AZRAEL (spoilers)

[The Guard]

What the heck is going on? He has super powers now. And he's getting darker. And according to May's preview, he's going to put on that damn AzBat armor again.

Please don't let it be him behind MURDERER. He's come so far. I don't want to see him turn villain. But look at the 2002 SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS. Weird stuff.

[Joe Wagner]

Somehow, if they make Azrael behind Murderer I think it would be the biggest cop-out in the world. Truthfully I think it would be far more interesting to have it be a last prank left by the Joker. If the Joker found out who Bats really was then what better, last laugh present to leave to his favorite adversary - giving 'ol Bruce a chance to feel like a criminal and be locked up in jail.

Just a thought.

-Joe!

[Clayface]

I kind of doubt its gonna be Joker. It just doesn't seem his style. And its been implied in many issues in teh past that the Joker couldn't care less who Batman is - he's more concerned with the game they play, and that it continues.

[Joe Wagner]

Originally posted by Clayface
I kind of doubt its gonna be Joker. It just doesn't seem his style. And its been implied in many issues in teh past that the Joker couldn't care less who Batman is - he's more concerned with the game they play, and that it continues.

True, but then again it could be considered a continuation of their game. Think about what happened to poor Brucie in the ROTJ movie - mainly becuz the Joker knew who to target. You're probably right tho, I seriously doubt it would be the Joker - heck, it's probably someone we'll never suspect or a new villain or something.

-Joe!

Imaging Alfred the criminal mastermind behind Bruce Wayne: Murderer :D

[Clayface]

Originally posted by jjwspider

heck, it's probably someone we'll never suspect or a new villain or something.


Ugh. I hope its not some new villian! That would be horrible!

So far, I've not been disappointed with anything that Rucka and gang have given us - I mean, there were many, many times that my jaw dropped during NML. So, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say thay're gonna produce again for us in this storyline. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

[Justice League 2000]

if bruce really did it then i will be really really sad :( or it could be bane because

1. bane went in to batman house in knightfall bane and broke the
batman.

2. bane knows that bruce wayne is batman.

it might be bane friends bird zombie or trogg.

and hello my good friends. :)

[Joe Wagner]

Hmmm...Bane would be an interesting pick - altho I think it would be great if one of the classic villains was behind it (Joker or Two-Face) then again it really doesn't fit the Joker style (like Clayface said earlier). Any chance the Killer Moth could make a comeback and actually be a force to be reconned with?

Any who I really hope that they finally decide on a costume for good 'ol Azrael and finally decide to keep it. (Did anyone get reminded of Event Comics' Ash with his last costume?)

-Joe!

[Clayface]

I don't think it will be Bane either. In one of the recent issues (Birds of Prey maybe? or Nightwing? I can't remember!) they put out the idea that maybe the person that set up Bruce didn't know his identity to begin with. That maybe this person manipulated events to cause Vesper to hunt out Batman's identity, and then, once the identity was known, Vesper was killed.

[The Guard]

THEORY.


POSSIBLE SPOILER


It had to be Ra's. Think about it. Rucka and Grayson have advanced the plot the most. And who has been a key figure in BOTH their books over the last year or so? Ra's.

[Clayface]

Originally posted by The Guard

It had to be Ra's. Think about it. Rucka and Grayson have advanced the plot the most. And who has been a key figure in BOTH their books over the last year or so? Ra's.

Possible, but I'm thinking not. Again, it doesn't fit with what was just hinted at in the recent issues - Ra's already knows Batman's identity.

[The Guard]

Yes. But consider:

Ra's has reason to hate Batman, to want to make him appear a villain to even his closest friends.

Ra's has the ability to bypass Manor and Batcave security.

Bruce knows who's framed him, or so it would appear. Looks to me like it was Ra's, and there gonna be a showdown...at least I hope so.

Look at what's happened in the books. Hell, Ra's messed with Dick because HE COULD. Just to send Bruce a message.

[Clayface]

If that's what they do with the story, I'm going to be terribly disappointed. #1, its lame, and #2, they already did the Ra's screws with the Bat family "just because" bit - i kinda doubt they're going to do that again. I also don't like this idea that Ra's would hate Bats. Yes, their goals are set against each other, but Ra's has always had a great respect for Bats.

[The Guard]

For the love of-Just IM me, man. We can talk for real.

THEGUARD13

[The Guard]

I hope to God that Clayface is a guy. Or I'm gonna feel reeeeeeal stupid.

[Clayface]

Hehe. Sorry, I don't have IM. And I am a guy. ;)

[The Guard]

Not a problem. We'll just light up the board.

[JL Man]

I don't think it's Ra's either. Ra's has a style. Framing Bruce is not it. Ra's wouldn't kill Vesper either, even if he did kill someone close to Bruce one day. He would kill, say, Dick or Babs. Plus, yes it would be cheap.

[Joe Tully]

Ra's is too obvious. Any good storyteller would eliminate Ra's first off in their mind because it is just too obvious. Everyone and his grandmother expects Ra's to be behind things when something like this happens. As Clayface said, he's been there, done that.

[CadaverousEyes]

Funny how this started out as an "Azrael's powers, psyche, and costume" thread but immediately became a "who's the murderer" thread.
*jumps on the bandwagon*
My picks are either one of Luthor's hired guns, or Hugo Strange. Strange seems almost too obvious of a choice, but Luthor's probably seething over Wayne cutting off all government ties in his company. He's not the kind of guy that lets that kind of behavior go unpunished.

[JL Man]

I don't think it could be Bane either. Babs did research and found that he was South America (and Ra's was was in a desert somewhere a long way away.) Plus Bane is an assassin, he wouldn't miss three shots. Of course, he wouldn't use a gun anyway, he would kill someone with his bare hands.

[James Harvey]

I think the killer is...Jason Todd! :)

I was thinking for a time it could be Hugo, but they recently used Strange less than a year ago. I also thought Ra's, but he's been everywhere's recently and this seems beneath him to be honest. There's a big chance it's Lex Luthor. I wouldn't be surprised there.

And as for AZRAEL, rumor has it the title may not make it to issue #100...

[The Guard]

JASON TODD IS DEAD.

We saw a body. And unless Ra's Al Ghul used the Lazarus Pit on him (Making me right :) ), then it wasn't him.