The Next Batman #4 and Nightwing #2 reveal that Bruce Wayne’s successor is far suitable for the mantle of the Dark Knight’s mantle than anyone else.
The next Batman Tim Fox is turning out to be the perfect successor of his predecessor, Bruce Wayne, without even being trained by him. Tim Fox seemingly believes in the very same beliefs and values that Bruce had before his “Death” and transition into the Dark Detective. Tim’s encounter with Bruce in “The Next Batman #3” hints that they were not acquainted prior to the beginning of The Future State as they lacked the familiarity between them while none of them making a comment suggests that they have shared a past.
One of the key examples that serve as evidence suggesting why Tim is the perfect successor is featured in Future State The Next Batman #4 which is written by John Ridley and art by Laura Braga. During a high-speed car chase sans the Batmobile, Batman explains the conundrum that he and his two passengers face as a result of them being pursued by humans and not drones: “If we’re fighting people, I have to hold back.” That’s an obvious shoutout to Bruce Wayne’s Golden Rule that Batman must never break: No Killing.
Living Up to His Name
Future State: Nightwing #2 which is written by Andrew Constant with art by Nicola Scott depicts a scene where Batman shares his philosophy about being The Dark Knight with his first adoptive son, Dick Grayson who is popularly known as his superhero alter ego- “Nightwing”. The explanation that he provides can easily make someone forget that the one wielding the mantle of Batman is not Bruce. The situation in which they had the conversation couldn’t have been worse.
The due was under siege while they were cornered inside Nightwing’s base of operation at Arkham Asylum. Nightwing figures out a way that would allow Bruce’s Successor to escape, all while ensuring that Gotham would not be deprived of the thing it needs the most- A Batman. However, Batman denies agreeing to it, not only because he wants to help, but he wants to help those who are the most in need of help, which is Nightwing currently. He completely understands The Dark Knight’s principle: “Batman decides who in Gotham needs his help.“
Proving His Worth
While the guy is definitely worthy, he’s far from done. When the situation goes sideways and the duo are trapped in an even worse situation, Batman calls Nightwing’s Resistance, which, based on its rather impressive roster, is essentially a more beefed-up version of the Dark Knight’s Bat-Family. Nightwing is infuriated with Batman calling for reinforcements because it is almost as if he is the hero while Batman is the sidekick.
Batman expresses that he acknowledges the significance of Bat-Family as more than just sidekicks of the original. He states “I also heard what you said about Gotham needing Batman. It needs Batman just as much as its heroes need Nightwing,” where Heroes is a reference to The Bat Family. It seems almost too good to be true that a man such as this one would become Gotham’s bat.
