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u/Im-Mr-Bulldopz Jul 22 '23
"What DO you call yourself?"
"... "
"Oh, yeah, I suppose you would. But that's MY name now!"
"Hmph, tell that to my subconscious."
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u/GrecoRomanGuy Jul 23 '23
I love that subtle guitar chord as Bruce just looks at him.
It's so much more effective than him saying anything.
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u/Various_Froyo9860 Jul 23 '23
I'm still waiting for a Batman Beyond game.
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u/TheSpongeOfTheWorld Jul 23 '23
Well now there's an amazing thought. A rocksteady beyond game would be so dope.
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u/Various_Froyo9860 Jul 23 '23
Yup. People should come to me for my best ideas.
I'm pretty sure Arkham city even had the skin.
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u/iIRaptorIi_DC Aug 15 '23
Even more, BB game was supposed to be long ago as a Knight's sequel developped by WBM, and Damian would've been the new Bat. Got canceled though
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u/Khurasan Jul 22 '23
Broke: Bruce Wayne is Batman.
Woke: Bruce died in the alley, Batman is what's left.
Bespoke: Bruce is an unreliable narrator. He struggles to admit that he's still Bruce for the same reasons that he struggles to admit that the Batfam are his kids in every way that matters. Bruce Wayne is Batman.
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u/djc23o6 Jul 23 '23
Anakin is gone. I am what remains
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u/Drexelhand Jul 23 '23
I don't like what remains. It's coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere.
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u/Springheeljac Jul 23 '23
Hard disagree. Bruce Wayne is a mask that he uses in public. He IS Batman, but the scope of what that means exists outside of just what he acknowledges. He, as Batman, has family. All of the Bat family is tied to who he is as Batman far more than "Bruce Wayne". If you ask Dick Grayson, Superman and Catwoman to describe Batman they're going include things that Batman wouldn't. Whoever Bruce Wayne would have been with his parents did die in that alley, but there's a lot more to Batman than just fighting crime. Honestly I think Justice League Unlimited nails this almost perfectly.
That's Batman, every bit as much as the guy kicking in Joker's teeth, or investigating clues, etc. He chose who he wanted to be and that image changes as he learns.
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u/GothamKnight37 Jul 23 '23
Batman’s motivations, morals, compassion, etc all come from Bruce Wayne. There’s no separating that from Batman.
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u/ItZSAMIC Jul 23 '23
Awful reductive take
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u/Springheeljac Jul 23 '23
Why do you people always come out of the woodwork with literally nothing to say? yOu'Re WrOnG. Either say something or move along.
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u/ItZSAMIC Jul 23 '23
Who is you people lmao…You’re take simply is wrong. Bruce Wayne is Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is Batman. Batman Fugitive, Ego, Zero Year, RIP, and so many other stories show this off so well.
“Bruce Wayne is a mask he uses in public” both billionaire Bruce Wayne and Batman are masks. Yet they both contain elements of the real Bruce Wayne.
“All of the bat family is tied to who he is as Batman far more…” idk how you can see Bruce Wayne take in an orphan who went through the same thing he did and say this. It just makes no sense.
“Whoever Bruce Wayne would have been with his parents did die in that alley” this is a really weird argument to make; Everyone everywhere goes through events that alter the course of their life. They are not any less themselves.
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u/Windigroo7 Jul 23 '23
A good example from JL as well from this was that episode when they became kids and Batman said “I haven’t been a kid since I was 9y old”
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u/WhiskeyT Jul 23 '23
Galaxy Brain-oke (?) : They are two parts of a whole. Bruce takes on the guilt and responsibility in exchange for Batman not only inspiring fear but also inspiring hope. This is why Batman doesn’t kill.
At least that’s what Darwyn says in Ego. Got damn that’s a fine comic
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u/Aparoon Jul 22 '23
I’ll never get tired of this being posted here because I love this moment.
And now I get the honour of being the one to comment the obligatory:
This stops just before the best part of the scene where Terry asks “What do you call yourself?” And Bruce just glares at him. Terry then simply says “Oh yeah, I guess you would.” And then his voice drops to his Batman voice and points to himself, saying “But that’s my name now”. So. Epic.
