I’ve been a die-hard DC fan for as long as I can , and my love for the universe started with Batman. Only recently did I begin to really examine why the Dark Knight has held my attention for over a decade. That reflection led me to a surprising realization. The part of Batman lore I’ve always loved most is built on a lie, a bold, persistent one: the idea that the Bat-Family is actually a family.
When reflecting on my love for Batman, I realized that what I love most about his lore is his ever-expanding Bat-Family, particularly his Robins and sons: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne. I’ve always been drawn to found-family tropes, and in the DC universe, Batman arguably embodies that concept best.
Yet, when I tried to recall the comics that truly showcase strong Bat-Family dynamics, I struggled to name more than a handful. That’s when it hit me: as much as I love the idea of a once-orphaned man taking in fellow orphans and raising them as his own, most canon stories don’t portray Bruce Wayne as someone who wants a family, but rather as someone who needs child soldiers.
...it's not DC itself that gave me my love for the Bat-Family; it's the fans...
The Bat-Family Is a Lie: Bruce Wayne Never Wanted a Family, He Needed Soldiers
Mark Brooks Variant for Detective Comics #1003 (2019)
Unfortunately, I can name more instances of Batman treating his Robins like soldiers than like sons, and that includes Damian Wayne, who is Bruce's biological child, as well as Dick, Jason, and Tim, who were all adopted by him at different points in comic history. While I do believe Bruce genuinely cares for and loves his sons, that doesn’t change the fact that he often treats them more like assets to the mission than of his family. One of the most damning examples of this dynamic involves Dick Grayson, as Bruce has repeatedly prioritized the mission over the well-being of his eldest.
A particularly striking example comes from Nightwing #30 during the New 52 era. In this issue, Bruce uses physical violence to coerce Dick into accepting a mission that requires him to sever all personal ties and continue the lie that he is dead in order to go undercover as a spy. Most readers would agree that this kind of manipulation and abuse reflects the actions of a domineering general more than those of a loving father. It stands as a powerful example of how Bruce often sees his sons less as family and more as soldiers he can deploy.
Robin Confirms the 1 Unforgivable Way Batman Failed Nightwing
Bruce Wayne won the "Bad Bat-Dad" award for the unforgivable way he failed Dick Grayson, and now it looks like history is repeating itself with Robin.
No Father Would Do This: Jason Todd and Batman’s Most Damning Moments
Comic Page From Alan Grant’s Batman: Rite of age (1990) - Art by Norm Breyfogle
When it comes to the ultimate evidence that Bruce sees his Robins more as soldiers than sons, one only needs to look as far as Jason Todd. After Jason was brutally murdered by the Joker, Bruce chose to commemorate his death with a plaque that read, “In memory of Jason Todd, a good soldier.” This line continues to sting for Jason fans, as it highlights the harsh reality of how Bruce viewed the 15-year-old, not as a son, but as a soldier. The problem only deepens when Jason returns from the dead. Instead of embracing his grieving and clearly traumatized son, Bruce treats him more like a rogue operative than a broken child in need of help.
Judd Winick’s Batman: Under the Red Hood underscores this issue when Jason returns to Gotham as the anti-hero Red Hood. Bruce once again puts his mission above his son. In one of the most memorable moments, Batman slices Jason’s throat with a Batarang to stop him from killing the Joker. A scene that is horrific, given that Bruce put the Joker's well-being over Jason's. Another infamous scene comes from Scott Lobdell's Red Hood and the Outlaws, in which Bruce brutally attacks Jason after mistakenly believing he had killed the Penguin. This moment is especially powerful because of Jason’s painful, pointed observation: “I’ve never seen you hit Joker that hard. And you hate him.”
Some may argue that Batman has moved past this troubling pattern of physically assaulting his sons in the name of his mission. However, recent storylines suggest otherwise. In Batman #159, the second chapter of Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s Hush sequel, Bruce and Jason once again come to blows over the Joker. In a moment meant to save the villain’s life, Batman fires a gun at Jason’s head at close range. Though Jason was wearing his Red Hood helmet, the act was still incredibly dangerous. It reinforces the idea that Bruce sees Jason not as his child, but as a soldier stepping out of line, because no parent in their right mind would shoot their own child in the head under any circumstances.
Batman's Greatest Sin Against Red Hood Makes Him DC's Worst Father
Batman's greatest sin against Jason wasn't his failure to rescue him from the Joker or avenge him after his death, it was something else entirely.
When Comic Canon Fails, Fan-Service Comics & Fanfiction Never Let Me Down
Main Cover by Vasco Georgiev for Batman: Wayne Family Adventures Vol. 1 TP (2023)
Most fans are probably in the same boat as I am when it comes to finding it much easier to pull examples of Bruce treating his Robins like soldiers rather than sons. This brings up an important question: how has my favorite part of Batman lore, the Bat-Family, managed to fuel a ten-year obsession when there is so little genuinely strong Bat-Family content in the comics? Of course, there have been glimpses and small moments of emotional connection that have kept my interest alive. But in truth, I credit my love for the Bat-Family (and for Batman himself) to the DC fandom, which has succeeded in the areas where the publisher has often fallen short.
The DC fandom is incredibly lucky to have an abundance of fan-made works, both written and visual. I owe my ongoing obsession with the Bat-Family to the creators who have taken the few crumbs DC has offered and turned them into rich, high-quality stories that truly portray the Bat-Family as a real family. Archive of Our Own, a hub for fanfiction, has become my happy place for exploring Bat-Family dynamics in ways that canon usually avoids. Wayne Family Adventures have also gone a long way in filling that gap. So, in the end, it's not DC itself that gave me my love for the Bat-Family; it's the fans.
To Be Fair, DC Is Actually Working on Making Batman a Better Parent
Main Cover by Patrick Gleason & Alejandro Sánchez for Batman: 80 Years of the Bat Family TP (2020)
However, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that some DC writers are making a genuine effort to portray the Bat-Family as a true family in canon. Perhaps the most notable is Tom Taylor, whose Nightwing run has made a clear push to humanize Batman and present him as a better, though still imperfect, father figure. I commend these efforts and hope DC continues to move in this direction. I’m not asking for fluff or a flawless Bat-Family, but I do want to see a Batman who reflects the natural parental instinct to protect his children at all costs and to place them above everything else, including his well-meaning crusades.
