Warning: contains spoilers for Future State: The Next Batman #3
Future State's Batman just proved he is as tough as his predecessor Bruce Wayne. Bruce has donned the mantle for over 80 years as one of DCs flagship heroes. Batman is part of the big three, alongside Superman and Wonder Woman. Other than a few brief moments where Dick Grayson or Azrael took over, his identity has remained constant despite the imaginative storytelling of decades of comic writers...and all of that's changing in Future State. For the first time ever, someone outside of the Wayne family and Bat-family is taking up the cape and cowl for the long-run: The new Batman is Timothy Fox.
Timothy Fox is the son of longtime Batman ally Lucius Fox, the man behind some of Bruce Wayne's most innovative technology. Despite being part of one of Gotham's more affluent families due to Lucius' control of Wayne Enterprises, Tim did not have a smooth relationship with his family. He was sent to a military academy to avoid further friction in the Fox household. When he returned to Gotham, Tim decided to keep his family at a distance and become the next Batman after the news that Bruce was killed.
The Magistrate has Gotham in a vice grip in DC's Future State. All masked vigilantes are treated with extreme hostility and prejudice by order of the law. As a result, the lines of morality in Gotham have been blurred and skewed. There is no right or wrong, only legal and illegal, which is to be judged by The Magistrate. Facing a dystopian future alone, Timothy Fox proves he is just as hardcore as Bruce Wayne in Future State: The Next Batman #3.
Tim Fox has become The Caped Crusader at a time where vigilantes have no allies. They are hunted like criminals whether they stand for justice or not. The Magistrate exercises the right to execute all vigilantes and Batman is far from the exception, he is public enemy number 1, as displayed by the Magistrate's murder of Bruce. Tim also does not have the luxury of relying heavily upon a team the way Bruce Wayne did. He is a Batman without a Robin. He is all alone on his crusade to take Gotham back from The Magistrate. After being shot by The Magistrate's enforcers, Tim proves he has an extremely high pain tolerance by having someone use a flare to cauterize his bullet wound.
The person notices Tim's body is badly scarred and he remarks that this is not the first time he had been shot. He also hinted that his former job required him to undergo physical torture. Timothy Fox is just as hardcore as Bruce Wayne because he is willing to sacrifice his body for justice. The panel where Tim receives his unsanitary cauterization is reminiscent of thousands of brutal panels where Alfred is tending to Batman's wounds. Being Batman is no easy feat, especially when you are standing alone against a dictatorship. Timothy Fox may not just be as tough as Bruce, he may be even tougher.
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February 08, 2021 at 05:37AM
