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Nov. 11th, 2003 09:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greenygalSo I bought one of those old reprint digests--I love digests; they're reprint heaven, and much, much cheaper than Archives (if you can find them in the first place, of course). This was a Year's Best Stories collection, and among a number of other stories was Alan Brennert's classic Batman tale "To Kill A Legend."
The idea of the story is that the Phantom Stranger shows up, tells Batman that his parents' murder is about to repeat itself on an alternate Earth (it's a pre-Crisis story), and, as a friend, offers him the chance to go there and intervene. To nobody's surprise, Batman thinks that a chance to prevent the defining tragedy of his life, even if it won't be his life, is a good thing, and says yes. Also predictably, he wants to do it alone, but Dick, concerned that Bruce won't be able to be objective about the situation (well, yeah), insists on coming along.
And here's the real conflict of the story. While they attempt to track down the Waynes' murderer, Dick looks around and sees that little AU Bruce is a spoiled brat, that this Earth has no costumed heroes and no heroic mythology (I found that one a bit hard to swallow, but going with it), and starts to wonder if they should interfere in the situation. "We could be condemning him to a life as a spoiled playboy," he argues, "and denying this Earth its only hero!"
Bruce disagrees, of course, taking the position that the lives at stake are the important thing, and that living a life defined by tragedy, no matter what that tragedy may push one to accomplish, is not a positive thing. "No one should be angry all his life, Dick. No one..." Dick can't argue with that, but he retains his doubts about whether they should be trying to change destiny until the point of decision comes. And there's quite a good resolution, but it's not what I want to talk about.
What I find interesting about this is Dick. He comes across as the coldblooded voice of reason to Bruce's more emotional response (not often you get to say that), to a degree that actually seems implausible coming from someone who went through exactly what Bruce did and whose vocation is saving lives. But I think, in fact, his motivations are just as emotional as Bruce's. I mean, I'm sure Dick does rationally believe that it's a good thing for Earth to have a Batman, and he may well be thinking that the lives of two people now will save thousands eventually. But like his teacher, Dick does not tend to value the larger picture over innocent lives right in front of him. The fact that he's advancing any sort of argument at all, over what must be every instinct and piece of training he possesses, for letting the parents of someone he loves die--never mind that he's suggesting letting little Bruce be orphaned for his own good, when he of all people knows better--argues that he's got more than a rational motive here. Bruce can't be objective about his parents--but Dick can't be objective about Bruce.
Bruce is Dick's mentor, his family, and I don't think it's at all unreasonable to say his savior--he entered Dick's life at a moment when Dick was in desperate need and gave him emotional comfort, a new home, and a way to do something about the hole inside him. On top of all of that, he really is a hero; god knows how many people Dick has watched him save over the years. And none of that would have happened if Bruce wasn't Batman.
I don't think Dick is looking at this situation and consciously thinking that if there never is a Batman there will never be anyone to take Dick in. (Though it's certainly a question worth considering. It's nastily ironic that healing Bruce leads to Dick remaining shattered.) He probably should be thinking about that, actually, even if you're not reading any of this in, but I guess it didn't fit in the story Brennert was trying to tell. Anyway, what I do think is that he's internalized that Bruce-as-Batman is very, very important, and the thought of Batman not only not existing, but never having existed is very disturbing for him. Particularly at the time the story is set, circa the beginning of New Teen Titans, when he's about 18; he's gotten to the point where he can strongly disagree with Bruce about things (and resent being ignored), but he hasn't quite moved away from Bruce being the central figure in his life. (Yeah, I know, has he ever? But theoretically.) So his reasonable logical arguments are underlain by a bias so profound that he's probably not even aware of it, that Batman needs to exist, and that Bruce Wayne needs to become the heroic man Dick knows, even if Bruce isn't as happy that way. And if the only way there is the death of the Waynes, then that needs to happen as well.
It's an appalling paradox, just the sort of thing to remind you why everybody's crazy in Gotham: Dick loves Bruce deeply, respects him greatly (most of the time, anyway), and thinks he makes an important difference in the world. So, in direct result, he needs for Bruce to suffer an incredibly painful tragedy that leaves permanent scars on his soul. *sigh* Only the Bat-books.
The idea of the story is that the Phantom Stranger shows up, tells Batman that his parents' murder is about to repeat itself on an alternate Earth (it's a pre-Crisis story), and, as a friend, offers him the chance to go there and intervene. To nobody's surprise, Batman thinks that a chance to prevent the defining tragedy of his life, even if it won't be his life, is a good thing, and says yes. Also predictably, he wants to do it alone, but Dick, concerned that Bruce won't be able to be objective about the situation (well, yeah), insists on coming along.
