10 Times We Saw Behind Batman's Mask In The DCAU

Depending on the canon, Batman and Superman have been longtime friends, rivals, or outright enemies. Their dynamic is fascinating; Batman hates the fact that he has to occasionally be Bruce Wayne, and Superman wishes he could always be Clark Kent. Despite their differing outlooks, the DCAU generally depicted Bruce and Clark as friends who had an occasional disagreement due to how they viewed the role of the Justice League.

In 'Hereafter', the world sees Superman 'die' during a battle with assorted foes. In reality, he was transported to a future where Vandal Savage had outlived literally everyone else on Earth.

Much of the two-part episode shows how the world deals with the death of Superman. Bruce simply refuses to believe Clark is truly dead, applying scientific theory and logic in place of the grief he clearly feels.

Even though he doesn't attend Superman's 'funeral', he watches from a distance, later deciding to pay his respects to the dead hero at his memorial. In a short but moving soliloquy, Bruce admits that he had nothing but respect for Clark and that Superman showed him that justice 'doesn't always have to come from the darkness.'

It's a telling moment for Bruce, revealing that even though logic says otherwise, he knows his friend may indeed be gone and that he will miss the man who showed him that it was alright to occasionally step from the shadows.