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One question has lingered over 'The Dying City,' the final arc of Chip Zdarsky’s almost three year run as writer of DC's core Batman comic: Who is William, and is he truly Bruce Wayne's brother? In this week's concluding issue we finally find out for sure...
The threat of William Pureford – or Wil, as he prefers to be called – was introduced at the end of last October's Batman #153, when this mysterious antagonist pursued legal action against Wayne in the hope of gaining "legitimacy" as the heir to his fortune. This is not the first time that Batman comics have flirted with the idea of Bruce having a secret sibling, of course, but 'The Dying City' arc committed to it by quickly revealing that Thomas Wayne really did embark on a brief affair with Pureford's mother, many years ago. But does that make Wil his son?
Spoilers for Batman #157
Let's cut to the chase: No, Wil is not Bruce Wayne’s brother. A DNA test is taken and it's quickly established that the two are not related.
What's perhaps more interesting, however, is Wil's reason for dropping the case against Bruce – which he does before the results of the DNA test come in. In a quiet scene between the two men towards the end of the issue, he reveals what this has all been about.
Wil was persuaded into filing the case against Bruce and decided to go along with it largely to make a point and to scare him. He has grown up knowing that the two might be related while also hearing about Bruce’s tiresome celebrity exploits. He's grown frustrated at how he has seemingly frittered away his wealth instead of using it to help people (Wil, for his part, is a doctor – and of course doesn't know that Bruce is secretly using his money to fund his career as Batman). The goal with all of this was to remind his "brother" that his wealth could fall away at any moment. "You should always feel in danger of losing it," he says in the issue's most pointed line of dialogue. "That's how the rest of the world feels, paycheck to paycheck."
The two part on reasonably good terms. Wil doesn't want any of Bruce's fortune or even to know if they are related or not. He's happy in his own life and just wants things to get back to normal. He does, however, use it as an opportunity to give Bruce a (slightly unnecessary) pep talk about using his life to help others. It's a noble sentiment, though it does slightly make you want to grab Wil, give him a good shake, and shout, "He's bloody Batman! He's done a lot more to help than you, mate."
Elsewhere in the issue, Zdarksy and artists Jorge Jiménez and Tony S. Daniel wrapped up the run with an all-action finale. Batman shot the wings off the airliner that Leonid Kull was fleeing in and miraculously managed to land it in Gotham without killing anybody. He then grappled with and defeated Commander Star – AKA the KGBeast. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon beat up the Riddler, leading to Edward Nygma’s latest arrest.
Speaking of Jim, he's planning to return to the force, even if that means working under Vandal Savage. In a classic Batman and Gordon moody rooftop meet-up, he admits to still feeling intense guilty over his affair with Koyuki and his part (even if mind-controlled) in Nakano’s death. Bruce sums up the big theme of this final arc and what he has learned through Wil, that people are flawed and that the best anyone can ever try to be is a decent human being. And with that he takes to the air ready for his next adventure and the return of Hush…
Batman #157 is out now from DC.
The original Hush is one of the best Batman comics of all time.