And here's the real conflict of the story. While they attempt to track down the Waynes' murderer, Dick looks around and sees that little AU Bruce is a spoiled brat, that this Earth has no costumed heroes and no heroic mythology (I found that one a bit hard to swallow, but going with it), and starts to wonder if they should interfere in the situation. "We could be condemning him to a life as a spoiled playboy," he argues, "and denying this Earth its only hero!"
Bruce disagrees, of course, taking the position that the lives at stake are the important thing, and that living a life defined by tragedy, no matter what that tragedy may push one to accomplish, is not a positive thing. "No one should be angry all his life, Dick. No one..." Dick can't argue with that, but he retains his doubts about whether they should be trying to change destiny until the point of decision comes. And there's quite a good resolution, but it's not what I want to talk about.
What I find interesting about this is Dick. He comes across as the coldblooded voice of reason to Bruce's more emotional response (not often you get to say that), to a degree that actually seems implausible coming from someone who went through exactly what Bruce did and whose vocation is saving lives. But I think, in fact, his motivations are just as emotional as Bruce's. I mean, I'm sure Dick does rationally believe that it's a good thing for Earth to have a Batman, and he may well be thinking that the lives of two people now will save thousands eventually. But like his teacher, Dick does not tend to value the larger picture over innocent lives right in front of him. The fact that he's advancing any sort of argument at all, over what must be every instinct and piece of training he possesses, for letting the parents of someone he loves die--never mind that he's suggesting letting little Bruce be orphaned for his own good, when he of all people knows better--argues that he's got more than a rational motive here. Bruce can't be objective about his parents--but Dick can't be objective about Bruce.
Bruce is Dick's mentor, his family, and I don't think it's at all unreasonable to say his savior--he entered Dick's life at a moment when Dick was in desperate need and gave him emotional comfort, a new home, and a way to do something about the hole inside him. On top of all of that, he really is a hero; god knows how many people Dick has watched him save over the years. And none of that would have happened if Bruce wasn't Batman.
I don't think Dick is looking at this situation and consciously thinking that if there never is a Batman there will never be anyone to take Dick in. (Though it's certainly a question worth considering. It's nastily ironic that healing Bruce leads to Dick remaining shattered.) He probably should be thinking about that, actually, even if you're not reading any of this in, but I guess it didn't fit in the story Brennert was trying to tell. Anyway, what I do think is that he's internalized that Bruce-as-Batman is very, very important, and the thought of Batman not only not existing, but never having existed is very disturbing for him. Particularly at the time the story is set, circa the beginning of New Teen Titans, when he's about 18; he's gotten to the point where he can strongly disagree with Bruce about things (and resent being ignored), but he hasn't quite moved away from Bruce being the central figure in his life. (Yeah, I know, has he ever? But theoretically.) So his reasonable logical arguments are underlain by a bias so profound that he's probably not even aware of it, that Batman needs to exist, and that Bruce Wayne needs to become the heroic man Dick knows, even if Bruce isn't as happy that way. And if the only way there is the death of the Waynes, then that needs to happen as well.
It's an appalling paradox, just the sort of thing to remind you why everybody's crazy in Gotham: Dick loves Bruce deeply, respects him greatly (most of the time, anyway), and thinks he makes an important difference in the world. So, in direct result, he needs for Bruce to suffer an incredibly painful tragedy that leaves permanent scars on his soul. *sigh* Only the Bat-books.
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Date: 2003-11-12 12:32 pm (UTC)ignorantly tossing in a few cents of my own...
i think dick, especially at 18, might have consciously, even, thought, 'gee, if bruce is a spoiled twit, who's gonna help me out when my folks die?' but he's just not that selfish. subconsciously, that might still play a factor, but dickie is really not the type to let others suffer for him.
i wonder if dick might have felt differently were nontragic!bruce not so much of a brat. if he felt like bruce was going to grow up to be a worthwhile contributer to society, he might have weighed the good that batman does vs. the good that bruce wayne, philanthropist does, but if he was thinking that all of bruce's good traits were inspired by that one shattering moment in his life...
also, dick is far more pragmatic than bruce is. ^_^ dick isn't deluding himself into thinking he can fight 'crime' as an abstract, nor does he think that he can clean up an entire city, and leave it, one day, free of all 'bad' people. he's pragmatic enough, in fact, to understand that you have to suffer in life sometimes. i think, given the same opportunity, he likely would have said 'no.' i think he's explicitly stated in canon at some point (don't remember where) that as much as he wishes he had his parents still, he loves his life, and he really wouldn't change much.
that's the key, tho, isn't it? dickie loves his life, not all the time, but he loves what he does, and even if he is driven (differently, but still...) to do the mask thing, he's not bitter about it. he enjoys being him. bruce would never be able to feel that way, even on his best day, so he would feasibly make the choice to watch the world slip away, if he could just recapture what he lost.
interesting stuff. (sorry for blathering in your journal...)
