Warning! Spoilers for DC vs Vampires #4
The most recent mistake that Batman has made revealed the reason why he’s regarded as a genius in the DC Universe. Although the Dark Knight lacks powers, he makes up for it with his mind.
Throughout his comic book history, Batman has gained a reputation for his high intellect and detective skills. Each of his rogues tend to challenge one component of his abilities. Whether it is Bane challenging Bruce’s physical strength, or the Riddler testing his investigative obsession, there haven’t been many times when both have come into play at once. As the DC Universe is invaded by a vampire army, Batman has to use both his physicality and his strategic thinking to survive and protect his fellow heroes. While some of his peers have fallen prey to the vampires, he has to keep cautious, as seen in DC vs Vampires #4, written by Matthew Rosenberg and James Tynion IV with art by Otto Schmidt.
When Green Arrow enters the Batcave, he is cautious, but not as cautious as Batman. The Dark Knight is known for being a few steps ahead of everyone else, but it’s not just because he’s good at mental chess. As he attacks Green Arrow, it’s revealed that he’s paranoid. Batman assumed Oliver would be a vampire, even though it doesn’t makes sense in context, as the army wouldn’t have sent only one non-powered member to take him down. It takes a few moments for Bruce to realize he’s wrong to assume Green Arrow has been turned into a vampire, despite the archer’s reliance on his bow instead of any vampiric powers.
Similarly, Green Arrow had thought Bruce would be a vampire by this point. In contrast, it makes sense for Oliver to be afraid, as it would be game over if Batman had joined their legion. After the scene concludes, both heroes brush it off. It’s especially embarrassing for Bruce, who should know better by this point.
He once had detailed plans for how to take out each member of the Justice League if they ever turned against him. At the time, it seemed to be a responsible, logic-based strategy, but now such a plan comes across as fear-based and paranoid. Batman has essentially made his whole career on expecting the worst, leveraging his primary mindset of pessimism. A lot of the time, he turns out to be right. With such apocalyptic circumstances, it’s easy to empathize with Batman on this one.
