clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

The Homer's Guide: The Dark Knight Feels the Heat

Gotham is quiet. Commissioner Gordon stands on the roof of the Gotham PD, the Bat-Signal lit. 

Batman: Who is he?

Gordon: He's a physical freak. He does things I've never seen a human do. He can jump nine feet in the air. He's killed twenty-eight men; we've found twenty-six of their heads. He ripped a cop's arms off and beat him to death with them. He escaped from Arkham at eleven years old, a prodigal child who, while generally reserved, is prone to fits of uncontrolled and violent rage. 

Batman: Does he have a signature?

Gordon: No weapons. He uses his bare hands. His superhuman speed and strength make him impossible to apprehend.

Batman: Do we have a name?

Gordon: They call him Vontaze.

Wayne Manor, morning. Bruce Wayne watches the news. 

News Anchor: ...and Vontaze killed again last night, removing the spine from a city councilman and stabbing his wife with it. 

Wayne: When does it stop, Alfred?

Alfred: Mister Wayne, men like that can not be stopped by other men. They must stop themselves. 

Wayne: I can't just sit around until this guy decides to stop his rampage.

Alfred: He's not too dissimilar to you, Mister Wayne. You both think you're invincible, and you both aren't. And men who think they're invincible will always make a mistake.

Wayne: So I'm supposed to fight him until he makes a mistake?

Alfred: You're have to fight him because you can take it. You can take the punches that regular people can not. 

Wayne Enterprises. 

Wayne: What have you got for me Lucious?

Lucious Fox: Here's the newest prototype. It's a beanbag grenade, high-density rubber pellets. It attaches here, at the hip of your utility belt. Just throw it at Vontaze, and the shock of the explosion should stop him. Now, he's freakishly strong, so it could take two or three to bring him down. But each impact should propel him back up to 45 feet. 

Wayne: Why are they yellow?

Fox: It adds an extra visual stimulus. 

Wayne: Will it work?

Fox: There's no guarantee you'll win. But that hasn't stopped you before, has it?