Warning: Spoilers for Detective Comics #1091As a member of the Justice League and a formidable fighter in his own right, Batman doesn’t fear much in the DC Universe, but his dreams reveal a shocking death that could shake him to his core. THE Joker potential death keeps Batman up at night, not Robin’s, proving that his loss would break Batman more than that of his loved ones.
In a visualization for Detective comics #1091 by Tom Taylor and Mikel JanÃn, Batman is plagued by nightmares after his impulsive actions lead to a young man being murdered on his watch by the mysterious Asema. Its chilling dream sequence shows an older Bruce Wayne fighting the Joker, with the dead boy – Sam – as his new Robin.
Robin kills the Joker, to Batman’s horrorbelieving that the villain deserves to die. Batman slaps Robin in a fit of rage for defying his no-killing rule, and this reaction to the Joker’s death exposes how much this loss would affect him.
Batman fears the Joker’s death more than anyone else (including Robin’s)
Robin Killing Joker haunts Batman’s nightmares in an unexpected twist
When trying to figure out what Batman’s darkest nightmares involve, the obvious answer would be to harm those he cares about. Batman’s Robins have faced many dangers, so it stands to reason that he would be haunted by the possibility of losing them. Here, however, Batman appears to be more afraid of the Joker’s death than of the same fate that will befall Robin. This death would impact him so deeply that he would even turn on Robin, hitting him with a ferocity unlike modern iterations of Bruce Wayne’s paternal dynamic with his companions.
What makes Batman’s nightmare so surprising is that he should fear Robin being killed by the Joker, not the other way around. Jason Todd, the second Robin, faced an untimely death due to an explosion caused by the Joker in the 1988 story “A Death in the Family” by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo, and Bruce is worried that his Robins will suffer similar fates since then. As such, one would expect his subconscious to produce vivid scenarios of Robin’s danger – but instead of Robin dying in Batman’s horrific dream, it was the villain who took one of his Robins from him.
Batman’s long-standing rivalry with the Joker prevents him from ending his life
Killing the Joker would create more problems for Batman and Robin than it would solve
Batman’s response to the Joker’s death stems from the deep history between them. The Joker is Batman’s main rival and therefore understands the Clown Prince of Crime better than any other villain he has faced. He knows, therefore, that the Joker would only get satisfaction if he were killed by Batman or one of his allies, so he refuses to give in to his enemy’s game, becoming – or letting Robin become – what the Joker seeks to turn him into. He even attempted to spare the Joker’s life and rehabilitate him, though with little success. Batman knows that the Joker’s death would have consequences for him and Robin.
In From the DC Vault: Death in the Family – Robin Lives! #4 by JM DeMatteis, Rick Leonardi, Rico Renzi and Taylor Esposito, instead of Jason Todd dying in his confrontation with the Joker, he survives and ends up killing the Joker himself. Jason’s survival does not lead to a pleasant outcome, as the boy’s trauma weighs on him until he breaks down and becomes his own version of the Joker in the original’s place. Jason killing the Joker results in a dark outcome in this version of events, so Batman’s fear of Robin breaking his no-killing rule in the main DC continuity has merit.
Batman refuses to let Robin break his no-killing rule, even against the Joker
Batman’s doubts about his moral code could change his mind
Batman’s no-killing rule is a central facet of his character that serves as a distinction between him and his villains. By refusing to kill even those who deserve death, he demonstrates that he will not stoop to their level. Batman transmits this teaching to all members of the Bat Family, including Robin. If Robin killed the Joker, he would betray everything Batman stands for and become the danger that Batman seeks to extinguish. Batman’s true fear, then, isn’t necessarily the Joker’s death; it was Robin who killed him and thus betrayed his sacred code. However, Batman may soon be tempted to do the same.
The code that defines Batman is being questioned.
Now, in the ongoing process of Taylor and JanÃn Detective comics plot, the code that defines Batman is being questioned. It was revealed that Thomas Wayne’s loyalty to his no-killing rule leads him to save Joe Chill – the man who kills him years later. Although Batman remains steadfast in his morals, knowing that his father’s show of mercy led to his greatest tragedy may cause him to waver in this unshakable belief. If Batman Following in Robin’s footsteps and abandoning his no-killing rule after discovering its consequences, he can finally make his nightmare a reality and kill the Clown without it breaking it.
Detective comics #1091 is available November 27, 2024 from DC Comics.