joons:

darkwingsnark:

sauntervaguelydown:

I like the Nolan movies tbh, I like all three of them, and I respect that the trajectory of the plot is the way it is, but in my personal opinion i would rather not see any more batman stories where the conclusion is “batman is a bad coping mechanism and it is destroying Bruce and thus it must be put away before he can be happy”. I know a lot of writers like to take the angle that putting on the suit every day is an act of sacrifice, and that’s… okay? I mean it’s depressing but it’s got merit. I’m just tired of it personally. I’d rather see the Bruce that feels most at home, most competent and satisfied and alive, when he’s being batman. The Bruce who still thinks of himself as “batman” even after he’s taken the cowl off for the day. Sure there are brutal nights and hard times and there will be sacrifice, but that’s the nature of living a life in relentless pursuit of your own vision.

Basically, batman is who he is, and if he’s destroying himself it’s not because of some cursed legacy of the bat suit that can be safely exorcized from him leaving him whole and happy the moment it’s gone.

I question if him being Batman is even a BAD thing, most of the time. Like, yes, if our world rules applied I would be all like ‘who does he think he is to put the law in his own hands?!’. But… in that world there are criminals that the every day police just can’t handle. And in many incarnations he heavily works with the police, so it’s practically like he’s part of the force anyway?

That said, the post is about Batman and what it does to Bruce. And… maybe it’s just me, but I don’t feel like coping mechanisms are bad? Yes, he is not a well person. Yes tragedy has caused him to become obsessed… But real talk? Being Batman, I think, helps Bruce THRIVE. As someone that has dealt with a lot of trauma in my life, I know what it’s like to latch onto things to help me get to the next day. Being Batman helps Bruce– maybe not in the MOST healthy way, mind you– deal with the loss of his parents. And in the process, do good for others around him. 

I agree–I think in general the assumption is that Bruce can never have a normal life and doesn’t want to. It’s not something he even knows how to want or need. Most of my favorite stories portray his decision to become Batman as the moment of clarity for him. Everything clicks into place–and in a perfectly normal world, we might question it, but Bruce lives in a warped world, and this is the straightest path he can find for being able to live with himself and bring hope back into the world, even if it doesn’t look like hope on its face.