WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #89 by James Tynion IV, Carlo Pagulayan, Guillem March, Danny Miki, Tomey Morey, and VC's Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
Batman has a wide range of weapons and equipment that he deploys in his never-ending battle against crime. But sometimes, that war can risk consuming Bruce Wayne to the point that he can lose his human connections. That has happened to alternate-universe incarnations of the vigilante -- but now the core Dark Knight has taken a step closer to the precipice. Lucius Fox just helped reveal Batman's newest gadget, the Bat-Swarm. Although it could help bring down crime, it could also lead Bruce to become more like his Kingdom Come counterpart.
THE BAT-SWARM
Batman has been dealing with attacks on many of his established villains by a group of the world's deadliest assassins, which means contending with some major threats while also trying to solve a difficult mystery. While investigating the disappearance of the Riddler at the apparent hands of the mysterious Designer, Batman finds out from Lucius that Deathstroke is on the move. Not wanting to let the villain escape but unable to shift his attention away from his investigation, Batman and Lucius decide to utilize a new drone system that they've designed and hidden within Gotham City.
The robots have been printed and assembled to serve as a fleet of remote-controlled drones, and there are plenty of them already in action. Lucius refers to the system as the Bat Spawn. The drones release out of the Tricorner Yards, giving Batman a great deal of reach across the city even when he's not physically present. He uses the drones to target Deathstroke and keep him from reaching his goal, which not even Deathstroke can properly escape. On paper, it's a worthwhile way for Batman and his allies to take the fight to the criminals of Gotham, no matter where they attack. But it also has the possibility of tying Batman to a darker potential future than the one he's hoping for.
KINGDOM COME
Other versions of Batman have used drone armies to enforce his ideas of justice around Gotham City. Notably, Batman from the Kingdom Come reality resorted to creating an entire legion of man-sized drones that could act in his stead. With age finally catching up to the hero, he utilized this force to serve as the primary means of protecting Gotham. But it also separated him from the people he was trying to protect, further isolating him and turning the hero into even more of a recluse than he normally is. It took the near apocalypse to bring Bruce back out of hiding and back into the light, where he was able to wor with his friends and help restore some semblance of peace to the world. Building a fleet of drones helped isolate him for a time, and this new fleet might be the first step in that direction.
Seeing Bruce inch closer to that version of himself is always worrisome, but especially so given recent events. Tom King's Batman run saw the Caped Crusader trying to find a way to balance his own honorable desire to protect Gotham with his own need for love and acceptance. But the death of Alfred has been pushing him away from the rest of the Bat-Family, and Dick Grayson's continued memory problems mean one of his closest confidants is effectively MIA. Meanwhile, his relationship with Catwoman has become more strained than ever thanks to her participation in an old scheme with other villains.
All of these events could easily push Batman further and further from his loved ones, and more use of robotics that he can use instead as his allies in his war on crime. If so, then his new technological advancement might be the first step towards a darker future.