Opening Image

We see Batman on his way to save a hostage. Every move he makes and every enemy he engages, he does so with precise and methodical detail. He knows their weakness and is able to diffuse the situation in a matter of minutes. This is Batman at peak efficiency, the kind of monster the underworld fears for a reason.

Set Up

The boy he saves is the heir of the Lamont Chemical fortune. His importance comes from his family and is nothing he had a part in or even asked for. In that, he is very similar to Bruce Wayne and Tommy Elliott.

Theme

Batman notices multiple villains in his rogue’s gallery are behaving out of character: Killer Croc has never been smart enough to plan a kidnapping, and Catwoman had always stolen from the wealthy, never going after someone else’s take. Furthermore, when it’s revealed she’s working for Poison Ivy, it’s yet another deviation a villain, as Ivy’s always controlled men in the past, never women. All of this leads Batman to believe that their actions are being orchastrated by someone he’s never faced before.

Catalyst

While chasing after Catwoman, the grapple is cut and suffers severe damage from the fall.

Debate

Throughout the story, Batman is constantly being watched by a man covered in bandages and speaking in whispers, Hush. He’s constantly seen quoting Aristotle, whose work apart from other things, also speaks of the right way of living life. The specific teaching he refers to is that despite having everything else in life, one still cannot survive friends. This ties to Batman as he tries to hold off the thugs using his suit auto-defense system but it can only take him so far, end of the day, Batman is still human and need help, which arrives in the form of Huntress.

Bruce is soon brought back to the batcave, while Ivy is revealed to be working for Hush. Alfred works with Orcale to figure out to get Bruce the help he needs due to the extensive damage he’s suffered. However, Alfred remarks that at the end of it all it’ll still come down to Bruce fighting for his life by himself, as his war on crime will often leaves him alone against the world.

Break into Two

Bruce suddenly remembers Tommy, his childhood and only friend, who has become a surgeon. Tommy is called in to save Bruce while the false story spreads to protect Batman’s identity, leaves the public thinking Bruce is nothing but a spoiled brat, resulting in Waynetech shares being dropped. This personal loss was surely though of and antoicipated by his new nemesis as well.

B Story

In a flashback, we see Tommy telling Bruce that the key to winning is to think like your enemy, as doing so allows you to stay a few steps ahead. Throughout the story, we also see multiple characters refer to the predicament as a game, implying that everyone is a possible pawn in Batman’s world, much like the game he and Tommy are playing as children. Bruce’s father also tells his wife he’s glad Bruce found Tommy as they both get along like brothers, implying they are similar in ways beyond their wealth.

Fun and Games

As Bruce recovers, he acknowledges that his allies are the only reason he lives to see another day. As the story of his recovery reaches the news, we see Hush tearing the newspaper apart with something that resembles a batarang. He also says that we make war so that we may have peace, which, although contradictory, parallels his and Bruce’s motives: Bruce fights crime to prevent what happened to him from happening to anyone else, while Hush is willing to destroy a man’s world for revenge, which in turn would grant him peace.

Knowing Croc well, Bruce allows him to escape because doing so would lead him to the mastermind behind it all. Meanwhile, Tommy goes to Wayne Manor to check on Bruce and warns Alfred that he’s playing a dangerous game. We learn that Tommy’s parents were involved in an accident when he was young; although his mother survived, his father did not. The tire of the Batmobile is shot to throw Batman off Croc’s trail, who is quickly arrested by Amanda Waller. Hush is seen watching from the shadows next to a marquee sign that reads ‘Robinson,’ but only the first five letters are visible in the panel, hinting at what’s to come.

Catwoman kisses Batman for saving her life and a romance starts to blossom between them. The unpredictable nature of the crisis leads to them lowering their guards with each other for the first time. While it can be seen as a step in the right direction for Bruce, deep down he wonders if it’s just what his enemy wanted by leaving him susceptible. He fears that as he wages war against monsters, he may find himself becoming one too and end up alone like them. Bruce and Selina head to Metropolis to catch Ivy, and Bruce is constantly distracted by the kiss. He runs into Tommy, who tells him that despite cities rising and falling, people never truly change from who they are deep down. Before leaving, he also tells Bruce to be careful, reminding him that he’s still his patient. Another way of looking at it could imply he sees Bruce as his test subject.

