#anti Bruce Wayne

[deansxharley]

steph dating cass would be a great move for a million reasons but mostly because i think it's really funny to consider bruce wayne jumping for joy after tim finally breaks up with steph only for her to show back up as cass's girlfriend a few months later. she's never letting that man breathe and i love that for her <3

[outoffandom]

Bruce never had to legally answer for anything regarding the sudden death of his ward because that's what happen when you have no name or relatives to seize Justice for you. Bruce most likely lied about the causes surrounding Jason's death to protect his secret identity and life. Joker killing Jason is only a fact know by our heroes. As far as Justice is concerned, Joker didn't kill Bruce's ward. Jason or anyone couldn't bring Joker to court for this specific crime if they wanted. I repeat: there is no legal way for Jason to make Joker pays for his murder. Police or social services never investigated anything and only ever presented their condolences to Bruce Wayne. Bruce was allowed to mourn while never having to worry or be shunned for any of this. Bruce got off easy. If I'd were him, I'd feel way shittier about myself too...

[disco-troy]

Going insane about the fact that the specter of Bruce's parents haunt the narrative so much that when thinking about it both Dick and Damain *know* or believe they know that Bruce would pick his parents over them in a heartbeat

AND DAMIAN WOULD ERASE HIMSELF FROM REALITY BECAUSE HE THINKS ITS THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE BRUCE TRULY HAPPY?!?!

Holy shit Bruce it's not okay for your kids to think dead people are more important then them in your life.

[bobbinalong]

bruce didn't take the cowl off even in steph's final moments. not even then did he trust her with his face. he didn't give leslie any way to contact steph's mother, either -- presumably because the writers forgot she even had one or didn't think anyone would care. but i remember and i care. so in her final moments, steph was with a man in a mask whose lack of trust in her messed with her head and ruined her life, still begging to be acknowledged by him, to be called worthy, to be called real. and she deserved her mother to hold her hand or tim but bruce deserves to sit with that moment the rest of his life.

[gecemi09]

"What if jason todd wasn't a murderous bastard when he came back to life and was instead normal" What if Batman was fucking competent, put Joker into a coma and threw him into a literally inescapable prison, didn't take on another Robin, didn't act like a pos to Dick and di NOT start victim blaming Jason before his damn funeral? What about that?

[danny-chase]

Not to be obsessed over one moment in canon but Bruce's words here kill me every time i read them

The New Titans #55

Specifically, "He was just like you." Comics went a long ways after this to assure readers Tim was #notliketheothergirls (Jason) by continually contrasting him to Jason and pointing out how different they were. But comics rarely talked about how Dick and Jason were very similar characters, and how they went through similar arcs - starting out as perfect boy scout role model kids, and growing discontent and angry with Bruce's ways and not being people he could control. It ended very differently for them, but it could have ended the same, if Joker's aim had been dead on. In universe, who lives and who died seemed to come down to chance, and I'm obsessed with Dick thinking that it should have been him

[oatlystrawberryicecream]

bruce wayne beats his kids asses all across comics for decades

and its all nuh uh not canon, that one was actually written by satan himself doesnt count, not his true character, cant hear you!

but jason todd kidnapping mia dearden is something we gotta engage with every few weeks because it was totally consistant and true to character and written by people who really made an honest in depth effort to understand jason and have him act in ways that make sense 🙄

[aingeal98]

The decision to disobey Batman in order to save him is what made Tim Robin. The decision to disobey Batman in order to save him is what got Steph fired. It was never about whether the Robins were actually good enough to be out in the field, it's about whether they fed Bruce's ego enough in the aftermath. Tim saved his life but still groveled, Steph admitted she messed up but as well as having things stacked against her by reminding Bruce of Jason, she didn't grovel at the shrine of Batman's high judgment and authority enough for Bruce's satisfaction.

[cologona]

Bruce didn’t mean to slice Jason’s throat and if he did mean it, it was only to disable , it wasn’t lethal and the wound would’ve been treated, and though that didn’t happen it wasn’t Bruce who sealed Jason’s fate but Joker who set off the explosion, and anyways Jason didn’t actually die he comes back in other comics.

Except none of that matters. It matters for the validity of UTRH as a Batman story that Bruce has deniability sure, but does it absolve him? UTRH says No. At the end of the day Bruce would rather attack his son than let his murderer die. Bruce thought he was refusing the choice but the lesson of this tragedy is that refusing to pick one over the other boils down to choosing the other.

[bluespiritshonour]

Why is it always Robin has to prove himself to Batman? Be it any Robin. And no, I'm not talking about characters, because Bruce—Bruce is like “Everyone must prove themselves to me but I'm not answerable to anyone” that motherfucker. Very IC.

