WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Batman: Curse of the White Knight #7, by Sean Murphy, Matt Hollingsworth and AndWorld Design, on sale now.
As they say, the truth will set you free. In the alternate reality of Batman: Curse of the White Knight, Batman has finally uncovered the dark secrets of the Wayne family, and it has him rethinking his role in society. Edmond Wayne was murdered and replaced by Bakar hundreds of years ago. The family that Bruce Wayne descends from is from a line of pretenders, which means Azrael is the true heir to the Wayne family legacy.
Understanding this truth brings about a profound change in Batman during the events of Curse of the White Knight #7. He can no longer will himself into thinking that he is a one-man army against crime. If Bruce truly wants to change Gotham City forever, he must first deal with the corruption he is descended from and bring the era of Batman to a close.
The Curse of the Batman
For Bruce Wayne, being Batman is both a blessing and a curse. He protects the citizens of Gotham City from the darkest denizens of mankind has to offer. But at the same time, he perpetuates a cycle of violence that makes it impossible for Gotham to move on or truly rise above the corruption that infects it.
The Napier Initiative is not really an attack against Batman, but a response to the system they have all been stuck within. A villain terrorizes the town, Batman beats him up, part of the city is destroyed, the bad guy is locked away, he escapes, and the process repeats over and over. Jack Napier saw the truth and wished to break from the cycle in Batman: White Knight.
Now that Batman sees his wealth as just another symptom of Gotham's innate corruption, he sees that the Wayne legacy is one of endless violence. He knows that the only way forward is to reject this destiny and give up all the money and power that comes along with it. That means a fresh start for both him and Gotham and to do that he must confess the truth.
Batman No More
In one final gambit to unite the people of Gotham against Azrael, Batman hijacks all telecommunications in Gotham City. In an astonishingly rare feat for the Dark Knight, he proceeds to tells the truth by unmasking himself to the whole city. And as billionaire Bruce Wayne, he promises to relinquish the power that he holds as both a superhero and the rich elite.
As he says, he plans to retire as Batman and to relinquish all his inheritance in order to give back to Gotham. His companies will be dissolved and his wealth will be put into a fund to help rebuild the city and finally do some good in the world. It's all Bruce's way of rejecting his dark family legacy and finally seeing beyond the short-term of Batman's war on crime.
Part of his confession involves admitting that the role of Batman has grown larger than he ever could have envisioned when first starting out. As he says, it went from catching bank robbers to waging a one-man war against crime. While he has done good, he also says that it's kept everyone in place, without the chance to truly rise above evil.
While this admission will be the end of Batman, it's the perfect way to bring his epic career to an end. From Batman's perspective, no one can win in this system of violence, and the only way forward is to change. Bruce Wayne has seen the light and is ready to let go of his mission. Now, as soon as Batman fights his final battle against Azrael, he will finally be able to rest, once and for all.