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

[kcomics]

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 *******. 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.

I think they were going for a more realistic take until they realized that fans didn't like that and basically enjoyed Batman as a "saint" dressed like a bat. As far as in-universe reasons, Batman realized it wasn't just fun and games and that involving children was insane after the Joker killed Jason Todd and crime didn't slow down for him to mourn his many losses at the hands of remorseless villains.

[Alan2099]

I think they were going for a more realistic take until they realized that fans didn't like that and basically enjoyed Batman as a saint dressed like a bat. As far as in-universe reasons, Batman realized it wasn't just fun and games and that involving children was insane after the Joker killed Jason Todd and crime didn't slow down for him to mourn his many losses at the hands of remorseless villains.

The fact that you mention being a jerk as the more realistic take reveals all sorts of problems in itself.

[Tzigone]

The fact that you mention being a jerk as the more realistic take reveals all sorts of problems in itself.

For me it's that basic decency and regard for the feelings of others is called "a saint dressed like a bat."

[OopsIdiditagain]

After the Spice Girls broke up in 1998 he lost all reason for happiness.

[Jackalope89]

After the Spice Girls broke up in 1998 he lost all reason for happiness.

Truly, a day to live in infamy for all hero-kind.

[hareluyafan1]

The fact that you mention being a jerk as the more realistic take reveals all sorts of problems in itself.

For me it's that basic decency and regard for the feelings of others is called "a saint dressed like a bat."

I agree on both points.

[godisawesome]

If I restrict myself to strictly Batman and his universe, I actually *do* like the idea of him realizing his mind had been fucked with by a friend around the time Identity Crisis happened, and that causing some sever issues until he gets it taken care of later… but Identity Crisis still sucks overall.

…I guess if I could retell that time period and have some meta-textually relevant plot points, I’d probably have Hugo Strange make some kind of mental attack causing the change that Batman has to overcome his fake paranoia with real paranoia to uncover.

[The World]

Because for lonely geeks acting like a dick head to everyone with zero consequences is about the greatest power fantasy one could muster up. All the money, side pussy, and abilities is just gravy on top.

[Obeythemoderators]

In 1993 he even guilts himself over the death of the guy who made Jokers smylex gas even if he did not necessarily kill the guy as the Joker used his body to fake his own death. At that point he felt almost like Peter Parker to be honest. Yeah, Batman can be a very compassionate but a few years prior he punched Dick Grayson when he mentioned the death of Jason Todd and then told Dick something along the line that sidekicks only slowed down the Batman.

I say that Batmans more jerk tendencies has always been there and have just become more popular as time has gone on.

[kcomics]

For me it's that basic decency and regard for the feelings of others is called "a saint dressed like a bat."

I didn't mean anything bad by what I said. I meant that people like to see superheroes as perfect/near-perfect. We like to see Batman beat Superman, even though in fair fight, that shouldn't be possible.

I guess I'm thinking about All Star Batman and Robin and other comics that do make Batman seem like an angry old man. I guess I thought that was what you were referring to? The Frank Miller days? If I misunderstood, I apologize.

[Tzigone]

I didn't mean anything bad by what I said. I meant that people like to see superheroes as perfect/near-perfect. We like to see Batman beat Superman, even though in fair fight, that shouldn't be possible.

I guess I'm thinking about All Star Batman and Robin and other comics that do make Batman seem like an angry old man. I guess I thought that was what you were referring to? The Frank Miller days? If I misunderstood, I apologize.

I actually do not like to see Batman beat Superman in a fair fight. I hate BatGod as much as I hate Batjerk. I like a capable Batman, but I liked it when a half-dozen thugs was a real and credible threat to him. And I hate all the other heroes nerfed and made incompetent or strategically and morally lacking so Batman can "best" them. Yuck. Though if I was a Batman-only fan maybe I wouldn't feel that way.

I also very, very, very, very much prefer my heroes to fight villains and not each other. Sure, an occasional exception for mind control and the like, but not when all are in their right mind.

To be fair, I liked many heroes and villains more at less than their max power levels. Vulnerable-to-bullets Diana, move-a-mountain-not-a-planet Superman, Barry, Wally and Bart with only superspeed and not other abilities, vulnerable to yellow Hal, etc. But I like them to good to other people. Not just to save lives, but not be jackasses, to not cheat on or manipulate the people close to them, etc.

[Jim Kelly]

Being a down-to-Earth kind of guy, Bruce Wayne never believed in spooky ghosts, U.F.O. abductions, magic pixies, conspiracy theories, Big Foot. Then he met the Justice League. Then he went to outer space. Then he died. Then he travelled through time. Stuff like that can seriously mess with a regular dude's mind.