Using what he has learned from Gotham’s villains, the Boy has become the leader of the nameless victims of Batman’s war on crime.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from “House of Gotham: Chapter Ten” in Detective Comics #1056, on sale now.
The Boy has come into his own in “House of Gotham: Chapter Ten” from Detective Comics #1056 (by Matthew Rosenberg, Fernando Blanco, Jordie Bellaire, Rob Leigh). In the wake of No Man’s Land, he has transformed into the leader of those caught in the crossfire between the violent gangs and Batman’s war against crime.
In doing so, he has become a living symbol of the negative aspects of Batman’s mission. He leads the voiceless and is a reminder that Batman’s actions don’t just stop at affecting criminals. Despite this benevolent position though, the Boy’s past trauma still seems to be leading him towards an inevitable confrontation with the Dark Knight in the future.
Far from the evil mastermind people expected him to become, the Boy has put the skills he has learned from Gotham’s villains to good use. He has led his people to find food and medicine amidst the dwindling resources in No Man’s Land. The Boy’s actions leading a group that employs violence put him in Batman’s crosshairs though, forcing a confrontation between the two as Batman tried to shut his operation down.
The Boy’s anger and the trust that his people put in him proved to Batman that he had made a mistake. Not just in assuming that the Boy was another run-of-the-mill gang leader, but that Batman’s efforts to protect Gotham City have ultimately created an entire society of people who fall through the cracks. The horrifying reality of the Boy’s existence is that there are dozens, if not hundreds of people Batman fails every day simply because he isn’t looking hard enough. The Boy isn’t unique in this situation, he’s just the first real sign that Batman has been causing more problems for regular people than he would care to admit.
It is for that reason, and that reason alone, that Batman left the Boy alone. He could see these people trusted him in a way they would never trust the Batman, who represents everything wrong with the city to them. It was his battle against crime that caused so many to get caught in the crossfire. Batman may not have pulled the trigger or even intended for this to happen, but by going out at night he has inadvertently created a society of casualties. With that in mind he put his trust in the Boy too, hoping that despite his traumatic upbringing, he could help these people find a better life.
It’s not as hopeful as it sounds though. The Boy still holds to the notion that Batman was responsible for everything that happened to him and to a degree, he is right. If Batman never existed then everything that has happened might never have occurred. It is still unfair of him to blame Batman for everything though. Batman didn’t kill his parents, Batman didn’t inject him with fear toxin, and Batman didn’t push him off a bridge (at least not this Batman). The Boy still holds on to a child’s notion of what happened and this anger is still festering within him. So even though they have parted ways, the Boy will most likely go after Batman one day when things settle down.
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