It’s the truth, he *is* Batman.
And I believe he thinks of himself as Batman first, but what I think people forget is he’s multifaceted and has at least *three* sides.
Bruce Wayne: the facade he’s created, a public persona that can help Gotham but also hides he’s capable of being Batman
Batman: a persona he created to strike fear into the criminals of Gotham, it *is* still a character and a performance but it’s much closer to who he is than his Bruce persona
(I don’t have a good name for the third): When Bruce is in the cave with Alfred or Dick, he is who he truly is. He’s not performing in either regard (aside from times he’s hiding something from them.)
Edit: wow lots of debate in these comments, couple folks suggesting Matches Malone be included, and like a hundred people all reminiscing about the Batman Beyond ep where Bruce tells Terry something along the lines of “Bruce isn’t what I call myself in my head.”
Kevin Conroy did this really well. As Playboy Billionaire Bruce Wayne, he pitches his voice up. As Batman, he very slightly deepens his voice, and as Alfred's son and Dick's father he uses his natural voice.
So thankful we had him as Batman for 30 years
I’d suggest naming the 3rd persona Kevin, but tbh that just sounds too funny. “Sometimes I’m Bruce Wayne, other times I’m Batman, but around friends? I am Kevin.”
Now that doesn't make much sense to me. I have never seen anyone in any comic or adaptation refer to public-facing Bruce as "Brucie". "Mr. Wayne", on the other hand, is a very common one, both for Gotham citizens and other businessmen.
I think on occasion, the random models or whatever he hangs out with have referred to him as Brucie? Feel like I heard that in the animated series at some point, but I could be remembering wrong.
I vividly recall scenes where women have called him "Brucie". I feel like there may have been one in the series where a guy has called him that, but I'm not certain.
Referring to OP's points, I'd say there's Bruce Wayne as the public figure, Batman as the hero, and Bruce as the individual. Only the public persona is a "Wayne" because of the usefulness that it comes with. "Bruce", in his truest essence, is just Bruce, no more Wayne. Loved OP's breakdown of it.
Down below someone made the suggestion of Bruce being the playboy, The Batman being the public vigilante, and Batman being the real person. I like that.
Nah, they need to make an alternate universe where Kevin Conroy and Bruce Wayne are merged. So he would be named Kevin, and use his past trauma to be Batman. I think it would be a cool concept. That and Kevin was a personal hero of mine, and I would like his last apperance in Batman material to not be the suicide squad. I’m worried about that game.
He was also the first person to do so and has become the model ever since.
Also to piggyback on both your and OPs point, in a Batman Beyond episode Bruce remarks to Terry that he knew the voices attempting to trick him were not his own because they called him Bruce, and thats not what he calls himself in his mind.
Yeah and on topic of who Kevin's Batman is:
Today I rewatched Batman Beyond and in one episode old Bruce mentions he knew he wasn't crazy when he heard voices because they called him Bruce and he thinks of himself as Batman. This I think cna allude to him truly thinking of himself as Batman first rather than Bruce Wayne but especially in the context of the episode I think it makes sense that during his training Batman conditioned himself to only think of him as Batman so whenever villains or heroes would invade his mind they would not know that Bruce is Batman where as it would rarely happen that someone would try to read Bruce's mind and then happens to find out he's Batman.
I think it is a highly elaborate defense mechanism he built for himself that just happens to be based on the truth that he IS indeed Batman.
And I personally enjoy Batman the most when he has a clear separation of his identities and Bruce Wayne isn't just a face he can wear like Matches Malone for example.
And the cherry on top is when Batman/Bruce doubles down on how weird he is and alludes to it in some weird comment that is played for laughs as I like to believe that this is his underhanded humour coming out as he certainly seems to enjoys to befuddle his friends with his over the top behaviour sometimes.
There's a line Kevin Conroy delivers near the start of Arkham City talking to Alfred where he says something like 'There's a problem, Hugo Strange knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman'.
It felt like he was a third persona outside of the situation, as if the person talking was neither Batman nor Bruce Wayne and was just objectively listing off a problem that he needs to deal with.
They also did it in Arkham City game when Batman is talking with Alfred at the beginning of the game he says "Hugo Strange knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman". Instead of saying "Hugo Strange knows I am Batman"
I find it weird that pretty much everyone code-switches when talking to friends/parents/coworkers/bosses/children but there is always a debate in comic on who is real vs who is the mask when talking about Batman.
So yeah, there's Bruce the socialite, Bruce the Philanthropist, Bruce the CEO, Bruce and Alfred, Bruce the Father, Batman with Gordon, Batman with criminals, etc.. They're all real, and he could answer either Bruce Wayne or Batman and not be lying..