I'm talking about stories, about narratives—why does every Robin-centric narrative has a “prove themselves to Batman” arc—but Bruce's arc never involves proving himself to anyone?

Why, after the events of the Tower of Babel, Bruce didn't have to work to gain the Justice League's approval? Why didn't he have to work to redeem himself, dammit!

Yes. He had to reveal his identity. But then, it wasn't his idea. It was Clark's. It's fundamentally different from Dick unmasking in front of the Titans: Dick feels in his bones that it isn't fair that he's the only one masked and the Titans are up for mutiny, so he made an executive decision.

It didn't even occur to Bruce to do it. Dammit, the fucker wasn't even trying to get back into Justice League. Clark had to persuade him. And no, I don't mean he should have gone and begged them to let him in. He doesn't need them.

But let's be honest: none of the Leaguers need the League. But humanity does. That's why they put their differences aside and band together.

Bruce is selfless when it comes to sacrificing his family a la Batman : Ego. Oh!—it's Bruce's children that are dying in Batman's mission. Isn't he so noble?—the picture of tragedy? The greiving father? The man who can't even have a steady romantic relationship because Batman wouldn't let him? So selfless—until he isn't. Until the JL—in other words, a planet full of people—need him to swallow his pride. Then, he isn't selfless anymore.

He's selfless when he's a father sending his children to war for the greater good—but he's not selfless when it's time to swallow his pride, to take the risk of trusting someone even after being traumatised and betrayed—for the greater good. (And honestly his trust issues seem narcissistic when surrounded by people like Dick, Alfred and freaking Commissioner Gordon!)

You know who does it? Dick Grayson. That's who. The “trust no one” maxim has been drilled into him by Bruce, but even then he chooses to trust. Not because he's stupid, but because it's a requirement. He totally expects to be stabbed in the back; he isn't naïve. But he'd rather be betrayed than have someone be barred from help because they seemed suspicious. It's canon in Titans. He says it in words, look it up. To Brother Blood, I guess.

Bruce didn't have to work to get on the League's good side. He just had to reveal his ID to regain trust and that, too, was Clark's idea.

And that's not an attempt at redemption, because if it was, then why did Clark have to do it too? Clark didn't do anything to deserve it. But Bruce forces him to and Clark agrees: for the greater good that the League trusting each other would ensure.

Clark Kent, who chooses to forego a mask so that people trust him. Literally, it comes down to that. Who has to built his whole civilian life around the fact that he shows his bare fucking face to the whole world.

And honestly, if I were to throw genre convention aside and read the text the hard way, Bruce doesn't seem really all that bothered with keeping his ID a secret. He's nothing compared to Clark. I mean. Come on, look at the number of people who know Bruce's ID and the number that know Clark's and tell me. Fucking tell me who's more serious about that stuff.

Bruce's entire existence hinges on other characters’ kindness, in and out of universe. In-universe there's this massive brigade of people who know his ID and keep it a secret. Out of universe, writers who show him to be the best even though Clark, Diana, Dick are all more worthy than him.

This is what you get when you let little incels run creative industries.

What did Bruce ever have to do to redeem himself to anyone? Literally anyone? Bruce would let Gotham burn if it meant he keeps his colossal pride intact. But oh, send his children to die: woe is him, this greiving father, so tragique—would absolutely do that.

He isn't even a hero. You know the impact of Batman: Ego and BtAS pales when put next to his very selfish acts when it comes to himself.

Because always—ALWAYS—the uwu factor in Bruce's stories aren't personal.

Not like it's in Clark's who has to face xenophobia because he's an alien. He's natural existence—his powers that are a part of him existing—being called a threat. He still helps.

Not like Diana who comes to the Man's World and decides to stay behind despite it being, well, a Man's World. That would never really respect her as much as it respects a man, any man, even though she's a literal Goddess. Coming and staying in Man's World for her means loneliness. Being immortal and watching every friend she ever made become a memory. But she chose to do it. Because at the end of the day, it's not about her. It's about helping people.

But for Bruce, in true male-is-default fashion, it's about losing people. People he loves.

His parents' death, Jason's death and so on and so forth. I'm not saying losing someone is not painful. I'm just saying it's always about his manpain.

Making the victim's pain his.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Fanon onlys:Bruce being written as a bad parent isn't right,he's never been like this before!!!

