Warning! Spoilers ahead for Justice League Unlimited #4!I know we all love the idea ofSupermanandBatmanbeing best friends, but there’s another hero who’s just as worthy of that title. We all like to joke about the Dark Knight being a solitary crusader, but everyone who really knows himknows Batman has a huge heart.
To be fair,Superman and Batman are twoof the biggest pillars in the DC Universe and I don’t doubt for a second that they’re absolutely close. But whilethe Justice League dealswith their latest skirmish, Batman searches the world high and low for his super friend.
Batman and Martian Manhunter are Two Underrated Best Friends
Bruce Wayne Shows Up For a Friend in Need
The newly revamped and drastically expanded Justice League has been taking on some of the strangest cases since it came back together. InJustice League Unlimited #2by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Ariana Maher, the team is dispatched to Costa Rica to investigate reports of missing children and a nest of alien eggs. Doctor Occult and Martian Manhunter do some digging when the latter drops a bomb. Since Amanda Waller’s attack on the metahuman community,several of Martian Manhunter’s powers, including his telepathy, have yet to return.
Curious about the power swap and its fallout? Make sure to readAbsolute Power #4andJustice League: The Atom Project!
J’onn loses control of his temper when fighting the alien behind the abductions and disappears into the wind. Unfortunately, the Justice League can’t waste time searching for him due to an attack on the Amazon Rainforest inJustice League Unlimited #3. Of course, they manage to spare Batman, who begins traveling the world in search of J’onn.It isn’t untilJustice League Unlimited #4that Batman finally tracks Martian Manhunter down to Egypt, where the hero is living in exile.
Batman refuses to let Martian Manhunter wallow in self-pity…
Martian Manhunter tries to get Batman to leave, but Bruce refuses, empathizing with J’onn saying that he knows that the hero is missing several of his vital powers. Martian Manhunter is indeed moved by Batman’s words, but J’onn believes he’s of no use to the Justice League in his condition. Batman refuses to let Martian Manhunter wallow in self-pity and says that, as a friend, Bruce can’t let J’onn stay like this.Batman calls Martian Manhunter the Justice League’s North Star and promises that they will solve J’onn’s problem together.
Batman Has Always Valued Martian Manhunter’s Friendship
The Two Have So Much More in Common Than Batman and Superman
It comes as no surprise that Batman would be the one to find Martian Manhunter. I mean, let’s be real, these two are some of the greatest detectives in the DC Universe, so when one goes missing, you’d send the other to find them, right? J’onn and Bruce both have a knack for mystery solving and the two have worked on dozens, if not hundreds, of cases together. Heck, the two of them are two prominent members of the Guild of Detection. Butit’s not just mystery solving that brings Martian Manhunter and Batman together, it’s their shared history.
…but who’s one of the last people to say goodbye? Batman.
What’s important to remember about Martian Manhunter is that he’s been in nearly every incarnation of the Justice League (or, as Batman says in just this issue, “J’onn, in many ways, youarethe Justice League”). While his role in the Justice League hasn’t been as consistent, Batman has almost always been right there with J’onn, ever since they united to fight off an invasion of White Martians. These two have a solid, mutual respect for one another andthat respect gave way to a very real friendship between the Justice Leaguers.
If there’s one scene that shows that these two are indeed close friends, just readFinal Crisis: Requiem. When Martian Manhunter is killed by Libra and the Secret Society, the entire hero community holds a funeral for J’onn, but who’s one of the last people to say goodbye? Batman. And what does he leave for J’onn? A Choco cookie, one of the things J’onn loved most in his life. I know that Bruce is a deeply sentimental person, but that moment isthe most touching example of how much Batman cares for one of his closest friends.
Batman and Martian Manhunter Have an Understanding Superman Doesn’t Get
No Slight Against Clark, But Bruce and J’onn Just Get One Another
Martian Manhunter might have a similar power set to Superman, but personality-wise, he’s so much more like Batman. Both J’onn and Bruce are fantastic detectives who lost people close to them and often have trouble connecting with others. But they understand each other in a way that the rest of the League doesn’t. While I still thinkSupermanandBatmanare good friends, Clark has nothing on Bruce’s friendship with Martian Manhunter.
