Request: the best (or worst) of Batdickery

[starwolf_oakley]

During the 30 Days of Scans, many of us have said Batman's biggest flaw/drawback/etc. is when he's a jerk to other superheroes. Sometimes Batman is a jerk for a reason, sometimes just to be a jerk, sometimes because he's Batman.

So, how about some examples of Batman being a jerk to other superheroes? And if Batman is being a jerk just because he's Batman?



From INFINITE CRISIS #1.


From JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #0.

Comments

[q99]

One thing I find ironic is his plan for her absolutely sucked, it was easily the weakest of the bunch. Trapping her in an intense simulation until she suffers a heart attack works until the battery runs out because I'm pretty sure Diana's heart will fail approximately never by that method.

[shadowpsykie]

well i for one LOVED the Trinity Schism in Infinite Crisis. They all made really valid points. Batman IS right, the last time Superman was an inspiration was when he died. Superman and Wonderwoman were right when they said Batman was a control freak. Wonder Woman was right when she said she did what she had to do with Lord.

they were all valid points to split on and honestly, as much as i loathe the killing of that incarnation of the freedom fighters, juxtaposed with the Schism, it was beautifully executed. the three greatest heroes,all of which COULD have prevented the massacre had they been on earth, were all bickering while people were getting killed. And the death of Uncle Sam (he got better) at the moment of the break of the Trinity was rather poetic

[fifthie]

I would give anything for Clark to look at Bruce in that first scan, and then go like "so... kind of like your parents?"

[mullon]

If Clark had punched Bruce into the sun at that point, I wouldn't have blamed him too much.

[eightleggedbeast]

And yet no-one's fully pointed out to his face that Batman making himself and himself alone the central knob of everything is why all these contingency plans get hijacked and why everything is periodically coming crashing down.

'But being alone- that's weakness!' is not saying that.

[newnumber6]

Personally, I think Batdickery is the only reason I like Batman. If it wasn't for that, he'd just be dull.

One of my favorite batdickery points was at the end of that Tower of Babel one, where Oracle's talking to Batman about the fallout, and saying how Robin's complaining that his team trusts him less by association.

Bruce's reply? "If he was smart, he could turn that into an advantage..."

Love it.

[proteus_lives]

Meh, they're all dicks in the second one.

I think Clark and Diana would approve of humans knowing how to kill them if they go rogue.

Plus it's the human/non-human thing. Admit or not characters like Superman and Wonder Woman do not consider humans their equal. Bruce feels that.

[hawkmoondirge]

Wow, uh when did all three of them become douches?

I know Batman is typically a loner, but he's been a people person at heat. Robins, bat girls, extended characters, the league, he's quite social. AND as the only full blooded human, who lets face facts is smarter than half opf the league (Saying Wally, Plas, etc) it'd make sense he'd have plans.

GBatman is soooo easy to write terribly, it's quite sad.

[tsunamiwombat]

This was mostly shitty author being shitty author.

1. Batmans plans would be clever.
2. Batman would not have let anyone find out about said plans.
3. Batman would not write down said plans in a convenient file, and
4. Batman, while being a dick sometimes, is not this much of a dick.

[frostedone]

I think one of the reasons why they got so mad at Bruce is not just because it was a secret and that the plans worked (Even if Ra's took them), but that he is always pulling jerk moves like this.

To quote Charlie Murphy on Chappelle's Show "He is a habitual line crosser."

He is always the angry, bossy, scary teammate and this might have just been the last straw.

As for the comment about Superman and Diana thinking they are above humanity I disagree with. Why else would they risk their lives protecting people, even if it is just one random person that they do not even know?

I do take issue with batman using a gun/bullets in some of these plans though since he is so against them. Darkseid being the exception.

[starwolf_oakley]

Maybe I used the wrong examples. I was hoping people would talk about or post examples of Batman acting like a jerk to other superheroes. "Tower of Babel" may have been the wrong example, since that was just Batman being a jerk when one of his "plans" was used for "evil."

[gehayi]

I liked superheroes better when they DIDN'T act like dicks. Batman was around for years before he became a control freak who didn't trust his colleagues, desperately needed to know their weaknesses, and strove to use their weaknesses against them--and I have to say that the old Batman was better.

This version isn't a hero--he's a jerk.

[yaseen101]

Bat-Dickery is pretty much drama for the sake of drama. Plain and simple. Problem is no one really tackled this seriously or rationally and most writers don't have the chops to handle these kind of issues. More often than not they'll just fall back on the simplest reason imaginable for it by just grasping the surface details of the conflict.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Personally, I actually find that second scan kind of sad. I mean, Wondy is absolutely right there; Batman is retreating farther and farther into himself and shutting out other people in the process, and he's not even AWARE of it. She's mad here, yes, but she's also trying to be a good friend by helping Bruce come to a realization about himself, and he's not even listening to her - he's just being smug to himself. He's not going to have a lot of company in his old age, is what I'm guessing...