WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Future State: Catwoman #2 by Ram V, Otto Schmidt & Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
Batman has always had a handful of powerful love interests, with two of his most notable ones being villains in their own right. But there's been some debate over which one is his true love, and Batman may have just confirmed who ultimately holds the key to his heart.
Catwoman was just reunited with Batman in the Future State era, and the Dark Knight's reaction to her may prove that she's truly Bruce Wayne's greatest love.
In the Future State era of Gotham City, the populace has ended up under the thumb of the Magistrate and his allies. The original Batman is believed to be dead by most, but in reality has been captured by the Magistrate and forced into a prison train moving through the city. Talia al Ghul proves to be the one most capable of rescuing him, sneaking aboard the train and rescuing Batman. But another major figure from Bruce Wayne's life is on the train -- Selina Kyle, who has arrived as Catwoman to rescue a crowd of people captured by the Magistrate and scheduled for re-education. Initially, Catwoman is unaware that Batman is aboard the train, and of Talia's mission to rescue him and recruit him into the resistance opposing the Magistrate.
Upon seeing Catwoman in danger on the train's security feed, Bruce diverts his attention to rescuing her. Finding Selena moments before she is executed, Bruce is able to rescue her before sharing a deep kiss with her. Selina and Talia are two of Bruce's greatest loves, with both villains having a solid claim to his heart over the years. Bruce shares a son with Talia, while his relationship with Catwoman has long defined their lives. This feels like the ultimate proof of which woman truly has Batman's love, though. Given the chance to escape and help Talia finally fight for a good cause, Bruce risks both of their freedom and the continued survival of the Resistance to rescue Catwoman.
But Batman and Catwoman are not reunited for long. After spending no more than a moment together, Bruce adapts his plan to assist Catwoman and her allies -- with Bruce creating a large show out of announcing "Batman Lives" and destroying the now-empty train to help cover Catwoman's actions. But their interaction ends with some hope from the Dark Knight, who suggests that Selina eventually steal something valuable to get his attention, so he can find her again after the Magistrate has been dealt with. This suggests that Batman and Catwoman may genuinely be fated to spend the rest of their lives together, as has been suggested in Tom King and Clay Mann's ongoing Batman/Catwoman series.
In the midst of the chaos unleashed by the Magistrate, it's nice to see Batman and Catwoman getting to share at least a small moment together, with Catwoman now knowing that the great love of her life is still out there, fighting the good fight. Catwoman could even potentially be a key ally for the resistance against the Magistrate and helping restore freedom to Gotham.