While aspects ofBatman’s mythos have changed over time, the facts have largely remained the same. But for Scott Snyder’s biggest swing yet,Absolute Batmanis dismantling Bruce Wayne’s entire origin to craft a new journey to the iconic identity. The goal of the Absolute Universe is new storytelling, as it headlinesDC’s newAll Ininitiative.
Scott Snyder’s return to DC comes in partnership withAbsolute Batmanartist Nick Dragotta, officially launching on August 08, 2025. With audiences preparing to meet a very different Bruce Wayne than the one they’ve come to know all their lives, some explanation is called for. Thankfully, Scott Snyder has offered exaclty that (at Fan EXPO panels, interviews, and previews). Which means readers can now learn aboutthe biggest changes coming to theAbsolute Batmanmythology and series.
10Absolute Batman Bruce Was Inspired By A Younger Generation
Snyder looked at young people, including his own children, to guideAbsolute Batman’s motivation.
Scott Snyder has discussed being inspired by the younger people he has seen standing up and asking for a better world than the one being handed down to them. While Bruce has normally operated solely from a justice standpoint,Absolute Batmanwill featurea Bruce Wayne powered by the youthful belief that the systems themselves can be changed.It’s what sets him apart from other variations of Batman.
Whileother versions of Batmanhave put up with Gotham’s corruption to keep the streets clean,Absolute Batman’s Bruce Wayne will be different. Instead, he’ll be a young Batman going into the role with the motivation to change what he and the rest of Gotham sees as wrong. Snyder described Bruce as an “idealistic, fiery kid” who will refuse to accept that Gotham is unchangeable. A good new look for the iconic character.
9Absolute Bruce Will Have The Same Moral Rules
Despite his youth,Absolute Batman’s Bruce Wayne already knows his moral lines.
While Batman’s tactics have fluctuated over time, one thing remains the same in the Absolute Universe as in the main one: Bruce doesn’t kill, and he doesn’t use guns. What sets Batman apart from the other large personas taking over Gotham’s night are the strict rules he follows, something Batman carries with him everywhere he goes.Snyder revealed thatAbsolute Batman’s Bruce will still follow that same famous moral code.
In the main DC Universe, Batman’s rules became the cornerstone of his identity when the former Robin, Jason Todd, began to clean up the streets by ignoring both rules, causing a family disagreement that has extended into the modern day.Absolute Batman’s Bruce might not have any sidekicks yet, but his rules are in place. No matter what universe he’s in, Batman will always stand for justice.
The Real History of Batman’s No-Kill Rule Is Smarter (& Darker) Than DC’s Retcon
Batman’s no-kill rule is DC’s very first retcon - but the real history behind this rule is better (and darker) than any fan could have imagined.
8Absolute Batman Grew Up In Crime Alley, Not A Mansion
Absolute Batman’s Bruce didn’t grow up in the safety of Wayne Manor.
One of the biggest changes toAbsolute Batman’s Bruce comes directly from his upbringing, as Snyder shares thatAbsolute Batman’s Bruce grew up on the complete opposite side of Gotham: Crime Alley. Batman devotees will know thatCrime Alley was the infamous site where the main universe’s Bruce lost his parents.
If growing up wealthy and separated from the rest of Gotham provided DC’s iconic Bruce Wayne with a certain perspective and skill set, growing up in Crime Alley is bound to make a change at his core. More than a shocking redesign, it is clear that this Batman is formed differently from the very beginning.
7Absolute Bruce Wayne is An Engineer, First & Foremost
Deep down, at heart, Bruce is a detective. But inAbsolute Batman,Bruce Wayne’s thinking will be based on engineering.Contrary to detective work on cases the police can’t handle, Bruce will be more focused on the changes he’s building firsthand, and the systems he’s growing from the ground up.
Snyder has teased that the repeated idea inAbsolute Batmanis that Bruce “built” Batman, making him less of a persona Bruce uses to do what the billionaire playboy can’t, and more of a project Bruce has undertaken to effect change in Gotham City.
6Absolute Batman Would Hate Frank Miller’s Dark Knight
Where other Batmen are pessimistic,Absolute Batman’s Bruce will be filled with idealism.
On the topic ofAbsolute Batman’s idealism, Snyder has called his new Bruce Wayne the opposite of Frank Miller’s Batman, as made famous in the aged, pessimisticThe Dark Knight Returns. Going so far as sayingAbsolute Batman’s Bruce would hate Frank Miller’s Batmanfor his perspective, there’s no clearer illustration of the optimism thatAbsolute Batman’s Bruce Wayne will carry within him.
