#and even Jason Todd is properly ressurected for the public in rhato it's only so he can one up Bruce
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dick-the3rd · 2 years ago
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op's tags and yes yes yes
so there exists this popular belief that the main source of conflict between jason and bruce is that jason needs bruce (his dad) and not batman. it is something that i agree with, but i don’t think the fanon reading takes into account how much jason himself is not aware of this dichotomy and conflict of interest (at least in canon.)
i don’t reckon he would personally be able to articulate it, because the main reason the conflict arises is that he can’t draw a line between batman and bruce. bruce is a father to him both as a civilian and in cowl, and let me tell you, this becomes a problem as early as in his robin days. i would even argue it’s what indirectly leads to his death. when bruce benches jason after the garzona fiasco, jay latches onto the idea that he has a biological mother that he can find, who will be a parent to him instead. that is because while he knows (or knew) that he was loved, for him being son to bruce and robin to batman is the same. in his mind, being benched is as good as being thrown out of the family. and it makes sense, because when you read the 80s run, you really see that the way batman treats robin in the field is nothing short of paternal still. he even calls him “jay” when they’re patrolling alone. all the times we see jason and bruce bonding, even if it’s some fun pastime like going to a museum or a baseball match, it’s also a part of some batman investigation. and if you look further back, bruce asked jason if he wanted to be robin even before he took him in, as batman, before even revealing his identity to him.
so it is completely to be expected that for jason, bruce’s responsibilities as a father, as batman, and as a civilian, are all in the same category. and it also explains why jason confronts him about it in mask himself. in jason’s understanding, it’s not that bruce failed as a father because of his commitment to batman. in jason’s pov batman failed as a father, the same as bruce did, because they’re obviously the same person, and if it’s his no kill rule that caused this failure, then for sure the whole philosophy is kinda shitty. cue developing a whole new code that allows you to kill people in order to protect people you care about. (and it goes without saying that jason cares about everyone, the bleeding heart that he is)
going back to the core of the problem, i think that also because of that, realistically, jason wouldn’t want a deal where bruce accepts him “as his father” or “as a civilian” while batman still actively denounces his methods. he needs acceptance from batman as much as he needs it from bruce wayne, because he doesn’t differentiate between them (for a good reason). he doesn’t understand that there’s any tension between bruce as a vigilante and as a parent. and i think it makes it even sadder because he’s not really able to rationalise it as neatly as meta interpretations do. for him all that is happening is his father rejecting him.
#i honestly think his lack of civilian identity should be a bigger part of his character#bc as op wonderfully put he doesn't understand the dichotomy of hero vs civilian#and if you look closely that's something that was always present#it was Batman who Jason first met and who offered a home for him. not Bruce#Jason is never show to have friends outside the hero community#and all the people on his life didn't too. Bruce doesn't have friends. Dick's friends are mostly people from the superhero community#and even if Jason liked going to school we never actually saw him there? we just assume he liked learning but didn't had any friends#and then we have him revealing he's Robin very quickly to Sheila. even if the situation demands it we don't see him struggling with it#and he died as Robin for fuck's sake not as Jason#it's obvious the difference is almost inexistent when he comes back. if he died on costume then it wasn't a part he was playing anymore#it was who he was#also there's no need to hide who he was when he was training. like. no need to hide his fighting abilities or shady knowledge#he didn't need to hide part of his life#and when he picks the Red Hood name is only so Bruce doesn't find out who he is at the begining#i don't think he meant it as a long term identity#and even Jason Todd is properly ressurected for the public in rhato it's only so he can one up Bruce#he needs The Iceberg Lounge and Red Hood can't have it. And Jason knows it's going to be funnier if Jason Todd adopted son of Bruce Wayne-#-owns it#i mean. in Task Force Z people already know his face and name#and there's absolutely zero repercussions to that#(people = other villains. not everyone)#what i'm trying to say is#i do think jason understand the difference between the mask and the public persona from a very logical point of view#but i don't think he understands the psychological effects of this difference#which is why he can't differenciate between Batman Bruce and his father figure. bc for him this difference never existed#(funnily enough I think Damian also struggles with this but i'm going to stop here)#anyway i talked a lot and said nothing. just walking circles#jason meta
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