"There can only be one!" yells the cover of Batman #148, as Bruce Wayne finally takes on Failsafe - the evil AI that has convinced Gotham that he is the real Dark Knight. This fateful scrap has been a long time coming and while Batman #148 is by no means the end of the arc - we already know that Failsafe will be one of the major antagonists in the upcoming Absolute Power crossover event - after a protracted period of being knocked on his ass both literally and metaphorically, the issue finally sees the Caped Crusader get some of his mojo back. Let's get into it...
Spoilers for Batman #148
The last year or so of Batman comics has seen the Dark Knight cut himself off from the rest of his extended family, thanks to the influence of Zur-En-Arrh on his mind, not to mention the big fall out that was the Gotham War. Now, however, it's time to bring everyone back together - and that means making some apologies.
Tim Drake is already back on Team Bruce, but the others need a little convincing that this isn't all a big trick. Batman quickly talks them around - a little too quickly, perhaps. Red Hood in particular is keen to forgive and forget. That's nice (and helpful for moving the story along) but I can't help but feel like there should be more resentment here given the months of BS that Bruce has put everyone through, especially after he, y'know, brainwashed Jason.
With everyone - bar Damian, who was always on Bruce's side anyway and is now being held prisoner by an evil copy of himself - united it's time to take the fight to Failsafe. Batman approaches him directly, acting as a distraction while Nightwing and Oracle hack into the systems that Failsafe is using to try and "cure" various villains, including the Riddler. With Failsafe's attention fixed on Bruce, Red Hood leaps into the fray and attacks, leading to a brutal three-way fight that escalates until Failsafe is forced to kill Red Hood.
Yep.
Yep, they really killed Jason Todd again.
Strangely, Batman doesn't seem too worried by this. Sure, he makes some token grieving sounds, mutters "Jason, no, no..." but he's more or less fine. That's because this was all part of the plan - Failsafe immediately starts glitching out, leaving him open to attack. "Batman doesn't kill," says Bruce. "And if he does he has to face the consequences."
As an android, Failsafe was originally designed to defeat Batman if he ever went rogue or broke his no kill rule. Now that he has fully absorbed the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh personality those rules apply to himself. After killing Jason he starts to shut down.
That's a really fun twist, one that both plays into the notion that Batman is a master at thinking of every possible outcome and one that uses his no-kill policy to Bruce's advantage.
Oh and Jason? Yeah, he's fine. His suit has micro-needles in it that inject Lazarus Fluid into his skin, bringing him back to life, just in time to lead a beat down on Daniel Capito, Bruce's old mentor and the secret mastermind behind the chaos of the last few years. A grinning Jason Todd ruefully noting "After all... I've got some practice at dying" is both a laugh out loud moment and a triumphant note marking the reconciliation of the Bat-Family.
As we said at the top, this is not the end of the Failsafe arc. The issue makes it very clear there's an abundance of dark forces out there plotting against Bruce, from Vandal Savage who remains the unlikely Police Commissioner of Gotham, to Amanda Waller who puts in her seemingly-mandatory cameo as we get closer to the launch of Absolute Power. But what of the Riddler?
We're told by Daniel Capito that Failsafe's "cure" will put a "little bit of Batman lurking in your brain, telling you to stop." The procedure appears to be completed - so is the Riddler now a changed man? Is there the potential here for him to become something of an ally, rather than a villain? Or has Failsafe just made one of Gotham's most notorious criminals even more dangerous?
Batman #148 is out now from DC.
A sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween is on the way this September.
