What Does The Ending To Batman #50 Really Mean?
1. Context Is Key
The lasting impression from Batman #50, despite the promise of there being more to come, is likely to be one of disappointment. The hype surrounding Bruce and Selina's wedding had reached a fever pitch in recent weeks, and her monologue reads - at first - like a complete contradiction of everything the series had promised - a retread of all the old clichés King, Janin et al. had managed to so successfully divest from from the beginning of their run. That's not the case though, with both Selina and Bruce having fallen victim to Bane's conspiracy.
While yes, this does feel a bit cheeky of DC to shift the goal posts just that little bit further, Bat-fans should remain confident that King's Batman will reach a happy conclusion in fifty issues' time. The main concern at this stage should be that, should King depart the series, the status-quo-altering moment of a Cat-Bat marriage may never arrive; the door is very much open for another team to hop in and return the mythos to a relative state of normalcy, should DC desire.
Should King be given the opportunity to see things through and depart Batman at issue 100 however, then there's still a good chance that he'll come good on the promise of a bolder, brighter, and altogether more compelling Caped Crusader than what fans have seen in the past. Could he have conveyed this message in his first fifty issues? Absolutely, but contextualising Batman #50 as the midway point through the writer's run makes the blow of no wedding just a smidge easier to take.
In any case, the next arc - which will feature Mister Freeze - is now pivotal. Here's hoping that happy moment isn't too far away...