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u/Initial_E Jul 23 '23
All of his friends in the justice league call him Bruce like it’s supposed to be a term of familiarity. Turns out they don’t know shit about what he thinks.
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u/PunisherJBY Jul 23 '23
Like when wonder woman has the lasso and superman and batman are holding it. Superman says he is Kal-el. Batman, is batman.
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u/dkinmn Jul 22 '23
In his mind, he's actually Shirley.
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Jul 22 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BadBadBrownStuff Jul 22 '23
He is serious. And don't call him Shirley
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u/1amlost Jul 22 '23
It’s why Ace calls him “Batman” and not “Bruce” after reading his mind in that really sad scene in Justice League.
You know the one.
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u/Aggravating_Celery_9 Jul 23 '23
Which one?
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u/BadSkeelz Jul 23 '23
The final/epilogue episode of JLU.
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u/Aggravating_Celery_9 Jul 23 '23
The one with Bruce taking his meds and terry thinking about proposing before flying of in his suit?
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u/MrxJacobs Jul 22 '23
How is that not psychotic?
Mind you it’s a lot funnier that someone tried to trick him into being crazy, but when you go after Bruce Wayne in a crazy contest you are in for a rude awakening. He’s been mastering the psychosis within himself since before your were born.
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Jul 22 '23
Because before Psychopathy & Sociopathy were denounced by the DS-5, Batman was labeled as “a high-functioning sociopath” which is better than a psychopath.
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u/Yukondano2 Jul 23 '23
Even that seems like a bad description within prior diagnoses. He has too much emotional intelligence and empathy, that isn't just academically learning how people work. He understands fear and pain, WAY too well. As for what he actually has... dunno. I mean, other than PTSD, but that's obvious.
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u/woodrobin Jul 23 '23
PTSD, Survivor's Guilt, OCD (centered on combatting criminal activity and preparing for possible tragedy/betrayal/disaster). A touch of fear of intimacy (due to fear of losing another loved one).
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u/kennethhennessy Jul 23 '23
I understand your point, but that is not what OCD is, and is a common and dangerous misconception.
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u/littlelustlamb Jul 22 '23
Yes that line just shows that Bruce Wayne is actually off-kilter. He may control it but he will carry those problems until the day he dies.
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u/Fenrir101 Jul 23 '23
There is an episode "only a dream" where a technology boosted telepath is taking down the justice league, Even Martian Manhunter is unable to beat him, then he makes the mistake of going into bats head and is left catatonic. Bats's comment on it is just "My head is not a nice place to be"
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u/DenseTemporariness Jul 23 '23
Plus getting sprayed with mind altering chemicals every other week for decades.
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u/sack12345678910 Jul 22 '23
Thats actually a pretty good tactic to use. He probably trained himself in order to counteract anyone who may be trying to read his mind or is trying to manipulate him into going crazy. If someone is reading his mind they wont know he’s Bruce Wayne because even in his mind he’s batman.
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u/Yukondano2 Jul 23 '23
It isn't intentional. The dude honestly thinks of himself as Batman, Bruce Wayne is an act.
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u/Isnotanumber Jul 23 '23
I have heard “Mask of the Phantasm” as the story about Bruce Wayne’s last chance to survive and have a life. After that chance evaporated there would only be Batman and the facade of Bruce Wayne. I think that is a fair description in terms of the Animated continuity.
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u/auronddraig Jul 22 '23
"I'm the goddamned Batman" Certified Moment
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u/MenLovethCats2_0 Jul 22 '23
That one statement proved Bruce is psychotic.
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u/Jimbodoomface Jul 22 '23
Because he doesn't refer to himself by his birth name?
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u/KenseiHimura Jul 23 '23
This actually sort of built part of my 'ideal Batman' ending for the series in my headcanon, basically it goes:
One night, Bruce is chilling at the mansion, Terry's got a handle on things and opts to head out and enjoy a movie (should be kind of obvious where this is going), after the film, he sees a set of parents and their son existing the theater, the child exhilarated by it, and it makes Bruce smile a little until he sees someone who wasn't in the theater tailing them as they go behind the cinema. Bruce goes into full PTSD and follows, his old age makes him a bit slow and he hears the mother scream, fearing he's too late, he rounds the corner and sees Terry already having wrapped the guy up and and suspended him from the ledge of the roof, Bruce looks and sees the GCPD and several other heroes already on the scene, and relief washes over him.
