Oracle Has Been Turned Into a Living Computer – CBR – Comic Book Resources
After Oracle was captured by Failsafe, it turned her into a living computer. This scenario is eerily similar to what happened to Batman in Injustice.
The following article contains spoilers from Batman #128, on sale now from DC Comics.
Batman's battle against Failsafe has taken a turn for the worse. His secret contingency has now taken control of Gotham. However, even though it was intended to replace Batman, it has become a more ruthless version of him. Batman #128 (by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles) ended with Failsafe not only in control of the city but also in control of one of Batman's closest allies — Oracle.
It has seemingly turned her into a living computer, hooking her mind up to machinery to help it combat crime in Gotham. This is eerily similar to what became of the Batman from the Injustice universe. Or at least, what could have become of him. In a possible ending where he lost the war against Superman, Batman was transformed into a living computer to prevent rebellion and crime. It would seem this idea has now taken the form of Oracle.
Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe #1 (by Tim Seeley, Freddie E. Williams II, Jeremy Colwell, and Wes Abbott) shows a nightmare scenario where Superman won against Batman and restored his Regime over the Earth, rather than kill Batman, he corrupted him with technology from Brainiac's ship, turning him into a living computer. His position in this new world order was to not only monitor the behaviors of criminals and recommend how to counteract them, but to even predict the behaviors of ordinary citizens. Essentially Batman was used to accuse people of "thought crimes"
It essentially turned Batman into not only an instrument of oppression but also the destruction of the right to one's own mind. It was a horrifying scenario for him, and one he could not escape on his own. Fortunately, the miniseries ended with his son and a band of rebels freeing him and overthrowing Superman's regime. If one good thing can be gleaned from this story, it is that it's possible to free someone from this ordeal.
Oracle seems to be in the same situation now. She has been hooked up to a number of machines, and Failsafe seems to be using her as a means to predict or at the very least track crime. While it hasn't reached the state of accusing people of crimes they haven't even committed, it is still a massive violation of her freedom and her mind to use her as a tool.
Her being under Failsafe's control also makes Batman's job more difficult. Not only was she perhaps the only one who could defend him against Failsafe on a digital battlefield, but her skills are now being used to fight the entire Bat-Family. The one consolation is that Failsafe's technology isn't as advanced as Brainiac's. If Batman could be saved from Superman's bonds, then Oracle has a strong chance of regaining her freedom without any consequences.
Amer Sawan is a reader, writer, and gamer and lover of all things nerdy from Florida. He is a graduate from the University of Florida with a B.A. in English. He has spent the past year writing for CBR. In his free time Amer enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends, both as a Dungeon Master and as a player. Follow him on twitter @AmerSawan3 and feel free to comment on article suggestions.
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