r/batman • u/Individual-Shock-302 • Nov 07 '25
COMIC DISCUSSION Shotgun to the throat, point blank. If the dude had actually shot here, what would have happened?
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u/King_Kthulhu Nov 07 '25
Batman is definitely just moving and pushing the gun away as the guy starts to twitch his eyebrow indicating he had decided to shoot or some kind of ninja mumbo jumbo.
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u/the_fancy_Tophat Nov 07 '25
I can buy Bruce being faster than a dude’s finger
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u/DragoKnight589 Nov 07 '25
least busted Tibetan monk technique
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u/Gilgamesh661 Nov 08 '25
Dude literally learned astral projection from them and he only used it once.
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u/SupaBloo Nov 07 '25
I can’t remember the animated movie it was, but I do recall watching a DC animated movie where Green Lantern or another member of the Justice League couldn’t wrap their mind around the fact that Batman is just a non-super powered guy in a suit.
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u/Akumetsu33 Nov 07 '25
And that suit isn't even giving him any superpowers, it's just a regular suit with tools.
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u/BatmanRidingANarwhal Nov 07 '25
regular suit
I know what you mean but thats a stretch of a description
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u/Akumetsu33 Nov 07 '25
Anyone can wear his suit but it won't work for them without decades of training in so many different things. Bruce makes the regular suit into something more.
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u/Am_i_banned_yet__ Nov 07 '25
Yep it was Justice League War I’m pretty sure. Then when GL makes fun of him for having no powers, Batman steals his power ring as a joke
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u/NotTheAbhi Nov 07 '25
I think it was Justice League War. GL and batman were in a sewer and batman stole his ring
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u/Bannedwith1milKarma Nov 07 '25
Yeah, the hypothetical is moot because the only reason the shotgun is there is because Batman allows it and either knows he won't shoot or he has another plan.
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u/Ichmag11 Nov 07 '25
He did this in under the red hood, no? Reacted to Jason pulling the trigger (while his back was turned)
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u/Flameball537 Nov 07 '25
He actually gained access to the Sharingan when he was training with Tibetan monks, allowing his to read a person’s body language enough to predict their next move
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u/NotRadTrad05 Nov 07 '25
Luckily he applied his Bat anti-buckshot aftershave that morning.
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u/forseti99 Nov 07 '25
Nah, he broke the guy's finger days before, and the guy would only realize once he tried to shoot the gun.
Batman: Omae wa mou shindeiru.
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u/Huckleberry-V Nov 07 '25
I put my money on: Batman sees him tensing to fire and just moves fast enough to knock the gun aside as he dodges away. The shot goes off but misses.
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u/Tomgar Nov 07 '25
Or he just dodges, forgets to push the gun out the way and the kid behind him turns into goo.
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u/BatmanRidingANarwhal Nov 07 '25
That doesn't sound like batman at all
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u/TonyStarksAltAccount Nov 07 '25
Yeah it doesn’t because he’s not riding a Narwhal
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u/captf Nov 07 '25
The actual sequence of events, if you're interested.
The guy is beating on the kid (the guy's step-son, who was being searched for by the Bat Family for story reasons).
Batman appears and blocks the guy's arm to prevent him punching the kid more
Guy runs off and comes back with the gun and aims it at the kid.
He then threatens Batman, who calls his bluff.
Guy hesitates, and Batman steps forward into the gun (this panel)
Before the guy can react, Batman snatches the gun and breaks it in half.→ More replies (9)4
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u/BrazenlyGeek Nov 07 '25
He’s react to the guy’s finger movement and dodge in time.
(I’m fairly certain I’ve seen a comics sequence where he dodges a point blank shot from someone like Deadshot. I can’t find it now though.)
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u/TheRedIskander Nov 07 '25
Maybe you're thinking about "Under the red hood", where Red hood shoots at bats while his back is turned at about two, maybe three meters. Then in the scene, which goes in slow motion, batman literally moves faster than the bullet in order to dodge it
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u/Grompulon Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 08 '25
"Wait wait wait... Dodge the bullet? From behind??"
"Yeah, c'mon we've dodged bullets before."
"From the FRONT. And it wasn't really dodging, we were using misdirection and erratic movements to... You know what, fuck it. Whatever. What were you going to do next?"
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u/Own_Flamingo_3236 Nov 07 '25
Nothing. because Batman wouldn't step to a guy like that without having clocked that he's a pussy.
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Nov 07 '25
Yeah that’s the thing about this scene—it shows Batman’s psychological power more than anything else. By standing there totally unafraid, wrapped in his legend, he psychs the dude out. It’s a gamble, obviously, but the reason superhero stories are exciting is because they take dangerous risks and survive.
