Posted in: Batman, Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, DC Comics | Tagged: catwoman, Gotham War, Zur-En-Arrh

How About This Bleeding Cool Batman Zur-En-Arrh Theory? (Spoilers)

This is just a theory. Not based on any leaks, any rumours, any advance screenings or knowledge. Just about Zur-En-Arrh and Gotham War.

This is just a theory. Remember that. Not based on any leaks, any rumours, any advance screenings or knowledge. Just a theory about the Zur-En-Arrh backup personality that Bruce Wayne installed in himself to prevent Batman from being corrupted and becoming a murderer. But has recently seemed to be behind everything from Failsafe, to the reaction to Catwoman's Gotham War, to the seeming decision to divorce himself from the very Batman family he started.

And our theory comes down to the Lazarus Meteor, that both created Vandal Savage and the Lazarus Pits. And which spurred the Gotham War courtesy of the influence of the Savages. The plan was get all the bits of the meteor that had been gathering in Gotham as part of jewellery worn by the rich and famous. And use them all to attract the big meteor of the stuff. Batman and Catwoman explaining in today's Scorched Earth finale to Gotham War, the influence the meteor fragments have been having on their owners.

This justifies why so many rich people stay in Gotham. Their jewellery tells them to. But why Gotham in the first place? Who has the biggest bit? Batman does, of course. or he did. And that he had done for some time. So here's the theory, just as the meteor fragments got into peoples' heads and made them move to – and then stay – in Gotham. As a form of toxoplasmosis parasite. Did the big meteor of the stuff do the same to Bruce Wayne and Zur-En-Arrh? Let's ask the experts.

Toxoplasma gondii, a ubiquitous intracellular parasite, has a strong tropism for the brain tissue, where it forms intracellular cysts within the neurons and glial cells, establishing a chronic infection. Although latent toxoplasmosis is generally assumed to be asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, it is now clear that it can induce behavioral manipulations in mice and infected humans. Moreover, a strong relation has emerged in recent years between toxoplasmosis and psychiatric disorders. The link between T. gondii and schizophrenia has been the most widely documented; however, a significant association with bipolar disorder (BD) and suicidal/aggressive behaviors has also been detected. T. gondii may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of psychiatric disorders affecting neurotransmitters, especially dopamine, that are implicated in the emergence of psychosis and behavioral Toxoplasma-induced abnormalities, and inducing brain inflammation by the direct stimulation of inflammatory cytokines in the central nervous system

Is that what Zur-En-Arrh is? Whatever backup personality Bruce Wayne installed, taken up by a parasite from the meteor, to make Batman do what it wants? And in that case… what is the plan for Batman? Why does Zur-En-Arrh want Batman all alone?  Lots of questions. But it's a fun theory, yes? As it stands, of course, that's all it is… but we also know that, across the Multiverse, Zur-En-Arhh has been multiplying, and finding new Bathosts…

…just like a parasite might. The Bat and the Cat parasite. Let's not pull too hard on that thread…

BATMAN CATWOMAN THE GOTHAM WAR SCORCHED EARTH #1 (ONE SHOT) CVR A JORGE JIMENEZ
(W) Chip Zdarsky, Tini Howard (A) Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto (CA) Jorge Jimenez
THE GOTHAM WAR ENDS HERE! The final chapter of this epic crossover is here, and Batman and his family must find a way to overcome the endgame of an ancient enemy! Can the Bat and the Cat set their differences aside? Is this the end of the Bat-Family? Lives change forever in this action-packed conclusion! Retail: $5.99 In-Store Date: 10/31/2023

BATMAN #139 CVR A JORGE JIMENEZ
(W) Chip Zdarsky (A/CA) Jorge Jimenez
NEW STORY ARC BEGINS! BATMAN VS. THE JOKER, MORE BRUTAL THAN EVER! Following the cataclysmic events of The Gotham War, Batman finds himself completely isolated from his family, struggling to keep the rage of Zur in check. But he can't stop, because he's out there, haunting the city, taunting the Dark Knight: The Joker. And the new Batman is ready to stop him once and for all. Mindbomb begins! Retail: $4.99 In-Store Date: 11/7/2023

BATMAN #140 CVR A JORGE JIMENEZ
(W) Chip Zdarsky (A/CA) Jorge Jimenez
It's Batman versus The Joker in their most brutal fight of all time. But wait…Batman is also battling a legion of himself! What has Zur done? And who will walk away? The brutal Mindbomb continues! Retail: $4.99 In-Store Date: 12/5/2023

BATMAN #141 CVR A JORGE JIMENEZ
(W) Chip Zdarsky (A/CA) Jorge Jimenez
Zur-En-Arrh has done the unthinkable. And now, cut off from everything and everyone, Batman has to face off against his most devastating enemy in a brutal fight for the future as the specter of The Joker hangs over everything. The stunning conclusion to Mindbomb is here! Retail: $4.99 In-Store Date: 1/2/2024

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