Batman Secretly Dislikes 1 of DC’s Most Influential Heroes

Summary

• In 2006’s
  Justice League of America
  #1, Batman blocked Hawkman from joining Justice League, due to his mistrust of the hero, as a result of their differing crimefighting styles.
• Despite Superman and Wonder Woman arguing that Hawkman’s inclusion on the roster would benef the team, Batman vetoed Hawkman’s membership due to concerns over his brutal tactics, and lack of personal trust for the long-time DC hero.
• Batman prioritizes minimizing damage in combat, leading to a clash with Hawkman’s aggressive methods; Hawkman is first and foremost a warrior, and is known for putting down his enemies more brutally than Bruce Wayne would prefer.

It’s no secret that Batman doesn’t get along with that many people. He’s a deeply paranoid and anti-social man, and is not quick to make friends in most situations. What might be surprising though, is that his dislike for one influential DC character actually led him to block this hero from joining one iteration of the Justice League. Because of Batman, Hawkman wasn’t able to join DC’s most elite superhero squad.

In Justice League of America #1 – by Brad Meltzer, Ed Benes, and more – Batman specifically states he does not want Hawkman on the Justice League because of his penchant towards violence and aggressive attitude.

This occurred during one of their meetings to decide who gets to join the Justice League next, as the DC Trinity went over the possible list of candidates. Certain characters like Powergirl were admitted almost immediately, while others, like Vixen, were stated to not be ready yet. Hawkman, however, was specifically vetoed by Batman due to Bruce’s personal dislike of the other man’s style.

Hawkman, also known as Carter Hall, is one of the most fearsome and brutal warriors in the DC Universe…Batman is no stranger to violent tactics, but it seems this is too much for even Batman to accept.

Batman Admits That Hawkman’s Violent Nature Is A Step Too Far For Him

Justice League of America #1 (2006) – Written By Brad Meltzer; With Art By Ed Benes & Dick Dillin, Ink By Mariah Benes, Sandra Hope, & Dick Giordano, Color By Alex Sinclair, And Lettering By Rob Leigh

Hawkman, also known as Carter Hall, is one of the most fearsome and brutal warriors in the DC Universe. Using his large mace, he tends to bludgeon his enemies into submission. Batman is no stranger to violent tactics, but it seems this is too much for even Batman to accept. This resulted in Bruce revealing his true feelings on Hawkman, and simply refusing to allow him to join the League, specifically stating he didn’t want to confuse violence and anger with leadership. Even as Superman tries to make an argument about how useful Hawkman would be, Batman simply shuts him down.

Batman cannot abate from violence entirely, but he does try to avoid excessive violence. Hawkman is a warrior, and he tends to put his enemies down hard – and this is a major reason why Batman isn’t a huge fan of his. Batman has trained all of his Robins to take down criminals in the fastest way possible, with the least possible damage. He has often criticized former Robin Jason Todd for using tactics that were unnecessarily violent. It makes sense that Batman would hold his teammates to the same standards, which is an obvious clash with Hawkman’s fighting style.

Batman cannot abate from violence entirely, but he does try to avoid excessive violence. Hawkman is a warrior, and he tends to put his enemies down hard

– and this is a major reason why Batman isn’t a huge fan of his.

Batman Flat Out Vetoed Hawkman’s Membership In The Justice League

Batman destroyed Hawkman’s chances of joining the Justice League because of this disagreement in fighting styles. Hawkman usually goes up against mystical enemies, so some extra violence isn’t too absurd, but moving over to the Justice League would have him fighting much more common, and mortal, enemies. It makes sense that Batman would be concerned about how Hawkman would fair in a situation like that. So, while the Justice League absolutely would’ve benefited from having Hawkman on the team, it’s something Batman went out of his way to prevent.

Justice League of America
#1
is available now from DC Comics!