Batman has fought hundreds of villains over the decades, and every single one of them has tried unique ways to defeat him. Batman has managed to overcome all of their evil plans, but now, one major villain is trying something different – giving him the chance to finally retire and enjoy life, all without sacrificing his mission.
Recently, Batman has been battling against Zur-En-Arrh, a “pure” version of Batman who cares only for the mission and nothing else. After failing to take over Batman’s body, Zur-En-Arrh has taken over the android Failsafe, creating an utterly dedicated Batman with an unstoppable android body. Now that Zur is a separate being from Bruce, he gives Bruce an offer that no villain ever has, as seen in Batman #141 by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiménez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles.
Zur-En-Arrh offers to replace Batman and simply let him retire. Zur specifically tells Batman that now they’re separated, Batman can retire and live life as Bruce Wayne, while Zur-En-Arrh goes on and continues being Batman and fighting crime forever. While Bruce refuses and fights back, he admits that his heart skips a beat at the possibility.
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Zur-En-Arrh Offers to Let Batman Retire
Batman Admits He’s Tempted to Surrender the Cowl
From killing his family to stealing his wealth, villains are always trying to find a way to make Batman give up, but so far nothing has stopped him for long. Not even his alt-universe father, the Flashpoint Thomas Wayne, was able to convince Bruce to give up the mask. However, now Batman fights a threat from within his own mind. Zur-En-Arrh understands both Bruce’s commitment to his mission and his desire to live a normal life, allowing him to actually tempt the Dark Knight to surrender. The only thing that holds Bruce back from accepting is that Zur-En-Arrh doesn’t have his sense of restraint.
Zur-En-Arrh is a pure version of Batman created as a back-up personality in case of psychic attack. However, Zur is a basic construct that isn’t meant to take control for long. Zur cares nothing for the Bat-Family or anyone else in Batman’s life; all he cares about is stopping criminals. While Zur has so far respected Batman’s ‘No Kill’ rule, he’s also far more brutal to both villains and rival heroes. Recently, Zur even pushed Batman to rewire Red Hood’s brain, paralyzing him whenever his adrenaline spikes, as well as attempting to shatter the Joker’s spine so he can never escape Arkham again. While Bruce does want to retire, he won’t leave Gotham in the hands of such a brutal protector.
Zur-En-Arrh Is Batman Unbound
Bruce Is Fighting the Purest Version of Batman
The offer to relinquish everything to Zur-En-Arrh is the most tempting one Bruce has ever gotten because it comes from himself. Zur-En-Arrh is Bruce’s idea of a pure Batman with no distractions. This isn’t the same as being replaced by any other vigilante, including his children. This is the idea of Batman himself offering to free Bruce from his mission. It’s a moment that exposes the dichotomy at Bruce’s heart – he truly wants to escape his life of violence and pain, but he’s also so committed to it that he set plans in motion to keep fighting forever: plans which have now given Zur-En-Arrh an unbeatable, ageless new body. Ultimately, Bruce Wayne can’t give up being Batman, but the temptation he feels shows how personal his war against Zur-En-Arrh is going to be.
Batman #141 is on sale from DC Comics now!
