This summer, issue number 150 of Batman will be released. Well, it’s not the real 150th issue, of course, but the one from this stage (we’re actually looking at thousands and thousands of issues since its debut in 1939). But this time there’s a slight difference: he’s ready to unmask himself in front of the whole world, just like Spider-man did after ‘Civil War’. Spoiler: that didn’t turn out well for the web-slinger, with a series of disasters that culminated in Mephisto making him forget his marriage to Mary Jane. Maybe it will turn out better for the Dark Knight.
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It’s really more of a slight intuition than a reality. But it begins to be sensed on the horizon, especially now that the two titular heroes of DC have their secret civilian identities: Clark Kent returned to being a friendly reporter last year, when Lex Luthor telepathically erased the memory of absolutely everyone about who Superman really is. Batman’s problem is different: after 85 years of hiding Bruce Wayne from the bat, little by little the noose is tightening in front of him.
The worst of his enemies, in this case, is The Penguin, who in his new series seems to know who is really hiding under the hood. In fact, he has just received a warning to go visit him, and now he controls a gigantic group of supervillains who are dying to attack whoever is under the bat-mantle. The revelation would put the masked man in serious trouble, but there’s more.
It turns out that one of the henchmen who works for Catwoman also accidentally discovered the secret a few months ago, and it doesn’t seem like he’s one to keep things quiet. Oh, yes, Joker knows it too. And Question, who bought Wayne Manor. And meanwhile, Batman has been on a hallucinogenic journey for months. It wouldn’t be surprising if, upon his return, he finds out that either the villains have revealed his name, or it’s about time he does it himself. Eight decades to reach this pivotal point in his life. Will they dare in DC? Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
