Warning! Contains spoilers for Batman: The Knight #7!
Despite not having any superpowers, mystical or otherwise, Batman actually has a perfect way to fight magical threats. Magic can give many DC superheroes trouble, with Superman being very weak to it in particular. But despite being much weaker than Superman, or perhaps because of it, Batman has a bit less trouble with it.
Batman is well known for being prepared to face any conceivable threat that he may encounter. This can manifest in having specific objects or plans of action to deal with certain enemies (or even allies as revealed in the iconic storyline JLA: Tower of Babel). But mostly this is due to Batman’s intense level of training. As a young man, Bruce traveled around the world learning many skills from various masters. This of course includes combat abilities like martial arts, but it also includes more subtle skills like disguise and detective work.
Batman: The Knight #7, written by Chip Zdarsky and with art by Carmine Di Giandomenico, shows a young Bruce learning the art of escapism from John Zatarra and his daughter Zatanna. In this apprenticeship, Bruce first learns that magic is real, and while he is initially afraid of the idea, he learns to accept it by fighting the demon Shantoz. In their fight, he realizes that demons are just another type of criminal and he can apply the knowledge he uses to fight normal criminals to fighting them as well. While he does need to rely on Zatanna and her father to defeat the demon, he is able to use his combat knowledge to effectively fight it for a time.
The way Bruce learns to deal with magical threats is rather different from most skills he learns. Instead of learning a specific technique, here he learns a specific mindset to use when fighting this type of enemy. In this way, he differs from most other heroes. For instance, Superman is especially weak to magic because his powers are ineffective against it. So if he wants to fight a magical enemy he will have to use a special strategy or object to help counteract his loss of powers. Having no superpowers of his own, Batman doesn’t have a particular weakness to magic and so can fight it as he does any normal enemy. So ironically, Batman’s lack of traditional superpowers, generally viewed as one of his weak points, is extremely useful for him in this situation.
No one in Batman’s standard rogue’s gallery are regular magic s, so he doesn’t encounter magic that often. And when he does, he often enlists the help of magical allies like Zatanna. But Bruce’s paranoia demands that he be prepared for any situation, even ones in which he must face a magical threat alone. Luckily, Batman’s philosophy enables him to not falter when facing mystical threats, simply by treating them as he would any other criminal.
Batman: the Knight #7 is now available from DC Comics.
