Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson dynamic

[Micael]

Agreed on all points. And since Bruce's entire setup as Batman reads as a traumatized kid grown into a young adult who still acts immature for his age (what with being an adventurer based on Zorro and wearing a flashy costume and having all the cool toys and cars), it's like a big kid hanging out with a buddy than strictly father/son or even mature older sibling/younger sibling.

I think it was Morrison in a podcast episode with Kevin Smith that said that Bruce saw in Dick Grayson the kid that died in him when his parents were murdered.

Here I found a video of both of them discussing Batman and robin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fut9...nel=swankswank

[JackJustMetMartin]

I liken it to Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan. Those two were 16 years apart, and both viewed their relationship slightly differently. Anakin (Dick) saw Kenobi (Bruce) as both an older brother, and as a father figure, whereas Kenobi (Bruce) saw Anakin (Dick) as a brother, not as a son.

[John Venus]

Mentor-trainee relationship that eventually grew into a father-son bond. That's how I see it. I don't think I could ever see them as brothers but I don't think Bruce would immediately start out as a father figure either.

[Tzigone]

Personally, I feel reducing them to brothers (especially with Alfred basically raising Dick) infantalises Bruce, reduces his growth and does a disservice to both their relationship and one of Bruce's greatest achievements.

I feel like modern Batman is far less emotionally mature (and far more emotionally stunted) than golden age Batman. I prefer pre-COUE in that regard - where he's an emotionally well-adjusted adult when he becomes Batman. Where, within the fiction, becoming Batman was a rational, reasonable decision. And he was motivated by the murder of his parents, but not consumed by it.

I feel like both Bruce and Divk are often somewhat infantalized in more modern stories (in very different ways), and I don't like it.

[Frontier]

I feel like modern Batman is far less emotionally mature (and far more emotionally stunted) than golden age Batman. I prefer pre-COUE in that regard - where he's an emotionally well-adjusted adult when he becomes Batman. Where, within the fiction, becoming Batman was a rational, reasonable decision. And he was motivated by the murder of his parents, but not consumed by it.

I feel like both Bruce and Divk are often somewhat infantalized in more modern stories (in very different ways), and I don't like it.

As with most things, it depends on the writer. But I feel like some of the emotional chinks in his armor isn't necessarily there immediately but grew over time from being Batman and all the loss/stress.