Me,a Stephanie Brown stan and therefore knows Bruce treating the Batkids like shit has been a thing since the 90s at the latest:

[disco-troy]

It drives me insane how Dick, Joey and Kory’s relationships with their fathers reflect each other. And they can identify the way that their friend’s father is abusive and horrifying, but are unable to admit it about their own fathers, and as a result none of them can admit to each other how similar their parental issues are, and none of them can convince each other to cut off their fathers. Like the way that their fathers will make them do things that will make them suffer, but present it as if its not the children that are suffering from it but the parents???

Bruce: I know I’m hurting you. My family. I’m making that sacrifice because I don’t give up. I don’t give in.

Bruce, you are not making the sacrifice, you are making Dick make the sacrifice.

Kory: He’s sacrificed the happiness of the royal family to save Tamaran from destruction. He’s never asked for anything for us, and he’s given everything he’s had

Kory, honey, when you got sold to slavery, you are the one who suffered, not him!

Slade: Addie, it was a calculated risk. I didn’t think he’s be hurt. I just couldn’t compromise my professional standing. Adeline: No, you couldn’t, could you?

And when Joey gets hurt because Slade put himself over Joey, he will not even apologize for it. All three of them continue to make excuses for their parents, despite the fact that they recognize how much they hurt them. And while Dick will tell Kory her parents shouldn’t tell her to get married if she doesn’t want to, and Joey will tell Dick that Bruce hitting him is not okay, none of them can confront a truth that would mean giving up on their parents, no matter how much they hurt them

[spite-and-waffles]

I don't want Batman to have guns or kill because it's bad enough that this rich bitch sad white boy can do whatever the fuck he wants by reason of having more dough than Scrooge McDuck, from violating traffic safety regulations to being a one man nanny state. I just want him to stop being the Lord High Moral Arbiter for everybody and their dog and find a coherent ethical framework under the couch cushions. Read some decarceral literature or something. "I don't like cops because they're bad at their jobs but also due process sucks" and "I don't kill but will beat the absolute tar out of you and leave you to the mercies of the American healthcare system" are absolutely terrifying manifestos actually. At least with Jason it's very simple: "you rape, I kill, you kill, I kill, you stop subscribing to my racketeering system, I kill, no Idc about morals, morals your Mom." You can be a violent loose cannon, but only if you give up your sanctimonious bitch rights.

Oh and also to stop abusing and neglecting his children. If you can't balance having a family and a career then stop adopting them.

[gecemi09]

I honestly have no sympathy for people whining about Batman being done dirty in the suicide squad game. I mean, other characters have been made underpowered for the sake of Batman for years now, I don't see how an instance of it happening to HIM for once in A VIDEO GAME that isn't even canon to the comics somehow "ruins his character" or "is a huge disservice to the character". Go and cry about it more lol. See how it feels when YOUR fave is being done dirty for the sake of another character.

[danny-chase]

So much of what Bruce gets wrong with Dick and Cass has his insistence on treating them as extensions of himself and believing that what's best for them is giving them what he wanted when he was their age. Also adding to his projection is both Cass and Dick articulating that they want what he would have wanted: Cass wants the Batman symbol, she wants to help, and Dick wanted what Bruce wanted as a kid: justice for the murder of his parents, and along the way he realized he wanted to help. Then later when they break from Bruce's desires, he doesn't know how to handle them anymore. Anyways it's just interesting to me how Dick and Cass came to Bruce in very different points in their lives and yet the connection through projection is there for both of them and while that's initially what make the characters bond, eventually it ends up hurting both of their relationships when it's taken too far

[thelionandtheeagle]

Presenting: Bruce Wayne treating the OG three Robins horrendously, because of his deep-seated entitlement and selfishness

This is by no means a comprehensive list, I just picked one example for each of them. I wanted to put this out there because... well... it's been a thing for a long time.

Dick Grayson

Dick lost his memories after being shot in the head and almost dying. Bruce decides it's a great idea to force Dick to remember his past, by showing him footage of the shooting. Unprompted. After Dick had made it clear on multiple occasions that he wishes to be left alone. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Source: Nightwing (2016) Annual 2

Jason Todd

Much like with Dick, Bruce tried to force Jason to remember things from his past, by exposing him to personal trauma that he didn't wish to relive. Without warning. And certainly without consent. Because who cares about Jason, when Damian is in the picture, eh?

Source: Batman and Robin (2011) #20

Tim Drake

Because it was convenient for him, Bruce decided to expose Tim's secret identity to Stephanie Brown, while keeping his own secret identity, well, a secret. Once again without consent or warning. He had absolutely no regards for Tim's feeling on the matter or the impact this would have on his life. The attitude of Bruce afterwards is just the cherry on top of this shit show.

Source: Robin (1993) #87

On and on and on...