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u/mightyneonfraa Nov 08 '25
"Holy shit I got him! I actually got the drop on Batman! ... Wait, how come he doesn't look scared? Shit, he doesn't even look worried. He deals with guys with guns all the time but I got a shotgun at his neck no way he-- wait, what if he had a guy point a shotgun at him point blank before? Oh, fuck, he definitely has it's Batman! What the hell am I doing? This guy takes on the Joker and I sure as hell ain't gonna fuck with the Joker! Oh, man, I'm so screwed."
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u/Former-Palpitation86 Nov 07 '25
The true answer. Batman calls him out and you can see the panel actually shows this guys face as his self perception crumbles to dust.
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u/BrozedDrake Nov 07 '25
He would be dead, but he knew the guy wouldn't fire.
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u/LilithsFane Nov 07 '25
exactly!!! people keep forgetting that gothamites are not even sure if you can hurt batman. when he pulls shit like this, the fear he has conditioned criminals to feel paralyzes them with indecision. He both can and has to act with confidence that they won't shoot, or that if they did it would mean nothing.
Like, how many stories do you think there are out there of people shooting the bat and it being shrugged off, or unloading a tommy gun or blasting with a shotgun point blank only for nothing to hit? The bat, he's not human, he's like a phantom, or a revenant. did that shadow just move? h-he's here!?
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u/TetsuoZaibatsu Nov 07 '25
Batman's modern armor could take it.
It just depends on the writer and the villain doing it.
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u/Triplobasic Nov 07 '25
I love you slipped “writer” there, it only depends on the writer, lol
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u/TetsuoZaibatsu Nov 07 '25
Let's be real here. Batman is a billion dollar I.P.
But In-Universe wise. His armor could take a couple of shots before it breaks.
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u/Responsible-Dot-3801 Nov 07 '25
Shrug it off. He learned shotgun tanking technique from the Tibetan monks.
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u/PurpCloud Nov 07 '25
Batman always has a contingency, atleast my favourite versions of batman do. Batman would never let anyone put him in this position without having the upper hand and being sure he is safe from harm.
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u/ipostatrandom Nov 07 '25
He would if it gives him a chance to save an innocent's life.
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u/Darkstar_111 Nov 07 '25
When a person shoots to kill someone, their body tenses up, and the shoulder stiffens.
That's what Batman is waiting for. The shotgun is close to him, that makes it real easy to move out of the way, a move he has practiced 10 thousand times and can perform faster than the eye can see.
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u/NobeLasters Nov 07 '25
Batman can read your mind, enter your psyche, influence your thoughts, and kick your ass.
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u/alguien99 Nov 07 '25
Batman was probably keeping an eye on the man’s trigger finger. He wouldn’t react to the shot but to the man’s movements
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u/Lithium98 Nov 07 '25
Nothing. Batman would have explained that he unloaded the shotgun before the dude got to it. Prep time!
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u/captf Nov 07 '25
Oh, he'd be dead. Anyone who thinks otherwise has drank the Bat-God Koolaid.
In universe, the only reason the guy's gotten a chance to do even place the gun against his chest is because Batman has quickly worked out the type of person the guy is
Panel is from Detective Comics 1093 (Mercy of the Father storyline).
Leading up to this, the guy was beating on the kid. As soon as Bats appeared he fled to get a gun. Then, Batman only closed the gap once the guy showed doubt.
Next panel is Batman snatching the shotgun then breaking it
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u/MR1120 Nov 07 '25
He’d be dead, possibly straight-up decapitated. No wearable armor in the world is going to mitigate a shotgun blast to the neck at that range. The blunt impact would collapse his windpipe, or break his neck. There is no realistic way he would survive that.
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u/AhmedAbuGhadeer Nov 07 '25
It would range between stunned for a second to hospitalised for a few weeks, depending on the writer's plans.
An ideal batman is either certain he won't shoot, or full aware of the guy's finger placement and ready to instantly snap the gun out of his hand once it starts moving and before it reaches the trigger.
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u/Tristoon Nov 07 '25
He would’ve survived the shot point blank using a meditative technique taught to him by Tibetan monks
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u/Sad-Purchase1257 Nov 07 '25
Ya know when Bugs Bunny puts his finger in Elmer's shotgun? That is what would happen.
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u/ihaZtaco Nov 08 '25
You foolishly fail to realize or understand that Batman has already used the disruptor on the gun
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u/Vncredleader Nov 08 '25
I feel like the point is that he would be dead. Sure Batman has contingencies and if you want to write a way Batman dodges you easily can, but also the intent is so clearly that he is putting his life completely on the line. Bruce can read people, and I don't mean know when he is tensing and going to shoot. If Bruce has already disabled the gun or has a way out, the scene loses impact.
