WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Justice League: No Justice #2 by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Josh Williamson and Francis Manapul, in stores now.


Justice League: No Justice was billed as an event series that takes superheroes out of their element and forces them to interact with characters they don't normally deal with. Brainiac has split the heroes and villains of Earth into four teams, each containing members that embody a specific cosmic energy. However, just because they share one thing in common does not mean they get along.

Two issues in, and everyone is still having some trouble working together to save the universe. Robin is fighting with Dr. Fate, Starfire is arguing with Sinestro, and Starro isn't exactly the most trustworthy of allies. However, no one has adapted as poorly to these new conditions as Batman. Used to having total control over the situation no matter what it is, being forced to work with unlikely allies has taken Batman farther out of his element than maybe even he realizes.

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Things Are Getting Out of the Bat's Control

When Brainiac initially kidnapped the Earth's heroes, Batman was one of the few who seemed to immediately trust the villain's intentions. He argues with Robin over whether or not it is the right call to trust him, but he's ultimately willing to go along because it is for the greater good. He's cool with the abduction, fine with being changed while he's unconscious, and seemingly OK when he's asked to work with the likes of Lobo, Deathstroke and Lex Luthor. What Batman has not signed up for is a situation that is out of his control.

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The second Brainiac's head goes boom at the end of the first issue, he's ready to completely ignore everything that was said about cosmic energy, working in teams, and stopping Omega Titans. He's Batman, and he wants things under his control. This is why he immediately suggests that "The League will take point, reform the teams on our own terms," which seems to ignore the entire point of everything that has just happened.

It's not exactly a new idea that Batman is a control freak. Based on the way he operates in Gotham, with so many known associates, he needs everything to be on his terms. Batman relies on intelligence and preparation to get the job done, and he's not about to go in blind when he's on an alien planet surrounded by teammates he has never worked with before. Unfortunately, these are the exact worst qualities to have on a mission as crazy as this.

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Instead of relying on balanced teams with well-rounded abilities in battle, everyone needs to embrace the idea that the unfamiliar and uncomfortable is better in this situation. Batman can't really do that, which makes him an ineffective leader here. It isn't until Lex Luthor steps in and actually supports Brainiac's decision making that everyone decides to continue as planned. Considering how well the teams have performed on Colu, Batman might have doomed the entire universe if he had managed to get his way.

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When Order Meets Chaos

Batman is an agent of order. Everything he does is calculated to control the chaos that surrounds him before it can swallow Gotham City whole. It's an interesting idea to place him on a team that embodies chaos, instead of, say, a team that runs on data and intelligence. It's clear Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williams and Francis Manapul want to say something specific about Batman as a human being -- however, the man himself doesn't seem to get the message.

The purpose of Team Entropy is to spread chaos wherever they go. They choose to trigger the Tree of Entropy by starting a jailbreak that promises to unleash as much chaos as possible. The problem is Batman doesn't know how to truly embrace that chaos. When forced to fight the escaping prisoners and their guards, Batman orders the rest of the team to "get in formation." Not only does this group have no formation to get into, that's not even the spirit of the team he's on.

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In opposition to Batman's order, Deathstroke calls him out by saying "If we're Team Entropy, let's go down breaking stuff." It's really the only way that makes sense if this team wants to live up to its purpose. They want to create as much chaos as possible, and formations are the opposite of that. This is the only way they end up breaking through the riot in order to find their ultimate target.

In every other scenario, you want Batman leading you in battle. He's a tactical genius who knows his way around a battlefield. It just feels like on this particular mission, where the goal is to basically do the opposite of what comes naturally, he's not the guy to turn to. Batman doesn't really know what he's doing here. Hopefully it doesn't end up getting anyone hurt.

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