It’s official: Batman is broke. As reported by Polygon, DC has made some major changes to the character during The Joker War. Specifically, in the pages of Batman #101, they have stripped Bruce Wayne of his financial resources. Bruce’s wealth is largely what helps him fight crime without any actual superpowers. As such, this will be a remarkably large change for the Caped Crusader to contend with. 

 

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Batman #101. 

 

In the beginning of The Joker War, the villain managed to steal all of Bruce Wayne’s money. Catwoman managed to steal it back and handed it over to Bruce’s longtime friend and ally, Lucious Fox, CEO of Wayne Enterprises. But the money isn’t going back to Bruce. Because of the PR nightmare it would bring, along with government oversight, Batman is now broke. 

 

“I could give [the money] back to you, but it wouldn’t be like it was before. The government now has its eyes on you, Mr. Wayne. You are going to need to account for every penny, and they will not go easy on you. You would never be able to use any of it to fund Batman again,” Fox says. 

 

Joker revealed that Bruce Wayne had been stashing billions of dollars in shady ways. This was done so Bruce could funnel the money to his Batman operation. But to the rest of the world, it looked suspicious. Ultimately, Lucious was able to convince the world that Joker framed Bruce. But the damage was done. 

 

“The Wayne Enterprises board has suggested removing you from your seat, paying you a generous annual fee, and letting you fall from public eye while the company rebrands and reassesses,” Lucius says.

 

“By disassociating from me, it can still mean something,” Bruce says. 

 

So, Bruce will get an annual fee but it will be nothing in comparison to the billions he was worth before The Joker War. How, precisely, that will affect upcoming issues of the series remains to be seen. But it may be the biggest mix-up in the Batman universe we’ve seen in a long time. 

 

Here is the synopsis for Batman #101. 

 

“A new day dawns in Gotham and the horrors of “The Joker War” are just being realized. A bold new direction for Batman begins as Bruce Wayne’s circumstances are forever changed. How did the Joker’s rampage affected the citizens of the city? And why does Cole Cash-a.k.a.-Grifter, now work for Lucius Fox?!” 

 

Batman #101 is available now. 

 

So what do you think? Do you like this change? Are you into the idea of Batman being broke? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!