Batman's Greatest Lesson to Robin Is Too Often Forgotten

Despite ranking among the world’s most iconic and popular superheroes, Batman is no stranger to criticism. One of the oldest critiques of the character is that he’s just a rich man taking out his psychological issues on petty criminals. While the validity of that interpretation has varied between writers, one page proves that this critique completely misses the point.

Tom Taylor and Sami Basri’s Nightwing #112 opens with a flashback scene depicting Bruce and Dick training. Unfortunately, the inexperienced Robin is still trying to overcome the grief over his parents’ untimely passing and channels that into anger.

This is where Batman has to stop his ward and tell him that the real reason they do what they do is to help people, not to punish them. He closes out the lecture with a line that is imperative to understanding the character: “We can’t hurt people because our parents died.”

Batman Doesn’t Do What He Does To Hurt People, He Does It To Help Them

Though the darkest Batman comics of all time might show the world’s most famous superhero as someone obsessed with revenge, that hasn’t really been the mainstream interpretation of him for some time now.

Batman can, occasionally, give in to his anger (especially when he’s facing someone extremely cruel), but as Bruce points out in his lecture to Dick, those are the points where he truly stops being a hero and starts being something far more insidious.

For as iconic as the line “I am vengeance” is, it doesn’t truly represent the character both in real life and in fiction.

A recent study found that Batman’s presence made people want to help others more, and this is far more what the character is about in modern DC Comics.

Batman’s Lesson To Robin Also Disproves Another Big Critique

Another big critique of Batman is that he employs psychologically damaged teenagers and young adults to further his war on crime, essentially creating child soldiers.

While, yes, in the real world, Batman’s use of sidekicks would be fairly reprehensible, Nightwing #112 shows the valuable lessons Bruce is teaching his young companions.

Batman isn’t teaching his sidekicks how to hurt people, he’s teaching them how to make productive use of their own personal grief. Regardless of the validity of his methods, Batman makes it clear to Dick that the training is about making the world a better place.

If Batman wants to survive into the future, these are the lessons that need to be emphasized. Batman is an inspiration, a call for people to better themselves and their communities, and that’s the key to his long-term survival.