WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #111 and Detective Comics #1041, available now from DC Comics.
In both of his main ongoing titles, Batman's latest run-ins with Gotham's worst villains have tested his mental fortitude and the limits of his body. Both Batman and Detective Comics have the Dark Knight facing either chemical or parasitic control. Between Scarecrow's new and improved Fear Toxin and Hue Vile's Detective Comics parasite, DC has put a spotlight on the underlying fragility of Batman. The Dark Knight might be the most accomplished non-superhuman hero in the DC Universe, but moments like these underline Batman's humanity and showcase just how dangerous Batman's line of work can be for humans.
In Batman #111, by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, and Tomeu Morey, Batman is hurting bad after an intense fight with the RoboCop-esque Peacekeeper 01. Industrialist Simon Saint has unleashed his Magistrate police force loose to crush Gotham's vigilantes with Mayor Nakano's approval. Saint was able to manipulate the mayor by causing numerous terrorist acts around the city and blaming it on the Unsanity Collective, a group of hi-tech anarchists. Batman was on the verge of defeat at the hands of Peacekeeper 01, but Ghost Maker rescued him in a death-defying aerial rescue attempt. While his wounds are being mended, Batman reveals he tracked Peacekeeper 01 to Scarecrow's location. Batman heads to intercept but Scarecrow is one step ahead of the Magistrate and Batman. He infects Peacekeeper 01 with a mega-dose of his new Fear Toxin, just before he pulls the rug out from underneath Batman and infects him as well.
Batman is also under the influence of Hue Vile's deadly rage toxin in Detective Comics #1041 by Mariko Tamaki, Dan Mora, Jordie Bellaire, and Aditya Bidikar. After being infected by a parasite as a child, Hue Vile was captured by The Jury after his near-fatal run-in with Huntress. Hue Vile was infected with a strange fungal parasite when he was young, and its bloodlust grew as he matured. Vile found an ability to infect others with the parasite and forcing them to go on homicidal rampages that satisfied his own parasite's violent needs. Penguin and The Jury, a group of rich Gotham villains, harvested the rage toxin and shot it into Batman after they ambushed him. Luckily (or maybe not), Huntress was also infected with Vile's parasite in a previous issue and can sense the parasite growing in Batman's body.
Huntress and Oracle will have to think fast now that Batman is infected and Vile and The Jury can use the parasite's link to Batman's brain to discover all of Bat-Family's secret identities. Now that Penguin and the Jury can control Batman's newfound rage through Hugo Vile's parasite, Batman could be used as a pawn to destroy the city he's devoted his entire life to protecting.
It's Batman's tenacity, smarts, and fierce spirit that make him one of the most formidable heroes on the entire DC roster. But it's his humanity that also makes him incredibly susceptible to things like disease, aging, and chronic injury. Batman might be able to fight gods, confront alien invasions and go on universe-spanning missions, but these latest issues have truly highlighted Batman's humanity and just how easy it is for his enemies to take over his mind.
Batman is famously absent of superhuman abilities which is what makes his appeal and lore so legendary. But in times like these, Bruce Wayne's humanity makes Batman incredibly strong, but uniquely vulnerable as well. Batman has a unique ability amongst crimefighters to empathize with former enemies like Harley Quinn and Catwoman, and he never kills his foes even when he is probably justified in doing so. This is what makes Batman's latest debacle so scary. He's not only lost control of his mind to his enemies, but he's in danger of losing the very qualities that truly separate him from all the other masked villains that want to send Gotham City into eternal chaos.