Over the last few years Marvel and DC have put their most iconic heroes through the ringer. With different methods and different reasons, Grant Morrison and Ed Brubaker have forced Captain America and Batman through difficult journeys, battling powerful foes with the ultimate goal of conquering death itself. But while these two characters have walked similar paths over the last few years, their futures could not be more different. With Steve Rogers having already returned for Siege and Marvel’s Avengers plans set for the new status quo, the plans for Bruce Wayne remain unclear as he begins his journey home this week. However, by examining the plans for Rogers and exploring the editorial visions of the two companies, it may be possible to generate some potentially accurate predictions about the future of the Bat-Family.
In the two year duration between Steve Rogers’s death and resurrection, the landscape of Marvel’s universe has changed considerably. Cap’s passing marked a sharp decline into a period of bureaucratic heroism where the government and law constantly interfered with justice. Meanwhile, a race of shape shifting aliens invaded and splintered the community of heroes further, ultimately allowing for a collective of villains to step in and become the ultimate authority in the land.
In Captain America’s main book, what was supposed to be a brief absence for Rogers turned into a 25 issue break, as Ed Brubaker’s commitment to the title and the creative flexibility of Marvel’s editorial team and fan support allowed Bucky Barnes, former Captain America sidekick, to don both the costume and the shield, taking up his friend’s cause and place in the Avengers.
Now, with the Avengers set to re-unite officially and bring the status quo into a brighter, more “Heroic Age,” the question “What role does Steve Rogers play in the future?” really becomes important. The answer is surprisingly simple, Rogers will continue to do what he has always done, lead the Avengers going forward, simply in a different costume.
With the franchise stronger than ever, Rogers will be pulling double duty as both an important member in Brian Bendis’s Avengers flagship title, while also leading his own team in Ed Brubaker’s Secret Avengers. Through death, Steve will have actually increased his exposure, to three monthly books and will no doubt feature in more as he continues to act as the chairman of whatever agency will replace H.A.M.M.E.R./S.H.I.E.L.D.
It is a huge win for Marvel, whose commitment to laissez-faire writing has allowed authors to produce both quality books and organic stories, as they are now pushing the character into the spotlight, right as anticipation for the Captain America movie begins to spike.
Though the plans for Rogers, once announced seemed kind of obvious, the results of Bruce Wayne’s journey through time are anything but. Grant Morrison’s run has been the ultimate love letter to Batman, exploring every facet of the character by forcing him through a gauntlet of nightmares, mysteries, villains and even ethical violations that led to Bruce’s “death” and catapulting through time.
Even in a book featuring a Batman, Wayne’s presence continues to haunt the series as former Robin-turned Nightwing, Dick Grayson has donned the mantle of his adopted brother and works to keep Gotham safe.
As with Bucky Barnes, fan reaction to Dick as Batman has been fairly positive, although his time under cowl seems finite. In some recent interviews, Morrison announced that he has one more chapter in mind for what he considers his definitive Batman story, although he gave no hint about how long that chapter would be. He does mention two very important things however, the first is that what he has planned for post-Wayne’s return is something he considers a brand new, never been done before in the Batman franchise. The second is a grim reminder that he understands when he writes for the big franchises, at the end of everything, Bruce Wayne will need to be Batman.
It is no secret that DC is constantly editorially involved in the work of their authors, and as they are currently clinging to the Bat-franchise like a life preserver, it seems unlikely that anything drastic will happen. There are still at least three issues of Batman and Robin and six issues of The Return of Bruce Wayne to get through before a new status quo can be established, so equipped with the knowledge that Bruce Wayne will inevitably be Batman again, the only real questions left are surrounding the Bat-Family. Of the 9 or so Bat-books currently on the market, a Batman factors into at least four of them and often cameos in the others, so yet another mantle change would shake-up that line-up as well.
Bruce Wayne has given up being Batman before during the Knightfall days when Azrael took over for a time as Gotham’s prime defender, so the idea of leaving Dick Grayson under the cowl for a longer period is an option. Another outcome is to revisit something Tony Daniel touched on during his Battle for the Cowl mini: Multiple Batmen. The potential for artistic confusion seems infinite, but Bruce and Dick in differing costumes, prowling the city, if executed well could be a lot of fun. The Steve Rogers option also remains a possibility, Bruce Wayne becomes an Oracle-esque figure, running all of the different aspects of the Bat-Family in some capacity, but this seems unlikely. The most obvious occurrence simply seems to be Bruce as Batman, and Dick returning to his solo role, reviving the Nightwing title.
With the return of the mantle to Bruce, his pairing with Damian Wayne, his son via Talia Al Ghoul, seems likely. The character has become a favorite to some, a pest to others but a staple of the Bat titles nonetheless. A Wayne/Wayne dynamic duo would allow writers to experiment with Bruce in a paternal role, rather than big brotherly and could lead to some fun holiday specials. Damian looks to be set as Robin for some period, as Tim Drake, after having defeated one of Batman’s arch-nemeses is now too grown for the sidekick role, and will continue on as Red Robin.
The ripples of Bruce’s return will probably reach Batgirl in some small way, perhaps resulting in a move out of the Batcave for Stephanie and Barbara, but given how loosely associated Batwoman is with the family already, I anticipate barely any change for that title. Likewise, Gotham City Sirens will probably remain untouched.
It is disappointing, as Dick Grayson’s time as Batman represented an opportunity for DC Comics to take a serious chance on something fresh and it just doesn’t seem like that will stick. Their constantly narrow vision will no doubt have the Bat franchise in a state of stagnation or chaos mere moments after Grant Morrison steps away from the title. It is on-going with their 42+ issue crossover in the Superman family, and the Wonder Woman title continues to flounder without direction. Combined with a failure to obtain quality talent in the writing and artistic departments, the future for the Bat titles seems quite dim.
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