Batman and Robin Vol 2 4

"Matter of Trust"

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Matter of Trust

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You're fallible and no longer immortal -- like a small part inside of the young boy that Talia didn't destroy still believes himself to be. As you unfortunately know better than most, Bruce, each of us has a day when we realize for the first time that nothing lasts forever.

— Alfred Pennyworth

Batman and Robin (Volume 2) #4 is an issue of the series Batman and Robin (Volume 2) with a cover date of February, 2012.

Synopsis for "Matter of Trust"

On the drive-in movie screen, NoBody shows a film which highlights the cruelty and insanity of those that Batman is forced to fight over and over again in his crusade against crime. NoBody demands to know how long Batman will keep putting these monsters in dark holes and pray that they will never see the light of day.

Still trapped in a rusted out car, tied up beside his son Damian, Batman responds that there will always be monsters, but he doesn't have to kill them to fight them. NoBody disagrees, believing that execution is the only way to prevent the psychos from coming back and committing more crimes.

NoBody appeals to Damian's tendency for violence, wondering what kind of example that Batman sets for a son who has been trained to use deadly force. The boy's talents are wasted with a mentor who refuses to kill. NoBody states that Batman allows a circle of death and destruction to continue spinning by sticking to his self-serving moral code.

Disappointed that he can't seem to change Batman's mind, NoBody prepares to kill him. Having already activated a tracking device, Batman uses his last words to order Alfred to open fire from a remote-controlled Batplane. The hail of rubber bullets knocks NoBody off-balance, allowing Batman the time to cut through his bonds on a piece of broken glass. Using a special move, Batman activates a pressure point in Damian's head, freeing him of his paralysis. The two of them then grapple up to the plane as NoBody blows up a gas tank, gaining himself some cover from the plane's thermal imaging. Batman and Robin make their escape while NoBody emerges from the flames below.

In the Batcave, Alfred tends to Bruce's wounds, and Damian begs to be taught the move that can bring someone in or out of paralysis. Bruce refuses, because the move runs the risk of being fatal, if done wrong. Frustrated, Damian demands to know why he wasn't told about NoBody. Bruce gives little answer, annoyed already because Damian went out as Robin against his wishes.

Reluctantly, Bruce reveals NoBody's identity. NoBody is Morgan Ducard, the son of Henri Ducard, one of the six men who trained Bruce to become Batman. Ducard was the best man-hunter in the world, but ultimately his primary interest was the payout. His son shares a number of qualities with him. Damian is disappointed that Bruce won't tell him more, but Bruce responds that there are things he doesn't want to discuss yet. Damian tires of the lies and rules, and decides to go out for a walk with the dog.

Afterward, Alfred warns that Bruce should have told the whole story to Damian. He explains that tonight, Damian watched his father get beaten badly before his eyes, and that has shaken his feeling that Batman is invincible - which is scary. Today, Damian has realized that nothing lasts forever.

Damian visits the graves of Thomas and Martha Wayne, surrounded by fireflies. He plucks one of the glowing bugs from the air, and crushes it in his fingers, rubbing the bio-luminescent fluids into his palm. He envies that the bug's life is never really dark, always having a light on - even if it's right behind him. The dog nuzzles his hand, and Damian decides on the name Titus, from the Shakespearean play Titus Andronicus.

A voice comes from the shadows. It is NoBody, offering to teach the boy everything he knows. He reminds Damian of how he did not reveal to Batman the fact that Damian rendered a thug brain-dead earlier that night, and offers the boy a choice. A choice between a life of lies, or a life of killing that is true to who he was brought up to be.

Damian contemplates the decision for a moment, and then closes his hand, hiding the light from the glowing fluid on his palm.