The premise ofBatman: Fortressby Gary Whitta, Darick Robertson, Diego Rodriguez, and Simon Bowland seems very simple at first: with the Earth trapped in a global blackout due to a mysterious signal,Batmanand the remaining Justice League members struggle to find the cause whilst power remains down. However, the series soon diverged from the crisis at hand, ignoring the larger issues the blackout likely caused.
Batman: Fortress, a limited series that ran in 2022, focused on the Earth’s global blackout after an unidentified alien vessel landed in the atmosphere. Looking back, instead of the storyBatman: Fortresstold about Batman’s search for a missing Superman,it could have been the perfect chance for a pandemic story about the role of responsibilityin a wounded society.
The plot of the comic sees Batman develop an unlikely team after the Justice League’s quick defeat against the alien’s hostile vessel. The ad-hoc team is in pursuit of Superman who - while at the heart of the series - has vanished. The ending toBatman: Fortressprompts another look at Superman’s character and discusses the responsibility of power when coming from a tainted background.
Superman’s Human Heart Was Nowhere To Be Found in This Story
When the Earth Needed Superman, the Man of Steel Moved
Batman: Fortressclarified that the Green Lanterns were ordered off-world due to galactic politics that allowed the aliens to invade Earth’s atmosphere. However,unlike the Green Lanterns, who belong to an official organization,Superman should have been very presentwhen humanity needed him most. Not just for Metropolis, but for a globe that needed a hero. The series’ final issue explains that the aliens had come for Superman due to Krypton being a planet of conquerors.
With a history as iconic as his, Superman is well-regarded as the ideal superhero.
Fully aware of his ancestor’s wrongs,Superman specifically hid in the depths of Earth’s oceansin his Fortress of Solitudeto avoid detection, which would have worked if not for Batman. Despite defending himself with Pa Kent’s values, Superman’s morals are just as undetectable as he was. Although Superman has unimaginable powers compared to humans like Batman or Green Arrow, he strives to do good at a level most humans will never reach. With a history as iconic as his, Superman is well-regarded as the ideal superhero.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, humans with extraordinary bravery and kindness stepped up as the world stopped working, notably called “superheroes” for their actions. It would have madea good meta storyfor Superman inBatman: Fortressto do the same, to step up even when it put him at risk. That was the directionBatman: Fortresscould have taken, but chose not to.
In the End, Batman Received All of Superman’s Powers
Batman: FortressConcluded in Early 2023
In the last issue ofBatman: Fortress,Superman surrenders willingly, proposing that his powers be handed to someone else. While readers never see the tribunal, Whitta and Robinson show the end result:Batman is given Superman’s powers, letting Superman live the normal life he’d always wanted. Ignoring that Superman’s abilities aren’t what make him a Kryptonian, as the aliens admitted Krypton’s heinous actions were committed under a red sun and not yellow, this twist doesn’t negate the fact thatSuperman’s powers were never the true focus of the comic, nor should their handover have been the end result.
Batman receiving Superman’s powers at the end ofFortressis a slap in the face to his decisions throughout the story.
Unlike Superman,Batman does what he can during the crisis.InBatman: Fortress#1, he works around the clock to keep Gotham’s criminal underworld from erupting; inBatman: Fortress#2, Batman works with the military in an attempt to stop the blackout. Despite being at a disadvantage with no power, Batman does what he can, which is exactly what humanity demonstrated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Batman’s resilience and ability to continue forwards eventually ended the blackout, not any sort of powers (for which he had a team). Batman receiving Superman’s powers at the end ofFortressis a slap in the face to his decisions throughout the story.
Batman: FortressCould Have Been DC’s Perfect Pandemic Story
But There’s Still a Huge Gap
While DC Comics have made light references here and there to a pandemic (which could generally refer to any recent DC event), the only specific reference is entirely contained in Danny Devito’s non-canon Penguin story, “Bird Cat Love” by Devito, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Troy Peteri fromGotham City Villains Anniversary Giant#1, in which the Penguin and Catwoman steal and release vaccinations worldwide. There isstill a hole in the DC Multiverse for a COVID-19 storythat highlights the heroic efforts of humanity, doing what they can with the abilities they have - real heroism demonstrated throughout the pandemic.
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Understandably, DC hasn’t wanted to involve the pandemic in stories built on the foundation of hope - even stories starring the notably grimBatman- but multiverse stories likeFortress, with a crisis already at hand, would be the perfect place to display human heroism. It would have made the perfect parallel, but unfortunately,Batman: Fortresschose not to go down that route.
Batman: Fortressis available now from DC Comics.
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
