Warning: Spoilers for Batman #149 ahead!
Summary
As Gotham’s Dark Knight,Batmanis well known for striking fear into the hearts of his enemies as opposed to the other way around. Now, however, Batman’s admission as to which villain actuallyfrightens him provides a fascinating glimpse inside his psyche, as well as cementing this foe at the top of his rogues' gallery.
InBatman#149, by Chip Zdarsky, Michele Bandini, and Steve Lieber, Bruce is forced to reckon with all the destruction caused by two of his worst creations:the Failsafe robot and hisviolentbackup Zur-En-Arrh personality. While he is eager to reconnect with his family and begin healing years of isolationist behavior, a somber conversation with his Robin, Tim Drake, delves into Batman’s greatest concern.
“I keep expecting […] something to… bring him back. Or, worse, reveal that [Zur’s] really me,” Batman explains as he and Tim dismantle Zur’s secret base. “That I’ve always been the ‘backup.'”
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Batman Fears Becoming Zur-En-Arrh - Permanently
Zur Has Been a Major Story Feature SinceBatman#127 by Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jiménez
While Batman’s alternate Zur-En-Arrh personality initially debuted in modern continuity as a countermeasure against psychic attacks,Zdarsky’s run onBatmanhas significantly fleshed out Zur’s character,giving him motivations of his own. While the Zur who appeared in 2006 was aggressively violent, recent stories instead suggest that Zur comprises Batman’s worst elements: his paranoia, his manipulation, his isolationism, and his need for total control. Thus, Zur has been revealed to have been behind many of Batman’s more questionable decisions, pushing him to behave more and more like the “grim and gritty” takes on the character.
Zur represents the worst form of Batman: a Batman divorced from his humanity, with only the ruthless vigilante remaining.
Now, Zur joins Gotham’s rogues as another foil for Batman. While Batman’s greatest nemesis, the Joker, pits chaos against Batman’s order, Batman’s other great enemies all offer some kind of reflection on himself: Two-Face represents order and impartiality taken to extremes; Scarecrow is a commentary on Batman’s weaponization of fear; Ra’s al Ghul represents logic and deduction divorced from empathy; the list goes on. In this way,Zur represents the worst form of Batman: a Batman divorced from his humanity, with only the ruthless vigilante remaining.
Zur-En-Arrh Will Always Be a Threat to Batman
Created by France Herron and Dick Sprang, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh First Appeared in 1958’sBatman#113
With this established, it makes sense that Zur is a constant dagger over Bruce’s heart. While Bruce desperately strives to return to his better angels, he knows that Zur is ultimately his own creation; Bruce knows he is capable of and responsible for all the destruction that Zur has caused. Zur presents an existential threat that Bruce alone can never reconcile: the anxiety that his “best self” isn’t real andthat “Bruce Wayne” is just a smokescreenfor the ruthless and destructive force he knows he can become. Zur-En-Arrh isBatman’sgreatest fear - more than a clown could ever be.
BATMAN #149 (2024)
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
