Batmanhas tried just about everything to protect Gotham City and increase the quality of life for the people who live in it. He has been fighting crime as Batman while donating millions as Bruce Wayne, but one comic revealed that Batman might very well be able to just pay people to stop being criminals. As absurd as it sounds, history makes it seem possible.
Despite the absurd number of Bat-Family members, Batman’s allies can’t cover all of Gotham City, especially in times of crisis. Sometimes, Batman needs some extra helping hands, and he proved thatsome criminals are more than happy to help - as long as they’re paid,like inThe Batman Chronicles#12 by Devin K. Grayson and Marcos Martín, which is the eleventh chapter of the iconicBatman:Cataclysmevent.
While super-villains like the Joker and Two-Facewill never be swayed by money, other criminals in Gotham are motivated purely by money. When Gotham City needed more help during the Cataclysm, Batman hired criminals to do the job.
Batman Recruits Criminals to His Side with Money, Knowing They Were the Heroes Gotham Needed
The Batman Chronicles#12 by Devin K. Grayson, Marcos Martín, Vince Giarrano, Lee Loughridge, and Ken Lopez
Gotham City was hit by a devastating 7.6 earthquake that obliterated the majority of the city, killed tens of thousands, and trapped thousands more. The Bat-Family was separated and completely caught off-guard. Batman himself barely managed to escape the Batcave after the earthquake hit. Robin wasn’t even in the country, and Nightwing was in Blüdhaven. The only Bat-Family member who was able to respond immediately and begin helping people was Barbara Gordon, back when she was an actual characterand not just Nightwing’s girlfriend.Batman needed more help in Gothambeyond the Bat-Family.
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Since the Justice League was busy keeping super-villains from capitalizing on the destruction of Gotham City, Bruce had to look inward for reinforcements. The GCPD already had their hands full with rioters, so Batman only had one choice: he drafted a contract as Bruce Wayne and created a program to reward anyone - including Gotham’s criminals - who signed up to help. The contract included a hefty payment upfront as well as another payment after the job was completed. This contract had several rules, which included no use of lethal force, and people who agreed were forbidden from using guns during the job.
Batman’s New System of Recruiting Criminals Was Surprisingly Effective
Criminals Saved Civilians That Batman Couldn’t Reach
Another major part of the program was that the criminals were hand-picked. It’s not like a group could just show up, take the up-front payment, and then leave. This group was mostly strangers put together to ensure that they did not know or like one another, which lessened the chances of them later teaming up to try and pull a bank heist or something similar. Batman’s plan was great, and it also made sure that the criminals kept each other in line. Several times during this story, one of the criminals tries to back out of the contract, which shows just how strong Batman’s idea really was.
While Batman was out saving other parts of Gotham City, these criminals worked together and saved dozens of people.
Because none of the recruits actually know each other, the other criminals refuse to let the doubter back out. After all, they wouldn’t want him to jeopardize their payday by breaking the contract. Bruce Wayne would never pay out the full sum if one member of the group ended up killing an innocent person, even indirectly.It was a pretty smart system to keep the criminals in lineand make sure that they worked together to get the job done. WhileBatman was out saving other parts of Gotham City, these criminals worked together and saved dozens of people.
Batman’s Contract with the Criminals Even Prevents Breaking Someone’s Faith
Gotham’s Criminals Can Do No Harm - Physical or Spiritual
Bruce Wayne’s contract was so iron-clad that it prevented all forms of harm, including even breaking someone’s faith. When a young boy asked ifBatman had sent the criminals to save them, the criminal had no choice but to say yes, as well as forfeit his payment for the job. While this was an exceptional circumstance whenGotham was literally burning down around everyone, it shows that not every criminal in Gotham City is an irredeemable and belligerent monster. There are many criminals who will act with honor and work for the greater good - as long as they’re paid.
Bruce Wayne has always tried to put systems in place to alleviate Gotham’s crime problems. He has dozens of different charities that he runs and donates to. There have also been times when Bruce Wayne has flat-out offered criminals jobs at his companies. Bruce is not above using his money to try and change the lives of criminals, but this plan fromCataclysmis by far the biggest example, as fans saw him literally paying criminals to be heroes for a short time. It’s possible that when another crisis hits,Batmanwill be able to count on Gotham’s criminal element to help save the day.
The Batman Chronicles#12is available now from DC Comics!
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
