Warning! Spoilers ahead for Future State: Batman/Superman #2
It turns out that the Batman of DC Comics’ Future State still hasn’t moved past the mindset held by Ben Affleck’s Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The 2016 film version of the Dark Knight can’t bring himself to trust Superman without an absolute certainty that he wouldn’t one day pose a threat to the world. The comics version of Batman in DC’s Future State also has serious trust issues, holding a very similar worldview due to his concern and fear of the Magistrate’s rise to power in Gotham.
In Future State: Batman/Superman #2 from writer Gene Luen Yang with art by Scott McDaniel, Superman has been trying to help the Dark Knight with the rising infiltration of the Magistrate and their growing control over all of Gotham, slowly turning the city into a fascist police state. However, the Man of Steel is too trusting and gets himself captured by those in the Magistrate’s employ, leading to Batman embarking on a desperate quest to save his friend and trusted ally.
However, as Batman tries to save Superman in the issue, he is forced to retreat after being thrown out of a building, breaking his leg on impact. While a group of civilians supposedly tries to help the Dark Knight, Batman’s trademark cynicism comes out in full force, as he can’t 100 percent for certain determine that they weren’t working for the Magistrate. Unfortunately, this is very similar and flawed perspective that the Dark Knight has in Batman v Superman when his butler Alfred questions why Batman would want to fight and kill Superman: “He [Superman] has the power to wipe out the entire human race, and if we believe there’s even a one percent chance that he is our enemy we have to take it as an absolute certainty.“
While Batman’s cynical nature means that he’s typically one of the most prepared heroes in the DC Universe, it throws off his judgement in some pretty significant ways. While Ben Affleck’s Batman has a degree of an excuse as this was his first interaction with the Man of Steel, the Batman seen here in the early days of Future State definitely does not. He’s had a long time to realize that life rarely offers certainties and absolutes, and the cost of constantly distrusting allies (and even innocents in this issue) is not worth any potential benefits coming from always being guarded and expecting the worst of them. In addition to rejecting the help from the civilians, his distrusting nature leads him to reject Superman himself. He sends Clark away from Gotham because he believes that his presence only leaves open the possibility that the Magistrate will use his powers as a weapon.
If anything, this issue serves to show just how concerned and fearful Batman is of the rising threat of the Magistrate. He truly is shaken and issues set later down the timeline do prove that he’s right to be worried. However, that doesn’t give him the excuse to revert back to same simplified mindset and lack of growth carried by a Batman who was just then learning of Superman’s existence. It is likely this same distrust that causes him to work alone as the Dark Detective in Future State stories without reaching to any of his many partners. It only serves to make Batman’s job harder, as it ultimately leads to him ignoring easier solutions in his crusade and potential allies who want to same things he does in DC Comics.
