Bruce Wayne is dead?

[Mavericker]

Is he really dead?

I saw this:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/article1982939.ece

Someone tell me this isn't so.

[beetlebum]

He's not dead.

Final Crisis featured a scene which depicted someone painting a caveman bat symbol in the cave.

His return is inevitable.

[vcassel]

he's either dead or...a caveman.

but this is comics and no one stays dead (or a caveman) for long.

[Choppa]

He tripped on his cape and strangled himself. Enter Dick Grayson...

[carabas]

Come on, it's The Sun.

They say Batman is dead, and then go on and add two quotes from Grant Morrison saying Batman is not dead.

[Stobkolben]

I have to agree with carabas 'The Sun' is full of it. After all, they were the people that said Nolan had confirmed Eddie Murphy for the part of 'The Riddler'.

[Spiffy]

He's only "somewhat dead".

There's a dead body which may or may not be his. There's a caveman who may or may not be him. There's a black lantern coming who may or may not be him. Who the heck knows?

[Name Already Taken]

To be honest, if you happen to be an occasional comic fan who just hears this or that at random times, then yes, Batman is dead for all intents and purposes for a small amount of time in comic book land. Too attempt a long story, but the short analysis of what leads up to it and how it plays out, here it goes in spoilers (I warned ya).

Bruce has been set up by some rich man's playgame for a long time and went through conditoning to overcome any psychological obstacle placed in his path as Batman. Several story arcs play out written by Grant Morrison that focus on Batman's psyche and ability (while having a potential kid like Damian dropped in his lap from Talia from an older storyline), while being tested in many arenas by both old foe and new foes alike(Ra's al Ghul, the 3 replacement Batmen, and usual rogues gallery). Batman has to deal with things long forgotten from other Batman stories as freakish nitemares he personnaly keeps detailed in something called a Black Casebook, about the outlandish dealings he seems to have experienced from another life through dreams and flashbacks. It turns out Bats had a fan club from other nations, so a story arc was based on him inspiring other 'Batmen' while they reunite in modern time. As it turns out later, this Doctor Hurt guy has been studying Bats for years for an earlier experiment that Bruce subjected himself too (the 3 Batmen), and Dr Hurt plans on using this against him while coluding with a whacked out evil cabal that places bets on outcomes by various rich people. Somewhere along the way, Bruce realizes this, and also realizes that his newest lady love from earlier in Grant's run is playing apart of this whole endgame for him personally. It culminates (eeeehhhh not so fast) in Batman RIP by Morrison while he seemingly confronts the Devil Incarnate from some old story that Dr Hurt was trying to use against Bruce from the begininning. The Joker is involved as well, and while Bruce gets his vnegeance towards the end of the arc on Hurt and the plans they layed against him, he finds enough time prior to Final Crisis to get cuaght by Darkseid and stuck in a brainwashing machine that hopes to clone the memories of Batman for a clone army of New God killers and warriors.
Did I mention Hush now looks identical to Bruce because he is a plastic surgeon??!!!



WAIT!! I'M NOT DONE YET!!1! Bruce escapes his prison confines in a factory and shoots Darksied with a RADION BULLET (think kryptonite for New Gods like DS). Darkshmuck shoots Bruce with his OMEGA LAZORS, that send him to live alternatly worse lives via reincarnation for all eternity. Somehow, Bruce winds up shown in the stone age on some other Earth in the Multiverse while the first homo-sapien dies of old age. (ZOMG FINAL CRISIS!!!!111)

This leads us to the current Batman series, Battle of the Cowl, where all the 3 former Robins of Batman himself fight from their perspective and narrative as a crime war erupts in Gotham. All of them fight to honor Bruce's legacy in their own way, while things are conflicted as a whole for that city. Bruce's abscence has been felt, and the criminals are reacting to it on many fronts. Well, Dick grayson 'wins' and takes the place of Batman for the new Batman & Robin series with the little bastard Damian as his new Robin.

From all the confusion springs forth, for the all new and revitalized Batman franchise, with the most worthy successor claiming the mantle (Dick Grayson), the most apt protege of Bruce in recent memory (Tim Drake) continues his search for Bruce himself, and numerous spinout titles devoted to addressing how Bruce being gone with a lookalike trying to defame his family's good name is running amok in Gotham.

To say the least, there is a lot to catch up on. But after that whole mess, I wouldn't blame a casual fan or reader from turning their back on it altogether, no matter how interesting it may be to me or others that follow it regularly.

[Name Already Taken]

I could try and spoil more for others if need be. But a pm with questions would serve better for the curious. I will try and be an unbiased through pm if I can for those who seek further explanation.

[Choppa]

I have to agree with carabas 'The Sun' is full of it. After all, they were the people that said Nolan had confirmed Eddie Murphy for the part of 'The Riddler'.

Whoa whoa, that wasn't true??

[Spiffy]

Darkshmuck shoots Bruce with his OMEGA LAZORS, that send him to live alternatly worse lives via reincarnation for all eternity. Somehow, Bruce winds up shown in the stone age on some other Earth in the Multiverse while the first homo-sapien dies of old age. (ZOMG FINAL CRISIS!!!!111)
Except the particular things you mention in the part I've left quoted above are FAN conclusions, not verified continuity.


