10 Problems With Batman Nobody Wants To Admit

7. The Wards Are Weird

Without getting all Fredric Wertham about it, the parade of underage sidekicks Batman has had over the years are a little weird. Accusations of impropriety between the Dark Knight and his various wards are frankly ridiculous (and more than a little homophobic in most cases, conflating being gay with being a paedophile in the way only true bigots can manage), but still €“- they don't seem like healthy relationships, do they?

In each of his Robins, Bruce Wayne has seen a youngster not unlike himself, with a tragic loss of their parents, or some other youthful psychological scarring. So, cool, they've got this new father figure, and he seems to be on their level. Except then he forces them to wear these weird little costumes, and frequently puts them into mortal peril by insisting they join him in his war against crime in New York City. And nobody ever tries to stop him. Not even the supposedly level-headed Alfred.

Do the kids even get a say in it, when the rich billionaire swings by the orphanage looking for another trouble child to stick the domino mask on? At least the last one was his actual son. Not that that worked out any better. And wouldn't the world be suspicious that playboy Bruce Wayne spends all of his time hanging out with young boys, for whatever reason...?