#I think Bruce should have gone through ridiculous levels of custody battles

[mzminola]

Okay I don't like Alfred having raised Bruce after Thomas & Martha died, so okay, what would I prefer?

I think Bruce should have bounced around relatives. Some who genuinely cared, some who wanted his inheritance, some who were good with kids, some who were inexperienced but trying, some who the courts picked when two others were fighting, etc. Heck, let's throw some Wayne Enterprises board members in there too.

It opens up the opportunity for Bruce to have a wide range of parental experiences, and a way to pull random knowledge, skills, and stories out of his pocket that nobody in his adult life knows enough to contradict. Oh who taught you to sharpshoot, Brucie? To box? To identify the components of perfumes? One of my cousins, sorry, ha ha, don't remember which one!

Gotham's problems work best when there's no one single person or organization at the root of it all, and dragging Bruce around like this makes him a microcosm of that. Batman is one of Gotham's avatars, so let that be reflected in his childhood in more ways than the original double homicide.

It's also a solid reason for him to seek emancipation at sixteen, letting him yeet himself across the globe for his self-directed Batman training quest.

Gives him early opportunity to practice undercover personas! After the third guardianship change, baby Bruce realizes the adults don't know what he's "supposed" to be like, and goes ham coming up with fresh personalities at each changeover.

~

What about Alfred, then? Where does the stalwart supporter/enabler who snarks at Bruce at every opportunity while keeping his secrets and stitching him up?

Well, when Batman is a brand new vigilante who's great at detective work and fighting, and not so great at keeping his cowl from getting yanked off...

Alfred Pennyworth is the first person Batman ever saves.

He's been helping Bruce keep that mask on ever since.