#also note: as of Battle for the Cowl Elizabeth is very much alive and kicking

[bitterrobin]

The Kane Family (hc)

Making things complicated for myself: pt 3, for the Flamebird AU.

In order to properly explain/get through Bette's backstory and add context to Kathy Kane, I need to actually detail my headcanon version of the Kane family (which includes canon too bc why not). To me, the Kanes are like the Kennedy family if they were from New Jersey, Jewish and just about as many in-family deaths that happen maybe a bit too fast after the other. Also, they absolutely suck at maintaining their image and finances.

Read below to get a glimpse into the overly-detailed thought I've put into something that will only really connect to maybe like, 2 flashbacks.

(Putting a cut to save your dashboards.)

First things first; the patriarch and matriarch.

Roderick and Elizabeth Kane. Canon names. Not so canon history.

Roderick had an older brother named Mordecai (non-canon) who was dating a wealthy young lady named Elizabeth Miriam Ritter, who is from a notable German Jewish family that's very conservative.

Elizabeth got pregnant out of wedlock, immediately putting her out of favor with both the elder Kanes and her own family. She was going to marry Mordecai out of genuine love, but then uh...he died young at 28.

Because the Kanes had already announced the engagement but hadn't specified which Kane brother she was going to marry, they harassed and forced Elizabeth to marry Roderick instead in order to save face with the public.

While neither are particularly pleased, they go through with it.

Really all you need to know is that this forced marriage completely soured both of their outlooks on life, and the strained marriage that followed very much affected their children and grandchildren.

Roderick is emotionally constipated, quiet, and the exact opposite of affectionate. Still, he allows his children some freedoms that Elizabeth vocally dislikes.

Roderick used to be an engineer, not a businessman (that was his brother's claim to fame) so when he's forced to run Kane Chemicals - he completely botches it.

Later on, he's blackmailed into debt by a mobster named Judson Pierce, which leads to the bankrupt of the company and Roderick has a stroke that leaves him utterly paralyzed. (this is canon).

Despite one of his son's efforts to recover the company, they're forced to sell the business to ACE - thus creating Ace Chemicals. (also canon-ish)

Elizabeth, on the other hand, is a mother who is very overprotective and too involved in her kid's lives. She's not a great grandmother.

She's very religious compared to Roderick, which sows conflict between her and her children, as they are variously devoted to Judaism.

Dislikes all of her grandchildren bc they are all born of non-Jewish marriages out of wedlock or just out of a marriage that's not beneficial to the Kane name. Did not take in Bruce bc he's a Wayne, did not take in Bette bc she's born of a heavy scandal, and has no relationship with the twins bc Jacob purposefully kept them from her.

Not abusive, but overbearing and disapproving in that stiff, "will pinch you harshly if you're misbehaving" and be uncharacteristically affectionate in public when you do something "good" way.

Then, there's the Kane siblings, each known by the public whether its good or bad publicity. The number of siblings is not canon, but I need a way to explain how some of these people exist in canon along with Martha and Jacob, especially with the number of children they have.

Nathan Eli Kane (canon)

the oldest

Mordecai's biological son, but no one ever told him this.

Smothered by his mother and neglected by his father.

Protective of his siblings, especially fond of Martha.

Prepared since birth to be the Kane heir and an exceptional son.

Stifled by this, which explains why he dates and eventually marries the daredevil and unladylike Katherine "Kathy" Webb.

Fun fact, he canonically bought an entire circus for her.

He was formerly a Gotham City Councilman before he basically quit and fucked off to elope with Kathy as an act of rebellion when Martha was disowned.

They moved out of Gotham for the rest of their marriage.

He died of a heart attack at around 42 (out of stress/heartbreak not too long after Martha's death) - leaving Kathy Kane a widow. Canonically, he's around 47 when he dies, but it seems too old for the timeline I'm working with.

Never had children.

Philip Walton Kane (canon)

second eldest (2 yrs younger than Nathan)

a perpetual bachelor.

Doted on by his father, the most spoiled and objectively annoying of the siblings. Was one-sidedly jealous of Nathan.

Allowed to study and do whatever he wanted bc Nathan was supposed to run the company and his other siblings were too young to object.

As a teen, he became disillusioned with Gotham and moved out of the state. He almost renounced the family name when Martha was disowned, but decided against it bc he's still a daddy's boy.

