Warning! Spoilers for Flashpoint Beyond #1 ahead!
DC Comics' Flashpoint Flashpoint Beyond. The Thomas Wayne version of Batman from the Flashpoint Universe has often been depicted as carrying a pair of guns in holsters attached to his utility belt. However, this is not the case in the comics that he originated from.
In the 2011 Flashpoint event, Thomas Wayne becomes Batman after his son Bruce is killed by a mugger in Gotham's Crime Alley instead of Thomas and Martha. This Batman is notably more violent than the Bruce Wayne version of the Caped Crusader. However, in both the main Flashpoint series by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert, as well as the limited series Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, Batman is not shown to use any guns at all. It was only with the release of the 2013 movie Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox that the dual pistols were introduced. Since then, iterations of Flashpoint Batman in toys, video games and comics have been shown to have them.
DC returns to the world of Flashpoint and brings Thomas Wayne's Batman back to his roots in Flashpoint Beyond #0 by Geoff Johns, Eduardo Risso, Trish Mulvihill and Rob Leigh. The artist behind Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance, Eduardo Risso, portrays Batman the same way he did in the 2011 series, only having a utility belt. It's a change of pace from how he has recently been portrayed. In DC Comics' Rebirth era, as well as Infinite Frontier and Justice League Incarnate, Flashpoint Batman has guns similar to the movie version. He is even shown using them in flashbacks that contradict the comics that they are referencing.
In the comics, this change is possibly the fault of Watchmen's Doctor Manhattan. It was revealed in DC Rebirth that Doctor Manhattan altered events to make the world darker and more hopeless. In the process, he preserved the Flashpoint timeline. Flashpoint Batman appeared in the main timeline with the goal of convincing his son to stop being Batman. He used guns in an attempt to accomplish this. The idea was that, by seeing his father use the one weapon that he never would, Bruce's faith in his parents and mission would be shaken.
Returning to the original artist and gear could indicate that Flashpoint Beyond takes place in the true Flashpoint timeline, before it was affected by Doctor Manhattan. How this could happen is unclear, but it could be the work of Reverse-Flash, who can be seen in ing during the event's first issue. Having tormented Flashpoint Batman even after being killed by him, Reverse-Flash has essentially become a nemesis to both him and the Flash. Without the Flash (or his guns) to help him this time, Flashpoint Batman is facing his most difficult challenge yet in Flashpoint Beyond.
