Batman's New Costume Brings Back a 1930s Detail We Never Thought We'd See Again

Summary Batman is reassembling the Justice League to fight the new Dark Trinity, with each hero getting a redesign.

The Dark Knight's new Batsuit includes purple gauntlets - a callback to his original 1939 appearance.

However, he's also sporting a powerful cybernetic hand that's become his ultimate gadget.

As the Justice League face a huge threat to their powers and legacy, Batman is leading a new resistance group to save the planet - and he's going to look good doing it. DC's upcoming Absolute Power will see its new Trinity of Evil going after the planet's foremost superhero dynasties, targeting their powers, families, and cities in a devastating coordinated attack. To survive, Batman will gather Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman, with new redesigns for these core League heroes.

In Dan Mora's variant cover to the upcoming Absolute Powers #1, fans get to see Batman's resistance Justice League in all their glory. Fans will note Aquaman's bladed armor and Superman's iconic black suit, however Batman is also putting a new spin on his costume, even bringing back an iconic element of his original design from 1939.

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Batman's armored costume includes his usual black, gray, and yellow, but also appears to include purple detailing on his gloves and boots. Hardcore Batman fans will know this is a callback to his very first costume, as seen in Bill Finger and Bob Kane's original 'Bat-Man' story in Detective Comics #27. However, while this callback is a cool nod to the Dark Knight's history, it also combines with one of his most recent upgrades - a cyborg hand packed with gadgets.

Absolute Power #1 (2024) Release Date: July 3, 2024 Writer: Mark Waid Artist: Dan Mora Cover Artist: Dan Mora THE TRINITY OF EVIL HAS WON. DC's epic summer event kicks off with a bang, as the combined might of FAILSAFE and the BRAINIAC QUEEN has at last given Amanda Waller the ability to steal the metahuman abilities of every hero and villain on planet Earth. As chaos erupts in the streets and a massive misinformation campaign sways public opinion to her side, the founder of the Suicide Squad methodically targets each superhero dynasty one at a time, starting with SUPERMAN. But even in this darkest of hours, a resistance is forming... and BATMAN is out for vengeance. It's a shocking blitzkrieg across the globe that is decades in the making - and will shape the course of the DC Universe for years to come! Brought to you by the superstar talents of MARK WAID and DAN MORA - it all starts here!

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Batman's New Costume Revolutionizes His Purple Gloves

Bruce Leads a Powerless Justice League in Absolute Power

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DC's upcoming Absolute Power will see Amanda Waller attack the Justice League with her new team of custom Amazo robots, backed by the impostor Dark Knight known as Failsafe and new villain the Brainiac Queen. These three evil-doers are DC's new Trinity of Evil, having risen to power during the period since Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, where the League officially disbanded, asking the Titans to take their place as Earth's protectors. Waller has been gradually turning public opinion against the world's heroes, as well as tasking DC's supervillains with killing every costumed do-gooder they can. Now, she's ready for her final move, stealing the Justice League's powers and leaving them as ordinary mortals - Batman's specialty.

DC has already told fans that Batman will lead this new resistance group, and Mora's cover shows him in a bulked-up suit that's likely laden with weaponry and gadgets. One detail eagle-eyed fans spotted is that Batman's new gauntlets include purple gloves. These appeared on Batman's original costume, but since then, they've been almost exclusively seen in flashbacks and alternate worlds where the Dark Knight stuck with his original appearance. Now, as the Justice League get the band back together after calling it quits, it's a fitting combination of old and new to see Batman incorporate the design into his new look - especially since what's under the gloves has changed drastically.

Batman's New Cybernetic Hand Is His Secret Weapon

The Dark Knight Has One Weapon His Enemies Never Faced Before

During a recent multiversal adventure, Batman lost his hand to an evil version of his ally Ghost-Maker. An alternate version of the Dark Knight helped him construct a cybernetic replacement, lending him immense strength in the new hand. Bruce has since outfitted his prosthetic with extra gadgets, including smoke pellets which allow him to disappear with a gesture. It's a good time for the Dark Knight to have such a powerful new gadget, seeing as he's about to lead an entire team of heroes who used to be able to rely on their powers but now have nothing but their wits, skills and weapons to fight back against the Dark Trinity.

It's always cool to see such a subtle nod to Batman history, especially since the classic purple gloves are hiding one of the biggest changes to the Dark Knight's body in his entire saga - a secret weapon which will hopefully give the Justice League an edge as Absolute Power unfolds.

Absolute Power #1 is coming July 3 from DC Comics.