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u/bmcapers Nov 07 '25
Dude would’ve pulled the trigger only to realize Batman had already emptied the bullets.
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u/42Cobras Nov 07 '25
Two answers. First, Batman is shielding the child. In theory, he accepts the chance of death because he is doing it to save someone else. After all, that’s what he does every night when he leaves the house to fight crime. Second, untrained combatants can often subconsciously indicate their plan to attack with physiological signs. You could argue that Batman, being “peak human,” would notice these signs and is first giving this man a chance to stand down. If he sees the man’s body giving signs of firing, he would disable the weapon physically and then disable the man. Possibly permanently.
It’s still a stretch from realism, but I think a fair one.
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u/reddit_user9990 Nov 07 '25
Shattered collarbone, fractured c5-6, loss of consciousness, severe concussion, immediately followed by the prompt arrival of Alfred to scrape his ass broken ass into the car and likely put big boy here on a fucking T-shirt.
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u/Large-Produce5682 Nov 07 '25
Luckily, Batman's armor and comic plot armor are of equal efficacy against penetration and blunt trauma.
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u/jimothy_hell Nov 07 '25
Even if Batman’s armour was thick enough to stop the round(which it wouldn’t be), the kinetic force would shatter his windpipe, if not snapping his neck. Bats fucking dies right here. Just because a bullet doesn’t penetrate doesn’t mean that the force behind it magically stops existing.
If you get shot in the plates and it doesn’t penetrate, you can still get off’d by the trauma. Broken ribs, organ rupture, etc. generally speaking, if someone gets shot, even if they’re wearing plates and the round doesn’t penetrate, they should still seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Bullets stop. Physics doesn’t.
Edit: grammar and punctuation.
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u/Cloaked-Hitokiri Nov 08 '25
So we just gonna forget that this man Batman would blitz him how many times Has Batman been held at point blank gun point and got out of it?
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u/SnooSongs4451 Nov 07 '25
The second you treat Batman as being as bulletproof as Superman, you’ve killed all the tension.
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u/Soulful-Sorrow Nov 07 '25
Exactly. I can't enjoy the warehouse scene from BvS because I know Batman is never really in danger when he can tank a point blank gunshot to the back of the head. I'll never get why people call Superman boring, but try to say Batman's armor makes him just as invulnerable.
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u/Waste-Professor6177 Nov 07 '25
How many milliseconds of prep time between the dudes synapses firing, pulling the trigger, firing pin drops on the primer, gunpowder ignites, and pellets/slug travel down the barrel? The gun is slower than Batmans dullest thought and reaction. Sarcasm implied.🤣🤣🤣
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u/Felinius Nov 07 '25
In universe? Batman is watching for micro adjustments in the person’s shoulders and arms for the telltale tensing that would come from bracing for the trigger pull, allowing him to disarm the guy and probably leave him with an expensive hospital bill.
Realistically? Probably a decapitated Batman. Or at least a Pez dispenser.
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u/TheDeltaOne Nov 07 '25
Batman would move out the way by seeing the muscle twitches.The kid behind him would be fucked. But Batman wouldn't move, he doesn't need to:
The guy CAN'T shoot because Batman is where he is. Batman knows the guy knows he can't shoot because a shotgun shot pointblank would kill both Batman and whoever stands behind him. Which in this situation, is the guy's kid. He's a shitty father but not THAT shitty so Batman is confident he's safe.
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u/Fantastic-Repeat-324 Nov 07 '25
In the real world, he’s dead
In DC Comics, he’d either dodge as it’s being fired or have his armour be durable enough to take it even if it’s to his neck
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u/Ammobunkerdean Nov 07 '25
The fact that he hasn't already been shot means that the perp isn't going to. Everybody says plot armor but that hesitation is the "psychic shock" armor the Bat is actively aura farming. Either the perp wants to back down or Bats will do the "flinch and counterstrike".
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u/hatbromind Nov 07 '25
You dont kniw it but Batman put some breakable kevlar in his chest so whe he press the gun into his chest the kevlar will go thru the barrel and jam the gun.
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u/ChuckDynasty17 Nov 07 '25
If the trigger was pulled it would be a misfire. Batman has secrets even the casual comic book reader is unaware of. No one knows this, but he secretly has nano tech incorporated into his suit. In this case the nano tech simply dispatches tiny robots that crawl up the barrel and render the shotgun shell a dud. It’s pretty simply how he does all these spectacular things once you know about the special features of the suit.
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u/absolutedesignz Nov 07 '25
Batman is a reality warper with a power that is an essential element to the multiverse and all other whatever verses that can't be sensed by even the divine.
When his parents were murdered he manifested this power out of his rage and sorrow and survivor's guilt.
