WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from Justice League #47 by Robert Venditti, Eddy Borrows, Eber Ferreira, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
As a founding member of the Justice League, Batman is not only one of the greatest superheroes in the world, but he is also generally regarded as one of the smartest. But in the latest issue of Justice League, the World's Greatest seems is unaware of a critical piece of information, and the normally infallible detective is unable to figure out how to rescue his team from impending doom. Aside from his peak physical condition and mastery of several fighting techniques, Batman is also known for his brilliant mind and understanding of tactical situations. He has been able to solve complex puzzles presented to him by the Riddler in seconds and seems to have a plan for every possible scenario.
In the Justice League's most recent mission, the team must delve deep into the realm of Tartarus to bring back Jim Corrigan, the man tasked with keeping the vastly powerful Spectre in check. As the League searches for Corrigan, they encounter the Greek god Tartarus, the enraged master of the realm.
As the team battles the ancient god in Justice League #47, Batman makes the startling statement that he was unaware that Tartarus was a god in addition to being a place. Wonder Woman then takes a moment to explain to the "Master Detective" who Tartarus is, adding that he is the living embodiment of Hell.
It is puzzling, and more than a little troubling that Batman was unaware of this fact, especially when he has access to one of the finest pieces of technology in the world in the form of the Bat Computer. A simple Google search would have given him this information, and this particular lack of knowledge doesn't make much sense for a person who has made a career off of being prepared for anything.
On the other hand, Batman has shown in the past that he has a particular deficit in his knowledge base when it comes to magic and the occult, often needing to consult with experienced magic users such as Doctor Fate, Zatanna, or even Wonder Woman when faced with magical adversaries. Still, with the frequency with which magic appears in the DC Universe, it is at the most detrimental for Batman to conveniently overlook gaining at least a working knowledge of the occult and at the least neglectful and unexpected for the man who always has a plan.
This gap in Batman's knowledge comes back to bite him later in the issue. When the entire League is nearly defeated by Tartarus and literally trapped in the god's chains, Superman turns to Batman, expecting the Bat to have a plan for dealing with the situation. In a moment that is as sad as it is terrifying, the Dark Knight has nothing.
With Superman already having a well-documented weakness to magic, it makes no sense and is completely out of character for Batman to not be prepared for these type of circumstances. It is also strange that such a self-reliant character would feel comfortable having to rely on the expertise of others whenever an issue of magic comes into play.
With all the experience Batman has under his belt as one of the very first heroes, it only makes sense that he would have some kind of contingency plan set up for dealing with magical forces...or at least a very good reason supporting his decision to not do so.