confess their deepest secrets. Sleeping with Scarlett to steal data from her computer is far from ethical, but it helps Batman learn more about how exactly she found a way to overhaul biology and potentially become immortal. Batman is now much closer to unraveling the mystery surrounding Sangraal, and he owes this progress to Bruce Wayne.
Detective comics #1092 is now available from DC Comics.