Batman and Dr. Otto each had their own reasons, and from an objective standpoint, both of their arguments held water.
However, this was merely a difference of opinion during a normal conversation, hardly even a conflict.
Batman was not omniscient or omnipotent; there were far too many things in this world that he didn't understand.
Therefore, since Dr. Otto hadn't reached any concrete conclusions regarding the identity of the Shield Man, Batman briefly recapped the details concerning the Enchantress, Norse mythology, and related matters.
He hoped to glean some information he didn't already possess from the scientists on North Brother Island.
This time, however, no one spoke up. For this group of scientists, even though they had already witnessed a deity like Khonshu, the Moon God, who defied the laws of physics, they still preferred to seek explanations through a scientific lens.
Concepts like the Enchantress, Norse mythology, and runes were simply too ethereal and abstract to discuss constructively.
Dr. Banner, however, showed a hint of interest in the runes. It wasn't that he intended to study them himself, but rather that they reminded him of someone.
"I don't know how much you all know about Reed Richards," Dr. Banner said. "His life story is practically an open book, except for that space mission a few days ago."
He wasn't referring to the space mission itself, but to something else:
"Back when I was in Dharavi, I tried to contact him—the smartest man in the world—to help me find a solution to the Hulk problem. But for various reasons, I never managed to get in touch with him."
Batman, the other scientists, and even Robin remained silent, waiting for Dr. Banner to continue.
"It was during that time that I noticed he had a close friend in college named Victor von Doom," Dr. Banner said.
Dr. Otto spun around in his chair, rapidly tapping away at his keyboard, before shaking his head at Batman. "I can't find any information on this person."
"If he were that easy to find, I probably would have contacted him myself long ago," Dr. Banner replied with a smile. "He isn't American; he's Latverian."
"A nation in Eastern Europe," Professor Connors noted.
Dr. Banner nodded. "Exactly. From what I gather, Victor von Doom is not only well-versed in physical sciences, but he's also highly proficient in natural sciences and the humanities. If there's anyone capable of deciphering runes, or diving deeper into Norse mythology... he might be our only option."
Batman and Venom Robin exchanged a look, silently agreeing not to mention the Ancient One.
"Traveling all the way to Eastern Europe to find someone is harder than looking for a needle in a haystack. And his college classmate, Reed Richards, has now become part of that 'Fantastic Four' group or whatever, making him impossible to contact as well," Dr. Otto said, shaking his head in frustration.
Although these scientists had been staying on North Brother Island, they weren't completely cut off from the outside world.
They even had their own information channels to learn about the name "Fantastic Four," which was still unknown to the general public. After all, they were top-tier scientists in their respective fields.
Venom Robin had remained largely quiet, listening intently on the sidelines for quite a while.
To him, these bizzare stories of gods and ghosts were far more entertaining than dry, academic knowledge.
It had been a long time since a group like this had gathered to discuss anything on North Brother Island. Even Batman wasn't as cold and detached around them as he had been in the beginning; from time to time, he would throw out questions he didn't understand for the scientists to answer.
"It seems our primary focus right now should still be manufacturing Adamantium, and then we can take things one step at a time to look for clues about the runes and Norse mythology... Though, as for that Enchantress you mentioned, we really haven't heard a single thing about her," Professor Connors said.
After chatting for a bit longer, just as Batman was about to wrap up the discussion and return to work, Professor Morbius suddenly spoke up.
"Batman, something has actually happened to me recently that I can't quite comprehend."
In an instant, everyone, including Batman, immediately fixed their gaze on Professor Morbius.
Professor Morbius was still wearing his signature coat—black on the outside, red on the inside—over a button-up shirt. Combined with his gaunt, grayish-black face, which had yet to return to its original human appearance, he looked almost exactly like a legendary vampire.
"The Fantastic Four are being protected by the U.S. military, right?" Morbius began, stating something everyone present already knew. "The reason is that high society believes their genes can bring about a transformation in themselves."
Batman trusted that Professor Morbius wouldn't bring this up without a reason. Thus, he shared the conclusion Tony Stark had gathered after some deep, thorough discussions with several high-society women:
"I have a source of intelligence indicating that they all seem to have received guidance in their dreams."
"Exactly, and that's the issue." Professor Morbius looked deadly serious, making his face appear somewhat sinister. "I had that dream too."
"What?!" Dr. Banner gasped. His posture instantly tensed, jerking out of his relaxed lean against Dr. Otto's lab bench.
Batman felt a sudden chill. He immediately pressed, "Do you remember the specific details of the dream?"
"I do, and the memory is crystal clear," Professor Morbius said. "In the dream, a green figure stood behind me, telling me about the benefits of acquiring the Fantastic Four's genes."
"I couldn't tell whether the figure was male or female, which is why I didn't bring it up earlier when you were talking about the Enchantress."
"However, there are two crucial pieces of information that I think you need to know, Batman."
Batman gave a solemn nod, signaling Professor Morbius to go on.
Encouraged, Morbius nodded back slightly and continued, "First, the language they used was definitely not English. Nor was it French, Russian, Chinese... or any language I recognize."
"Second, the reason I remember it so clearly is because I was almost fully lucid during the dream. The figure wasn't even able to finish speaking before they were swept away by a black mist."
Batman frowned. "A black mist?"
"Yes... well, maybe not a mist, but rather a mass of countless, densely packed black threads woven together like cotton," Professor Morbius corrected his description.
At the mention of black threads, the scientists' eyes once again converged on Batman.
Every one of them had been beaten by Batman at some point, and they all had a vivid impression of the pitch-black threads he shot from his hands.
Batman remained stoic, completely ignoring the scientists' looks.
Professor Morbius continued, "Within that black mist, I saw a monster. It looked like a strange bat that crawled on its legs."
This time, even Venom Robin looked over at Batman.
"No," Morbius corrected himself once more. "A different description might be more accurate..."
"It was a giant spider with bat wings."
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