WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Justice League #24 by Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
For some time now, DC fans have been obsessing over Jarro, enjoying the alien starfish's new role as Batman's sidekick. Jarro's warmed our hearts, not just as he basks in the ambition of being better than every single Robin, but due to his jokes and the way he even has Bruce Wayne showing him affection as a ward.
And while many assumed the offshoot of Starro the Conqueror would one day turn on the Justice League because he's pure evil, honestly, Jarro's been nothing but genuine and virtuous. Sadly, with the heroes in the Sixth Dimension trying to figure out the key to stopping Perpetua and the creature Lex Luthor's being turned into, we now discover Jarro has a very tragic destiny lined up for him.
Jarro's fate was always up in the air, as folks did see him potentially betraying Bruce. But without evidence, it's hard to back that claim, especially as we see him going all out to save the Fourth Dimension in the League's absence. As the imps from the Fifth Dimension attack, Jarro's fighting, guns blazing, making it fun and games but never compromising on saving the world. And it's no ruse at all; he's legit, as we find out when the League confronts the World Forger in the Sixth Dimension, detailing Jarro's fate as one of the biggest heroes fans could ask for.
As John Stewart, Wonder Woman, Flash and company escape from the tyrannical Lois Lane and her troops on Apokolips, their unlikely saviors, an all-new Legion of Doom, reveal they have a mole inside the Forger's headquarters. We don't find out who, but the older Sinestro, Cheetah, Grodd and Darkseid make it clear the League must finish the job this person started, which is destroying Batman's final Bat-suit.
This mech-like suit was used by the Sixth Dimension's Dark Knight to rewrite the minds of the universe's inhabitants so they could be integrated into this new utopia. The Forger's now found telling the prime universe Bruce it's up to him to finish the job his Batman started, using the suit to clear everyone's minds and select who survives when the Fourth and Sixth Dimensions are merged.
The final few pages reveal Bruce has sadly accepted the task, donning the suit and joining the Forger as the League confronts his own twisted crew. It's there we get confirmation Jarro was the spy the Legion had and he actually destroyed the suit, or most of it.
Now, though, the mainstream Bruce fixes the suit and buys into the Forger's plans to rewrite reality and stop Perpetua's genocide. It's tough to see Batman giving in like this, and as he joins the Forger in opposing his own League, clearly it's a moment Jarro wouldn't be proud of.
We know the Sixth Dimension's Batman died mysteriously, and the one under the cowl presently is Dick Grayson, so it's also hinted Jarro took his dad out in some epic battle in this realm. We do know from the Forger and League's exchange that Jarro went down fighting, sacrificing himself by standing up to the man he looked up to like a father figure, so it appears the fight exacted a heavy toll.
No matter what, Jarro simply couldn't let his "dad" alter the minds of innocents, whether they were heroes or criminals. Hopefully, the League finds a way to stop their Bruce from following through with the Forger because everything, including Jarro's future, depends on it.
Since Bruce grew Jarro from Starro's body at the end of No Justice, the kid's really been a treasure and we'd love to see him grow up and finally become a beacon of hope for the League, living up to Batman's legacy.
Justice League #25 goes on sale June 5.