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Date: 2003-11-14 06:48 pm (UTC)It's not that I don't think he would have thought that--it's that, in the context of this particular story, I don't think he did. We see his thought balloons, and they're all about Bruce.
I also don't think it would be particularly selfish of him to be concerned for the fate of an orphaned young boy who, after all, isn't him. But it might have taken longer than the day or so he had here to properly wrap his brain around that concept.
i wonder if dick might have felt differently were nontragic!bruce not so much of a brat.
Possibly. Of course, the idea that five minutes of observation of an eight-year-old is sufficient to judge whether they'll do anything worthwhile with their life is pretty silly, anyway... I think it may be the combination of Spoiled!Bruce and no Batman that's disturbing him--I doubt he'd approve of either component singly (he's already expressing concern that there won't be a Batman before he ever sees the kid), but I don't think he'd argue quite so strongly as he does faced with both. Just supposition, of course.
also, dick is far more pragmatic than bruce is.
While I know what you're getting at here, it's never wise to underestimate the pragmatism of Mr. "Contingency Plans To Kill All My Teammates," there. :)
dick isn't deluding himself into thinking he can fight 'crime' as an abstract, nor does he think that he can clean up an entire city, and leave it, one day, free of all 'bad' people.
Which doesn't stop him from trying. ;) No, I know what you mean. And he's far more willing to enlist help in the matter than Bruce is, Tarantula notwithstanding.
he's pragmatic enough, in fact, to understand that you have to suffer in life sometimes.
Ah, and here's the key to why I insist on reading in all this subtext to this story. I agree with you that Dick does not take pain and tragedy as the kind of personal insult that Bruce does. That he's far more capable of moving on. And that he can accept, for himself and for others, that good, even necessary, results can come from tragic things.
But he does not ever take that attitude to the extreme that he should stand by and let tragic things happen, especially if they involve innocent people dying or people he loves getting hurt, because he thinks it's for the best. I think that normally the very idea would appall him (heck, I can think of a few stories where it did), and the fact that he's arguing for it here suggests to me that there must be more going on in there than is being shown.
i think, given the same opportunity, he likely would have said 'no.'
I think he'd be in a hell of a dilemma, there, especially if it was like this story and an actual AU, not a chance to change his own life. On the one hand, I agree with you and whoever wrote that line (I vaguely remember it, I think) that for himself, for all the grief involved, he'd rather that things turned out the way they did. But would he be willing to let the Graysons die for it?
...damn. Damn. Now I want to write this story. *swats bunny hurriedly*
bruce would never be able to feel that way, even on his best day, so he would feasibly make the choice to watch the world slip away, if he could just recapture what he lost.
You'd pretty much have to convince Bruce that saving the Waynes would lead to the destruction of all life on Earth to get him not to interfere. And even then it would be touch-and-go.
interesting stuff. (sorry for blathering in your journal...)
I want you to blather. If I didn't want people to read and comment, I wouldn't put these things up in a public forum. :)
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Date: 2003-11-12 02:51 pm (UTC)And now I want to know what's the resolution of course, would you mind telling how it worked out?
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Date: 2003-11-13 05:02 am (UTC)What happens is that Batman manages a last minute rescue and successfully saves the Waynes. (Dick would have done it, unable at the last to stand by, but Bruce got there first.) And in so doing, he winds up inspiring little Bruce to become Batman anyway.
"Years from now, he will make a decision...choose a direction for his life.
"And when he does, it will not be a decision born of grief, or guilt, or vengeance...
"But of awe...and mystery...and gratitude."
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Date: 2003-11-13 09:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-11-17 06:58 pm (UTC)"And when he does, it will not be a decision born of grief, or guilt, or vengeance...
"But of awe...and mystery...and gratitude."
Okay... that just gave me SHIVERS.
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Date: 2003-11-17 07:34 pm (UTC)