#bring the nuance of preboot back into this fandom i beg you

[armed-with-a-waffle-iron]

Interesting that Stephanie Brown reminds Dick of a young Barbara Gordon but reminds Bruce of a young Dick Grayson. So much to read into there.

Batgirl (2009) #7 & Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Batgirl

They’re both projecting. They’re impressed by what they see in Steph so they liken her to the person they hold in the highest of regards; for Dick that’s Babs and for Bruce that’s Dick.

On the other hand, Stephanie, current Batgirl and former Robin, does in fact draw parallels to both Babs and Dick; the first Batgirl and Robin!! And Dick and Bruce recognise this. Her spirit is relentless and fucking unbreakable and she’s independent to a fault; qualities associated with Babs’ strong character. More technically, she’s light-footed, agile and always pinging around the battlefield, and she’s also cunning, always using her words to throw off her opponents; skills and techniques particularly associated with how Dick operates.

Another important thing to note is that that Dick, now Batman, has come to know Stephanie as the Batgirl, and so likens her to the original Batgirl, while Bruce still remembers Stephanie as his Robin, and so likens her to the original Robin.

Nevertheless, despite what a lot of the bat fandom may tell you, people can be more than just one thing.