Canonically studied to be geologist before being brought back by Roderick to run the company. (before the stroke).

Philip sucks ass at running the company and is partially the reason why his father gets blackmailed by the mob.

Took over Wayne Enterprises after Thomas and Martha were killed bc Bruce was too young. Canonically made business decisions that Bruce hated.

Died at 51 after being shot by the Joker (back when he was the Red Hood.) (also canon)

Never got married or had children.

Jacob Asher Kane (canon)

the middle child. 1 yr younger than Philip.

While Nathan and Philip always argued, adding to the strife of parents that did not love each other, Jacob never involved himself in any arguments.

He refused to be shoved into any kind of limelight, so he's not as famous as his siblings. He also kept to himself most of time, so no scandals either.

The second he graduated high school, he joined the army half out of a sense of duty, half to escape his family.

While in training, he met Gabrielle "Gabi" Hunter and they began to date.

Indifferent to his older brothers, but he doted on Martha, who was his favorite sibling. Simon was too young for them to bond.

The father of Kate and Beth Kane.

Named them after his mother bc of tradition and begrudged affection, never calls them their full names out of spite.

Martha Romi Kane (very canon)

middle child, the only daughter of the family. 3 yrs younger than Jacob.

Spoiled and doted on by all of her siblings, the most famous Kane child out of the good deeds she did and the scandals she was involved in.

the "wild child", I hc her as being just as weird and neurodivergent-coded as Bruce. She was incredibly interested in medicine, funerary practices, insects, self-defense, business, politics and many other "unlady-like" things of her time.

Despite her mother's efforts, Martha was never the picture-perfect daughter. She regularly skipped social events with Jacob and actively sabotaged public figures she disliked.

Fun fact, she was canonically nicknamed Marty in some stories.

The most philanthropic of her siblings, she regularly created and donated to various Gotham charities, volunteered, and was often seen disguised in the poorer parts of the city in order to help.

The biggest scandal of the city was when she started dating Thomas Wayne.

The Waynes had an eternal reputation as the name of womanizing, debaucherous men and scandalous, rude women. Both Roderick and Elizabeth were vehemently against Martha's relationship with Thomas. Not completely unjustified as Thomas had a reputation for being a womanizer and an alcoholic before he met Martha, despite his renown skill as a doctor.

Adding to the scandal, the Waynes were very Catholic.

Roderick actually liked Thomas, he just didn't want him to marry his daughter. Elizabeth absolutely hated Thomas and thought he was the evil of all evils.

When Martha threatened to elope, Elizabeth decided to disown her instead. Her siblings never forgave this.

By the time she was murdered, Nathan was in self-exile and both Philip and Jacob were out of state. Philip took legal guardianship of Bruce for a week before Alfred Pennyworth took over bc Philip just isn't a fatherly type.

Simon Mordecai Kane (non-canon)

the youngest Kane. 4 yrs younger than Martha.

Too young to bond with any of his siblings, but he actually loved his parents deeply.

He followed Martha around at a young age, idolizing her tough spirit and confidence.

He was separated from his siblings before they could really get to know him, as he was sent to a boarding school.

When he was 19, he had Bette by accident when he got the daughter of a businessman pregnant. She sent Bette to him as an infant to raise.

Bette's full name, Mary Elizabeth, is completely in loving reference to her grandmother.

At Gotham University, he studied architecture and contributed to Gotham's skyline and various other buildings later on. Bette was always with him in lectures and in his office.

A closeted and heavily repressed homosexual, he never married - which his mother resented.

As a young adult, he was well-adjusted and was a loving parent to Bette. He re-kindled a sibling relationship with Martha and a friendship with Kathy Webb-Kane, becoming close to both women.

He had a dangerous romance with the scion of an old, wealthy assassin organization - which may or may not have contributed to his death.

At 28, he died in a particularly fire-filled car crash on the Kane bridge. Bette was with him, but she wasn't mortally injured as he managed to get her out of the car before it exploded. (She was 9 years old.) By this time, Bruce was already 26 and Kate was 25.

As per his will, Kathy Webb-Kane adopted Bette and raised her up until she was 15.

That finishes it. If anyone has any Kane family headcanons or comic references that might change this, pls tag/comment!

A good majority of this will not make it into the fic as text, but there will be references.