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Batman has always been paranoid, but running tests on Superman and Lois’s unborn child might have been his worst violation of their trust ever.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Superman: Son of Kal-El #1, on sale now DC Comics.
Batman has a history of disrespecting boundaries when it comes to preparing for possible conflicts. This is most famously depicted in his contingencies for various members of the Justice League and any other hero he knows of. But during Lois Lane’s pregnancy, Batman took things a step further by running tests on Superman and Lois’ unborn child in order to understand just how powerful this child could become in Superman: Son of Kal-El #1 by Tom Taylor, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb, Dave Sharpe.
When he told Wonder Woman about this, she criticized the decision, saying it only lent further credence to Batman’s reputation as a paranoid person. And this act of preparation does go far further than simply planning on how to defeat other superheroes.
It’s not impossible, or even out of character, to believe that Batman would be willing to run tests on an unborn child to see how powerful it might become in the future. He’s planned out ways to take down some of the most powerful people on the planet. But this time around, his invasion of privacy may have gone too far. When he told Wonder Woman about the tests he had run, she countered by saying actions like that only validated the darker side of his reputation. But neither of them spoke of the implications of what Batman’s test meant.
For someone like Batman, understanding how a person’s powers work is only the first step. The next step is finding a way to neutralize them. It’s possible that at this stage Batman has already gone to work on countermeasures for the future Jon Kent, intending to design some way to defeat the new Superboy. Because as Batman put it, Jon’s unique physiology as a Human/Kryptonian hybrid meant he could potentially be stronger than his father, a belief later proved to be true.
That fact alone is terrifying on its own. Batman has always feared what would happen if Clark ever decided to use his gifts for villainy, so for there to be someone stronger than him would only amplify these fears. Running the tests were a way to either alleviate or confirm his worries, but once concluded they would do the latter. So in all likelihood, if Batman has not already started on contingencies to stop Jon, then he would have at some point.
This is a massive violation of trust, arguably worse than the one he committed in the “Tower of Babel” storyline. When Batman planned contingencies for his friends, there was an understandable logic to it all. They were powerful people who could wreak havoc if they turned or were brainwashed somehow. And they have all faced temptations before, so planning for that possibility was just common sense. Those plans have come in handy quite a few times as well.
But this is different because this child had not yet made any decision regarding his path in life. As far as Batman was aware by then, Jon “could” have been more. There was always the possibility that he would just be normal. And yet, he still went behind his friends’ backs, running tests on their baby without their knowledge or consent. And since it was Batman doing this, then they would have known it was done in preparation for a potential battle with their child.
And that would be a massive strain on their relationship. The idea that Batman is already formulating ways to hurt their own kid in the event anything went wrong. It’s a massive betrayal of trust and one that could have ruined Batman’s friendship with the Man of Steel. There was already some friction between him and the Kents as hinted in Future State, but it’s possible that this may have been the first crack in their bond.
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