This has come up a lot in the new 52 and besides the trope being overdone there's another reason it doesn't work. The writers drop the plot to move onto the next screw up Bruce does to piss them off. Nothing ever gets properly resolved showing there was never a story to begin with. First we have DOTF which few writers wanted to touch to begin with and usually had members of the family shrug off soon afterward.* Then Tomasi grief arc which should have lead somewhere but was quickly brushed aside despite one case having to do with Bruce doing something unforgivable. Both are quickly swept under the rug to get onto another jerky thing Bruce does. Bruce even belittles their lack of trust while promising not to keep anymore secrets from them.
You know what we could have instead of the unending loop of Bruce being an ass that never learns his lesson and is always forgiven? Fleshing out how these people relate with each other! We still don't know what relationship Dick has with Tim and Jason. Can't we have something a little more original or at least show that this has consequences like the family keeping secrets from him?
* In fact Tomasi even showed Jason got over DOTF in his grief arc as he was staying at the manor and thanked Bruce for taking care of him. Yet HE'S the one Tomasi has mentioning the fake faces in DOTF? He was over that part before anyone else.
You raise a very good point. Bruce can go on forever, being a complete jackass, and never getting called on it, because HE'S BATMAN!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think he brainwashes them.
It depends on who writes them. At the moment Dicks' kind of at fault too & I'm not sure why he allows it to go on. Barbara...honestly the only thing I can get is the interpretation I got from Tomasi that she needs Bruce's approval especially if she doesn't have her dads'. Damian followed him blindly. No idea about Tim although it might be the reason he moved out. Jason calls him out but feels guilty for what he did & might just want some sense of family.
ReplyDeleteI'm especially and that Alfred didn't blow up at Bruce for the grief arc and sniped at them.