What's Your Headcanon For Why Batman Turned Into A Jerk In The '00s?

[Timothy Hunter]

Batman has become proceedingly more brooding over time starting in the Bronze Age and reaching it's apex in the 2000s. However from the 70s to the 90s, despite his moody and macabre demeaner, it was very clear that Bruce Wayne deeply loved his inner circle of friends. This all changed immediately after No-Man's Land ended.

I'm currently reading the 1993-2008 Robin ongoing in it's
entirety and you can immediately notice the shift between loving surrogate father to machiavellian asshole. During Dixon's run, Batman tells Stephanie Brown Tim Drake is Robin without consulting Tim on the issue. At the end of Jon Lewis's run Batman gives Tim a nervous breakdown by leading him to believe that Alfred from the future traveled back in time to warn him of a traitor in the Bat-Family. The amount of terrible things that Batman inflicted among those closest to him in the 2000s happened so frequently that I believe it must have been editorially mandated.

I understand if this change occured in the 90's with the amount of turmoil Gotham was in during Knightfall, Troika, Contagion, Legacy, Cataclysm, and No Man's Land but even after the events of the Killing Joke and A Death in the Family Batman was very respectful on the large to Tim, Barbara, Dick, and Alfred.

Unlike some, I actually have fond memories of the early 2000s Batman titles, but the more I think about it, Batman's sudden shift towards being an insufferable tool who alienates those around him just utterly baffles me and I would love to hear some in-universe theories as to why the character became this way after No Man's Land.

[charliehustle415]

Batman has become proceedingly more brooding over time starting in the Bronze Age and reaching it's apex in the 2000s. However from the 70s to the 90s, despite his moody and macabre demeaner, it was very clear that Bruce Wayne deeply loved his inner circle of friends. This all changed immediately after No-Man's Land ended.

I'm currently reading the 1993-2008 Robin ongoing in it's
entirety and you can immediately notice the shift between loving surrogate father to machiavellian asshole. During Dixon's run, Batman tells Stephanie Brown Tim Drake is Robin without consulting Tim on the issue. At the end of Jon Lewis's run Batman gives Tim a nervous breakdown by leading him to believe that Alfred from the future traveled back in time to warn him of a traitor in the Bat-Family. The amount of terrible things that Batman inflicted among those closest to him in the 2000s happened so frequently that I believe it must have been editorially mandated.

I understand if this change occured in the 90's with the amount of turmoil Gotham was in during Knightfall, Troika, Contagion, Legacy, Cataclysm, and No Man's Land but even after the events of the Killing Joke and A Death in the Family Batman was very respectful on the large to Tim, Barbara, Dick, and Alfred.

Unlike some, I actually have fond memories of the early 2000s Batman titles, but the more I think about it, Batman's sudden shift towards being an insufferable tool who alienates those around him just utterly baffles me and I would love to hear some in-universe theories as to why the character became this way after No Man's Land.

You kinda answered your own question: No Man's Land

It's kinda hard not to become nihilistic when your own government leaves you and your beloved city for dead.

Not only that Joker nearly broke Gordon after killing Sara, and the lead up to NML.

You had Knightfall, Contagion, and then Cataclysm.

To me all of these things kinda wrecked the Bat-family and then Jason returning pushed it over the edge.

Morrison did pull Bruce back a bit, but in the end it all got retconned.

[Godlike13]

Low T.
...

[Aahz]

To me all of these things kinda wrecked the Bat-family and then Jason returning pushed it over the edge.

By the time Jason returned Bruce was allready a Jerk, and Morrison who took over after UtRH anyway mostly ignored Jason return up untill Bruce death.

Form what I remember No Man's Land was really the point where it went bad.

[batnbreakfast]

Morrison did pull Bruce back a bit, but in the end it all got retconned.

The whole point of Murderer/ Fugitive was Bruce realizing he's human and has a family at the end. It was immediately thrown out the window with Hush (Loeb) and Broken City (Azzarello). Still dig Broken City but its almost an Elseworld tale. Bruce recovers under Dini and Morrison.
Despite Bruce being Bruce the early 2000s had great takes on the villains under Rucka, we got Sasha Bordeaux, Brubaker's Catwoman, J.F.Moore's Batman Family, Gotham Central, Kesel's Harley Quinn, Simone's BoP and Wagner's Batman (all much better than the current line... still hope to like Tim Fox, though).

[bat39]

In-universe, Morrison explains it best in 'Last Rites'...the escalating violence and tragedies, the higher stakes, and the feeling that years into his mission it was going nowhere broke down Bruce psychologically over the years until he basically became Batjerk.

[Frontier]

In-universe, Morrison explains it best in 'Last Rites'...the escalating violence and tragedies, the higher stakes, and the feeling that years into his mission it was going nowhere broke down Bruce psychologically over the years until he basically became Batjerk.

This is my take on it.

[Mia]

In-universe, Morrison explains it best in 'Last Rites'...the escalating violence and tragedies, the higher stakes, and the feeling that years into his mission it was going nowhere broke down Bruce psychologically over the years until he basically became Batjerk.

If this is the case. Then you can just attribute it to him shutting down his emotions so that he can function much better. He also might behave that way so that he will be left alone. It's a coping strategy of many introverts, who want their space because people can be draining.

