Bruce Wayne and the Lazarus Pits

[Missy]

Something has always bothered me: Knowing he's not immortal and will eventually become too old to be Batman, why wouldn't Bruce Wayne take advantage of the Lazarus Pits? I'm not talking about joing Ra's al Ghul or Talia; I'm simply talking about using them to stay young so he can better continue his fight as Batman.

Sure, Bruce would have trouble explaining his longevity to the greater world, but that's hardly a reason to not use them.

[Molly]

The deterioration of his mental health as a side effect, I'd have to imagine. 

I'm pretty sure they slowly drive you crazy. 

Edited April 3, 2017 by Preston

[Pan-dub]

The possibility of being in the back pocket of the al Ghul's? Mistrust?

[Missy]

The deterioration of his mental health as a side effect, I'd have to imagine. 

I'm pretty sure they slowly drive you crazy. 

Ah. While I knew of the momentary post-dip psychosis, I wasn't aware of the long-term sanity loss.

 

The possibility of being in the back pocket of the al Ghul's? Mistrust?

True, but I can see Batman being able to get out of that. Plus, it could make for a good story: a recently rejuvenated Bruce Wayne under the thumb of Ra's al Ghul is somewhat compelling.

[Donomark]

I believe the Pits for a long time are rare across the world. Like, they're always running out. Which is why Ra's was so effing mad when Talia plopped Jason Todd in one.

Also, even though he doesn't really want Dick to succeed him (again), I think Bruce is resigned to the eventuality that he'll be replaced by his former partners.

[Delete]

Well in the latest issue of Dark Knight III Bruce is young again because Superman dropped him into a pit.

[The Answer-Man]

Why wouldn't Batman use Lazarus Pits? 

• Because R'as Al Ghul keeps a monopoly on Lazarus pits. He doesn't share and will kill to keep their secret.
• Lazarus pits are dangerous. They have a propensity for driving their users insane. Granted this isn't an issue if you are already happily insane.
• They are an infrequent manifestation which takes years to find and prepare. They appear to be a natural phenomenon but their origins are shrouded in history.
• There aren't many and R'as Al Ghul has teams of people seeking them out whenever and wherever a ley-line exposes one, they lock it down in case R'as needs it.

 

FROM THE ANSWER-MAN'S ARCHIVES ON QUORA: 

How does a Lazarus pit work? Does it make it's users immortal?

Lazarus pits do not make their users immortal.

• They repair any damage done to the body, and magically re-initialize the life force, as long as your body isn’t too damaged, decayed or suffering from terrible brain injuries.
• You can seem almost immortal to people who see you regularly and realize you never get any weaker, you don't age, and your capacity remains at peak levels for decades.
• Technically as long as you can find them, you are functionally immortal but aging just the same. However, there are a few, uh, provisos, a, a couple of quid pro quos.

Lazarus Pit - use at your own risk

The best answer in the use of the Lazarus Pits is this:

• You will be insane when you are resurrected. Prepare for that contingency.
• You will have superhuman strength for a time. Have stronger friends.
• The more recent your death, the fewer issues you'll have upon resurrection.
• Try to die with as few injuries to the brain as possible. More risks involved.
• Make sure you are all there when you are put in the pit. No clues as to whether regeneration of missing limbs occurs.

The mental state of the person revived may be partially related to how they died, what kind of trauma, what they died from, their state of mind upon death to name just a few.

For example: Ra's Al Ghul, one of the primary users of Lazarus Pits, knows, if he dies, the pit will bring him back to life. He is not afraid of the pit or its consequences. His strong will, sense of purpose and personal drive ensure he will be resurrected with only a minimum of damage, relatively speaking; he is after all, in his own way, quite insane. Brilliant, but insane.

How it works:

• The Lazarus Pit's effect is essentially a magical one; powered by a confluence of ley lines, i.e. magical energy lines of force crossing the planet, which, when they are in a proper conjunction create a difficult to duplicate effluvia that has the ability to restore a person to life, along with reconnecting the soul to the body.
• Aside from the insanity, it appears to be a perfect resurrection vehicle. It effects been artificially created more than once, but it seems to require both significant technological resources, and some magical ability, understanding and resources as well.
• While little has been shown as to its efficacy for the long dead (i.e. years dead) there was an attempt to raise the Bruce Wayne's family and no one considered it unreasonable to expect it to work.

It all comes down to: What are you willing to risk?

• Ra's Al Ghul gets the most advantage from the pit because he is perfectly willing to be insane. He is already. Any temporary disadvantage of his increased insanity is mitigated by his support staff who protect him from doing anything entire too rash during that early period.
• Now consider that Ra's may already BE insane and thus deems any risk is better than being dead and I am certain he does his level best to avoid dying whenever possible.

Thaddeus Howze, The Answer-Man

[Dread]

He did use it though. He did it in Birth of the Demon. He was almost dead. Did it to save himself.

[Molly]

Its the same as killing or guns. He never will give in and use them! Until he totally does.