Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman #161!As much as the Bat-Family wishes it weren’t true,Batmanhas found himself on theJoker’sside. Bruce Wayne’s old nemesisHush has come backand has been manipulating events just enough to drive a wedge between the Gotham heroes. Now Batman finds himself facingthe entire Bat-Family withno one by his side other than the Joker.
InBatman #161by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, Hush makes his escape and Batman is in hot pursuit. He tries tracking downRed Hood and Nightwing, only to discover one of Hush’s hideouts. Batman realizes Hush is meticulously manipulating Bruce’s allies to turn against him, using Bruce’s recent rescue of the Joker as the catalyst.
Batman is nearly killed by Hush, but Bruce is saved by Batgirl. But instead of talking things out, Barbara fights Bruce, angrily asking him why he’d bother saving the Joker. As Batman tries to defend his reason, Batman discovers that Batgirl isn’t alone. Huntress, Nightwing, Robin, Catwoman, and even Riddlerhave all arrived to make Batman stand down.
Batman Just Turned the Entire Bat-Family Against Him
Saving the Joker is a Bridge Too Far for Bruce’s Allies
It’s taken years, but Bruce Wayne’s old friend Tommy Elliot, aka Hush, has come back. But Hush hasn’t wasted that time; he’s been orchestrating a deadly game involving everyone in Batman’s life. It all began when Hush kidnapped and tortured the Joker, leading Bruce to find and rescue him, a decision thathas had Batman’s closest allies questioning his decisions.
It’s not that Batman has bought into Joker’s ideology or anything. It’s that Hush has deliberately put Batman into a situation where his devotion to life is clashing against the trauma heroes like Batgirl and Red Hood have suffered at the Joker’s hands. The Bat-Family has faced difficulties before, but this latest event could cause a real and permanent schism.
Will Batman Stick by the Bat-Family or the Joker?
What Means More to Bruce Wayne, Family or Life?
Batman knows that his decision to save the Joker’s life has hurt his family, but he’s also aware that this in-fighting is exactly what Hush wants. If history has proven anything, it’s that a battle between Batman and his closest friends isn’t going to solve anything. Talking things out isthe only way forward for Batman and the Bat-Family.
That’s not to say that Batgirl or Red Hood won’t be any less hurt by Batman’s decision to save the Joker. But only through conversation can the team weather this and whatever else Hush has planned. Unless the Bat-Family andBatmanhave an earnest conversation about theJoker, they’re doomed to lose the deadly game Hush is masterminding.