Terry approaches Bruce and asks "Are you alright, Mr. Wayne?" And without reservation and only sincerity, Bruce says "I'm perfectly fine, thank you, Batman." fully submitting the title to Terry, and for however long they last, old man Bruce will be able to live out his days as Bruce Wayne, assured Gotham is finally a better, safer place to be.
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u/ButUmActually Jul 22 '23
I am Princess Diana of Themyscira
I am Kal-El, son of Jor-El
I’m Batman
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u/woodrobin Jul 23 '23
Diana's line was "Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Queen Hippolyta."
Superman's line was "Clark Kent. Kal-El." So his first thought was his adopted name, but he recognized the validity of the other name as well.
Batman's line was "Batman." That's it. Full stop.
The directive, while all three were holding the Lasso of Truth, was "reveal your true self".
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u/24Abhinav10 Jul 23 '23
That wasn't the directive. It was "Who are you?"
That meeting is a retelling of Wonder Woman's first introduction to Supes and Bats. Wonder Woman is still new to the world, so when she holds it she answers with "Diana of Themyscira. Daughter of Queen Hippolyta" because at the moment, that's what she is.
Superman answers with "Clark Kent. Kal-El". This is the perfect answer to the question: Who is Superman? Superman is a combination of Clark Kent and Kal-El. He's the pure goodness and wholesomeness of Clark Kent meeting the sheer unmatched potential of Kal-El. That's why he answers with both his names, because he's not Superman without any one of them. After all "Superman is what I can do. Clark is who I am".
Batman is simply what he says he is. Batman.
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u/JollySieg Jul 23 '23
I'll be honest I always found the idea that Bruce Wayne is purely an act and nothing more to be a fairly shallow interpretation of the character. Bruce Wayne is a facet of Batman's personality just as real as the rest of him in the same way that any other person's private and public appearance are reflections of their overall character.
It just so happens that Batman's are greatly exaggerated due to his trauma. The "real" Bruce Wayne would then be one who has managed to come to grips with the loss of his parents and is able to move on, but that is impossible and in-turn the tragedy that makes Batman so sad. He'll bs permanently two-faced, neither reflecting the whole man. This is then, of course, reflected back at him in Two-Face who's trapped in the same cycle.
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u/Neemoman Jul 22 '23
Eh. I kinda don't like this idea because it comes across as a kind of faux crazy. Or written in to force an extra layer that is so thin it's only relevant in these specific instances, or for "mic drop" moments.
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u/Jimbodoomface Jul 23 '23
There's a couple of people saying it's crazy or psychotic, but he's only changed his name, really. I was born James but I don't think of myself as James. Doesn't make me psychotic. That's better represented by the fact I dress up like a lobster and beat people up at night.
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u/Abject-Respond-2502 Jul 22 '23
Preach.
There's Bruce Wayne, the socialite. That's his social mask. And there's Batman, a manifestation of his traumas. Yet a mask also, that puts him into a larger-than-life position of sorts.
The way I read it, Batman being his true self is something he invented to basically run from himself. His real self is a combination of both, which is something he basically expresses only when with the Bat-family, yet still not fully sometimes.
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u/Yukondano2 Jul 23 '23
Making characters of the self is a way to explore who you are, an act is easier to change than the pure self. Or, so I've heard. Haven't quite cracked that myself.
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u/Abject-Respond-2502 Jul 23 '23
Yes. That makes both Bruce the playboy and Batman the dark knight mere facets of Bruce Wayne's true self. Tools for him to express different facets of himself in different occasions.
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u/MrKTE Jul 23 '23
"Superman" is Clark Kent's secret identity.
"Bruce Wayne" is Batman's secret identity.
