Summary

• Batman's biggest secret is at risk when a two-bit crook uncovers his true identity, becoming Gotham's most dangerous criminal.
• Catwoman's plan to retrain henchmen goes awry as one discovers Bruce Wayne's connection to Batman, posing a serious threat.
• Batman must decide whether to reveal his secret identity or stop the criminal before his loved ones are put in danger.

The biggest secret Batman holds dear is getting leaked as one person holds the Dark Knight's future in his hands. Bruce Wayne has been through a lot in the past several months, but his troubles are far from over.

In a surprisingly short amount of time, Batman has been hunted down, traveled across the universe, gone to war with Catwoman, and engaged in battle with his dark, backup personality. Though Absolute Power threatens to shake up the Caped Crusader's future even more, things are only going to get worse when the most unsuspecting person returns to put Batman's life in serious jeopardy.

Batman's Secret Could Be Exposed by One of Catwoman's Old Henchmen

DC Comics has given fans a look at what lies ahead later this summer with its batch of July solicitations. The month is chock-full of content related to the publisher’s big event Absolute Power, including several tie-ins and companion series focusing on Amanda Waller’s big power play against DC’s metahumans. The month is also a big one for Batman. Not only is his main comic tying into Absolute Power in a backup story, but the ongoing Batman series is hitting a milestone with its 150th issue.

Bruce's double life as Batman has been revealed, and the small-time burglar has become Gotham’s most dangerous criminal.

The issue sees artist Denys Cowan joining Jorge Jiménez and Chip Zdarsky for the big story. The upcoming story brings back a plot point not seen since the end of “Gotham War”. Batman may have his hands fully right now with Zur-En-Arrh, but things are only going to get worse when a “two-bit crook” (aka one of the henchmen Selina Kyle trained during “Gotham War”) uncovers Bruce's biggest secret. Bruce's double life as Batman has been revealed, and the small-time burglar has become Gotham’s most dangerous criminal.

As Bruce deals with the consequences of his identity being leaked, Batman #150 will also feature a story featuring the Dark Knight and Catwoman in their first reunion since “Gotham War”. Both the Bat and the Cat have been through a lot since their last meeting, and their next meeting could inform their future as they team up to go on the “heist of their lives”. Unfortunately, this caper has them stealing something from Amanda Waller, potentially putting the couple at serious risk during Absolute Power.

How Did Batman's Identity Get Exposed?

Amid all the other things going on in Batman’s life with Zur-En-Arrh, Bruce found himself coming into conflict with the woman he’d loved for years. Shortly after Knight Terrors, Bruce fell into a deep coma and was out of commission for several weeks. Upon awakening, he found himself in a brand-new Gotham where crime was down to unbelievable rates. Gotham’s pool of henchmen dried up and villains were floundering because of it. At the center of this change was Catwoman, who decided to save the city in a way Batman can’t.

Instead of Batman’s method of apprehending criminals, Catwoman created a new program that retrained low-level henchmen to become professional cat burglars like her. Rather than random crime, this new crop of cat burglars targeted only the affluent, leading to a huge reduction in street crime. Even members of the Bat-Family found themselves agreeing that Selina’s new method wasn’t a bad idea. However, Batman was furious, both at his family for going along with the idea and at Catwoman for allowing crime to flourish in his city.

“Gotham War” focused on Batman and Catwoman’s skirmish, though it ended with the two of them making up to take down Vandal Savage, who attempted to take over Gotham. In the end, Catwoman’s plan failed and many of the henchmen went back to their old jobs. However, one criminal preferred to stay out on his own and decided to rob a brownstone. This small-time criminal got the shock of his life when he discovered Bruce Wayne’s apartment was filled with Batman gear and correctly deduced his identity.

Batman's identity was discovered in the climax Batman / Catwoman: The Gotham War: Scorched Earth (2023)!

Is Batman's Identity About to Be Exposed For Good?

Unfortunately, Batman hasn’t had the time to follow up on Catwoman’s trainees. Shortly after “Gotham War”, Bruce became preoccupied with hunting down Joker, ultimately leading to Batman fighting and later being imprisoned by the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. But this entire time, this criminal has had knowledge of Batman’s biggest secret. Perhaps he was waiting for the right moment, especially since Zur-En-Arrh is going hard after criminals in Gotham right now. But once the real Batman returns, this crook has the biggest opportunity of his life.

Even Bruce himself has revealed his secret at various points

Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time someone has threatened Batman’s secret identity. Several of Batman’s villains such as Two-Face, the Penguin, and Hugo Strange know it or have known it at certain points. Lex Luthor also deduced it during the New 52 after Forever Evil. Even Bruce himself has revealed his secret at various points (though he’s also put several other conspiracies out there to muddy the waters). So why is it that this common criminal is the most dangerous man in Gotham just because he knows who Batman is?

The solicitation questions whether Bruce even cares if his identity as Batman is exposed or not. The Caped Crusader has been through a lot in his struggle with Zur-En-Arrh, and there have been moments where Bruce has considered leaving his life behind for good. But while this thief has the potential to relieve Batman of his burden, that’s an action that can’t be easily undone. If Bruce doesn’t stop this criminal, he could spoil everything for Batman and give him virtually no chance to go back to his old dynamic.

Batman is Fighting to Make His Ultimate Decision

Maybe Batman wants to stop hiding and finally reveal his biggest secret to the world. But that’s something Bruce needs to decide for himself. Bruce would make sure that his secret was revealed when things were stable and he was prepared for the fallout. Having this criminal carry the knowledge of who Bruce Wayne really is puts Bruce and his family at risk. Bruce needs to stop this crook from revealing the biggest secret in Batman’s life before he or someone he cares about is hurt.

Batman #150 is available on July 3rd from DC Comics.