Batman‘s identity has been a secret to citizens and even other superheroes for years, but that secret has been challenged by a loophole that even the Dark Knight didn’t know about at first. As his defense, his identity is so secret that for a while his own kids didn’t know who he was until he eventually told them. Anyone who knows his secret identity is super close to him, and he’s chosen to let them in to his secret, so anyone who figures it out is a threat in his mind.
The world of the occult plays by its own rules, though, and Batman finally finds out that his identity is not actually as secret as he thought it was, and he holds very little power over the occult. He realizes quickly that his practical methods of keeping his identity a secret don’t help against magic and leaves a part of him vulnerable to discovery. The all-knowing and powerful occult beings of the DC Universe have no problem finding out who he is.
It is revealed to Batman that Boston Brand aka Deadman knows his identity in Batman: Gotham County Line by Steve Niles, Scott Hampton, Jose Villarrubia, and Pat Brosseau. Apparently it has become common knowledge throughout the occult world as Boston goes on to describe just how many people may know he’s Bruce Wayne. Among the entities that Deadman lists are the Phantom Stranger, the Spectre and perhaps even more. It’s hard to hide things from the entities who exist in the spiritual realm, and while they would never tell anyone, it could be a serious threat against Batman.
Batman’s Disdain For The Occult
Batman has always had a disdain and dislike for the supernatural, he’s too rational of a person to rely on what he deems irrational. In part, it’s because he can’t tackle problems that may arise in the occult world without help from others who may have magic or other supernatural powers. Batman even outright says he hates magic, and explains why in the ever popular Justice League Dark #14 by James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez, Raül Fernandez, and Brad Anderson. He thinks magic and the supernatural are unpredictable and while he does study a few spells for self-defense against them, he’d prefer not to. Deadman’s knowledge of his identity doesn’t help his disdain for them and probably makes it worse than Batman now knows that his identity could be freely spread around if one of these supernatural beings were ever questioned.
Throughout Batman: Gotham City Line Batman is forced to work with Deadman to break out of a curse cast on him that has trapped him in his own nightmare world. Deadman has been an underutilized character for a while despite his importance and the power he holds. Knowing Bruce Wayne’s real identity is impressive, which Boston probably knows from his ability to possess people. The occult beings of Spectre and the Phantom Stranger have an “all-knowing” aspect to their characters that probably led to them knowing who Batman is. The spiritual realm makes itself known as a big weakness for Batman as it’s a lot harder to hide information from any entities who exist there.
Batman must learn to get past his disdain for the supernatural and work with these entities he would rather avoid, as their help and newfound importance in his life could help him hide who truly is from the rest of the world. Without magical protection or favor, his secret identity is known to many more entities than he’s ever realized before. Deadman revealed a loophole that even Batman himself had never thought of before, which leaves him vulnerable to magic.