Bruce goes to the Daily Planet and wonders if he can trust Selina and Jim Gordon, like Superman trusts Lois Lane and Perry White. Talia Al Ghul notices a change in Batman, and when he meets Catwoman afterward, she hints at jealousy. Catwoman says she wants first crack at Ivy as she hates being controlled, not knowing that they are both being controlled by someone else even now. The duo track Ivy by knowing how she operates, and they make it clear that they don’t like being in Metropolis as they’re out of their comfort zone here and need to be ready for anything. Ivy reveals that she’s brainwashed Superman, so Batman is forced to work with Catwoman to subdue him, knowing well that when it comes down to it, nothing can stop Superman from saving a life. This again ties back to what Tommy said about people always remaining true to who they are at their core, further emphasized when Superman says Batman is ‘ever the detective,’ just like he is ‘ever the boy scout.’ Having said that, it points out Bruce’s paranoid psyche as he went through the trouble of studying Superman as an enemy despite them being friends, but it’s because of this mindset that he’s alive right now. Catwoman once again hints at jealousy when Batman was in contact with Oracle during the fight.

Later, Bruce goes to the opera with Tommy and runs into Selina there. Alfred, able to tell what Bruce is thinking just by looking at him, advises him to try and enjoy the night. Bruce is so preoccupied by his new foe that he seems to neglect everything else, even saying that meeting with Lucius to discuss business can wait. Alfred also thinks Batman and Catwoman’s secret relationship resembles opera in terms of its tragic nature as the lives they’ve chosen may not allow them to be together for long. Harley Quinn soon arrives on stage and tries to rob everyone, which again, is very out of character for her. She steals Tommy’s pendant, a green circle given to him by his mother, which causes him to go after her, stating that no one takes from him. Batman once again saves Catwoman, but she’s upset that by doing so, he’s allowing Harley to escape. Her independent upbringing will never let her become a liability. Batman arrives too late and sees that Tommy has been gunned down by the Joker in the back alley, a bitter reminder of how he lost his parents years ago.

Midpoint

In a fit of rage, Batman beats the Joker to the point of nearly killing him, all the while he thinks of all the horrible things he had done in the past (B story) to justify ending his life. What Bruce doesn’t see is that this is just what Hush wants, as he knew his relationship with Catwoman would render him emotionally vulnerable to the point that another personal loss resembling his parents’ death would send him over the edge, especially when it’s at the hands of his greatest nemesis. Bruce also remembers how the Joker crippled Barbara Gordon in the past, but her strong sense of justice allowed her to transition to the role of Oracle, once again going back to what Tommy said about people’s nature.

Seconds before crossing the line and breaking Batman’s fundamental rule, Jim Gordon intervenes, the one man who suffered the most at the hands of the Joker. Batman was born in an alley when his parents were killed and nearly died in one, but it was a friend who saved him. Lastly, we get a clear look at Hush’s face, who is hinted at being Two-Face as he’s seen holding the signature coin with a scarred side.

Bad Guys Close In

At Tommy’s funeral, we learn that Bruce’s nature led him to keeping his past a secret even from his closest allies, Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, who’ve never heard of Tommy before. Later, Nightwing, who has also noticed a change in Batman, tells him that maybe he should reveal his identity to Catwoman as she clearly makes him happy. Bruce also wonders if he robbed Dick of a proper childhood by making him Robin, but is reassured as he knows Dick was born to be at the center of the ring, so he would’ve found his way there even without Bruce’s help.

The duo go after the Riddler and see that he seems to be acting like he always did, even cracking his latest riddle that doesn’t make a lot of sense because of how well Batman knows him. Batman finds ash from the Lazarus Pit in the back of the Riddler’s truck. Acting on Dick’s advice, Batman decides to reveal his identity to Selina, which he does at a zoo. At the same time, Harvey Dent unmasks himself to the Joker at Arkham Asylum, where different kinds of ‘animals’ are kept.

Believing Ra’s Al Ghul is behind everything, he goes after his one weakness: his daughter. While fighting her guards, we once again see the fight through Batman’s lens, as we did in the beginning, with him back on the offensive side, which keeps him in control. He even rejects Talia, refusing to cross the line and become a villain. Meanwhile, Harvey visits Gordon, telling him that Batman will soon need their help, but Gordon remains skeptical as Harvey was given multiple chances in the past, but Two-Face managed to burn them all. So what could possibly be different now, when going rogue is second nature to him? Having Selina guard Talia, Bruce goes after Ra’s and quickly bests him in a fight by knowing how he engages. Ra’s reveals that someone defiled one of his Lazarus Pits. Back in Gotham, Lady Shiva arrives to take Talia away and she easily beats Catwoman. But out of love for Batman, Talia refuses to play the game everyone else in Batman’s life seems to be playing and knocks out Shiva. Later in the Batcave, Selina sees the scars all of Batman’s enemies have left on his body, but the one she’s left is right above his heart. Bruce also thinks to himself that with Catwoman, for the first time in a long time, he doesn’t feel alone in his mission.

