Although Batman has traditionally been the World’s Greatest Detective, the latest issue of Batman may introduce a new contender for the title.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #108 by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
Batman is widely regarded as DC’s greatest detective, but he just had his secrets discovered in moments by a new villain named Miracle Molly, who figured out his secret identity within minutes of meeting him. Batman was trying to infiltrate the Unsanity Collective, a Gotham-based group that has been robbing rich media executives as part of a movement to address society’s many flaws.
Of course, Batman’s secret identity is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the DC Universe. Even many of his closest friends have not been able to positively confirm that Gotham’s Dark Knight is really Bruce Wayne. Despite this, Miracle Molly saw right through one of his most complex disguises, proving her deductive skills really are miraculous.
Batman tried to infiltrate one of the Unsanity Collective’s bases wearing a disguise and using the pseudonym “Match,” rehashing his old “Matches Malone” identity that he previously used to infiltrate the criminal underworld. While the Unsanity Collective did not figure out his exact identity, they still believed that he was a police officer, which led to the group capturing and imprisoning him. Several of the Collective’s leaders argued about how to handle him until Miracle Molly intervened, saying that even if Match was a cop, he deserved the same chance to start over that they had all received.
While Molly and Batman had spoken to one another over the radio, this marked her first official appearance and the first time either of them spoke face-to-face. With cybernetic implants and an alternative e-girl style, she seems to be a reference to Molly Millions from William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy. She immediately saw through Batman’s disguise, calling him out on wearing a fake mustache and altering his voice, even as she handed him a mask to protect his identity. The two stepped onto a drone and flew over the city to another of the Unsanity Collective’s facilities, where Molly showed him some of their tech and explained their mission to make a more equitable society, before finally revealing that she knew he was Batman.
After only speaking with him once over wireless communications, she was able to identify his voice, then confirmed her suspicion when he proved unafraid of heights while flying on a drone. Longtime friends of both Bruce Wayne and Batman have never guessed that the two were the same person. Many Justice League members have no idea of Batman’s secret identity and it is generally believed that even Jim Gordon does not know the truth (though he has suspicions). Furthermore, only a handful of the Dark Knight’s villains have ever discovered who is underneath the cowl. Yet Molly Miracle quite impressively figured out the truth within minutes.
Molly continues her conversation with Batman, explaining that she views the rich as inhuman vultures, and that most ordinary people are so downtrodden in their fight for economic security that they rely on childhood nostalgia to cope. She and the other Unsanity Collective members have shed all memories of their past identity, and she suggests that Batman might be more efficient at fighting crime if he also let go of his past. Unburdened by her past, she claims to be able to see clearly.
Batman no longer has his family’s wealth, and therefore, does not have access to the same tech he used to enjoy. Molly has proven capable of making cyberpunk gadgets that rival anything Batman ever designed, even though she lacks Bruce Wayne’s resources. She is also better able to understand the motives that drive the citizens of Gotham. With these impressive gifts, her detective skills may rival even Batman’s, and as such she would make a very formidable adversary or ally.
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