Who is Bruce's closest friend (excluding Alfred)?

[The Kid]

Here's an interesting question. Let's say Bruce is getting married, whether it's Selina or Julie w.e. Who would be his best man?

[Unfinishedsentenc]

Here's an interesting question. Let's say Bruce is getting married, whether it's Selina or Julie w.e. Who would be his best man?

Can't really see Bruce getting married traditionally. Well, come to think of it, I can't really see of Bruce getting married altogether. He's far too broken and obsessed with being Batman than to be Bruce Wayne and carry out living any sort of normal life.

[HellHere]

Can't really see Bruce getting married traditionally. Well, come to think of it, I can't really see of Bruce getting married altogether. He's far too broken and obsessed with being Batman than to be Bruce Wayne and carry out living any sort of normal life.

That's not the point of the question though. The point is who do you see giving him the pep talk, making sure he gets through the stag without anything terrible or permanent happening to his person, and making sure he doesn't make a break for it? For me, it's Dick.

[Rac7d*]

In all the animated cartoon superman is called his best friend

[Nite-Wing]

I don't see Clark as Bruce's best friend
For one thing if you asked a Superman fan who Clark's best friend was no one would say Bruce
I think Bruce lacks some friends around his own age.
A lot of the time I see his villains as his friends when you look at the dynamic interplay between the Joker and Batman or the strong friendship that Bruce had with Two Face and Hush.

[Kurtzberg]

I don't really think of the modern Bruce Wayne as having friends in the traditional sense, it's part of his emotional damage. That's not to say he doesn't have close relationships, but the simplicity of true friendship is something he struggles to grasp. He has allies, colleagues, partners, lovers, family but not friends. He just doesn't make himself vulnerable enough to have a best friend, the intimacy or openness is not something he's capable of.
Dick was a surrogate son and partner, but there are power dynamics that prevent them from ever really standing on equal footing that being friends requires, they are family but I wouldn't say friends. It's somewhat the same for Alfred, he is an employee and father figure, they have a deep bond but it's not truly a friendship. When Alfred displeases Bruce, he's quick to abuse the power dynamic and remind him he's an employee. Leslie, she's a maternal figure of a sort for him, not a friend.
Jim and Clark probably come the closest, they are compatriots that stand on equal footing with Bruce, but Bruce still keeps too many secrets and is too emotionally closed off for them to be anything approaching a best friend. They are trusted allies, and valued partners, but he'll lie to them, use and manipulate them in ways you wouldn't a real friend. They are good men he can rely on, he admires them but they don't really know Bruce, they know the Batman.
Tommy Elliot was a friend, but that was when they were children, before Bruce (and Tommy) became so damaged.
Harvey Dent: Bruce may have liked him in finding him smart, funny or likable but ultimately he was a means to an end, a tool Bruce used for his war on crime.

[Colossus1980]

Pre 52 I would say Clark.
New 52 I would say Alfred.
Dick is more like family.

After the reboot I wonder who his best friend be?

[joybeans]

Here's an interesting question. Let's say Bruce is getting married, whether it's Selina or Julie w.e. Who would be his best man?

Well, currently Bruce is getting married, and he has no friends, other than "Mr. Sparrow".

[HellHere]

I can imagine we get the Extra Special Wedding Issue... and it's Titus stood at the side of the aisle with a buttonhole pinned to his collar.

[Flash Gordon]

Dick, but he's more of a son/brother to Bruce.

Jim Gordon, I guess.

[hero talk]

superman batman bff always

[Immortal Weapon]

To me it's Jim. Dick and Alfred are family being son and father-figure respectively.

[TheDarkKnightReturns]

What about Zatanna ? She is supposed to be a childhood friend of his.

[Sacred Knight]

Not counting family, in this continuity its clearly Clark. I understand the arguments against the idea for having it be that, but in actual practice of the written materials thus far, Clark is his best friend. Post-Crisis I would say Jim would be the closest, as they went with a frenemy concept with Clark and Bruce a lot of the time there. But the New 52 is back to a pre-Crisis style BFF set-up.

[JBatmanFan05]

Alfred is more like family too, huge father figure, so I'm not sure how helpful this family vs friends distinction (whereby a spouse or blood or de facto family can't definitionally be your closest friend) is. Friend or family, whatever you think of him as, I think Bruce is second closest to Dick. Clark if you're really excluding people Bruce lives/has lived with (whether considered friend or family).