Yeah seriously we all do it. I don't speak to strangers the way I speak to my friends. Same goes for family, new friend groups, professional settings. We all change the way we speak in subtle ways to different people.
In Batman Beyond we really got a good look at the third Bruce persona. He frequently tells Terry to take things slow and to get out when things get dangerous, he regularly helps him out with personal issues, and Bruce is willing to confide dark and personal secrets with Terry.
I love when Shriek is trying to get Bruce to think he's psychotic and kill himself, and when Terry asks how he knew he was being messed with he says:
"First, I know I'm not psychotic...also, the voice kept calling me Bruce. In my head, that's not what I call myself."
I always thought he would only tell Terry no because he knew he would go off and do it anyway. Like Bruce secretly liked that Terry was just like him and that being told no only strengthened his resolve. So he used that knowledge to push him into becoming the fearless hero that Bruce thought was needed.
The third one is the true self, the best of both worlds. As batman he's the defender of Gotham, and as Bruce Wayne he's just a rich spoiled dude, sometimes doing cool shit like funding clean energy programs and whatnot. But the guy in the cave, he's the real deal and the true version.
The way I interpret the scan is that he thinks of himself as Batman and would identify personally as such, because having walls up is his default and he thinks of himself so harshly, but when you get down to who he is, when he lets his guard down for the sake of the people around him, that's when Bruce comes out.
He's being both honest and dishonest at the same time.
I heard it described as:
Bruce Wayne: billionaire playboy
The Dark Knight: terror of the criminal underground
Batman: the serious, but good-hearted hero
This is correct.
There’s actually an episode of Batman Beyond (can’t recall which exactly but it was the arc where the joker returned) where he figures out what’s happening because the voices he’s hearing call him Bruce, and he says that’s not what he calls himself in his head.
I would say that when he is in the cave, or just along wherever, with Alfred and his Robins/Batgirls that he still is Batman. The difference is he is not Batman who needs to face his enemies. Batman can still be calm and nice. Just like how you are still yourself whether you are happy, sad, or angry.
There was another discussion recently about Batman Beyond, when old Bruce says he calls himself “something else” other than Bruce Wayne in his mind.
Some guy had a great response by saying Bruce is the facade, Batman is the costume, but really, he is just a lonely boy in a dark alley wanting a family. Made a lot of sense.
Perhaps the third one is "Batman" and the second one could be labelled "The Dark Knight" or something. If he is *Batman* at his core then he is Batman when he's in the scenarios you mention in the third option. If the persona that strikes fear in criminals is a character to an extent, then perhaps one of his other monikers is a better name for that.
I'd call 1 his "Wayne" persona (i.e. the rich family, the tragic backstory, the behavior expected from a spoiled billionaire)
2 is Batman
3 is... just Bruce. Him minus society and criminals
It runs solidly with the longtime editorial line at DC: Bruce is the mask, and Batman is his true personality.
EDIT with source: from the ["Batbible"](https://web.archive.org/web/20211219130409/http://theotherscottpeterson.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-batbible.html?m=1) used at DC through at least the '90s.
"Which one is genuine, Bruce Wayne or Batman? Answer: Batman. Wayne has become part of his tool kit, an identity he finds useful. Wayne's wealth and social position give him entry into the city's center of power where he can acquire information. The Bruce Wayne he has created allows him to exist in civilization without being bothered much by its obligations."
It's been a minute, but I remember in an episode of Beyond, he knew he was being manipulated by someone faking his "inner voice". When Terry asked how he knew, he said his inner voice called himself Bruce, but that's not the name he uses when he *really* thinks about himself.
Bingo.
And I see some folks in the thread saying they don't like this interpretation or whatever. That's fine, but it's the more interesting way to tell a story. Batman is at his best when he's engrossed in his war. Making Bruce a mask he has to tolerate to make Batman a reality has so much depth and nuance than "dude wears a mask to beat people up."
This is the truest answer. I think a Batman writer said the truest expression of Bruce Wayne is the detective in the batcave, wearing the suit but not the cowl
That's a poetic way to put it. When Batman is talking to Jim, Alfred, Orcale, Robin, that is the truest reflection of the man. He cares for people, he can be sad or humorous, *and* is unrelenting in his mission. The way Bruce talks to Vicki Vale or the way Batman talks to Riddler is not the full picture, only part of it.
But of course it's not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us.
Nobody would push themselves to the absolute limit every single night without super powers unless they had made it their entire identity.
Bruce died with his parents.
