Among the heroes of the gods and alien powers, Batman is one of the few members of the Justice League without any superpowers – yet, he remains one of their most effective leaders. However, the Justice League did co-cast his Hellbat armor in DC Comics, giving the Dark Knight his own powers while also giving him a suit of armor so dangerous that he had to fight them to use it.
Batman has worked with the Justice League since its inception, but one of the most controversial moments with the super team was when he wanted to use the Hellbat armor the super team had built. The armor is powerful but also very dangerous, because when wearing the armor and gaining his own superpowers, Batman’s metabolism is depleted, slowly killing him. However, Batman realizes he needs a boost in order to defeat Darkseid, and decides to fight in Hellbat armor against the wishes of the Justice League. The result is one of the deadliest yet most powerful Batsuits Batman has ever seen.
In Batman & Robin #33 alongside Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleeson, Mick Grey, John Calizes, and Carlos M. Manguel, Batman rebelled against the Justice League after attempting to leave Earth to deal with Darkseid’s invasion of Earth. However, the Dark Knight also wanted to retrieve Robin’s body on Apokolips and revive his lost son. Batman attempts to reach the Hellbat armor at Justice League’s space headquarters, but encounters resistance from the super team. Batman claims to use the mighty armor he conceived with the Justice League, as its origins are revealed, as it is forged from each hero’s specific strength.
However, after softening the Justice League, Batman will return to JL HQ and steal the suit again – Lex Luthor (who was working with the Justice League at the time) tells him that the more he uses it, the more it depletes his metabolism. Turns out the Hellbat armor was enough to stop Darkseid. Its advanced symbiotic artificial intelligence allows him to fly, shoot powerful blasts of energy from his chest, defend himself against attacks from mammoths, and possess stealth. After resurrecting Robin, Batman nearly commits suicide because the suit depletes his metabolism to near-lethal levels.
Batman’s Hellbat armor will appear in future DC Comics stories, but the hero’s first use of it shows just how dangerous and powerful it really is. It gives Batman his own powers and enough power to stop Darkseid and save Robin. While it almost cost Batman his life, and even the Justice League tried to stop him from knowing enough about it, it could have killed him. However, like most things, the Dark Knight’s quest cannot be stopped.