In Batman: Arkham City, does Batman already know about the Lazarus Pit? (Spoilers)

Question

After rescuing Mr. Freeze, Batman, Freeze, and Oracle agree that they need Ra's al Ghul's blood to cure the Titan virus. It seems from this conversation that Batman and Oracle know about the Lazarus Pit already.

When meeting Talia in Wonder City, Batman says,

"Where's Ra's? If he's dead again, I need you to wake him up."

After fighting Ra's, Batman talks to him, saying,

"The Lazarus Pit has corrupted your mind. Think about it. If your Pit falls into the wrong hands, you'll be powerless to stop centuries of destruction."

All of this implies that Batman knows all about the Lazarus Pit already.

But then, when Batman talks to Oracle, he says,

"Ra's and his forces are [...] extracting some kind of naturally occuring chemical he's called 'Lazarus'. [...] When I'm done here, I'll need to investigate this Lazarus technology further."

This implies that Batman is only now learning about the Lazarus Pit.

Is there anything I'm missing here?

Answer 1

The Arkham Asylum games are not plucked from the DC Continuity and are at best a pocket universe version of those characters. With that said, it is difficult to know exactly what Batman does and does not know in the overall scope of the game.

In the Pre-New 52 DCU continuity:

Batman knews OF the Lazarus Pit, and he knows that it can return the recently dead back to life. But since each Lazarus Pit is a one use wonder (unless you're Nyssa) he has never had the opportunity to discover HOW they work, only THAT they work.

His exposure to the technology utilized to make use of the Lazarus Pit is (as any good supervillain would prefer) limited.

Since it has been used on at least one of his proteges and several of his friends, as well as being weaponized by KOBRA and Nyssa, he thinks it is definitely worth understanding in greater detail, what they are, how they work, and ultimately the best way to deal with anyone under their influence.

Kobra analyzed and duplicated the chemical composition of the Pits and used this information to build his own network, something Batman would discover during their very first meeting. The unique chemical composition of Kobra's Lazarus Pits enabled him to control the minds of those he resurrected.

New 52 Continuity

Even in the New 52 DCU, Batman has had limited exposure to the Lazarus Pits and their technology, insufficient enough that he would desire to know more than he does. His recent experiences have informed him of their necessity to the natural balance of the world and that Ra's Al Ghul has more than one way of helping him retain his immortality.