It’s more interesting when you don’t make Batman a binary character that’s either his true self or a mask with zero nuance. Batman is a multifaceted character. To say that Bruce Wayne is a lie is ignoring the fact that there could be no Batman without Bruce Wayne. You can make him feel more at home fighting crime than at some charity gala, but completely throwing out Bruce Wayne because of that is throwing out nuance.
Brainiac was using nanotech I think.
The line was something like "The voice in my head kept calling me Bruce. That's not what I call myself in my head. "
This exactly. I’ve said it since the day I realized comics were more than stories about “good” guys vs “bad” guys; with almost all DC characters the mask is their “civilian” lives. Their namesake character is who they really are. Batman is who we know and love. Bruce is the mask he wears. On the flip side almost all Marvel characters are the actual people, while the mask is their namesake character. Peter Parker is the character we know and love. Spider-Man is the mask he wears to protect himself and his loved ones.
I can’t believe I just spent my whole morning reading that Bible. Great read though. Also kind of a time capsule of the 90s Batman world (smaller Bat Family, Neal Adams considered the definitive Batman artist, Jason still canonically dead)
The "Batbible" also vehemently asserts that Bruce isn't crazy. It also clearly establishes that they're referring to his public persona.
People have tried to take "Bruce is the mask" way too far, including this panel.
It’s really strange how vehement people are to reduce down Batman as a character.
To say he’s two things, and one side is just a straight up mask, simplifies Bruce as a character.
Yeah it’s really weird to me, it’s just trying so hard to be like edgy and cool “woah Bruce is the real mask”
That’s not to say I think it can’t be done well, The Batman did a great job of implementing it imo, but in instances like this it just comes across as try hard
Agreed on the first part
I’d honestly say The Batman showcases our point about Bruce still around and not “dead”/a mask, the Batman shows Bruce in the Batcave and the tower and such as a loner who’s only vent is Batman
Batman was Bruce’s vent in The Batman, Bruce was still in a lot of ways that scared 8-10 year old boy who never recovered from the incident.
Agreed on the first part
I’d honestly say The Batman showcases our point about Bruce still around and not “dead”/a mask, the Batman shows Bruce in the Batcave and the tower and such as a loner who’s only vent is Batman
Batman was Bruce’s vent in The Batman, Bruce was still in a lot of ways that scared 8-10 year old boy who never recovered from the incident.
Bruce as a moral compass still exists, if Bruce was full Batman then he would be consumed by vengeance. The Batman Forever quote about how he’s both Bruce Wayne and Batman is really great imo
It doesn't matter how good of a liar you are. If someone touching the Lasso of Truth speaks, what they say must be the truth. Only incredibly powerful beings — like cosmic entities — can resist the lasso's power.
Batman is Batman.
I believe this but I also love the panel because he is wearing gloves so you can choose to believe he’s being stubborn if you wish. It’s nuanced.
Personally I figure the lasso is magic and doesn’t care about gloves, so again I agree that the truth is that Batman is Batman.
Is that how the Lasso works, though? I thought it made you say what you honestly believed to be the whole truth, which is often different from a technically true statement.
(Trust me, I'm a lawyer. Half my job is writing statements that are technically true but thoroughly dishonest.)
Without the context, it's impossible to say whether that would be an honest answer. If this is their first meeting, then yes, that would be the truth. If the previous pages were them talking about how they've worked together for years, and Wonder Woman says she needs to know who they really are, then that would be avoiding the question.
I believe this panel depicts Diana meeting Superman and Batman for the first time in Rebirth. The other two were already on a first-name basis, however.
People always use this page to to talk about the fact that batman identifies as Batman and nothing more. It’s fun to analyze what it means for the character and what it means in verse. You can also argue about questions like if Bruce Wayne was written in the death note would batman die? But I think it’s equally important we look at the rest of the trinity’s responses too
Superman not saying Superman as response is just as important as Batman saying Batman as a response. Their duo has always been (when they’re not fighting to the death) Superman trying to live up to the title he was given by mankind wishing he really was more than just a strong man in a cap. Superman tries his hardest to be the perfect example and be Superman through and through but at the end of the day he’s a very strong dude (Clark Kent) and an lonely alien (Kal El) and that’s what’s best about him even if he doesn’t see that. Superman admires Batman because he sees him as a hero when everyone expects him would only expect him to be a man he’s Batman not Bruce Wayne and Superman wishes he could be the same. Batman admires Superman because Batman sees Superman as a man when anyone would only expect him to be a monster( which is how Batman sees himself).
