DC fans are well aware that Batman is prepared for any given situation, including if someone as good as Superman goes bad and needs to be taken down. But not only that, Batman is ready to go in case of an all-out Kryptonian invasion. At least, in his home city, as Batman has turned Gotham into the ultimate trap for Kryptonians.
It is well noted that Batman has a way to stop every member of the Justice League should they turn on the world. These are known as ‘Batman’s Contingency Plans’, and each one is more devastating than the last. For Wonder Woman, Batman has created nanites that he can inject into her body, which would trap Wonder Woman’s mind in a simulation where she will perpetually battle an unbeatable enemy. For Aquaman, Batman created a version of Scarecrow’s fear toxin that would make Arthur afraid of water, leaving him dehydrated and weak. And for Superman, there are a great number of contingency plans due to his unstoppable nature, plans that include nuclear weapons, Red Sun radiation, magic, and–of course–Kryptonite. What’s interesting about Batman’s many contingency plans for Superman are the sheer number of them, which both speaks to the Kryptonian’s strength and his weaknesses. It was originally believed that only Kryptonite could take Superman down, but Batman’s Contingency Plans prove that Superman can be beaten in a number of ways. And, Batman has made sure his entire Bat-Family is well-equipped with the means to exploit those Kryptonian weaknesses.
Batman Arms the Bat-Family with Anti-Superman Gadgets
In Detective Comics #1061, “Gotham Girl, Interrupted” by Sina Grace and David Lapham, Gotham Girl is fighting Huntress after Huntress quite literally interrupted Gotham Girl while she was trying to kill someone who was allegedly involved in criminal activity. Gotham Girl is someone with practically all the same powers as Superman, and arguably greater strength depending on how far she wants to push herself (as doing so actually shortens her lifespan). However, Huntress is able to slow Gotham Girl down significantly with a weapon that is described as being a compound that marries “benzos and elephant tranquilizer”. Huntress then elaborates on where she got this anti-Kryptonian weapon, saying, “Batman’s equipped us all to deal with Superman-level threats.”
Even Robin Is Equipped to Stop Superman
The fact that Huntress is saying ‘us all’ when talking about the people Batman is giving weapons to indicates that literally every hero or antihero in Gotham is given anti-Kryptonian weapons. Huntress is a member of the heroic Birds of Prey and has worked alongside Batman occasionally, sure, but she’s hardly someone who’s particularly close with Batman. This means that if Huntress has this tech, it’s safe to assume that Batgirl, Batwoman, Nightwing, Red Hood, Damian, and maybe even Catwoman also have gadgets that can stop a Kryptonian at the drop of a hat. These range from Kryptonite to advanced tech to magic – when Robin took on Gotham Girl in Batman Vol. 3 #77, he used a magic wand to bypass her powers; famously a major Kryptonian weakness.
Superman’s Super-Senses Don’t Work in Gotham
Not only has Batman equipped every crime-fighter in Gotham with the means to challenge a Superman-level threat, but Gotham itself is already Kryptonian-resistant. As revealed in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #10, Gotham is overrun with lead-lined buildings, which means Superman’s x-ray vision doesn’t work throughout the city. Batman has taken advantage of this happy coincidence to turn Gotham into a Kryptonian maze filled with blindspots where his allies can be waiting with anti-Superman weapons. In short, if Superman ever goes bad for real or a horde of Kryptonians invades Earth, they better not go to Gotham, as Batman has turned the city into the ultimate trap for Kryptonians.
