Not Scared of Batman? I Promise You His New Costume Will Change Your Mind

Spoilers for Absolute Batman #5! DC Comics recently launched its Absolute Universe to critical and commercial acclaim, with this continuity’s Batman acting as a totally new and totally different take on a character well-known for his exorbitant money, high-tech gadgets, and selection of specialized batsuits. Not exactly cut from the same cloth as his predecessor, Absolute Batman is a hulking brute of a hero who uses grassroots tactics in his war against crime, including a terrifying new costume element that’s a far bloodier and pointed affair than what fans are used to.

Introduced without all the money, Batcave, butler, or orphan origin story (Martha Wayne is alive in this continuity), Absolute Batman proves that a little can go a long way with his retrofitted construction vehicle Batmobile, mini remote-controlled Batmobile, and weaponized bat cape doing wonders to set this bare-bones iteration of the character apart from what came before.

Absolute Batman uses costume spikes to spike through a goon on his back

In the latest chapter of Absolute Batman, Bruce is pushed to his limits, forcing him to utilize the hidden spikes in his batsuit’s shoulders in a way that pushes the boundaries of Batman's already questionable crime-fighting tactics in an even more brutal direction.

Absolute Batman Uses Hidden Spikes in His Suit To Become an Even More Terrifying Vigilante

Absolute Batman #5 - 2025 (Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta)

Absolute Batman has spiked shoulders that he carries a stuck goon on while fighting

Getting into it in this issue with the Absolute Universe’s version of Black Mask and his squad of animal-themed goons dubbed the Party Animals, Batman uses the sharpened ends of his scalloped cape to take on henchman after henchman as he stabs and slashes with abandon. Jumped by a large muscle head of a foe next, this skull-wearing lackey leaps onto Batman’s back, and with a flex and a scream, Batman hulks out, with at least five spikes shooting from his suit that tears right through the Party Animals’ arms, leaving him stuck to Batman like a fleshy second cape.

Get Ready, Absolute Batman Is About to Unleash Its Own Mr. Freeze

Another addition to Batman's alternate rogues’ gallery is on the horizon as DC teases the arrival of the Absolute Universe's Mr. Freeze in April.

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By adding suit spikes that activate on command, Absolute Batman repurposes a previously revealed batsuit feature in a brutal new way, acting as an effective offensive technique that’s an admittedly scary thing to see in action. And while Batman will never break his “no-kill” rule, after witnessing him using these spikes to puncture bloody holes clean through an enemy without so much as a thought as to what and where said spikes might be spiking, it’s clear Batman has set a record for how far he can hurt someone without killing them, a terrifying thought for anyone crossing his path.

Absolute Batman’s Spiked Suit Is Only One Part of This Less Flashy Dark Knight’s Arsenal

Absolute Batman Has Shown off His Spikes Before

Comic book panels: Absolute Batman reveals the spikes on his cape. — Absolute Batman Scares Off Party Animals DC Image-1

Not having nearly as many gadgets tucked away in his utility belt as his main continuity counterpart (this Batman barely has two pennies to rub together on a good day), it makes sense that Absolute Batman’s batsuitis his utility belt, with his shoulder spikes, bat-ear knives, chest logo hammer, and more, reinforcing his reputation as the stuff of nightmares. Batman may have lost some of his mystique in DC’s main continuity, but as Absolute Batman reminds fans here, Batman is meant to be a terrifying monster of the night, with this brutal batsuit-based tactic supporting that dark portrayal perfectly.

Absolute Batman #5 is available from DC Comics.