Bruce Wayne is often written to be jaded with a despairing outlook on Gotham’s future. In the Absolute Universe, Bruce will instead step forward to represent the injection of hope that his city needs.
5Absolute Batman Grew Up (And Is Still In Touch) With Gotham’s Villains
Growing up in Crime Alley surrounded Bruce with a rogue-filled neighborhood.
By placing Bruce within Crime Alley, Snyder was able to surround Bruce with things he didn’t have beforehand: childhood friends, a neighborhood, and a past that’ll haunt his future as Batman. It was revealed during his panel thatBruce not only grew up alongside many of Gotham’s future infamous villains—including Harvey Dent and Waylon Jones—but is still in touch with them, something that will no doubt be a factor in the emotional arc Snyder has planned if Bruce is to face off against his former childhood friends.
Snyder shared that part ofAbsolute Batmanwould touch on the part of life that’s watching people you knew going in very different directions. While the main universe’s Bruce Wayne often runs into people he has a history with,Absolute Batmanis upgrading that element to the next level.
In addition to having many jobs, Bruce learned from his future opponents.
Thanks to growing up in Crime Alley, Bruce never got the chance to travel the world learning highly-refined skills from ancient teachings. Instead, all the skills readers will see on the page come from the people around him in Crime Alley. Snyder disclosed thatBruce was able to work with and learn skills from all over Gotham, with help from the villains he grew up with.In doing so, Bruce gained access to a whole other part of Gotham his main universe counterpart doesn’t have.
While the pathAbsolute Batman’s Bruce took is still a mystery, Snyder sharedthat Bruce learned how to fight with Killer Croc, he learned politics with Harvey Dent at City Hall, and learned the inner workings of the criminal underground with the Penguin. How Bruce will apply these skills is yet to be seen, but it’s already clear thatAbsolute Batman’s Bruce Wayne will be working with an entirely new skill set unseen to the Batman mythos.
3Alfred Figures Out Absolute Batman is Actually Bruce Wayne
Nick Dragotta’s cover forAbsolute Batman #2teases a confrontation between Alfred and Bruce.
Shockingly,Absolute Batman’s Bruce Wayne won’t grow up with an Alfred Pennyworth; instead,Alfred Pennyworthwill appear much later in Bruce’s life as an MI6 agentsent to investigate crime in Gotham. While their bond won’t be the same father-son relationship readers are used to, Snyder mentioned that Alfred will still have a role to play in Bruce’s story: mainly as an outsider who sees Bruce for what he truly is.
Alfred will serve as a foil to Bruce’s perspective. As Snyder hinted, the two will butt heads when it comes to whether or not Bruce can actually change something as old and ingrained as Gotham’s power structure. Snyder was careful not to give up much more, but hopefully, Bruce will gain Alfred as an ally, given how his idealism pits him against Gotham’s worst.
2Absolute Batman Works As A City Engineer During The Day
Being a billionaire doesn’t hinderAbsolute Batman’s Bruce Wayne.
What struck the hardest when the first covers forAbsolute Batmanwere released was the size of Bruce’s figure, apowerful body that matches the thick insignia he bears on his chest. Snyder gave an explanation for Bruce’s bulky figure in his panel, explaining thatBruce works as a city engineer in construction, therefore allowing him to be inconspicuously heavy. It also gives him working access to large swaths of the city.
Snyder explained that sinceAbsolute Batman’s Bruce won’t have to play the part of a billionaire, he’s allowed to become much bigger as a person and use that to his advantage as Batman. Working in the city is a far cry from being CEO of Wayne Industries, but it’s an even further distinction to be a city engineer in construction.Absolute Batman’s Bruce Wayne will have plenty of advantages that other Bruce Waynes don’t.
1Absolute Batman Is Finally A Man Of The People
Absolute Batman’s Bruce Wayne knows Gotham from every angle.
While it’s never stopped Batman from saving people in danger, there’s no use denying that all the changes Snyder and Dragotta have made meanthis Batman is arguably the hero Gotham City has long deserved: a true man of the people. From working in construction, to growing up surrounded by Gotham’s future villains, to living in the heart of the city,Absolute Batmanhas given Bruce everything his prime earth counterpart lacks. He isn’t removed anymore on any level from the people of Gotham.
Snyder hinted at a possible invasion of Gotham that Bruce won’t be backing down from. Looking at everything Snyder has teased for what’s to come inAbsolute Batman, it truly is his biggest creative swing to date.Absolute Batmanwill lead the charge in DC’s newAll Ininitiative, opening up the Absolute Universe to readers, and it’s promising a very different experience set in a familiar yet unfamiliar Gotham City. HowAbsolute Batman’s Bruce Wayne’s story unfolds will no doubt be a shock.