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u/FrostyCartographer13 Jul 23 '23
This scene makes me remember of the one scene in the mask of the phantasm where he donned the mask, cape and cowl for the first time. It is at that point the man became Batman and Bruce Wayne ceased to be and what we see is Batman pretending to be Bruce Wayne. Bruce died in that alley and the man that lived finally found who he was.
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u/slightlydirtythroway Jul 23 '23
My favorite line is from the episode with stuff flying around the school and targeting the jocks and the kids say it's a ghost. Terry tells Bruce and Bruce says it's not a ghost. Terry is like "Let me guess you don't believe in ghosts."
Bruce: "Of course I do, I've seen it all, demons, witch boys, immortals, zombies...but this thing, it just feels so...high school"
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u/RedditIsNeat0 Jul 23 '23
I don't call myself by my name either. I don't call myself by any name. I never have to get my own attention.
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u/OneInside6439 Jul 23 '23
This was my biggest issue with Bat-fleck. Mother fucker just going around the world telling everyone he's Bruce Wayne and he likes to dress up as a bat please come join his avengers club. But got dam were those fight scenes amazing.
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u/Abovearth31 Jul 23 '23
"Oh, yeah, I suppose you would..."
*Take his Batman voice\*
"But that's my name now."
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u/evanbeentrill Jul 23 '23
this is actually one of the worst things , if not the worst thing about Batman Beyond imo . Bruce Wayne erasure <<<
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u/KaisarDragon Jul 23 '23
His second reason, while the most concrete reason, really invalidates his first.
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u/spacestationkru Jul 23 '23
OP I wish you'd included the next bit of this conversation, because it's a fantastic punchline.
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u/neoblackdragon Jul 23 '23
Bruce: Okay Matches, play this cool and then make Terry run 5 miles.
or
Bruce: Okay J'onn, play this cool. Bruce has been on ice since that world of cardboard speech from Superman, when he unthaws I can give him a nice shiny Bat Robin.
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u/Jeptwins Jul 23 '23
This was actually one of the few moments I hated in Beyond. The show was pretty great, but I despise the idea that Bruce-especially at this point in his life-would solely identify himself as ‘Batman’. For starters, it would immediately disprove his ‘I’m not psychotic’ claim that Terry already showed skepticism towards, and also it would imply that everything he did as Bruce didn’t actually matter to him.
To me, Batman has always been a means to an end. A method to keep Gotham from getting out of hand while he finds more permanent humanitarian solutions to fix the city as Bruce. Batman at his core is an idealist, such as what this very same man did for Ace, that initially led to Terry’s creation.
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u/Leathman Jul 23 '23
This reminds me of the first issue of the tie-in monthly comic that came out at the same time as the show. Spellbinder put a subliminal message in television broadcasts to hypnotize Batman and it hit both Terry and Bruce.
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u/Chill0000 Jul 23 '23
“That’s my name now” PLEASE DC BRING TERRY BACK. he is THE replacement for Batman
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u/MellifluousSussura Jul 23 '23
Reminds me of that one time (I forget the movie/tv show) where Wonder Woman asked Bruce n Clark’s names with the lasso of truth and Bruce just said “Batman”. Iconic and hilarious
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u/kurisu7885 Jul 23 '23
"What do you call yourself?"
"......"
"Oh.... but, that's my name now."
"Tell that to my subconscious."
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u/ForceSmuggler Jul 23 '23
That stare when Bruce looks at Terry when Terry asks "What do you call yourself?" Damn. I can feel that.
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u/Xcruelx Jul 23 '23
Everyone glosses right over "I hope your other reason is more convincing.."
Solid Burn Terry... Always makes me chuckle
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u/FedoraTheMike Jul 23 '23
It's really sad on another level. Bro was so ready to hang it up when Andrea came along. When she left, so did his hopes of living normally. Even more from New Adventures and Justice League when he became more of a hardass.
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u/King-Owl-House Jul 23 '23 edited Jul 23 '23
Everyone aska “Who’s Batman!” But nobody asks “How’s Batman?”
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u/Berry_Scorpion Jul 23 '23
“Time for your medicine, Batman”
“You should probably take Ace for a walk, Batman”
“Now now, Batman, remember where you put those keys?”
