10 Problems With Batman Nobody Wants To Admit
4. The Psychology Of Bruce Wayne
One of the other most common truisms when it comes to the Dark Knight is the expert psychological analysis that Batman is who he really is, while Bruce Wayne is the mask. Woah, like, way deep, dude. You just busted this thing wide open. You must be really smart. So perceptive. Much mind blowing.
Except neither's particularly true, as current Batman writer Scott Snyder opined recently. The actual crime-fighting activities he does as Batman, and the way he supports those with his daytime career as billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne - they're both performances. They're both masks. The real Bruce Wayne hasn't been able to get a word in edgeways since the day his parents were killed in front of him, which is when he started acting.
Like, of course. Going through that sort of trauma would throw anybody for a loop. But Bruce has been keeping up this dual identity for his whole adult life, never letting up for a single moment, and neither of them are his true self. Surely that's got to take some sort of psychological toll?
We get exhausted working 9-to-5 jobs without taking a holiday every once in a while. Bruce Wayne has never taken a vacation from his mission, ever, in his life, even when he's technically holidaying in playboy mode. The guy never switches off. And nobody has ever addressed how damaging that must be to him, in the long run. Give him a break, for crying out loud. He's more than earned it.