The following article contains spoilers for Batman: Knightwatch #4, on sale now from DC Comics.

As a series intended for younger readers, Batman: Knightwatch portrays the titular hero more light-heartedly than most modern Batman comics. However, like many other "family-friendly" pieces of Batman media, Knightwatch isn't afraid to draw upon the darker elements of the Batman mythos to deliver an emotionally-challenging experience that stays true to the character's tragic roots.

In Batman: Knightwatch #4's "The Fear Factory" (by J. Torres, Marcelo Di Chiara, Carrie Strachan, and Saida Temofonte), multiple members of the Bat-Family find themselves face-to-face with their greatest fears courtesy of the Scarecrow's fear toxin. While many other Batman stories aimed at a younger audience have pitted the Bat-Family against their fears, "The Fear Factory" takes things one step further than most by showing how those fears were spawned by the most traumatic moments of the associated member's life.

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Damian Wayne's Robin is Afraid of Failing His Family

Batman Knightwatch Damian Fear

Aided by the Knightwatch, a sort-of neighborhood watch made up of kids and teens equipped with surveillance technology, the Bat-Family tracked the recently-escaped Scarecrow to the "Factory of Fear." This factory was a twisted fun-house the villain had been using to torment unsuspecting civilians with their own worst fears. While they were able to successfully rescue the members of the Knightwatch who'd alerted them to Scarecrow's location, each was exposed to the self-proclaimed Master of Fear's toxin in the process.

While wandering through a hall of mirrors, Damian envisioned reflections of his grandfather Ra's al Ghul, his mother Talia al Ghul, and his father Bruce Wayne, all of whom dismissed the Boy Wonder as a failure. As the heir to both the Wayne and al Ghul families, Damian's life has always been defined by his desire to live up to both sides of his lineage's lofty legacies, with his visions of his disapproving parents showing just how heavy the struggle to honor his conflicting bloodlines weighs on him.

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Nightwing is Still Haunted by His Parents' Deaths

Batman Knightwatch Dick Grayson Fear

Hearing his adoptive younger brother's anguished cries for help through the team's radio, Nightwing (Dick Grayson) searched for him. He succumbs to the fear toxin and imagines himself swinging through the air on a damaged trapeze bar. Just as he realizes where he is and what's about to happen, the ropes securing the trapeze bar snap, sending him plummeting through an abyss to what he believed to be his death

Dick Grayson became Nightwing after seeing his parents fall to their deaths after their famous high-wire act was sabotaged by the vengeful mobster Tony Zucco. His progression from helpless orphan to competent vigilante is an almost perfect reflection of Bruce Wayne's transformation, one that hinged upon his ability to confront his fears. While Nightwing has been shown to enjoy the thrill of sailing through the skies, the idea that he might meet the same fate as his parents has corrupted the protector of Blüdhaven's otherwise unconquerable love of heights.

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Batgirl is Still Traumatized by the Joker

Batman Knightwatch Barbara Fear of the Joker

Upon realizing that both Damian and Dick had fallen victim to Scarecrow's toxin, Barbara Gordon attempted to call Batman for help, unaware that she'd also breathed in the fear-inducing chemical. Finding herself face-to-face with a door that slowly morphed into the grinning visage of the Joker, Batgirl fled further into the depths of the Fear Factory and right into the waiting clutches of the Scarecrow.

Although the Joker's life-long vendetta against Batman has impacted the lives of many of the Dark Knight's closest allies, tormenting the Gordon family has become a hobby for the Clown Prince of Crime. In Alan Moore and Brian Bollard's seminal graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke, the Joker paralyzed Barbara by shooting her through the spine and drove her father to near insanity through physical and psychological torture. In the decades since, the Joker continued to use the Gordon family to cause the Dark Knight pain, instilling in Barbara a severe fear of anything remotely related to clowns.

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Batman's Only Fear is Losing the Bat-Family

Batman Knightwatch Batman Fear Family

Having successfully subdued and captured every member of the Bat-Family that'd set foot in the Fear Factory, Scarecrow was more than happy to invite Batman inside. He was prepared to watch the Caped Crusader succumb to his fear toxin as his proteges had. However, Batman was seemingly unaffected by the toxin and made his way straight to the Scarecrow's control room, eventually knocking the villain out with a single punch. When asked how Batman overcame the fear toxin, he revealed that Scarecrow had already confronted him with his greatest fear -- losing his family again.

The senseless murder of Batman's parents, Thomas and Martha, has always been a pivotal moment in his life. It inspired him to dedicate his life to fighting crime and impacting his ability to form meaningful relationships with others. While Batman's initial decision to train his many proteges was motivated by a desire to give vulnerable children the means to protect themselves, this ever-expanding web of allies has become a second family to him. Having already lost one family, it's no surprise that Batman's greatest fear is losing his second.