Warning: Spoilers ahead for Batman and Robin #1 and Batman #137! DC’s darkest fall to villainy yet might be just around the corner thanks to Batman’s failure to contain the Zur-En-Arrh personality. There are countless heroes in the DC Universe, and they don’t always stay on the side of the righteous. Batman has typically remained a true hero — at least in main continuity — but all of that might be about to change because of Bruce Wayne’s strange new sleeping habits.
Batman is famous for having contingency plans against anything that could happen to him. No matter what enemy he goes up against, be they friend or foe, Batman has a plan to take them down. This absurd sense of planning has even extended to himself. Not only does Batman have multiple contingency plans to deal with himself if he ever goes rogue, but he also has an entire backup personality that he’s created. If Batman’s mind was ever wiped clean or attacked in some manner, then Batman’s Zur-En-Arrh personality would take over, allowing him to continue acting as Batman on little more than primal instinct. The problem is that Batman may be losing his mind to this personality, and the evidence might be due to how much sleep he’s finally getting.
Batman’s New Sleeping Patterns Are Seriously Concerning
Readers can see this concerning change in Batman’s behavior in Batman and Robin #1 by Joshua Williamson, Simone Di Meo, and Steve Wands. After moving in together, Bruce wakes up after Damian, who has already started preparing breakfast. Damian even notes that his father “slept in.” At first glance, an older man sleeping longer than a teenager isn’t too concerning. What makes it a red flag is how Batman never needs to sleep. Batman’s control over his own body is so great that sleep isn’t something he actually needs, at least not like normal humans. Batman often gets by sleeping for only several minutes at a time, allowing him to operate at peak efficiency throughout most of the day and night. Something else, therefore, must be affecting his sleeping patterns.
Bruce has been through a lot recently: he fought the brutal robot Failsafe, was forced to travel through the Multiverse, and is now at war with both Catwoman and the majority of his own Bat-Family after being in a coma for many weeks after the events of Knight Terrors, which further complicates his recent sleeping habits. Batman has also been stating how tired he is across multiple books, as well has noting how he’s slowing down from getting older. It’s possible he’s so tired not because of his age — which DC has never noted as a problem before — but instead because he has a hostile personality slowly taking over his brain. Readers know that Zur-En-Arrh is still inside of Batman’s mind thanks to the events of Batman #137 by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiménez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles, so it’s possible that while Bruce has been “asleep”, Zur has actually been using Bruce’s body to set up his master plan.
Batman’s Zur-En-Arrh Personality Is Clearly Not Contained
Batman is one of the greatest heroes in the DC Universe, but everyone has their limits. Hal Jordan, a hero known for his willpower, once fell to evil, so there’s no reason to believe that Batman might not fall prey to his own mind if he isn’t careful. From the clues readers have at their fingertips, it certainly looks like Batman is poised to be DC’s next big villain.
Check out Batman and Robin #1 and Batman #137, both available now from DC Comics!