If there's one thing that's clear about Tom King's Batman series so far, it's that King isn't afraid to push the Dark Knight in new and sometimes uncomfortable directions. In the past few months alone we've learned that a young Bruce Wayne once attempted suicide before taking up his war on crime and we have seen the adult Bruce come face-to-face with his father, the Batman of the Flashpoint timeline. But Batman #24 delivered the most significant twist yet in King's run, as Batman proposed to his long-time lover and frequent nemesis, Catwoman. It seems the DCU's ultimate bachelor is ready to settle down.
As is usually the case in these situations, this twist has been met with mixed reactions among Batman fans. However, it's tough to look at everything King and his collaborators have done with these characters in the past year and assume that this twist should be taken at face value. This marriage twist is a good move, not because being married would actually make Batman a better or more compelling character, but because the very question of marriage paves the way for an even deeper exploration of a very troubled hero.
Batman's troubled psychology has really been at the forefront of this series from the beginning. Batman already had a lot of complicated baggage coming into DC Rebirth, what with his amnesia-induced retirement in the "Superheavy" storyline and his discovery in Justice League: The Darkseid War that there are actually three Jokers in the DC Universe. King really set the tone for his new series right away. Last year's Batman #1 ended with the Dark Knight seconds away from giving his life in defense of his city, only to be saved at the last possible moment by the intervention of new superheroes Gotham and Gotham Girl. The series has shown a real preoccupation with death ever since, including the aforementioned revelation about Bruce's attempted suicide and his near-fatal battles with both Bane and Reverse-Flash in recent storylines.
It's enough to wonder if Batman has an actual death wish. He admitted to Gotham Girl in Batman #24 that he doesn't think he could ever stop being Batman, yet some part of him clearly wants to stop all the same. Maybe death is the only escape for a man so utterly committed to his cause. That was essentially what happened in "Superheavy," yet even flirting with death and being reborn with no memories of his past wasn't enough to keep Bruce from falling back down the rabbit hole that is Batman.
It's clear from the last few issues of this series that Bruce is increasingly tormented by thoughts of the life he might have enjoyed had that fateful evening in Crime Alley not unfolded. Meeting his father in the Flashpoint timeline put that into stark perspective. The single most important development in "The Button" doesn't involve new revelations about the role Doctor Manhattan played in reshaping the DC Universe, but the fact that Bruce is increasingly beginning to doubt his career as Batman. Thomas Wayne's final moments were spent begging him to stop being Batman and live a normal life while he still has the chance. That request is clearly taking its psychological toll on Bruce.
That's why the marriage proposal is such a logical next step for the character. Bruce is lost and adrift, unable to shake the notion that his father was right and that he has to find some way of giving up the costumed lifestyle before it consumes and kills him. The only real kindred spirit Batman has is Catwoman. This series has focused a great deal on the shared history between these two characters and the fact that Selina Kyle is the only person alive who truly understands both Bruce Wayne and Batman. The fact that these two restless lovers can never truly form a lasting romance is what gives that romance its gravity.
Given all the work King and his collaborators have done over the past year, I don't see any reason to read this as a sign that wedding bells are inevitable. Rather, Bruce's surprise proposal reeks of a desperate, increasingly lonely man overcompensating by making this grand gesture towards the woman he loves most. I don't read this as necessarily being a happy moment or a truly positive step forward for either character. Rather, it seems like a tragedy in the making. Maybe there are some versions of the Batman mythos where these two are allowed to grow old and retire together (The Dark Knight Rises, the Earth-2 comics), but that's never going to be an option for the eternally youthful Caped Crusader of DC's core comic book universe. However, this is a logical next step given everything King has been doing with these two characters lately.
Looking at both DC and Marvel's history with these things, it's clear that both companies are very wary about allowing characters to get married and cutting off the potential for future romantic drama. Just look at the lengths Marvel went to to eliminate Spider-Man's marriage. Look at the controversy DC sparked when they backed out of plans to allow Batwoman and Maggie Sawyer to get married. In universes where characters are perpetually stuck in Act 2 of their never-ending stories, marriage is usually out of the question. It's hard to imagine Batman of all characters proving to be the rare exception to that rule, especially with a character as mercurial and independent as Catwoman.
There's little reason to assume Batman and Catwoman are actually getting married. The only question is how much mileage DC will attempt to get out of this plot twist before Batman inevitably breaks his engagement (assuming Catwoman even goes as far as accepting his proposal). That's my one real concern with this development. I have no problem with King or other writers using Bruce proposal as a means of exploring the Batman/Catwoman dynamic and digging deeper into the complicated psychology of Bruce Wayne in the Rebirth era. I do have a problem with the idea of using this twist as a marketing stunt. It would be disappointing to see DC announce some sort of "The Wedding of Batman and Catwoman" event comic, replete with all the tie-ins and other nonsense you usually see from these projects.
That's not the way to capitalize on this twist. DC already got their attention-grabbing headline with Batman #24. The emphasis from here needs to be telling the best possible story building on Batman's marriage proposal. In the long run, a great story will do more to help the characters and DC's bottom line than short-term marketing stunts. That approach has worked very well for King's Batman so far, so why change things now?
"Between the Panels" is a bi-weekly column from Jesse Schedeen that focuses on the world of comics. You can see more of his thoughts on comics and pop culture by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
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