Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman #90
Right as Batman has just begun to use his resources as Bruce Wayne to renovate the city for the better, a new villain named The Designer descends on Gotham, unleashing several of the DC Universe’s deadliest mercenaries on the city. This causes unease for members of Batman’s classic rogue’s gallery, such as Penguin, Riddler, Joker, and especially former villain Catwoman. The mercenaries and their actions have a ring of familiarity that brings them to the realization that The Designer is the man behind the plan. Fearful, Selina Kyle goes to Batman, confessing her history with the villain, and also tells him that she knows what The Designer plans to do next.
Ever since the City of Bane event and the death of his butler and mentor Alfred, Batman’s main focus has been to better not only himself but his city as well. He wants to give the city an upgrade, with renovations to old buildings like the GCPD to be better equipped, but also new buildings as well. Simultaneously, Batman has been upgrading his arsenal with help from Lucius Fox, creating new gadgets and vehicles to better prepare him against his war on crime. Despite all that preparation, what happens when someone comes along with the perfect crime, meticulously planned with every detail and variable accounted for? A perfect design coming from a dedicated mind such as The Designer’s? However, Batman has one advantage. The designs, while improved upon, are not originally from the Designer.
In Batman #90, Catwoman reveals to Batman that years ago during Bruce’s early days as Batman, The Designer arrived in Gotham with a proposal. An invitation was made to Joker, Riddler, Penguin, and herself: the original rogue’s gallery. Having already bested his own nemesis in his youth, The Designer sought to help and provide financial backing to Batman’s rogues so that they might reach their full goals and potential, provided he received half the reward. One by one, the rogues met with The Designer, and he helped them improve upon their plans so that they couldn’t possibly be thwarted by Batman. With Catwoman, he helped her design the biggest heist in the history of the world, rather than going after mere jewels.
However, something happened during his meeting with Joker. According to Joker, Joker told a joke that the Designer didn’t like, resulting in The Designer ordering his men to kill all of the rogues. In the resulting fight, The Designer was believed to have been killed, with the rogues burning his house and burying his body. However, The Designer now lives. Having already enacted the Penguin’s design to use mercenaries in a shell game, The Designer seems to be moving on to the next design: Catwoman.
Batman already knows who the target of Catwoman’s design was before she can even say it aloud: himself. Batman leaps off the rooftop, saying: “It’s me. My family’s money. It’s Wayne Enterprises. It’s the manor. Billions of dollars. If The Designer still has you plans…I’m about to lose everything.” Does this spell trouble for Catwoman and Batman’s relationship going forward? It The Designer succeeds using Selina’s plans, will Batman forgive her? All throughout the issue, Catwoman desperately tries to remind Bruce that it was a different time and that they were both very different people. Here’s hoping Bruce keeps that perspective as Batman continues.
Batman #90 is on comic book store shelves now.
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