1.) The "that send him to live alternatly worse lives via reincarnation for all eternity" is based on previous story lines by Morrison, but NOTHING written yet has confirmed that's what happened this time. And everyone at DC is pretty cagey at avoiding the subject of this.

2.) That its even Bruce back in time is very very likely, true, but just to be accurate, we don't have 100% proof.

3.) And to be honest, although I DO believe Morrison has confirmed that the dying man is Anthro (that's the supposed "first Cro-Magnon"), I'm sure it hasn't been done "on page" yet.

Of the three points, I think #1 is the only real stickler. There's no reason it HAS to be true, other than people saying it is and using the somewhat loose precedent of earlier stories which may not completely match up with what we saw this time.

[jgiannantoni05]

Batman is not dead, but in the past. Didio said Bruce will return as Batman.

Didio said the body in Final Crisis is not Bruce's body.
________
PORN FOR FREE (http://www.fucktube.com/)

[Name Already Taken]

Except the particular things you mention in the part I've left quoted above are FAN conclusions, not verified continuity.


1.) The "that send him to live alternatly worse lives via reincarnation for all eternity" is based on previous story lines by Morrison, but NOTHING written yet has confirmed that's what happened this time. And everyone at DC is pretty cagey at avoiding the subject of this.

2.) That its even Bruce back in time is very very likely, true, but just to be accurate, we don't have 100% proof.

3.) And to be honest, although I DO believe Morrison has confirmed that the dying man is Anthro (that's the supposed "first Cro-Magnon"), I'm sure it hasn't been done "on page" yet.

Of the three points, I think #1 is the only real stickler. There's no reason it HAS to be true, other than people saying it is and using the somewhat loose precedent of earlier stories which may not completely match up with what we saw this time.


I stand corrected. There was a great deal I ommited for brevity while I typed in a rush. I hope that others' may be able to feel in answers for the OP fow what I missed, while encouraging him/her to pick up or read the trades from Morrison's recent run while available.

[Jorriss]

TLDR Version: Dude was shot in the face by a god. Now he's a caveman.

[Name Already Taken]

TLDR Version: Dude was shot in the face by a god. Now he's a caveman.

Pretty much when it culminated. Two beams from Darkseid's Omega sanction went through him, prior to Bruce shooting him with the AntNewGodBatGodgun in his utility belt, and after the Omega Sanstion carried his soul and mind (Bruce) into another time and place in the past, ie Batcaveman shown at the end of Final Crisis.

At this point, plenty of people threw their hands up in the air on these boards over the semantics and repercussions on how and when it went down. . .

¡¡Ay Carumba ventilador del palo !!

[vcassel]

so what's this about a 'black lantern' then? i didn't even know there were black lanterns...

[Mavericker]

Yes in the past. Someone else told me the same thing.

[Dragen]

Some writerguy at DC said in a interview here on CBR that
Tim (Red Robin) will find Bruce in or around RR #12).

[nepenthes]

Some writerguy at DC said in a interview here on CBR that
spoilers:
Tim (Red Robin) will find Bruce in or around RR #12).


no kidding. Detective Comics featuring Batwoman is only locked for twelve issues: Batman & Robin has only been announced for twelve issues: and I can't see Paul Dini's Streets of Gotham or Sirens with a shelf life over a year either......there's definitely gonna be another big shake-up around June/July 2010, that's quite clear. and conveniently, if scheduling proceeds as normal then Batman #700 should fall that August 2010.

[IvCNuB4]

, he finds enough time prior to Final Crisis to get cuaght by Darkseid and stuck in a brainwashing machine that hopes to clone the memories of Batman for a clone army of New God killers and warriors. .

Actually he was captured during Final Crisis. I think it was around issue #2.
And we don't really know yet if he's in the past on New Earth or some alternate Earth ...

[carabas]

Actually he was captured during Final Crisis. I think it was around issue #2.
And we don't really know yet if he's in the past on New Earth or some alternate Earth ...There is nothing at all that indicates an alternate earth.

[IvCNuB4]

Actually that was my point. Somehow internet rumors are flying around he's on Earth-51 :confused: :biggrin:

[vitruvian]

Except the particular things you mention in the part I've left quoted above are FAN conclusions, not verified continuity.


1.) The "that send him to live alternatly worse lives via reincarnation for all eternity" is based on previous story lines by Morrison, but NOTHING written yet has confirmed that's what happened this time. And everyone at DC is pretty cagey at avoiding the subject of this.

2.) That its even Bruce back in time is very very likely, true, but just to be accurate, we don't have 100% proof.

3.) And to be honest, although I DO believe Morrison has confirmed that the dying man is Anthro (that's the supposed "first Cro-Magnon"), I'm sure it hasn't been done "on page" yet.

Of the three points, I think #1 is the only real stickler. There's no reason it HAS to be true, other than people saying it is and using the somewhat loose precedent of earlier stories which may not completely match up with what we saw this time.

On #1 and #2 of the spoiler text above, I believe that it's not just previous Morrison stories that are being referenced as evidence, but actual Kirby stories showing what happens with the Omega Effect as well. Look up what originally happened to Sonny Sumo. As for #3, it looks like the same guy, with the same style of cave- and body-paint, so I think it's fair to assume in the same way that we ever assume somebody is the same character from panel to panel.

[BloodOps]

What a dumb article. That issue came out almost 8 months ago and the Final Crisis issue with Bruce came out in January.