While exceptional detective work has always been a key characteristic of Batman, Bruce Wayne shows that he is still a brilliant detective without all the gadgets in DC’s new podcast series Batman Unburied. Produced by Phantom Four and Wolf at the Door in association with Blue Ribbon Content, the weekly audio drama is a gripping and dark take on the World’s Greatest Detective.

We are introduced to Dr. Bruce Wayne, forensic pathologist with no recollection of being The Dark Knight. Voiced by Winston Duke, this version of Bruce still maintains his genius-level intellect and unmatched human intuition, as well as a very high level of empathy which he employs when performing autopsies on the victims of The Harvester. This allows Bruce to step into the shoes of the victims and visualize what happened to them in hopes of finding any clues.

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Winston Duke Batman

In Season 1, Episode 1 “Kind Of A Night Person,” as he is examining the victim we get a look into his process of investigation which is unique yet familiar all at once. It is unique in the way that he attempts to almost become the victim during his visualizations, yet his fervent attention to detail is endearingly familiar and evocative of the earned alias: World’s Greatest Detective. This incarnation of Bruce also possesses an unrivaled work ethic as is made apparent when his father Dr. Thomas Wayne (voiced by Lance Reddick) points out that legally, forensic pathologists can only perform 250 autopsies in a year, while Bruce has examined over 300 already.

Typically, Batman utilizes an array of different devices for his work as a detective. Most recently in The Batman, he uses a contact lens camera that allows him to capture and isolate everything he sees at the first crime scene. The gadgets combined with his intellect and undeniable will, allow him to be as thorough as possible. Whereas in Batman Unburied, Bruce uses a different method in trying to gain insight into the crimes he is investigating. Bruce deploys his empathic visualizations and inductive reasoning.

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It is later revealed that Bruce was a few steps ahead of the GCPD when Detective Barbara Gordon discovers Bruce already knew that a close friend of his was a potential target of the Harvester. This shows that Bruce doesn’t need to rely on all the devices to help him make progress on a case. He is still inherently an outstanding detective due to some of his core traits and the standard at which he keeps them. Even though he doesn’t seem to remember being Batman, he was still able to apply himself in a way that was getting him results.

As Batman, Bruce is known for being intensely methodical; constantly searching for clues almost to an obsessive degree. He usually has many tools in his utility belt available to support him on these cases. In Batman Unburied, with the absence of these gadgets, we get a raw and intimate look into Bruce's mental process which reveals that his true power is his intelligence, unwavering diligence, and tireless will. With echos of his past as Batman coming in intermittently as subtle flashbacks, he may need to continue to rely on his adept wit as Bruce Wayne to regain his seemingly lost memory and apprehend the illusive Harvester.