Remember when this teaser image out at about week 48 of 52 teasing Countdown:
Everyone started digging into what’s the significance of red robin in this piece? Is that Jason Todd Batman? etc etc. Ultimately it ended up just being the characters on bottom are or are thought to be dead. We’ll have some multiverse stuff and some Apokolips stuff. And these characters will be tangentially involved. Oh yeah, and Superman’s not sad, he’s just trying to get a peak down Wonder Woman’s lead bra.
Well, four days ago, a Newsarama interview with Dan Didio fed us this image:
It may end up being more of nothing, and since this battle for the cowl has me interested in Batman again I figure I might as well dig in with some overwrought speculation.
I think the most interesting thing here is who we’re not seeing. Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Oracle, Spoiler, Huntress, or a number of Batman’s rogues gallery. Second I think it’s interesting that we’re seeing the cowl on 5 different individuals, semi-remiscinent of the Death and Return of Superman arc. Frightens my wallet which still screams in pain when opened from just the thought of that endless crossover; But excites the fanboy part of me that still thinks fondly of the possibilities of those 90s stories.
Going from left to right first we have a slimmer, staff wielding batman. Most likely Tim Drake, which seems to be a fair assumption. notice also the semi-pant leg on the briefs so he’s staying away from the crotch cutters, good for him. Of course, this batman is also in front a a backwards joker card and beside Harley Quinn. Could this be, instead, Anarky? Trying to make up for what his father did? And considering Harley is waiting at the motorcycle facing away from the group, they may be looking for a quick getaway if someone finds him playing as Batman?
*UPDATE* The one on the left was confirmed to be Tim Drake in this interview with Tony Daniels. I suck.
Next we have a very militant looking alfred and the robot dinosaur. Will alfred be taking to the streets or possibly defending the cave from these pretenders? Though this does remind me of something I read not too long ago where the term batman was used as a servant or a runner for officers. Is this an offhanded way to show we may see some Alfred Batman action?
Next is the second batman that many are thinking to be Dick Grayson, sighting the thinner bat logo as the main piece of evidence. I think he looks a little too buff in the colored piece to be Batman. How about Jason Todd. Seems like he’d be on to jump into the cowl and say I can do it better than he did. And notice the belt buckle, which is almost the same as Red Robin in the countdown piece. Is this an alternate earth Batman?
I’m probably way off, but this leads me to a little more speculation. Everyone expects Dick Grayson to get the mantle. I’m almost certain they’ll give him the mantle or kill him. But I don’t see him wanting the mantle, same with Tim Drake. They’ve both had reasons why they weren’t going to be batman, so I’m speculating that everyone in our picture is a pretender to the throne or tied to that. Ultimately either Bruce will return and Dick will be killed off or Dick will take the cowl, not because he wants it but out of a sense of duty. Also note that the cowl is still in the glass case, no one in the picture has really claimed the identity. They’re all imperfect reflections of Batman.
Next we have the only blatanly obvious one. Two-face. But he’s covering the good half of his face. Is he covering his good half to show he’s being a bad guy? Is he sad? That’s really the question. Two-face was Gotham’s protector during One Year Later.
Next we have a facemasked, gun-toting Batman. The majority of speculation points this as Jason Todd. And JT has used guns before. I’ve also seen speculation saying Deathstroke or Lane, the third Bat-impostor. I’m thinking this is someone straight up hired gun to pose as Batman and either run interference for Damien to run his scheme or something similar.
Next is Kathy Kane, Batwoman, inspecting Bruce and Damien. Will she be driving for the cowl? I honestly think she’s solely in this piece to try and lend her as a bit more credibility as a character, she’s been semi-ignored since the big news stories around her introduction.
Also we have a dead female (apparently) in a Wayne Enterprises box or at least a portion there of. If you look closely you’ll also see a broken wheelchair wheel behind Damien and Bruce. Hopefully these too aren’t indicative of the obvious inference. I think it’s just another woman though, possibly with a relationship with Kane, to draw her in to trying to find the secret tie between gun toter batman and damien.
Next we have Damien and Bruce Wayne. Most are expecting Bruce Wayne is Hush because he has bandages around his leg. To go a little outside the box, I’m going to say this is the real Bruce Wayne being kept either alive or semi-alive via lazarus pit as Damien makes a play for Wayne Enterprises.
Maybe Talia in the box as we find Damien is much darker than what he seems?
So anyways, below is a bunch of space to tell me I’m crazy or speculate on your own, so please do.
