Jigsaw in dc comics

**Chapter 3: The Puzzle Deepens**

---

*Gotham's skyline loomed like a jagged crown against the stormy sky, the city's lights flickering with a sense of trepidation. The game had only just begun, but already, the stakes were higher than ever. Batman stood face-to-face with the man behind the chaos, but this wasn't just another villain to stop. This was a challenge to his very beliefs.*

---

### **Jigsaw's Game**

John Kramer, the man behind the mask of Jigsaw, stood calmly in front of Batman, a figure as unyielding as the city itself. Despite the tension in the air, his voice remained eerily composed.

"You see, Batman," Jigsaw said, his words deliberate, "you've spent your life saving people. But you're missing the point. Saving people doesn't fix them. It doesn't make them better. It just puts off the reckoning. Gotham is a place where criminals are not held accountable for their actions. Where you, the so-called hero, don't ask them the important question: *Why are they still alive?*"

Batman's jaw clenched. He had dealt with many twisted minds in Gotham, but there was something uniquely unsettling about Jigsaw. His traps weren't just physical—they were psychological. And they were personal.

"You're wrong," Batman said, his voice low, steely. "Everyone deserves a chance. They don't need to be broken—they need to be shown a better way."

Jigsaw tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing with an almost paternal curiosity. "Perhaps. But the truth, Batman, is that some people are beyond saving. And they need to face that truth before they can be saved."

Batman's gaze hardened. He had heard the rhetoric before—the justifications of criminals, the twisted logic of those who thought they were making people better. But none of it ever ended well.

"You think you can change Gotham like this?" Batman asked, taking a step closer. "By manipulating people? By forcing them to confront their worst sins? You're no better than the criminals you're trying to punish."

Jigsaw smiled coldly. "Perhaps. But I'm not trying to punish them, Batman. I'm trying to make them *see* themselves. To face the consequences of their lives in a way you never have."

Batman's fists clenched at his sides. His code had always been clear: No killing. No torture. No matter how guilty they were. But Jigsaw's methods threatened to upend everything he believed. Was this truly the way to make Gotham better? Was there a part of him that could be tempted to see the merit in Jigsaw's philosophy?

---

### **Rocco's Reckoning**

While Batman and Jigsaw exchanged their philosophical blows, Rocco D'Angelo, the first victim of Jigsaw's game, was left alone in the trap room. The chains that once held him had fallen away, but he was no less trapped. His body still shook with the aftereffects of the drugs, his mind clouded with fear and confusion. He had passed the test—yes—but at what cost?

His fingers pressed against the keypad one last time, and his breath came in ragged gasps. The words on the screen, though simple, haunted him: **Life Isn't a Gift. It's a Consequence.**

Rocco's thoughts were fractured, a mix of relief and guilt. He had survived, but for how long? What would happen to him now? Would he truly change, as Jigsaw seemed to suggest? Could he ever outrun the weight of his sins?

As he staggered to his feet, trying to gather his bearings, the door swung open with a harsh creak. Rocco looked up, fear clutching his chest. He wasn't alone.

A figure stood in the doorway—Batman.

"Are you okay?" Batman's voice was more measured than concerned, his expression cold and impassive. He didn't trust Rocco, not yet. Not after all he had done. But the trap had been disarmed. The victim was alive—this time.

Rocco swallowed hard, his voice hoarse as he tried to speak. "I... I don't know."

Batman didn't respond immediately. He was scanning the room, analyzing the situation. His mind worked quickly, but he couldn't help but wonder about the larger picture. Jigsaw had clearly intended to break Rocco, to make him confront the cost of his crimes. But had it worked? Was Rocco truly changed, or was this just another victim surviving a sick game?

"You're free to go," Batman said after a moment, his voice still impassive. "But I need answers. And you will give them to me."

Rocco glanced at the floor, his eyes haunted by the memory of the countdown, the voice that had forced him to question his life. "I don't know what you want me to say. I don't know if I've learned anything, but I'm alive. For now, at least."

---

### **The Mask Behind the Mask**

Back in the darkened room, Jigsaw's voice interrupted the silence. "You know, Batman, the longer you stand here, the more you become part of the game. Every choice you make, every move you take—it's all part of the puzzle."

Batman remained silent, his fists still clenched. His every instinct told him to bring Jigsaw down, to stop the twisted games and lock the man away where he could never hurt anyone again. But he knew the reality was far more complicated.

Jigsaw's eyes were cold, but they glittered with some twisted satisfaction. "You think you're different from me, Batman? You think you're above my games? But you're just like everyone else. The difference is, you have the power to stop the pain. You could end this right now, just like that. But you won't, will you? Because you *care*. You care more about Gotham's people than you care about yourself."

Batman's eyes narrowed. Jigsaw was baiting him, trying to get under his skin, but it was working. The more he thought about it, the more he understood: Jigsaw wasn't just playing with the criminals of Gotham. He was playing with *Batman* himself. His moral code, his relentless desire to save people, to help them—this was the true puzzle.

"You're right about one thing," Batman said slowly, his voice hardening. "I care about Gotham. And that's why I'll stop you."

Jigsaw chuckled darkly. "Then we're at an impasse, Batman. Because I won't stop playing. Not until *everyone* plays the game. And everyone has to face their own truth. Even you."

---

### **The Choice**

In the weeks that followed, Batman continued his search for Jigsaw, but the puzzle grew more complex. New victims were drawn into his games—each one seemingly more twisted than the last. And the more Batman stopped, the more he realized something chilling: Jigsaw wasn't interested in just punishing Gotham's criminals. He was *testing* Gotham's citizens—testing them to see if they could overcome their own darkness. The deeper Batman delved, the more he understood that Jigsaw's true game was not just about life and death. It was about redemption.

And Gotham wasn't ready for that.

---

**To Be Continued…**