Well, Batman and Superman’s identities were just revealed to the world, and it seems like that would be a huge deal, right? After all, a hero going public is often the kind of thing that makes waves throughout the fandom (just look at the last time that Superman told the world he was really Clark Kent). And we all know that once a hero’s identity is public, it puts their loved ones at risk, right? So why isn’t it a big deal that the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel just had their identities leaked?
Well, to be fair, it did just happen in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest. In case you’re unaware, this book is set in the earlier days of the duo’s respective careers (basically a modernized, Bronze Age affair). It reveals a bunch of surprising hidden adventures from the heroes’ lives, many of which have come back to haunt them in the future, like their encounter with the Devil Nezha, one of the main antagonists of Lazarus Planet. Now a new wrinkle has been added to Superman and Batman’s lore, and I’m wondering how DC is going to explain it.
Joker and Lex Luthor Revealed Who Batman and Superman Were Years Ago
In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #46 by Mark Waid, Adrián Gutiérrez, and Vincente Cifuentes, the unthinkable has happened. Joker and Lex Luthor have fused into one twisted being thanks to a powerful alien relic known as the Absorbascon. Now, they are the Merger, a being that possesses Lex’s ingenuity with Joker’s twisted cruelty. To make matters worse, the Absorbascon gives them the full breadth of human knowledge, and the Merger can use the Absorbascon to spread the Joker’s madness across the whole world.
It’s too much for Batman and Superman to handle individually, and they figure the best way to deal with this situation is to fight fire with fire. So they seek out Green Lantern, hoping to use his Power Ring to recreate a trick they haven’t pulled since the series’ first arc and merge into the beloved combo hero, Superbat. It works, and Superbat heads out to stop the Merger’s madness from infecting the innocent people of the world. Thankfully, Superbat can track down the source of the Absorbascon’s broadcast and heads there to stop the Merger.
The Merger hits Superbat with a blast of kryptonite, but Superbat manages to overcome it due to being only half-Kryptonian. Both amalgamations go for hand-to-hand combat, but unfortunately for Superbat, the Absorbascon gives the Merger all the knowledge of the world, allowing them to easily predict every move Superbat can make. Worse, the Merger also knows who Batman and Superman really are, calling both of the heroes by name. The issue ends with a hell of a cliffhanger as the Merger uses the Aborbascon to broadcast the information to the entire world, including Batman and Superman’s closest allies.
What Did Superman and Batman Do to Get Their Secret Identities Back?
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
As mentioned earlier, this book is set in the past of the Prime DC Universe, meaning countless people learned that Bruce Wayne is Batman and Clark Kent is Superman. That’s a pretty big reveal to just throw out there, especially given how seriously DC Comics has treated both heroes when their identities were put at risk or revealed. Now obviously, it didn’t last, because Superman and Batman’s private lives are still private. But how in the hell did they get that genie back in the bottle, and is it something that’s going to impact their future?
Revealing that the World’s Finest had their own “One More Day” moment is a pretty big thing (though I’m certain this wasn’t rectified with a deal with the devil). I’m a seasoned comic book fan, and I know this arc could easily be resolved by Batman and Superman using the Absorbascon to make the entire world forget what they just learned. But I also know that Waid is the type of writer who likes to revisit the things he includes in this book. Nezha came back for Lazarus Planet, and Boy Thunder came back to become Kingdom Come’s Magog.
Batman and Superman are 100% going to get their secret identities back, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there’s going to be more to it than them just hitting the reset button. It could be that they had to do something to make the world forget. A dark secret in the past that could come back in the modern-day (say in Justice League Unlimited). I just hope that this isn’t glossed over and that DC gives us a good explanation behind Superman and Batman’s identities being leaked.
What do you think about this strange turn for Batman and Superman? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!