bat Man He has been captured by the sinister Orgham family and his legacy is slowly being erased from the minds of the citizens of Gotham. With no one else to protect Gotham, Jean-Paul Valley, better known as Azreal, has returned to his iconic Batsuit. The last time Jean-Paul starred as Batman, a murderous rampage went on and it’s unclear if his second attempt will fare any better.
There’s been a lot going on in Gotham recently, with the return of a mysterious and ancient family called Orgham to the city. After the destruction of Arkham Asylum, the Orgham family wants to ensure they are remembered and they intend to do so by erasing Batman’s legacy.
To achieve this, they captured Bruce Wayne and infected him with an Azmer demon, a being they control and who subjects the victim to their will. As Batman tries to resist, he is eventually held captive and scheduled for his execution. This leaves Gotham City without Batman; Now, it looks like Azrael is returning to his Batman armor to protect Gotham City in Bruce’s place.
Azrael is about to get a second chance to be the caped crusader
After Bane broke Bruce Wayne’s back, he was unable to perform as Batman and needed a replacement. Not wanting to burden Dick Grayson with the weight of the cowl, Bruce turned to a relatively new member of the Bat-Family, Jean-Paul Valley. Jean-Paul acted as the vigilante Azrael for a time, but eventually accepted the job of Batman at Bruce’s request. At first, he was a perfectly good Batman, but over time, Azrael’s mental state deteriorated and he became progressively more violent. This finally culminated when Azrael allowed Abattoir, a serial killer who targeted members of his own family, to fall to his death.
While Azrael felt that justice had been served, because the slaughterhouse had kidnapped a family member, that family member was not found and eventually died of starvation, all because Azrael did not know that the slaughterhouse was the only one who knew where were. Azrael causing the death of an innocent was the main factor in Batman returning to take the mantle from him. However, Azrael did not hand him over voluntarily; he became increasingly erratic, before attempting to kill Bruce Wayne and Robin himself. Now, it looks like Azrael has a second chance to replace Batman. With Bruce off the streets, Azreal has returned to fill the void.
Azrael was a much more brutal Batman than Bruce
It remains to be seen if Azrael will do a better job as Batman than last time. All fans know at this point is that Bruce Wayne is captured and ready to be executed and Gotham needs a Batman. Beyond the short term, how Bruce might react to Azreal’s return is something to consider after escaping the clutches of the Orgham family and the demon Azmer. With no other Bat-Family members available to step forward, the only option is to wait and see if Azrael can earn his redemption as the new bat Manor if his return will go horribly wrong again.