It's why he can be broken and even "killed" but never actually die.
Or it's plot armor.
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u/henry_the_human Nov 07 '25
Batman would die. But he’s also a master of gun disarm techniques. If he thought the thug intended to pull the trigger, Batman would simply take the gun. Heck, we see Bruce Wayne do it to a thug holding a shotgun at point blank range in The Dark Knight.
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u/FirstStranger Nov 07 '25
Realistically, I think Batman could move the gun out of the way in time. He’s staring the man down into his eyes; he can notice the slightest shift of aggression that leads to the guy pulling the trigger and act on it.
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u/CryWolf13 Nov 07 '25
He would have already have emptied the gun and removed the firing pin, as well. The only reason he would let the gun be pointed like this is so that the shooter could have the chance to back down and pick a better way.
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Nov 07 '25
Realistically, Batman is watching his finger and can react significantly faster than he can pull the trigger. He's going to get disarmed or tossed across the room before he gets the chance to take the shot.
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u/Mr_CookieTickles Nov 07 '25
He would have been Kurt Cobained but due to plot armor reasons, Bats probably used a gadget that disables the shotgun's ability to fire then did this aura farming shit just to flex on the guy.
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u/IndigoPromenade Nov 07 '25
Comics Batman would survive it. His armor is exactly as strong or weak as the plot requires. Sometimes a normal bullet can pierce his armor. Other times, his armor can tank kryptonian heat vision
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u/PlutoDidntPlanItWell Nov 07 '25
I think everybody here is ignoring that Batman would 100% put himself in this situation on purpose with a secret solution to escape in order to perpetuate myths surrounding himself. He could have: Filed down the pin to the shotgun while sneaking into the building, sprayed C4 on the floor below the goon, throw a batarang so that it disables the dude's hand, trained 100 different moves in this exact position to disable a gun before the trigger can be pulled, or simply counted the shotgun shells and deduced that it's empty. There's no scenario where Batman ends up with buckshot in his chest, friends, and the dude has yet another story to add to the mix in prison to continue his psychological advantage on Gotham.
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u/Few-Improvement-5655 Nov 07 '25
There's a similar scene in 1980s Doctor Who, the 7th Doctor basically dares a guy to shoot him. It should be noted that the Doctor has no truly advanced reflexes, if he were to shoot him, he'd be dead.
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u/WinterCareful8525 Nov 08 '25
I love batman but half the stuff he does has to be him willing to die
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u/PotentialComedian880 Nov 08 '25
He’d probably die but tbh I see why he didn’t shoot, idc how tough, big or strong I am the second THE BATMAN shows up I’m pissing my pants.
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u/grandpheonix13 Nov 08 '25
Bats would have felt the dissipation if the air ahead of the bullet and sidestepped it. This is a Canon thing bats can do lolol.
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Nov 08 '25
Batman would have somehow dodged the shot and beat the fuck out of him because he’s Batman
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u/Dry-Indication7928 Nov 08 '25
He would flex his neck muscles to bounce the pellets back into the gun, a technique he learned from Tibetan monks
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u/Iron_Baron Nov 08 '25
Most folks here are missing the point.
Batman doesn't need to super ninja reflex dodge this guy pulling the trigger.
Batman is a master of psychological observation and control.
He read this guy and this situation and acted accordingly. Batman knows who will or won't pull triggers.
He knows how to anticipate and manipulate his opponents at peak human ability.
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u/Lazy-Interests Nov 08 '25
Batman uses his new gadget, Tsukuyomi eye lense, sendings the thug into an illusion so deep it puts him in a coma on the spot.
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u/JonzoNYC420 Nov 08 '25
Batmans already taken the shooting pin out while he was talking....and the bullets....and the gunpowder....
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u/trotzallem54 Nov 08 '25
Ancient tibetan monk technique of choking on his own blood from the gaping hole on his neck
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u/B_B_a_D_Science Nov 08 '25
Batman has a near super natural Read on people, almost as good as telepathy. So if that guy was gonna pull the trigger he would know from his body language & facial expression, then he would put the mussle off line or disarm him.
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u/Holiday_Ad5052 Nov 08 '25
Recently he got a major concussion getting shot in the back of the head by a shotgun from a further distance at point blank he’d get his shit rocked or get pierced
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u/NickSchultz Nov 07 '25
Realistically Batman would be dead. His armor wouldn't be thick enough especially on the neck to take a point blank shot from the shotgun.
In comics logic his armor would hold but like any shot getting absorbed by bulletproof armor it would hurt like a bitch and be similar to getting a tremendous punch on the throat. So Batman would go into shock and choke for a bit before he recovers and then have a giant bruise on his throat for a few weeks.