First Image Of New Batman Costume Confirms Huge Change

Published Oct 24, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT

Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.

Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.

Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.

DC has revealed its first images of Batman's wild new costume, with details that no fan of the Dark Knight could possibly have expected. Below, we'll share the official DC images and explain why Batman doesn't look much like a bat anymore...

The Batman is a creation of Bruce Wayne's childhood trauma and thirst for justice - a symbol forged to bring righteous violence to Gotham. However, over the years, he's embraced other identities to get the job done when needed...

From his undercover identity as Matches Malone to stints as the Insider and Starman, sometimes Batman needs a secondary costumed identity to operate in Gotham. Now, he's getting his weirdest yet...

Bruce Wayne Debuts New Superhero Identity

New solicit information for Batman #17 reveals that Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez will be transforming the Dark Knight. Art from Jiménez, Dustin Nguyen and Jim Cheung showcases Batman in Cthulhu-esque armor, wielding a vicious machete. The hero is shown in a green suit and silver armor covered in spirals, with tentacle-like fabric hanging down over his jaw.

The name of this costumed identity isn't yet known, but DC has teased it rhymes with "Batman." None of H. P. Lovecraft's iconic characters seem like viable candidates, leaving the possibilities open. The issue's summary explains:

After the death of Bruce Wayne, Batman's life begins anew - adopting two identities to work multiple sides of his Torus problem in ways the Caped Crusader cannot. The Minotaur's criminal conspiracy is about to meet two new problems, and both of them rhyme with "Batman."

The acclaimed series by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez continues in this can't-miss issue!

The new identity will help Batman take on the Torus - a new unified criminal syndicate that has taken over Gotham, forging all the city's biggest criminal groups into a single organization. The group are run by the Minotaur - a mysterious, seven-fingered man who executes the gang leaders' nearest and dearest if they step out of line.

Why Batman Needs A New Identity

Upcoming comics will see "The Assassination of Bruce Wayne." Recently, six previously unknown assassins infiltrated Gotham with orders to kill its favorite son. In order to control the violence, it seems that Batman will fake his own civilian identity's assassination, leaving him free to unravel a "conspiracy" around his murder.

Given that it makes total sense for Batman to investigate Bruce Wayne's murder, it's likely that the hero's new costumed identity will play the part of another assassin working for the Minotaur, allowing Bruce to surveil his enemy in a way his heroic persona never could. Meanwhile, DC teases yet another new identity, ALSO rhyming with 'Batman', who'll take on another front in the war.

The Torus syndicate is named after a mathematical knot made of seven loops, each dependent on the rest - the structure of the syndicate itself.

No images of this second persona have been shared, but with gang leaders like the Penguin and Tozuki Crime Family leader Dantai Tozuki chafing under the Minotaur's brutal rule, it's likely that it will be a civilian criminal identity that can be used to get in among the rank and file.

DC Is Reinventing Batman To Bring Down A New Kind Of Villain

The Minotaur has been a mysterious figure in Batman comics, totally different from the unstable criminals found in Arkham Asylum. Ruthless and utterly competent, the Minotaur is as much businessman as criminal, having assembled a powerful criminal syndicate right under Batman's nose - one which now threatens to become the pre-eminent criminal enterprise on the planet.

In response, Batman will embrace a new costume and two new identities to fight back, abandoning the iconography of the bat against a villain seemingly unmoved by the Dark Knight's usual command of fear.

Batman #17 is coming January 6 from DC Comics.