The Absolute Universe distinguishes itself from the Prime DC Universe by being molded by the evil energy of Darkseid, and to represent that not only are the challenges the heroes face larger and more socially ingrained than ever, but the heroes themselves have had core aspects changed or removed. Absolute Batman’s wealth and world-training have been stripped away, his mother is still alive, and he is far more brutal than his normal incarnations. Still, at his core he has remained the same Batman we all know and love, if not much more built and more vulgar. However, the newest issue just introduced a change that could make this version of the Dark Knight completely different from anything we’ve seen before. Batman might have just been given superpowers, and they came from his worst enemies.
Ark M’s Experiments Changed Batman
At the end of issue #9, Batman infiltrated the depths of the Ark M prison to find his missing friend, Waylon. Unfortunately, Bruce came into direct contact with Absolute Bane, and this version is far, far more dangerous than even his original version. Bane easily took down Batman in a fight, then destroyed his spirit by showing his monstrous form when using Venom. Batman was captured and taken to join the horrible human experiments that Ark M was built to do, and nobody could save him. Issue #10 was told from the perspective of the mysterious Doctor Arkham’s logs, detailing the process of putting Bruce, dubbed Subject 27, through the same experiments they put Bane through.
Batman is never one to go down without a fight. Even after they remove the veritable arsenal he had surgically stored inside of his body, Bruce continues to craft new weapons from his environment. He tears out his own teeth to use as crude brass knuckles, modifies his feeding tube to shoot his stomach acid at people, and turns bat guano into explosives. He launches multiple escape attempts, each time diving deeper into the horrible experiments of the facility, and seeing what will become some of his fiercest rogues in Poison Ivy and Clayface. Unfortunately, every time Bruce escapes he is once again apprehended by Bane. Again and again he’s caught, until even his spirit starts to break. By the time three months passed, he had completely given up, and had been changed by the experiments. They put brain stem inserts in, and the veins in his upper body glowed green like Venom, and they glowed in the shape of a bat.
They tested his resilience one last time before the final stage, hanging his costume and gear in the room with him. At first, Bruce shouted for the costume to leave him alone, saying that there was no way to win. But the costume hung there like all the responsibilities and promises he made, the embodiment of Batman’s will. Batman never needed to win, he just had to fight. So Bruce put back on the costume, and Batman smashed through his prison wall. Bane attempted to apprehend him again, but their fight broke open the cage holding Walyon, who had himself been transformed into a giant, dragon-like crocodile-creature that is the stuff of nightmares. He threw Bane away, and the friends fled together into the sewers. Doctor Arkham asked Bane if he was excited for the final stage, and the monster said that he looked forward to truly breaking Batman, to make him someone like him.
Batman Is Stronger Than Ever
While he hasn’t been fully inserted with Venom like Bane has, Batman clearly is feeling the effects of the drug already inside him. He literally smashed through the wall holding him, showing that his strength has been enhanced in some capacity. I can’t imagine that the glowing green veins in the shape of a bat are a coincidence either, especially because as Batman escaped the final time we see a sign that labels this section as the Langstrom Experiment, alongside a horde of half-mutated, mangled bat-people. Doctor Arkham said that nobody else had survived the experiments Bruce fought through, and given what Bane said it’s likely that Batman was being turned into a Venom monster like him, but it also stands to reason that Batman was being prepped to become a Man-Bat. I’m personally leaning towards the first option, but we can’t ignore the possibility that Batman will become a bat-monster hybrid at some point in this dark timeline.
Either way, it seems really almost impossible to imagine these experiments not having some lasting impact on Batman. He might be able to overcome them mentally, but the physical changes to his body are likely permanent, and they could have massive implications going forward. This Batman has already had to fight harder than any other version to help Gotham City, and this might be the step he needed to take it to the next level, as horrible as it is. Do you think Batman will develop some low-level super strength and abilities from these experiments? Let us know in the below!
Absolute Batman #10 is on sale now!
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