Batman's Trust Issues: Why the Dark Knight Doesn't Trust Superheroes

Batman, the iconic superhero, is known for his intelligence and fighting skills, but he's also famous for one key personality trait: his inability to trust.

Batman and Trust

It's hard for him to work with teams, which is why he sometimes even makes backup plans to take down his teammates! DC Comics revealed why he finds trust so hard.

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The Zhuguan: Batman's First Team

Comic book page: Batman joins the first League and is given a drug to grant him powers. Image

In Batman Confidential #54 by Marc Guggenheim and Jerry Bingham, Bruce Wayne is still young and training to be Batman. He meets up with the Zhuguan, a group of heroes in China. Their name means "the League," and they were Batman's first ever team.

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A Traumatic First Experience

Comic book page: Batman realizes that the first League's drug is made from Opium. Image

This team was... interesting. The Zhuguan used a drug that made them stronger to fight their battles and tried to give the drug to Batman, who gets superpowers as a result! He almost gets manipulated into killing, when he learns they may not be willing to honor their promise.

This event really impacted him. Batman usually wants things to go as planned. The situation with the Zhuguan had several problems, such as things beyond his control and unexpected actions. So this means being on your own, and having no variables is preferred. Even when working with Robin, he still feels much better than those encounters with stronger heroes, such as Superman. Batman may be strong on his own but this moment also impacts his future work.

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The Justice League and Batman's Trust

Batman Stands in Detective Comic Art by Jason Fabok Image

It’s difficult to trust when you don't know exactly what could happen next, and after a past experience like this, even the Justice League makes Batman nervous. After being betrayed by his teammates who caused his memory loss (Identity Crisis, Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales), trust feels even more risky.

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The Importance of Trust

There’s lots to learn from Batman and just how his story has shaped who he became, what stands out the most is that having trust can make a difference when it comes to teamwork. It's hard to collaborate without trusting the other members on the team, What's shown, is this specific situation brought a level of discomfort and distrust that carries on with Batman throughout his incredible history!

While he always works to be strong, Batman learned just how important this truly is, after having that awful encounter with Zhuguan. There are some big lessons to take home if you dig a little deeper into his work with heroes.