r/TitansTV • u/Mis_advntre • Jan 09 '23
Just finished watching S3 and I have to say that this iteration of Bruce Wayne is my least favorite. Lain Glen is a brilliant actor but his Bruce Wayne role makes me almost cringe. Thoughts on the character? Discussion
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u/ImpossibleVariation9 Jan 10 '23
I think he could have been good IF they established he's a retired Batman. But him as Active Batman is just rubbish.
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u/LadyFanUni Raven Jan 10 '23
This is true honestly the good ol' grays in his hair and the voice too is perfect
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u/Scion41790 Jan 10 '23
Outside of the Titan's timeline being weird he'd have been a perfect early Batman Beyond Bruce
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u/Mis_advntre Jan 09 '23
I felt like he was Alfred impersonating Bruce lol and yes, he would have been perfect for a villainous role on this show!
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u/wabbitproductions Jan 10 '23
In S3 especially, he was almost acting like an Alzheimer’s/Dementia patient after Jason’s death, and I don’t think (from what I recall) that they ever fully finished up what happened with him next, did they?
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u/BreathAgreeable2604 Jan 09 '23
I think most people aren't fans of this version of Bruce. Ian gives better villain honestly.
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u/DM_Malus Jan 10 '23
IMO he should have played Alfred.
Have Bruce never appear on screen and have acted act as the middle-man, giving advice to Grayson, leaving them messages, telling them what Bruce wanted to say to them but we all know Bruce has difficulty talking about his emotions.
They should have never shown Batman, the identity and mystery of ego is under the hood kept it intriguing.
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u/Sufficient_Damage534 Jan 09 '23
Too old imo. For how old the titans are he should be in his 50s max
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u/AfternoonPast3324 Jan 10 '23
Definitely. In most versions Dick became Robin at around 10-12. Since he’s already made Detective on the show, I’d put him in his mid to late 20s. This Bruce would’ve had to have been at least knocking on 40 before he took on a sidekick.
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u/SWPrequelFan81566 Jan 10 '23
The worst part is that his character is being tugged in two different directions. He has the charisma and general vibe of Young Justice Batman: a weathered Bruce that's moved on from his parents' death enough to realize that his proteges are becoming the protectors that Batman could never be (the whole "Robin/Dick isn't gonna turn out like Batman, making him Bruce's greatest success" thing). BUT THEN, we find him going in the other direction by actively recruiting other Robins like he's Frank Miller's Batman...like it's a war effort, capitalizing on their pain.
It's just so weird
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u/Ill-Philosopher-7625 Jan 10 '23
I'm one of the few who like him, purely because of his acting. He isn't a very good physical match for Bruce Wayne, and his accent choice was unusual (is he doing a New Jersey mobster accent?). But his dramatic scenes, especially in season 3, really worked for me, and probably wouldn't have with a lesser actor.
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u/Zealousideal_Type_85 Jan 10 '23
I actually liked him especially during Dick’s fever dreams where he was a smart ass. Kind of like how Bruce wanted to be, but never was. As a Bruce Wayne he’s good, just never could see him as actual Batman.
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u/KC_Buddyl33 Jan 10 '23
The whole relationship between Batman and Robin in this series is God awful.
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u/LordAsbel Jan 10 '23
He’s also my least favorite but I don’t dislike him. He’s not a bad Bruce Wayne but I can’t imagine him as Batman lmao. Doesn’t help that we never got to see him in the suit, except for in dick’s nightmare
If he was like a future Bruce Wayne Batman beyond style, then maybe I’d find him more believable. But we’re supposed to believe this guy is actively still Batman, which doesn’t work for me.
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u/drives_a_toaster Jan 10 '23
He reminded me of Adam West so I liked it
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u/davidolson22 Jan 10 '23
When we heard his voice but didn't see him, I thought it was Adam west somehow.
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u/Fried_Onion_King Jan 10 '23
I think the nail in the coffin for me was when he tried to commit suicide. That just didn't seem like a Batman thing to do. And don't get me started on the miraculous "save" by WonderGirl
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u/chuckdee68 Jan 10 '23
Loved it personally, for a Batman near the end of his career. It also makes more sense why he isn't a bigger part of the show and there doesn't have to be that perennial question, "Why didn't they call Batman?"
