The relaunch of Batman has already proven a massive success for DC Comics, unleashing a new creative team and new Bat-arsenal to match. But just as fans were getting used to Bruce Wayne’s brand new Batsuit, the superhero’s most impossibly powerful costume has made a surprise return to canon, after going missing for more than a decade.

Batman’s Invisible Stealth Suit Finally Returns To His Arsenal

The Cutting-Edge Batsuit Could Be Bruce Wayne’s Most Advanced, Period

Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez have kicked off their new era with a completely new style for Batman, emphasizing his superheroics with new gadgets, a new Batmobile, and a new status quo in Gotham. Promising more short-form appearances from iconic villains, it’s The Riddler taking the spotlight in Batman #3. And it’s the return of Batman’s stealth suit used to bring the villain down.

Although unseen for much of his presence in the issue (very much by design), Batman reveals himself to Riddler, turning his Batsuit from invisible to visible and allowing the glowing golden new Bat-Symbol to deliver maximum impact. There’s no denying the new visual update to the stealth Batsuit is successful, even if it opens up a potential plot hole concerning what Bruce Wayne does and doesn’t use in the field.

Batman’s Stealth Suit Raises A Massive Question About Bruce Wayne’s Wardrobe

Introduced in Superman: Unchained #2 by Scott Snyder, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair

Batman in Stealth Suit from Superman Unchained Comic

The glowing design and technology of the stealth suit will be familiar to readers of 2013’s Superman: Unchained, the maxiseries pitting the New 52 Superman against a government-made superweapon named “Wraith.” It was this threat which caused Batman to unveil his stealth Batsuit, able to conceal him from anyone and anything, even the Man of Steel. (An incredible, if somewhat concerning invention to keep in one’s closet.)

By actively detecting what form of technology was being used to detect it, the stealth Batsuit works to defy that detection across the full electromagnetic spectrum. Does that make scientific sense? Maybe. But anyone who wants further details is out of luck.

Stealth Batman Beaten by Wraith in Superman Unchained Comic — Batman being beaten in his yellow Stealth Batsuit by Wraith in Superman: Unchained Comic art

In an epilogue to Superman: Unchained #2 in which the stealth Batsuit makes its debut, Bruce Wayne acknowledges that his growing trust for Clark Kent tempts him to destroy a costume tailored to deceive him directly. But as always, Bruce also knows Superman would be the first person to demand Batman possess such a weapon, in case it were ever needed. However, being unseen by The Riddler is probably not what Clark had in mind.

While the suit proved capable against both Superman and Wraith in its own adventure, it was not completely undetectable in the end. Which meant it saw significant combat damage, clearly necessitating a bold (and de-caped) redesign. But the new Jiménez costume doesn’t change the fact that this Batsuit design is one readers will kill to see more of.

Batman #3 is available now from DC Comics.