How do you feel about Batman drinking?

[Lightning Rider]

Well the thread title is "How do you feel about BATMAN drinking". THAT isn't batman. .

It’s clearly a recognized version of Batman, don’t be pedantic when the thread doesn’t restrict the parameters.

[Lightning Rider]

Bruce's generally extreme self-control and self-discipline make the idea of him ever getting drunk seem nigh impossible, unless it's under the pressure of years of restlessness and regrets amping up to it. I mean, it's even hard to see him just binging the day after he retires. TDKR feels like it's slowly been happening over the decades, with his imbibing climbing to full intoxication.

Having said that, I could see him having one or two drinks in some circumstances, but often wary of even being tipsy. I also think the annoyance at ginger ale may be because of just how much he has to imbibe to keep up appearances, and now I'm seeing him being thankful for the boys giving his "character" an excuse to avoid drinking.

My thinking is in line with this analysis.

[phantom1592]

It’s clearly a recognized version of Batman, don’t be pedantic when the thread doesn’t restrict the parameters.

Not really pedantic at all.

1) It's an old retired ex-crime fighter and not held to the standards of a recognizable 'Batman'. once he puts the cowl back on... they don't show him drinking anymore. Civilian Bruce Wayne is not Batman. I think most people will agree that a civilian Bruce Wayne who isn't in peak physical fitness and isn't dedicated to being a crime fighter anymore may well drink and let his guard down... But that isn't 'Batman'. Especially when they show that Bruce as a bitter and depressed has-been. That attitude lends itself to day-drinking pretty easily.


2) It's an Elseworlds alternate Reality. It really is no more valid in a 'real' Batman discussion than Cowboy Batman or Vampire Batman. I'm sure Viking Batman would drink quite heavily... because VIKINGS!!! but that doesn't lend any weight to this discussion....

[Robanker]

I think he'd be fine having a drink for a toast or some such as long as he wasn't going to work afterward. Pretty sure Alfred would slap him silly if he didn't drink at his or Dick's wedding. His abstinence is more to stay sharp than a moral quandary.

[DragonsChi]

I remember that line in Dark Knight Returns where Gordon mentions how Bruce always fooled them by drinking ginger ale and pretending it was champagne, which I think speaks to how I see Bruce and alcohol.

He'll pretend he's a hard-drinking party boy or maybe have a sip of wine now and then, but he would never allow himself to become impaired enough to where he couldn't be Batman at a moment's notice. He's too focused and too much of a control-freak to do otherwise.

This. While I don't think drink is inherently evil or anything, I just don't believe Bruce would engage in drinking real alcohol . It's just not who he is.

[Ascended]

Im largely in agreement with the general consensus here. Bruce is too much a control freak to drink, and too addictive a personality.

I would believe that when Bruce Wayne arrives at a party or social function he has *a* drink, just so the smell of alcohol is on his breath. Then he switches to ginger ale for the rest of the night. Under certain other situations, such as undercover, he might also have a drink or two, but I think even then he'd largely fake it and stick to something he can pass off as liquor. Matches Malone probably drinks from a personal flask, yknow? He's eccentric enough people would just roll with it and never question why he isn't pulling from the same bottle as everyone else.

I also agree that Bruce has experimented with alcohol just like he has other drugs. The guy exposes himself to poison in order to build a tolerance, he makes his underage sidekicks do the same, he certainly has gotten sh*t-faced drunk in the Cave in the name of science.

"Failed" versions of Bruce, who have given up, I can easily see turning to alcohol and becoming reclusive, self-hating angry drunks who are never too far from a glass of scotch. But I think Bruce only turns to booze if and when he can no longer function as Batman.

[CryNotWolf]

In certain comics and the DCEU, Batman is portrayed as a regular drinker. Sometimes socially as Bruce, and sometimes to an unhealthy degree. It makes more sense for him to abstain during his “prime” years, but what do you think of his portrayals of drinking habits later in life? (Not that it’s ever really risen to the level of alcoholism or a severe drinking problem, which I don’t think suits the character)

It's been reiterated many times in his comics that he doesn't drink. Dick Grayson said something along the lines that even after all the time he's known Bruce, he's only known him to drink maybe once or twice in his entire life. It dulls the senses and goes against Batman's lifelong mantra of self-discipline, willpower, and readiness at all times. I think portraying Batman having a "drinking habit" shows a poor understanding of the character. It's just a writer's cop-out in an attempt to portray a sense of depression or world-weariness without actually having to put any thought or effort into it.