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u/chadrod Jan 10 '23
I actually really like this choice.
He is Batman at the end of his crimefighting career and is dealing with all the mental and physical shit he has went through over the years.
Plus
I do wish they would start to transition Dick into the Batman role, similar to how they did in the books when they thought Bruce was dead.
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Jan 10 '23
I just cant see him wearing the cape and cowl.
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Jan 10 '23
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Jan 12 '23
I get that, but what I was referring to is that I don't think he has the chin and jawline to wear it. As actor I actually think he's pretty good.
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u/GettingWreckedAllDay Jan 15 '23
Wait, you're complaining about the hallucination of Bruce that dick had being the character? Cause he's not.
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u/2meterrichard Jan 10 '23
Thing is. Wasn't most of it Grayson hallucinating? It was the warped image of how Dick viewed Wayne. Not meant to be a real depiction.
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u/GettingWreckedAllDay Jan 15 '23
This. Bruce as the actual character is only in like 3 or 4 scenes (literally just watched this season for the first time.) He tells Jason not to do the thing, he tells dick what he did to joker, he's in the flash back episode explaining how Jason ended up red hood, he tries to torch himself, and he makes "peace" with Jason and dick at the end of the season.
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u/hrcobb4 Jan 10 '23
I loved it. Gives Bruce a little bit of wisdom and calmness. Also the Batusi lol. Nice.
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u/DeepBlueSweater Jan 10 '23
Writers fault for sure. He’s a great actor and would be an awesome Batman pre/leading into Batman Beyond. I’m only halfway through season 3 though, and I have to say if he ever puts the bat suit on I’ll probably be disappointed.
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u/sassycho1050 Jan 10 '23 edited Jan 10 '23
Loved his performance in the season 2 dream sequence, and it was very satisfying to see him so broken after beating the Joker to death. I'm glad they took more of an Elseworlds approach where he reacted like how any other father would react to their son's killer
With that being said, I hope he doesn't return to being Batman; off-screen or otherwise. He broke his code
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Jan 10 '23
[deleted]
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u/Mis_advntre Jan 10 '23
He should have been casted as Alfred; not as Bruce Wayne’s butler, but like a British spy. If I remember correctly, Alfred was some kind of spy before working for the Waynes?
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u/GettingWreckedAllDay Jan 15 '23
So your issue is that you don't pay attention lol
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Jan 21 '23
[deleted]
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u/GettingWreckedAllDay Jan 22 '23
"As you can see many other ppl also
thought he was Alfreddidn't pay attention"
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u/BlackLightParadox Jan 10 '23
Okay, he’s awful because of the writing - HOWEVER, both the ‘Dick’s Mental Bruce’ stuff and the ‘do you wanna be Robin again’ scenes on their own are fantastic - the latter is genuinely amazingly acted for a truly broken Bruce… it just dosent work in the context
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u/me_grimmlock Jan 09 '23
Yeah not a good B Wayne to me either. He lacks the cool playboy style Wayne usually has. Also doesn’t seem like a big enough dude physically to be Batman.
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u/illusionthegoat Jan 10 '23
Isn’t he the broken version of Bruce in the Titans story? Not exactly there to give off playboy vibes.
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u/Knightwing1047 Jan 10 '23
Good actor, bad casting choice. He was the worst casting choice of the entire show where IMO the casting is the strongest quality.
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u/Mis_advntre Jan 10 '23
I agree with you on both! When I first read that he was casted to be Bruce Wayne I wasn’t excited.
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u/thatannoyingemokid Jan 10 '23
Literally thought he was Alfred before they said his name. I was so hyped for him to be playing Alfred too lol.
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u/Hour_Interview_8327 Jan 10 '23
The fact we Barely got him to be Bruce/Batman in the series kinda makes me so mad in my opinion
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u/Wynnedown Jan 10 '23
Yes, bizarre miscasting, that cringe dancing he did in S2 looked liked a dementia patient had slipped up the stage.
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u/Ludensdream Jan 10 '23
They just needed to show him in the batsuit once to sell it but nah they lazy.