All is Lost

As Bruce’s paranoid nature begins to take over, he can’t help but wonder if his unknown enemy planned for him to start a relationship with Selina. He calls on Robin to pick a fight with her to lure her out of the cave, knowing this would work as Selina says she never wants to be just another Robin to Batman, referencing the time he saved her at the opera. Bruce also remarks how he swore to never take on another Robin after Jason died, but then Tim came along as he was destined to be one of the greatest detectives.

Catwoman is attacked by Huntress, who, having been exposed to fear toxin, believes she is fighting her past self. Scarecrow is caught off guard when his fear toxin doesn’t seem to be affecting Batman, unless it’s becuase his mind’s already overtaken by someone else. Meanwhile, Hush emerges from the shadows and captures Robin. He reveals himself to be Jason Todd, the Robin whose death became the greatest failure in Batman’s career.

Dark Night of the Soul

Jason reveals that the game can only end with Batman’s death, but the detective in Bruce soon figures out that it’s not Jason but Clayface. After the fight is done, Catwoman tells him she’s upset he followed her due to lack of trust, which begins to jeopardize their relationship. Later, having found a device planted in the batcomputer, Oracle asks Batman what made him think of Tommy Elliott after this accident.

Break into three

Batman finds out that it’s Harold Allnut who’s betrayed him, a trusted mechanic from his past. Despite Bruce giving him everything he ever wanted, his treachery arose from Hush’s ability to give him what he wanted the most: the ability to speak and stand up straight. Hush shoots Harold, and a friend is a single soul dwelling in two bodies, once again forming a link with Bruce’s ‘brother,’ Tommy Elliott. Furthermore, it’s important to note the story ends just as it began, with Batman being alone. Throughout the story, we see him being aided by an ally, but with the death of Harold, he enters the final act by himself.

Finale

Hush once again quotes Aristotle, saying one should treat one’s friends the same way they would want to be treated, referencing how he sees himself as similar to Bruce, except that his plan to inherit his family’s fortune was disrupted when Bruce’s father saved his mother’s life. We know well by now that no one takes from Tommy Elliott. That being said, there is widespread speculation that Hush was meant to be Jason Todd all along but a change was made at the last moment and based on clues we’ve seen in the story so far, it’s highly plausible.

Bruce thinks about how he gave Harold a purpose, just as he did for the Robins, but it wasn’t enough. Hush got to Harold by manipulating his innermost desire, and it’s also how he managed to unite Batman’s enemies. Bruce realizes that Harold’s death is meant to faze him, and while it’s working, he tries to suppress it to end the game.

Despite all the hints that Hush is Tommy, Bruce can’t know for sure as he’s been manipulated every step of the way, creating an opposite of the version we saw of him at the beginning of the story. Hush is also seen wearing Tommy’s pendant, which he deduces is meant to symbolize how the past always comes back in some form or another. Furthermore, the green color symbolizes envy, which is how Tommy feels about Bruce.

Soon enough, Harvey and Gordon arrive at the scene, and Harvey shoots Hush, who then plummets into the water. Harvey betrays Hush despite ‘fixing’ him because he failed to understand that Two-Face was everything evil in Harvey, and by taking that away, he was only left with district attorney Harvey Dent. Additionally, the fully bandaged face of Hush can be seen as a purely evil Two-Face in a separate body (tying back to the midpoint where it was revealed Hush was Two-Face with the scarred side of the coin facing upwards), and by destroying him, Harvey closes his arc as a villain for good.

The game’s end is symbolized by the rain finally stopping. Meanwhile, Catwoman tells Huntress that she doesn’t regret switching sides because it’s what she chose and wasn’t manipulated into doing. In the Batcave, Superman finds a device planted in Bruce’s brain and that his computer was rigged to subliminally reveal Tommy’s face. Batman realizes the Riddler was the true mastermind behind everything by going over Tommy’s medical records. Edward was the one who defiled the Lazarus Pit to recover from cancer, and doing so gave him a sense of clarity, leading him to deduce that Bruce is Batman. Despite it all, Bruce knows he has nothing to fear because he knows Edward too well, and Batman’s identity is a riddle, and a riddle that everyone knows the answer to is useless.

Closing Image

Catwoman visits Batman at Harold’s grave and, while trying to console him, whispers ‘hush’ as she leans in for a kiss. This leads an already off-balance Batman to react aggressively, as he no longer knows what’s real and what isn’t anymore. Catwoman ends things between them as she knows it won’t last long without trust. In the end, having bested several monsters, Bruce finds himself, as all monsters do, alone.