Batman's New Origin Shows He May Have Been the Worst Criminal in Gotham

Batman: The Knight reveals that Bruce Wayne would have been the worst criminal in Gotham had he not grown up to be the Batman.

Bruce Wayne transformed an unimaginably painful experience into the vigilante hero Batman after seeing both of his parents shot to death in a random murder. His route to donning the cowl, however, was never certain, and he frequently stood in danger of becoming Gotham's Caped King of Crime with just one poor choice.

The Batman: The Knight limited series by Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico retells the history of Batman with a focus on Bruce Wayne's journey between the time his parents were murdered and his final return to Gotham as the city's sole Dark Knight. The series deals on a number of topics, including how he dealt with his post-traumatic stress disorder, vivid memories, and rage over his parents' death. For instance, in Batman: The Knight #8, Bruce seeks the advice of Doctor Daniel Captio to learn how to reinforce his mind against his constantly creeping wrath after practising in a variety of martial arts styles.

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The Dark Knight Rises also shows how perilously close Bruce came to giving in to his rage and allowing it to drive him to crime, even though he eventually managed to defeat, or at least manage, his demons enough to become the Dark Knight. During Bruce's first trauma, he acts violently without having a clear plan on how to direct his rage. Without his objective, Bruce is obviously headed toward being someone who loses himself to causing harm without justification. Given the entirety of the conditions around the young Bruce, including his wealth, lack of a support structure, and antisocial disposition, there is no doubt that he would have been Gotham's most notorious criminal ever, as the series demonstrates. Bruce's trauma therapist, Dr. Hugo Strange, does in fact tell him in Batman: The Knight #1, "You can do whatever you want, Bruce."

Strange is correct in that regard. Everything that made Bruce such a successful hero might have easily been used to turn him become an almost invincible villain. In addition, according to the history portrayed in the series, Bruce not only has a talent for criminality but also gained significant experience in it at a young age. The greatest way to put this concept through is through Alfred's confrontation of Bruce in Batman: The Knight #1 after he had bailed him out of jail. Bruce is told by Alfred that getting into fights and committing small-time crimes are acts of desperation carried out by people who have no other means to obtain what Bruce can easily attain. Bruce takes this conversation to heart, and as a result, he starts his journey to become the Dark Knight.

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However, Bruce's earlier illegal activity reveals another characteristic that would have made him the worst kind of offender. He can carry out crimes with complete impunity thanks to the money and power of the Wayne family, and he can use all of these resources to help them get done. Bruce Wayne's rage is explored in Batman: The Knight, demonstrating that assuming the role of Batman was a choice to own his darker sides and use them for good rather than having inherent heroism. This choice made Bruce Wayne Gotham's greatest hero rather than its most accomplished hero.