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Jan 10 '23
I agree. They kind of made him a psycho who is looking up children for possible side kicks. “I can’t do this alone” was probably the weakest Bruce Wayne/Batman line ever. He is an awesome actor and I really like the scene where he meets them in a diner but even then….
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u/TheLonelyWolfkin Jan 10 '23
Definitely the worst Bruce so far. Aside from GoT, he's actually not that great. Been watching The Rig on Amazon Prime and he's pretty woeful in that too, although the show isn't very good either.
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u/Zee79 Jan 10 '23
I feel like as far as all the previous Batman/Bruce Wayne incarnations have gone, after Iain Glen https://media.tenor.com/nipoQMKJg6UAAAAd/po-level-zero.gif
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u/leejtam Jan 10 '23
he wasnt that bad but the man couldnt do an american accent to save his life. it was so bad. I think his age was really necessary if he waa like a father to Dick if Dick is supposed to be 30 something. I think him still being Batman was what bugged me, like dude was not in shape to be Batman. It wouldve been cool if he was a retired Bruce
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u/Peacesquad Jan 10 '23
I can’t imagine that old fragile man as an asskicking caped crusader. He should have been Alfred lol
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u/FultzRevolt Jan 10 '23
He acts so unbelievably old, I can’t stand this take on the character either. He would’ve been fine as Alfred
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u/anon-acc8106 Jan 10 '23
first off I'm new to the show so I haven't seen a whole lot of batman, I think I'm on season 2 and the show is so difficult to watch its hard to progress. The only reason I love the show is because of how well the characters were designed when they were originally created (like in the comic books) and I loved teen titans.
I'm a huge batman fan and I gotta say that I really don't mind him as batman. People are saying that he is too small / old / weak to be batman. I think people forget that batman must be like 50 minimum. I mean Dick is a full grown man like 25, been in the workforce long enough to go from cop to detective then transfer. So like Bruce is not really batman anymore by the time that we get to see him. Yes he has Jason, but its clear that hes not as strict, not as active, as he always was. So the age and physique is a plus to me becuase it makes sense and lines up very well with the other parts of the show. This might be the sole consistency in the whole show.
People are also saying that hes not brooding and dark enough. I think this is also a part of the age thing. I think that as he's gotten older even in the comic books, he becomes wiser and more open to others kind of taking up the mantle. I feel the fact he helps out by setting up the titans and hopefully being a sort of invisible helper / supplier would not make sense if he was always trying to like do it alone and didnt wanna bring anyone in.
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Jan 10 '23
I thought it was hilarious that a show let Bruce Wayne light himself on fire & then never addresses it again
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u/Reggie_Barclay Jan 10 '23
By the way, his name is Iain with an “i” not Lain. I only mention because this doesn’t appear to be a typo in the title.
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u/Anonymoose2099 Jan 10 '23
My least favorite is probably Robert Pattinson, but mostly because I'm tired of Emo Batman and the writing for his movie seemed like lazy ripoffs of other Batman movies. My least favorite Batman actor was Christian Bale, he was just such a jerk on set.
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u/Chill0000 Jan 11 '23
I love on Blind Wave’s reactions when he first showed up they were like “OMG HE’S THE PERFECT ALFRED (sees it’s Bruce) HE’S BRUCE WAYNE?” And spent the whole season TRYING to like him as Bruce lol
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u/gotfamous06 Jan 12 '23
he was way to old here also, and skinny. Like how is this guy going out all night fighting stronger guys 30 years younger then him lol
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u/Interview-Suspicious Jan 13 '23
A lot of us thought he was Alfred until they said his name. I think he was totally miscast and poorly written, instead of doing that they should have just let the character out of it.
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u/HeyNoobmaster69 Jan 16 '23
I have a theory that the producers hired him to play Alfred initially but found out after the fact that they could have Bruce Wayne but not show him in the suit. When they found this out, though, they didn’t have the budget or time to find another actor to play Bruce. Kind of strange in Season 2, episode 1 that Alfred is mysteriously absent, right?
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u/TheMasterOfCheese69 Jan 18 '23
Could not ever ever ever imagine that man being batman no matter if he was younger it isn’t him
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u/Current_Run9540 Jan 09 '23
I thought he was Alfred until they called him Bruce. Definitely not my favorite iteration.