Batman Tried to Learn Magic as Part of His Training (And Failed)

It's no understatement to say that Batman has dedicated his entire life to fighting crime in Gotham City. To do this Batman's traveled the world and trained for most of his life in order to become a master detective and one of the most accomplished martial artists in the DC universe. But for all his years of training and commitment to protecting the innocent, there's one skill that Batman has never been able to master: magic. But evidence shows that Batman is capable of learning magic if he really wants to. He just isn't very good at it.

The Dark Knight is known for being skeptical of all things supernatural, preferring to use his muscles, his gadgets, and his intellect to fight crime instead. Despite his aversion to magic, Batman accepts help from DC's magical community when the situation calls for it. Even when he's on his own there have been instances of Bruce Wayne using magic. In Superman/Batman #15 Batman employs magic to prevent Superman from being possessed by the ever-underrated Deadman. Additionally, in the digital-first comic Superman: Man of Tomorrow #19, Batman fights an evil, parallel Superman by casting magic on himself, explaining that "Batman does what he needs to win."

What's important to note is that whenever Batman has used magic, he uses the backward spells commonly used by DC's resident magician, Zatanna. Zatanna is a childhood friend of Bruce, and the two of them share a close bond. So if Batman did ever learn magic, Zatanna would be the easiest reference point for him to use. A flashback in Detective Comics # 959 by James Tynoin IV and Álvaro Martínez expands on this concept, showing a scene where a teenage Bruce tells Zatanna that he's been trying to learn magic from her father Zatara. According to the flashback, Zatara tried to show him some sleight of hand tricks but stopped short of teaching him actual magic because the future Batman was never quite able to figure it out.

Magic in the DC universe can be unpredictable, difficult to control, and absurdly powerful for those who do master it. Yet apparently Batman wasn't able to grasp how to use magic, despite the fact that Batman studied under dozens of other teachers across multiple disciplines in order to perfect his training. Had Bruce shown an aptitude for magic in his early years, then it's entirely possible that Zatara might have kept training him long enough for Batman to use it on his own!

There's no doubt that Batman would be a much more threatening crime fighter if he did incorporate magic into his arsenal of skills, but fate had different plans. As it stands today, the criminals of Gotham can thank their good fortune that they won't have to fight a version of Batman who's mastered the art of magic.

Superman may be one of DC’s most powerful heroes, but even he can’t defend the world by himself. Fortunately, the Man of Steel has a brand new ally to help him protect Metropolis - a hero by the name of Ambush Bug, DC’s version of Deadpool.