Technology has always been at the forefront of the Dark Knight’s war on crime. It’s also a necessary part of keeping up with his super friends in the Justice League. So, any team up with Superman will often see Batman bringing along tech that can help keep up with the Last Son of Krypton.
However, this has also led to some confusion, as seen in their latest team-up in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #2 (by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Aditya Bidikar). With Superman recovered after his latest ordeal, the heroes were looking for information on his mysterious attacker – the Devil Nezha. The problem was, the only group with the right information is in the distant past. Robin suggested using a Bat-Time-Travel Ray, to which Negative Man asked if it was actually real.
The answer was, of course, no. The fact that he even had to ask though says a lot about Batman’s tech. The fact that the Boy Wonder, known for his tongue-in-cheek comments, was taken seriously this time shows that his comment was not outlandish enough. Apparently, a Bat-Time-Travel Ray is still just that little bit believable that someone had to ask.
Since his introduction in the late 1930s, Batman has always pushed the boundaries of existing technology. He’s had gadgets well in advance of what existed in real life at the time and has even predicted a few pieces of real-world tech himself. Time travel is totally outlandish, obviously, but his space exploration gear not so much. The Silver Age saw the Dark Knight go to space and explore other planets before humanity made it to the moon. Another Silver Age comic book, Batman #109 (by Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris), even saw the Caped Crusader with his own drone, which he called a “Flying Eye” device. It was used for spying, something which its modern equivalent is often used for too.
As well as predicting the future well before it happened, the Dark Knight has also had his fair share of unbelievably ridiculous inventions too. Who could forget the Bat Shark Repellant? As seen in the Adam West Batman movie, it wasn’t the only oceanic repellant stored on the Batcopter. There were a number of cans of repellant for various sea-based life. If Batman can come up with something as ludicrous as Shark Repellant then why wouldn’t he be able to make a Bat-Time-Travel Ray too?
Negative Man’s confusion is warranted then, and it reveals a hidden advantage to Batman’s advanced tech that blurs the line between real and fake. The Dark Knight has always favored the element of surprise. The fact, then, that not even his allies can figure out which pieces of his tech are real or not means he has a huge advantage in battle. Even if he had nothing of use in his utility belt, criminals could assume that he has the ideal gadget tucked away to stop their latest scheme. They may even surrender without a fight.
He may have a reputation as the World’s Greatest Detective, but it seems the Dark Knight’s earned reputation for advanced gadgetry holds its own advantages. Even in his role as a public-facing Justice League member, Batman still needs to be shrouded in mystery. When he can’t hide behind his cape and cowl, it seems he can just as easily hide behind his utility belt instead.
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