In Batman: The Knight #1, DC Comics offers a refreshing take on the modern mythology of Bruce Wayne’s self-exploration that leads him to become Batman. Surprisingly, part of Bruce’s reflections includes how his wealth and social status in Gotham prove unhelpful in his crusade for justice and vengeance.
The story is familiar—Gotham is a city riddled with crime, poverty, and shadows, all the sins needed to make Batman. But before there was the most accomplished detective and crime-fighter in the world, there was an angry, damaged young man. Still haunted by his parents’ death, this issue shows Bruce Wayne attending therapy with Dr. Hugo Strange to figure out how to deal with the anger he refuses to let go of. As a result, Bruce fights at school, and in underground gambling rings, but this backfires because it reinforces the idea that the Prince of Gotham can do whatever he wants without severe consequences. Because he’s the wealthiest person in Gotham and has a tragic origin story, Bruce is often lonely with only two personal relationships that keep him grounded. With such a small support system in a city that considers him a spoiled brat, Bruce Wayne has to prove he’s worthy of earning the mantle of Batman through personal growth.
In Batman: The Knight #1, created by Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico, Bruce has a heart-to-heart with his friend Dana Winthrop. When talking about what they want to do in the future, Dana admits she sees “that damned darkness” in him constantly, believing he “wants vengeance” and needs to “think bigger” about his future rather than be another angry cop. When talking to Hugo about his anger, Bruce says he is mad that the world “lets bad men do just do what they want,” when Dr. Strange points out, “So do a lot of the rich. A lot of times those are one and the same. You can do whatever you want, Bruce.” When Bruce is released from jail after being arrested at an underground fight, he tries to report a corrupt police officer but is shut down when the officers say, “Sounds like this billionaire is a little out of touch” because his next of kin is “his butler.” Moments later, Alfred admits that he has let Bruce “become a spoiled, rich brat” because he fights men who have nothing, pushing Alfred to acknowledge Bruce’s plans by telling him, “You’ve been given everything. Prove that you deserve it.”
Dana’s use of the words “damned darkness” and “vengeance” suggest that Bruce is still held back by his tragedy and the loss of his wealth, aka a life with his parents. To “think bigger” and find new wealth in his life that contradicts Hugo’s opinion, Bruce has to understand the reason behind his anger and see how it fits into the “big picture” of his goal to become Batman. He faces a similar shock when the cops say he’s out of touch because his legal guardian is his butler. This suggests that Bruce’s life up until that moment is so unrelatable to ordinary civilians because his father figure also represents Bruce’s life of luxury. Even Alfred admits how Bruce Wayne has been given so much social and financial wealth that it has corrupted how he interacts with the world. If Bruce wants to become Batman and think bigger, he has to prove his wealth does not define him.
At the end of the issue, Bruce Wayne reveals his wealth no longer holds him back from becoming Batman when he deduces Hugo Strange’s plan to steal his fortune and has him arrested. Batman: The Knight #1 offers a new origin story in which Bruce Wayne must overcome the corruption of his financial, personal, and social wealth to be worthy of becoming Batman.
