AIDEN PEARCE IS BATMAN!

The release of Watch_Dogs is coming sooner than we know it. Just like many gamers anticipated for the launch later this year, I have been watching all of the gameplay videos available. During my viewing sessions, I have come to the startling discovery. It may scare you, so you may want to sit down- read on once you have done so. Okay, here we go, this is going to blow your socks off (put socks on now if you do not have them on). Aiden Pearce, the Watch_Dogs’ protagonist, *unusually long drum roll* is Batman!

Where’s Rachel? *cough* I mean the bad guy who is obviously not someone called Rachel. *cough*

Of course, there is no point in making a world shattering accusation like that without some evidence, so let’s examine it.

Voice:

Aiden Pearce and Batman have very similar voices (depending on which Batman series you watch/play). Both characters have a deep, husky voice that is aimed at terrorising foes. As if anyone would believe some guy called Bruce Wayne was putting on a deep voice just so people would not know who he is!? Can you imagine how many throat lozenges Bruce would have to buy? There is no doubt that Batman’s voice is his real voice, that’s why Aiden Pearce is definitely Batman.

Appearance:

Let’s take a look at Aiden Pearce, and Arkham Origins Batman. If you would please move your eyes towards the chin area of both pictures (seen below). Does something look similar in both pictures? Yep, that’s right, they both have beards that look extremely similar. So, that must mean… that the two pictures are the same person… which means… that Batman and Aiden Pearce… are the same person… which means… that Aiden Pearce must be Batman!

Vigilante:

Aiden Pearce is described by Ubisoft as a vigilante. Coincidently, Batman is also seen as a vigilante. Furthermore, on the Watch_Dogs Wiki, Aiden Pearce is said to have become a vigilante because, “People that he loved were afflicted in the past and are being attacked once more, so he has become a vigilante in an attempt to prevent this.” Wow! Another coincidence- I think not! In Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, Batman (as Bruce Wayne, but more on that later) says he wears the mask, “To protect the people closest to me.” I do not believe it can simply be coincidence that Batman and Aiden Pearce have the same motives for being vigilantes, it obviously means Aiden Pearce is Batman!

High Tech Gadgets:

Batman is known for all the high tech gadgets he has at his disposal. Aiden Pearce happens to have a very important high tech gadget in Watch_Dogs. The gadget, supposedly called the ‘Profiler‘, allows Aiden to interact with the city in various ways. Apart from knowing everything about everything, the ‘profiler’ allows Pearce to alter traffic lights, raise and lower bridges, and hack bank accounts, just to name a few. However, the main ability to examine is the ability for Pearce to cause the whole city to have a blackout. Batman is known for lurking in the shadows and terrifying his prey, it would seem Aiden Pearce likes the dark too. Of course, Pearce does not want to give away his identity, so he leaves most of his gadgets to his secret identity. High tech gadgets and a love of the dark? Surely you must be convinced by now that Aiden Pearce is Batman?!

Who needs a batmobile when I have a magic phone?

Guns vs no guns:

The main difference between Batman and Aiden Pearce is the no guns vs guns problem. It is quite a simple answer. Although no one knows the conclusion of Watch_Dogs, it is pretty obvious Aiden Pearce will be scarred for life after shooting so many cops and villains that he will not be able to use a gun anymore. Therefore, when Pearce becomes Batman, he adopts a no guns policy simply because he has traumatic incidences every time he uses them.

Tying it all together:

I am pretty sure you are convinced that Aiden Pearce is indeed Batman by now, but you probably are also aware that I have not addressed the outstanding issue in the case- Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. While Batman resides in Gotham, Aiden Pearce operates in Chicago. Prepare for 70 or so years of Batman lore to be blown out the window.

What I believed happened when Bob Kane created Batman in 1939, was he created a masterful plan to hide Batman’s true identity. Kane obviously had it all planned out from the start; introduce a superhero and develop a whole back story for the character, only to trick the fans and reveal that the whole back story was just a lie. In fact, Kane wanted to be the only one to know who Batman really was.

I wonder if I would look good in a bat costume?

*This is where it gets interesting* Kane decided to create this character called Bruce Wayne. However, Bruce Wayne would be Aiden Pearce. *Okay, we will take it slow now* Kane probably sold the secret and the rights to reveal said secret to someone, who later made contact with Ubisoft. Ubisoft must have bought the rights to reveal the true secret identity of Bruce Wayne and Batman, and they finally feel it is time for the public to know.

That all make sense, but how on earth does Aiden get from Chicago to Gotham and become Bruce Wayne? It’s quite simple. At the end of Watch_Dogs, Aiden will have fulfilled his goals in Chicago, and seek to clean up another city. Therefore, recalling the trailer in which Pearce gets on a train- stylishly- Pearce takes a train to Gotham. Once he gets to Gotham, with the help of Hugo Strange (think Arkham City where armed soldiers capture someone who ‘looks’ like a Bruce Wayne), Pearce has massive plastic surgery so no one will recognise him. Being a hero and billionaire in Chicago by the end of Watch_Dogs, Pearce transfers all his money to someone called ‘Bruce Wayne’ and mysteriously disappears. After that, a Bruce Wayne suddenly appears in Gotham with a lot of money. I could keep unravelling the true back story, but we would be a while.

So, to summarise, Aiden Pearce mysteriously disappears from Chicago, has plastic surgery to become a changed man (Bruce Wayne) and ‘inherits’ Pearce’s money. Then, Bruce Wayne/Aiden Pearce becomes Batman.

There you have it, be prepared for a bumpy ride when playing Watch_Dogs as you watch a man become legend! Then after that, the last 70 years of Batman will all make sense. I hope you have been convinced that Aiden Pearce, Watch_Dogs protagonist, is Batman. If not, do not worry, you will be a batliever soon.

Watch_Dogs will be out on PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U between November 19, 2013 and November 22, 2013 in various regions. Watch_Dogs will also be out on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One around launch.

*Editors note: For those still unaware, a lot of this article was speculation and intended for humour, not as fact. I have no idea if Bob Kane and Ubisoft ever made a secret deal and I have no idea how Watch_Dogs ends.*