[Ishmael]

If this is the case. Then you can just attribute it to him shutting down his emotions so that he can function much better. He also might behave that way so that he will be left alone. It's a coping strategy of many introverts, who want their space because people can be draining.

I think this is a pretty good explanation for it.

Oddly enough, the best portrait of this I've ever seen was in Action Comics #766 by Joe Kelly. Superman enlists Batman's help to find Lois (who's missing) because he's been poisoned and needs the aid. Towards the end the tension between them comes to a head and there's two pages of Batman speaking to Superman - very intensely - that has always stayed with me. Kelly completely nails the "compartmentalize my emotions so I can do the job" thing, and it's also clear Bruce is paying a price for it as a person. It's really well done.

My headcanon pretty much squares with what Morrison said: the life he leads takes a horrible toll.

So far as the books themselves go, I agree with folks pointing out that the transition seems to begin in Batman and the Outsiders (where Bats is portrayed rather unflatteringly when he leaves the JLA), and appears again in Giffen/DeMattis' Justice Leauge. They portray him as the straightman to everyone else's shenanigans ... to the point that Batjerk appears (and I think he's even called that at one point). They exaggerate the broody self-absorbed stuff, and it kinda sticks. Morrison's "batgod" in JLA seems heavily indebted to them.

[Restingvoice]

The whole point of Murderer/ Fugitive was Bruce realizing he's human and has a family at the end. It was immediately thrown out the window with Hush (Loeb) and Broken City (Azzarello). Still dig Broken City but its almost an Elseworld tale. Bruce recovers under Dini and Morrison.
Despite Bruce being Bruce the early 2000s had great takes on the villains under Rucka, we got Sasha Bordeaux, Brubaker's Catwoman, J.F.Moore's Batman Family, Gotham Central, Kesel's Harley Quinn, Simone's BoP and Wagner's Batman (all much better than the current line... still hope to like Tim Fox, though).

if it's Hush then it's because Hush's machinations made him paranoid.
Catwoman: "Hush"
Ben Affleck voice before Ben Affleck: "WHy did you say that name?!"
I don't know about Broken City.

I get him being stressed during No Man's Land I don't know what he's doing after

[sunofdarkchild]

The change in the writing staff and editorial staff after No Man's Land is the real reason. When Dixon was the main writer the rule was that Batman could sometimes be a jerk, but it didn't overwhelm and define the character like it did until Morrison came in. When Dixon left it seemed like every event was centered around how horribly Batman treated his friends, from Officer Down, Murder/Fugitive, and finally War Games. And every event ended with Batman pledging to treat people better and seemingly learning his lesson only to go right back to being needlessly cruel and manipulative immediately afterwards.

In my headcanon I guess the escalating violence and tragedies pushed Bruce's inherent need to control everything and everyone to its fullest extreme, turning him into a person who would stoop to emotional manipulation whenever it suited him. The big change Morrison introduced was having Bruce accept that there would always be things outside his control and make peace with that.

[Aahz]

The change in the writing staff and editorial staff after No Man's Land is the real reason. When Dixon was the main writer the rule was that Batman could sometimes be a jerk, but it didn't overwhelm and define the character like it did until Morrison came in.

He was already quite jerk in No Man's Land imo.

That was iirc the first time were he kind chased the rest of the family away, and treat the ones that remained in Gotham (for example Huntress) like crap.

[CPSparkles]

The change in the writing staff and editorial staff after No Man's Land is the real reason. When Dixon was the main writer the rule was that Batman could sometimes be a jerk, but it didn't overwhelm and define the character like it did until Morrison came in. When Dixon left it seemed like every event was centered around how horribly Batman treated his friends, from Officer Down, Murder/Fugitive, and finally War Games. And every event ended with Batman pledging to treat people better and seemingly learning his lesson only to go right back to being needlessly cruel and manipulative immediately afterwards.

In my headcanon I guess the escalating violence and tragedies pushed Bruce's inherent need to control everything and everyone to its fullest extreme, turning him into a person who would stoop to emotional manipulation whenever it suited him. The big change Morrison introduced was having Bruce accept that there would always be things outside his control and make peace with that.

And yet the term BatJerk originates from the 90's under Dixon

I blame the writers who came on in the 90's to the 00's
It was down hill from around the time Tim was introduced

I like to think that Bruce after facing zero consequences for being the mitigating factor in Jason's death. Being encouraged by Alfred that he did nothing wrong and that the solution to Jason was to replace him with a more responsible kid from the burbs. Bruce's ego took on a life of his own and he felt he could do anything and get away with it

[batnbreakfast]

if it's Hush then it's because Hush's machinations made him paranoid.
Catwoman: "Hush"
Ben Affleck voice before Ben Affleck: "WHy did you say that name?!"
I don't know about Broken City.

I get him being stressed during No Man's Land I don't know what he's doing after

Immediately after NML you have tensions between the OGs (those who stayed during NML) and the Deezees (those who fled), Bruce fights the mob and Ra's. Then Gordon is shot and retires. Alfred is gone... staying (maybe) at Tim's. I like your explaination, though.

[phonogram12]

Ironically, as much credit as people are giving Morrison for dialing it back, I credit him with the immediate lead up. I mean as much as I loved the run, he purposely wrote him as a an arrogant know-it-all jerk when he was writing JLA. I'm pretty sure he's admitted to that, himself.