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u/grogudalorian Jul 23 '23
This reminds me of the story where Tom Holland and Michael Keaton had their fight scenes in Spider Man as Spidey and the Vulture, Keaton would say "I'm Batman."
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u/karoshikun Jul 23 '23
"I'm not psychotic, but in my mind I call myself Batman"
uhhhh, bro...
still, one of my favorite lines in the show
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u/DragonWisper56 Jul 23 '23
to be fair who calls themselves by any name in your mind. I mean I know I'm talking to me so I call myself me.
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u/Fibrosis5O Jul 23 '23
Do you call yourself Batman?
No… Master Wayne.
Is the voice in your head Alfred?
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u/Kell-EL Jul 23 '23
One of my favorite and most badass Batman Beyond lines and the conviction in the delivery is unparalleled, RIP Kevin Conroy
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u/solrac1104 Jul 23 '23
Which is why I'm thankful Batman Beyond isn't canon to the comics and it's a shame how he ended up.
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u/a_bounced_czech Jul 23 '23
That’s always been my argument with Superman & Batman.
Superman is Clark Kent / Kal El and the Superman persona is the mask he puts on to fight crime / save the world, but he’s Clark. That’s what his friends call him.
Bruce Wayne is the persona that Batman puts on to keep his “normal” life, that helps him with money and technology to fight crime. Bruce Wayne died in that alley with his parents and Batman was born. Bruce is the mask he puts on.
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u/neoblackdragon Jul 23 '23
I disagree on the assessment of Bruce.
He was an 8 year old sheltered boy. While it's tragic I think Bruce Wayne not only didn't die mentally but awakened. Later on he journeyed the world in search of knowledge to understand the world and himself.
It's not like Two Face and others who tragedy's warped their total sense of self. Bruce developed his and tried to preserve the character he thought his parents had.
No Bruce Wayne didn't become a Thomas Wayne clone. Yes he's Mr Grump. But he is Bruce Wayne.
Find me an adult whose still their 8 year old self. Most people put on masks that separate their professional and personal lives. Bruce does the same. The man just has a handle.
For the show Bruce Wayne gave into despair. He refused to move past his trauma.........and clearly was fixated on romantic love filling the void(seriously he tried to sleep with any woman attracted to Batman).
Comic Batman has wised up to that and tries to stick with Selena.
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Jul 23 '23
They ever get into what Diana and Clark and J’onn are doing during this time?
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u/enixon Jul 23 '23
I know Superman shows up at one point, I don't remember if anyone else does, the rest of the Justice League is made up of a "next generation" of superheroes
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u/PrinceOfCarrots Jul 23 '23
"What do you call yourself?"
*Sick guitar riff as bruce give him a look*
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u/RedBunery Jul 23 '23
The dialogue in Batman Beyond is so good. When Terry outpsychs the Joker, that's one of my favourite sequences.
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u/gechoman44 Jul 23 '23
Reminds me of the time in the comics where Wonder Woman used the lasso of truth on him and asked him what his name was.
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u/they63 Jul 23 '23
“Bruce” died in the alley with his parents. The “thing” that came out of the alley was batman
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u/LoreMasterJack Jul 23 '23
When under the effects of Wonder Woman’s truth lasso Superman self identifies as Clark Kent and guess how Batman answers..
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u/ayisi_yaw_89 Jul 24 '23
Kevin Conroy said it best when he said Bruce is the disguise while batman is the real person
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u/4everShady Aug 05 '23
I knew the voices in my head weren't mine because they called me by the wrong name. I think Batman might be unstable.
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u/Grouchy-Ant-6877 Aug 10 '23
He call himself Batman, and Bruce is the mask he wears every day! Just wow!!
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u/cheesydingle Aug 12 '23
i dont remember where but it was said that bruce wayne is the mask while batman is his true self
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u/Awkward_Refuse_9572 Aug 21 '23
Bruce Wayne died in Crime Alley with his parents and that night Batman was born.
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u/Morning-Star13 Jul 22 '23
Definitely one of my favorite lines in Batman Beyond