scans_daily

Ahoy, kiddies. There be dragons here. Or spoilers (without images from the book itself) galore here.

Batman and Robin #10 came out, and to quote the Joker in The Dark Knight, "You do not disappoint".

I must acknowledge the serious homework others have done on behalf this topic, so here is the link to the Quinnhop, among others, over at the CBR boards. He's put most of this together as to where Morrison is using previous stories as springboards to this tale.

DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ Batman and Robin #10!!! No scans from the comics itself behind the cut, but plenty of spoilers.

You have been warned.

So, it looks like Morrison has had a purpose the entire time since before R.I.P., and he has been deep into the mythology.

From Quinnhop:

"Hurt is Thomas Wayne, after all.

In RIP, Morrison referenced a wonderful French novel by the name of La-Bas, or "The Damned" as it has since been translated into English. Guess what it's about.

Gille de Rais and the history of DEVIL WORSHIP in 15th to 19th Century France. De Rais's ultimate goal was to summon the Devil, but, whenever they attempted it, something went terribly wrong. The men around him -- his assistants in the evocation -- would die terrible deaths.

Now, this is where I need you all to pay attention. Gille de Rais wasn't just anybody. He was the closest ally of none other than Joan of Arc. Yes. He was virtually a saint. A most pious soldier of God, Gille de Rais was the kind of man one would have hoped to have been. He was a paragon of goodness.

Until Joan was killed.

Then, his spirit was ruined. He turned to Satanism. A complete 180 of personality and beliefs, the noblest spirit of 15th Century France was turned into a child murderer, rapist, and definitive Satanist of his day. He killed hundreds of children, some estimates as high as the thousands.

Furthermore, the novel is filled with references to Catholicism. It actually has a sequel in which the main character of the original novel converts to the religion, tracing the path of his conversion. If the first novel is his decent, the second is his recovery. Morrison's run on "Batman and Robin" has been similarly full of Catholic references, especially in regards to El Penitente and his drug cartel.

Where am I going with all of this?

Thomas Wayne, Doctor Hurt, El Penitente, The Black Glove.

Satan.

Why does this character want so badly to ruin Bruce Wayne? Why does he seek to destroy the Batman? Because, like with Gille de Rais, it would be the ultimate statement. The ultimate expression of the Devil's ability to manipulate humanity. The ultimate conversion of goodness into evil. An encore to the original Fall, it would show the infallibility of Satan.

So now I'm left to wonder. Is Thomas Wayne actually Satan? Or is Thomas Wayne currently possessed by Satan? Or, what I'm beginning to believe more and more, is Thomas Wayne looking to summon the Devil, once more? And, if he is, wouldn't the ultimate sacrifice be, not one of blood, but one of character. One of virtue. Wouldn't the best possible gift to his dark master be the Batman? The utter ruination of the most noble spirit known to man."

....

"Demon's Mentioned
- Barbatos is shown on the wall of the Satanic Bat-Cave.

While I do not agree that the evil is Satan, it may be the demon that has been laying around Gotham for a while, Barbatos. And Thomas Wayne is his servant/priest.

Also of note, from FHIZ:

-He points out that if arranged chronologically, the portraits of the Wayne ancestors (we see them in RIP, when Gordon is going through out the house) tell a "story"

-There is one missing, between Mordecai and Darius Wayne. The missing painting is of one Thomas Wayne, the "black sheep" of the Wayne family. HE IS NOT BRUCE'S DAD, HE IS A WAYNE ANCESTOR WITH THE SAME NAME He lead a satanic cult and apparently summoned a Bat-demon of the "miagani" tribe, and there were numerous "bloody bargains" made, as the stories are told.

I'll leave the other astonishing revelations to others to post.

suggested tags:

char: Batman/Bruce Wayne
char: Robin IV/Damien Wayne
char: Nightwing/Dick Grayson

writer: Grant Morrison
art: Andy Clark