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I've seen a page from a comic numerous times where Bruce Wayne is chosen as a Yellow Lantern, due to his ability to "instill great fear". Here's half below (I couldn't find the first half, where the ring approaches him, but you get the idea).

enter image description here

Obviously, in this moment he's surprised and reacting by instinct. The last panel makes it clear that he didn't even understand what was happening.

But it does raise the question, why doesn't Batman seek out a Yellow ring? God knows he's ok with using fear as a weapon, and he's got the imagination and willpower to use a power ring well. He's failed to measure up to being a Green Lantern because of his inability to get over the fear of losing his parents, but presumably the Yellow Corps wouldn't have such a requirement.

No doubt his friend Hal would have something to say about Batman working with Sinestro, but still, Batman and a Yellow ring seem like a match made in a terrifying, terrifying heaven.

Have we ever gotten any stated reason, in any canon, about why Batman doesn't want such a weapon, or why he doesn't consider it worth seeking out? It seems like, for a fear-monger obsessed with gadgets and ultra-preparedness, a fear-based weapon capable of producing any gadget with a thought would be the ultimate expression of his own ideal.

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  • Don't yellow rings take control over the wearers? Sinestro has some control over them.
    – user16696
    Commented Feb 7, 2015 at 3:37
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    Why does everyone assume that Yellow Lanterns are bad guys or working with Sinestro? As you said, Batman already uses fear as his primary weapon and it would be a match made in heaven. I highly doubt Batman would become evil if he wielded a yellow ring. Pretty sure it rests on the person that wears the ring to decide whether he/she is evil. Sinestro is a perfect example of this, he was a Green Lantern at one point, but still had the lust for power and committed highly questionable acts. The yellow power battery didn't do these things to him.
    – Robert
    Commented Feb 7, 2015 at 16:16
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    Sorry, Robert, but I am going to have to disagree. The very premise of the Yellow Lantern Corps is that its members delight in their power to cause fear and suffering. As much as Batman uses fear as a weapon, he does not want people to suffer and Sinestro is not the poster child for "good deeds, done cheap." He subjugated his entire planet so that he could establish what he considered order. To Sinestro and members of his Corps, the ends justifies the means and this means doing whatever it takes to get the result you want. Even Batman has limits...
    – Thaddeus Howze
    Commented Feb 7, 2015 at 20:21
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    Isn't Batman one of the more evil good guys? Yes. He's on the side of law and order, but he has his own sense of law and order.
    – Major Stackings
    Commented Feb 8, 2015 at 6:31
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    A Yellow Lantern not only uses fear as his weapon, he also succumbs to his own fear. Batman doesn't want to do such a thing.
    – Petersaber
    Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 6:36

6 Answers 6

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Batman is a man who likes to understand his tools and weapons. Despite his experience with the Green Lanterns, he isn't likely to use a technology he does not completely understand and cannot completely predict. Knowing the yellow power ring has any connection to Sinestro is enough for Batman to steer completely clear of it, given Sinestro's history.

  • Batman is a obsessed and detail-oriented man who likes to understand how any technology he uses functions. Just his knowledge of the origins of the yellow power ring being connected to Sinestro would be enough for him to NOT to risk using it except under extreme circumstances and for no longer than necessary.

  • Batman does not believe superpowers are necessary to fight crime. He believes strongly in the idea that it is the man and the use of the mind, not the weapon that matters. Given the nature of the DC universe, if Bruce Wayne wanted superpowers he could likely invent them (and in some parallel universes, he does). See: Batman Beyond.

See Also: How does Batman fight magic? and Why doesn't Batman make an armored suit like Iron Man's?

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  • I don't think that's correct. He could get a complete explanation at any time, from Hal Jordan or anyone else. In the past, he has used both Green (spinoff/alternate comics? not sure about the main universe) and Yellow Rings (new 52, "Forever Evil"). Your answer is mainly your opinion.
    – Petersaber
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 7:02
  • And your opinion is best served by posting your own answer. We are now both winners.
    – Thaddeus Howze
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 7:21
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Adding to existing answers, in the Forever Evil comic, issue 4, Batman indeed has a Yellow Ring on his disposal. He plans to use it against the "Green Lantern" criminal, the Power Ring. He puts on the ring, and is horribly defeated by the Power Ring who then easly destroys Batman's Yellow Ring.

Sinestro explains Batman's failure to be a worthwhile Yellow Lantern like this:

enter image description here

Batman failed because he didn't succumb to his fears. Appereantly that's a requirement. I don't know if it was literally stated in other comics, but I always thought that being scared of something was a prerequisite to be a Yellow Lantern, not only the ability to instill fear.

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The ring says: "Bruce Wayne, you will now be subjected to...", then he says "No!"

Sounds to me like Batman does not like the idea of being "subjected" to the ring.

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    But, as the last panel demonstrates, he didn't know what was happening. He was reacting on instinct to what seemed like an attack. It doesn't mean that, in a calmer moment, he wouldn't necessarily want such a device.
    – Nerrolken
    Commented May 4, 2015 at 16:31
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There was a point where he possessed a yellow ring. When asked by Robin what he didn't keep and use it, he stated simply, "not my style."

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    Do you recall which issue, title(s), or storyline this exchange occurred in?
    – user61524
    Commented Feb 18, 2018 at 21:55
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Batman uses gadgets made by Lucius for a reason. He trusts Lucius, and knows completely what he uses to make them, and what they can do.

On the other hand, Batman completely hates Sinestro. He doesn't trust him at all, and has no idea what a full power yellow lantern ring can do.

There are some things that Batman would push the limit to do, but having his fears exposed to everyone, and being taken under control by a fear ridden ring, is not something he would do.

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    Do you have any examples from canon that supports your points?
    – tobiasvl
    Commented Apr 20, 2017 at 18:26
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Batman does not inherently revel in others' fear and he has strict boundaries which he does not break. He rejects the ring because he knows what it is and that there is not supposed to be more than one at this time. This is the beginning of the Sinestro Corp. he told the Green Lantern at the time about this. Which leads into the blackest night.

He also suppresses his own fear to be Batman, because if he doesn't, he will die.

But the true answer is because he is Batman.

And the yellow ring entity parallax is evil.

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