Batman & Catwoman: A Major DC Death Shatters the Future Bat-Family

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman/Catwoman #7, available now from DC Comics.

Batman has long been defined by his code of ethics, and he expects others to hold to those same ideals. The most sacred tenet he holds is his code against killing, with the keen awareness that breaking such a cardinal principle is to break against the ideals of the Bat-Family. And although one of his possible future children has held up his legacy, in doing so she may have just lost one of her most important family connections.

Batman/Catwoman #6 by Tom King and Clay Mann features a genuinely heartbreaking moment for Helena Wayne, daughter of Batman and Catwoman, that shows how a killing could plunge a dagger into the heart of the Bat-Family of this era.

Batman/Catwoman has been exploring a possible future of Gotham City. After spending years happily married and having a daughter named Helena, Selina Kyle was forced to deal with the eventual quiet death of Bruce Wayne. Despite his final requests to her to let the past go after his death, the former Catwoman quickly moved to steal vengeance for herself by hunting down the retired Joker and killing him. Every bit the detective and hero her father was, Helena investigated the act and -- after spending Batman/Catwoman #6 together moving across Gotham City -- finally got her mother to confess to the crime. Batman/Catwoman #7 reveals that Helena quickly revealed this truth to GCPD Commissioner Dick Grayson, who responded by moving agents into position around Wayne Manor.

Despite the sheer number of people he'd brought with him to arrest her, Selina seems to go along quietly and willingly -- only striking at Dick Grayson's emotions by noting Bruce had always told her Robin's costume featured so much yellow in an attempt to convince someone like the Joker that Robin wasn't worth killing. Later that day, Helena finds herself in the Batcave, speaking with the Batman costume her father left as a memento. She explains that with the evidence she's procured, there's no way even the kind of lawyers the Wayne fortune can afford will be able to ensure her freedom. In many ways, Helena has proven herself a worthy heir to the Batman legacy, putting the ideals of justice and the laws of man against her own heart and emotions.

However, this has clearly left Helena shaken and just wanting to discuss the matter with her father. But even in the world of superheroes, Helena can't reach through the gates of the dead to see her Dad again. She can't understand why Bruce would ever marry a criminal like Catwoman, admitting that Selina just isn't like Bruce or Helena. She leaves the cave, apologizing to Bruce's memory about how much she knows her father loved her mother, and saying "I loved her too," hinting her feelings about her mother have been irrevocably changed by the final revelation that she was indeed a killer all along. It's a somber moment, and one of the last ones shown from this period before the issue cuts back to the present day, except for the reveal that Selina has a plan to escape captivity, having truly never changed.

It's a tragic moment, especially for Helena Wayne. In the future of Batman/Catwoman, things have remained tense and mysterious. The Bat-Family has been suggested to still exist, having come to surround Bruce in his final moments. But now, all Helena has been shown with has been Dick Grayson. It seems that Helena, much like her father before her, often finds herself alone in her crusade. And now, this betrayal from Catwoman might have shattered what faith she still had in her family as a unit. In one fell swoop, the Catwoman of this future may have done more damage to her Bat-Family than any single villain in this timeline.

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