"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
I'm hoping next issue we get all the answers we are looking for. From what I see, Thomas wants Bruce to be his ideal son. He wants Bruce to need him. He wants Bruce to not be like him (Batman). He tried to resurrect Martha in the Nain Pit to give him back his "perfect" family. He couldn't understand how Bruce didn't want that too and the extremes he went through to make sure it didn't happen. Thomas could easily view Alfred as a rival and enabler to Bruce's lifestyle. Removing him from the picture is necessary for him to get his son "back." Can't wait to find out how long he's been in this timeline and how long he's been trying to control Bruce's life since then.
We'll most likely get the official answer next week, but my interpretation was that he wanted him to quit being Batman so he can be happy, so when he ends up in the main DCU and finds out he's planning to still be Batman, and proposed to a "common thief", that's not good enough, so he goes to all of these lengths to essentially force him to give up being Batman, so he can "eventually" be happy that way. Thomas is also very clearly deranged and not really in the right of mind, so I can see why someone like this would do all of this to "break the Bat", since he feels its the only way to make him stop.
To me the run is not going to be about happiness for Batman, but happiness for those around him. Flashpoint Batman was surrounded by people who he let down in one way or another. His wife was the Joker. He had no Bat family. His City had completely gone to hell. I don't know for sure what happened with his Alfred or the other typical Batman characters like Gordon, but we could presume it was not good. All because of him being Batman, probably.
The same kind of thing was echoed in the alternative universe we saw in the Gift, where Dick is a raging, gun-toting Batman and pretty much everyone else is miserable.
The lesson here is that the notion of Batman itself is a path that leads to tragedy.
Every day is a gift, not a given right.
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
Every day is a gift, not a given right.
So I just restarted re-rereading King's run and I just finished all the way up to "I am Bane"
It's pretty remarkable how much is telegraphed in the early part of the run.
Bane references how he gives nightmare and what he will do to Gotham, I don't know why people say King didn't plan anything out.
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord