Bruce Wayne will be forever changed thanks to the biggest twist in Absolute Batman #25. The press for the highly-anticipated issue promised big changes in store for the Dark Knight of the Absolute Universe. But few could guess the shocking secret revealed on the final page.
Written by Scott Snyder, with art by Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman #25 seemed to shift the story to familiar territory. On the surface, many of the changes introduced seemed to push the series toward something resembling the classic Batman comics. However, as with much of Snyder’s writing, there was more to the action than met the eye.
On his way to face Jack “Joker” Grimm, Bruce Wayne is confronted by his childhood friends Harvey, Ozzie, Eddie, and Waylon. All of them had supported Bruce in his work as Absolute Batman and all of them had suffered for it. Despite this, they still supported Bruce, though they had been gaslit by Joker into believing that that he really had gone insane, pursuing a vendetta against an innocent man. Their attempted intervention ended with them ending their friendship and promising to bring Bruce down.
This would seem to set up Two-Face, Penguin, Riddler, and Killer Croc as their classic villainous selves. However, things are far more complicated than that. In the main DC Universe, Batman’s rogues are rarely united in anything. In Absolute Batman, however, they offer a united front working under Absolute Joker. What is worse, all of them know Bruce Wayne’s secret identity.
Barbara Gordon represents a similarly shifted status quo. As in the main universe, she becomes a vigilante to assist Batman. However, her motivation here is avenging her father, who was killed because of Jack Grimm’s schemes. This makes her a much darker hero, even ignoring her use of firearms and a much more threatening costume. However, the biggest change came on Absolute Batman #25’s final page.
Absolute Batman #25’s last page changes everything
The final scene finds Bruce Wayne nursing his wounds and wondering how he survived. Even with Barbara Gordon coming to his rescue, Joker should have easily been able to win. His only other remaining ally, Harley Quinn, speculates there’s something Joker wants more than a dead Batman. She then calls for Selina Kyle, who enters the room to reveal that she is pregnant.
This is a revelation for several reasons. One is that it puts a new spin on the recent Absolute Catwoman miniseries, where Selina was attempting to close-up her operations before retiring. Why she was retiring when she seemed to enjoy her life was unclear. However, the revelation that she was pregnant could have changed her priorities.
Beyond that, Selina’s pregnancy will hold major consequences for Bruce Wayne as well. The implication in Absolute Batman #25 is that he is the father of Selina’s baby. However, given Bruce’s quite justifiable paranoia and Selina betraying him before, he may wind up pushing away the only woman he ever loved thinking this part of yet another Joker prank. Indeed, it’s possible Joker let Bruce Wayne live only to find new ways to mess with his head.
Alternatively, the revelation that he is a father could throw his entire mission as Absolute Batman into sharp relief. This version of Bruce Wayne is more aware of what it means to grow up without a father and the pain raising him alone brought to his mother. It’s possible the idea of inflicting that on his own child might push him to give up his crusade, particular with Barbara Gordon now hunting Joker as “The Bat.” In either case, this represents a major shifting of the status quo and something never before explored in the modern Batman mythology.
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