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In Robin and Batman #1, DC reiterates how bad the Dark Knight is with the children of Gotham City by way of a few very contentious moments.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Robin and Batman #1, on sale now from DC Comics.
One of the most contentious points in Batman lore has always been how the Dark Knight has weaponized children. The topic has been explored in the Titans television series, with Dick Grayson experiencing PTSD and Jason Todd becoming the Red Hood after Bruce made them face their fears. Now, in Robin and Batman #1 (by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen and Steve Wands), the discussion is revisited by a trip down memory lane and reiterates how poorly Bruce Wayne deals with children.
The first issue of the series takes place in the past when Bruce chastises Dick for rushing out with an ill-equipped suit without telling anyone. Batman shows up and saves him, simultaneously chiding him for his ineptitude.
Bruce shows no compassion or empathy for the rookie Robin. He berates Dick in the Batmobile and continues to do so even once they have arrived at the Bat-Cave, with Alfred, Wayne’s butler and oftentimes voice of reason, interjecting that this is no way to treat a child.
Alfred further points out that maybe Bruce was wrong for encouraging a child to follow his vigilante footsteps and that maybe he should have allowed young Grayson to be a child instead of a soldier. This echoes the same debate that has been argued for years, supported by the fact that both Jason Todd and Bruce’s own son Damian were killed in action. There are many who believe that Batman’s indoctrination of children into his war on crime is reckless endangerment of the very people he should be most concerned with protecting, and view his actions as a poor way to help both Bruce and the children he recruits get over their collective feelings of loss.
While Alfred understands Bruce’s motivations, he warns that using children as soldiers will always end in disaster. Even though waging a war against crime has been Batman’s method of dealing with the loss of his parents, it is an unfair extension of his trauma to deal with these children in the same manner. Bruce reacts to his butler’s criticism in the same way he usually does when his servant makes a fair point, by ending the conversation, pouting, and turning his attention to work, much like a spoiled child.
A further indication of Bruce Wayne’s poor skills with children is seen when he later presents Dick with the red-and-yellow Robin costume. The boy is righteously outraged, as the color schemed was gained from an entry in his diary that was read without his knowledge or consent. Instead of apologizing for his inappropriate action, Wayne instead argues that there is no room for secrets between them, not even acknowledging how wrong his actions were.
This issue puts Bruce Wayne’s god complex and selfish desires on full display, bringing to memory other actions he has taken that ended up hurting the people who trusted him. This latest invasion and the way that he deals with his young charge in general further highlights Batman’s inability to treat the people around him with even a modicum of the respect they deserve.
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