WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Justice League #24 by Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
The Justice League's time in the Sixth Dimension has involved meeting their future selves while getting an up-close look at a utopian society. Of course, there is more to this perfect world than meets the eye, and as the Justice League is learning, all this perfection comes at a steep cost. Are they willing to pay the price? The one member who appears to be seriously considering this option is, surprisingly, Batman.
While the Justice League is imprisoned on Apokolips, the Dark Knight has been lending an ear to the World Forger, who believes the Dark Knight is the only person who can save the Multiverse from utter destruction. Step 1 in his plan saw the World Forger impersonate Superman in the future, locking the Man of Steel in a dimension devoid of sunlight. However, the most difficult step for the World Forger will be convincing Batman to turn his back on the Justice League for the betterment of the Multiverse.
Out of all the future possibilities the World Forger has witnessed, the only one that results in a win is due to Batman's machinations. He is the one who helps shape the utopian future, for better or worse, but to accomplish his goals, Batman will need the ultimate device to ferry souls from the present day to the future: the Final Bat-Suit.
One Suit To Rule Them All
Batman has constantly updated and changed his costume over the years, but the overall design has remained fairly consistent. There's a cape, cowl and utility belt, with the major differences coming from the length of the cowl ears, cape, shape of the Bat symbol and color of the overall costume.
Examples in other media can be found in TV shows, animated series and feature movies, with the most recent coming from Ben Affleck's take on the Dark Knight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. You'll remember his showdown with Henry Cavill's Superman included Bruce Wayne donning an armor suit to withstand the Kryptonian's attacks.
Of course, we should also mention the infamous Hellbat armor Batman wore when he traveled to Apokolips to bring his son, Damian, back to life. As impressive as the Hellbat is, it doesn't hold a candle to the aforementioned Final Bat-Suit the World Forger presents to Batman.
What you can't see is the interior of the Final Bat-Suit contains the Son Box, which Batman will eventually build using the Element X featured in Dark Nights: Metal. This humongous suit allows Batman to not only determine a person's mindset, but to change and rewrite it as well. The suit definitely gives off some major Pacific Rim vibes, with its futuristic design and giant bat wings. The only thing missing is a kaiju for Batman to pummel.
Now, the World Forger has a pretty good sales pitch to Batman, revealing to Bruce that he's the greatest knight the universe has ever seen. But before Batman can step into the suit of his making, the reformed Legion of Doom's mole, aka Jarro, sacrifices himself to try and destroy the armor and Son Box. Unfortunately, his sacrifice proves to be in vain, and Batman repairs it just before the Justice League make their way back to the House of Justice to face off against their future counterparts.
As things stand now, Justice League #25 is set up for an epic confrontation between Batman's Final Bat-Suit and the Justice League. Battle lines are starting to form, with the Dark Knight firmly against his comrades. Will Batman be able to convince the Justice League to switch sides, or will we see some tough choices start to be made?