Batman's mythos is built on the psychological principle of fear as a weapon—the Bat symbol is designed to strike terror into the hearts of criminals who believe Batman himself is unstoppable. But the mythology contains a deeper layer: Batman's fear of something greater than himself. Psychologically, even invulnerable heroes need a source of anxiety, a reminder that not all threats can be mitigated. In comic book canon, this is traditionally Superman. But in a single panel of a DC Comics issue from 1994—issue #48 of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight—there appears a reference that was later censored. The panel shows Batman in his cave, and Alfred asks, 'And if the enemy is stronger still, sir?' Batman's response, in the original printing: 'Then I call him.' A single name appears in a word balloon, heavily redacted in all subsequent printings. The name's letters form a shape, if you look closely enough.

A comic book dealer in Cleveland, Ohio, named Steven, found an original first printing of that issue in 1998. He examined the redacted panel closely and realized, through technical analysis of the ink coverage, that the missing name was five syllables. He mentioned this to a customer, who went pale and walked out of the store without buying anything. Steven never mentioned the discovery again publicly, but his online store biography now reads: 'I sell comics. Some panels are not meant to be read. That's part of the medium.' He's been contacted by DC Comics lawyers twice. Both times, the letters were about other matters.

On comic book subreddits, fans debate what name Batman would call in the direst circumstances. Joking answers fill the threads (Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern), but occasionally a commenter will post: 'The redacted panel in issue 48. I looked it up. The ink analysis community figured it out years ago. Batman calls for someone not in the DC universe at all. Someone real.' These comments are always heavily downvoted, but never deleted. Mods leave them visible.