By [ad_1]
While Batman perhaps get rightfully criticized for some of his parenting moves, he also possesses a surprisingly effective approach to fatherhood.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Nightwing #89, on sale now from DC Comics.
Suffice to say, Batman doesn’t necessarily come off as the most ideal parenting figure, adopting wayward orphans at their most emotionally vulnerable before they put their lives in harm’s way each night to help the Dark Knight in his never-ending war on crime. Many depictions of the Caped Crusader show Bruce Wayne as cruel, detached and completely cold to the familial needs of the growing Bat-Family, even towards its youngest, most impressionable members. Fortunately, a warmer, more understanding side to Batman is revealed, proving Bruce isn’t the terrible parent that many portrayals provide for the character.
A flashback prologue in Nightwing #89 (by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas and Wes Abbott) has Batman and Nightwing help Superman search for his young son Jon when the boy goes missing after making his first flight attempt. As the Dark Knight and his original Boy Wonder alert the Man of Steel, Batman reveals that he carries lollipops for kids in his utility belt to comfort any children he comes across. This, coupled with Batman offering a surprising amount of insight on parenting when comparing notes with Superman, shows a completely different side to the more emotionally distant and reserved superhero.
There has been a definite learning curve towards Bruce Wayne learning that he’s a full-on father figure and not simply a stern commander leading a private, juvenile army. The miniseries Robin & Batman (by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen) showcases the more brutal beginnings to their dynamic before the two eventually learn how to operate with one another in a more healthy manner. Comparatively, Batman: Dark Victory (by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale) provides a more playful dynamic between the two while Bruce’s rapport with his son Damian has revealed that no matter what bloody lengths Damian goes, Bruce will always love his son.
A more fatherly Bruce is seen in Batman: The Animated Series, with Bruce and Dick seen doing everything from celebrating Christmas together to Bruce helping Dick navigate the emotional turbulence from his parents’ killer resurfacing. While this father-son dynamic became estranged, leading Dick to take on the mantle of Nightwing, this portrayed more as them growing apart than Batman being a sociopathic, controlling figure. There is a warm, parental side to Bruce that betrays his hardened exterior and, really, only the Bat-Family are the ones to see it, with Bruce’s family similarly keeping him from completely giving into his obsessive mission and leaving any sense of humanity behind.
For all his flaws as a parent — and which parents honestly don’t have any flaws — there is a reason that the Bat-Family keeps coming back to help Gotham and respect the patronly Dark Knight. Bruce is more than a Batman to the children brings in, he really is a father figure that they love throughout all their personal ups and downs. Bruce is never going to be in contention for father of the year but, at the end of the day, that was never really his goal. Instead, he navigates the tricky balance of being an understanding, available parent and a leader to an entire ensemble of superheroes taking on some of the most infamous supervillains in the DC Universe. Most parents struggle getting their kids ready for picture day, Bruce is trying to prepare his kids to take on the Joker — cut him a little slack.
About The Author
[ad_2]