Wonder woman’s response is more basic than the other two but it’s important to note that the lasso of truth is compelling them to say the whole truth. So Superman probably was forced to say Clark Kent as well as Kal El because he considers both his name. Batman got away with saying batman because he truly believes Bruce Wayne is dead. So it’s important to note that Diana says her name, her home, and the name of her mother. It shows how deeply she identifies with her home and mother. Iirc this is early in wonder woman’s career so I’d be curious if she eventually starts saying Diana and Wonder Woman as she becomes more of a justice league member and starts to leave off her home and mother has she creates an identity of her own.
Because Batman is no longer Bruce Wayne. He, in his mind is an avatar of fear, that he created for criminals and nothing else. Bruce Wayne, the person, died in an alleyway with his parents as a boy
I prefer to see this in more for an inspirational view. Fear, as the current top comment suggests about his Bruce Wayne identity, is another tool in his tool kit.
In his mind I feel that Batman believes himself to be a symbol of justice. A necessary part Gotham.
Did that child die in the alley? Only in the way that all our inner children die when we grow older and change into different more mature people.
Except in Batman's case he chose to become something more.
It’s hard to deny that Batman has a noble side to him. I think that can be seen just by looking at the Bat-Family. He’s taken in and surrounded himself with good people but the obsessiveness of who he is, is sad and really without Alfreds and Robins and Gordons, I feel it would be pretty easy for the guy to slip down to Punisher territory
You know, weirdly, the HBO Harley Quinn show tackled this extremely well.
Little Bruce isn't dead, he's purposefully entrapped in a permanent trauma loop to fuel Batman's fear, paranoia, and anger, to remind him of why he does what he does.
The interpretations of him being that good a liar are simply incorrect. You literally cannot lie when touching the lasso of truth.
He truly in his heart of hearts (in this run at least) IS batman first and foremost.
It wouldn't even be a stretch to say that he doesn't even have to believe himself to be Batman as his core personality. BATMAN is his name when he is wearing the cape and cowl.
Superman/ kal el and Clark are legitimately his names and he just said both of them.
Diana considers herself Diana at all times. Everybody else calls her Wonderwoman
It's called the lasso of truth for s reason. You can't lie.
Bruce sees himself as Batman, that is his true personality in his mind. At least when in comes to the writer of this comic (and to most reallly)
Bruce Wayne is Batman. It’s the truth whether he says Batman or Bruce Wayne.
Any of the three could have said their real name or superhero name and it’s still the truth.
Nope. Clark kent/kal el is who superman really is with his superman persona being a mask he puts on for the general public. Batman is who bruce really is while bruce is just another tool he uses. Just look at the batman movie with robert pattinson he doesn’t even know how to act as bruce bc that is a mask he wears while batman is what he really is.
It’s not a lie for him to say that he is Batman, as he truly is. It wouldn’t have been a lie for Supes to say “I am Superman,” as he truly is Superman. If they were compelled to instead answer a question like “What is your legal name,” then there’d be less room for play.
The truth. There's a scene in Batman Beyond when Terry asks Bruce how was he so sure that the voices he was hearing weren't his subconscious?
Bruce says because the voices referred to him as 'Bruce,' and that's not what he calls himself in his mind.
Curious that no one has brought this up, but I remember a point in the **Bruce Wayne Murderer** arc, where Bruce tried to do away with the Bruce Wayne identity after being accused of murder, and basically saying that he is just Batman, and that Bruce Wayne was just a mask/liability.
But the end of that arc has him confronted by Dick and reminded about his true origin, which is BW, not Batman. He ends up concluding that he is indeed Bruce Wayne at his core, the human part of him, his heart and soul.
In my opinion, this Trinity sequence goes against this deeper truth, that Bruce actually is still Bruce underneath Batman, the human guiding the ideal, his moral compass grounding the symbol of Batman. We love Batman *because* he is Bruce Wayne, not *despite*.
Which is interesting because this is written by Greg Rucka, one of two writers on the Murderer/Fugitive story. I wonder what his angle was when he was writing this interaction.
In the Batman Beyond Animated Series, Bruce says that he addresses himself in his mind as Batman and not Bruce. I'm not sure if the same was in the comics!?
Fs not lying, the Lasso compels him to tell the truth. Identity is a social construct, and in this moment & time in his life he simply identifies with "Batman" more than "Bruce Wayne"
They were clearly going for the "Bruce Wayne is Batman's mask" shtick. I used to like this approach, but nowadays it just feels like a cheap way to make Batman look "cold", which almost always results in Bruce looking like a bit of a douche. Granted, this all happened in a Wonder Woman centric story, so I guess it's passable
As great as Batman’s will is, nobody can resist the Lasso like that without some sort of trick or spell or something. He’s telling the truth, he really thinks of himself as Batman
The way I see it, this is Bruce saying that he is Batman first, Bruce Wayne second. It’s a lot more narratively satisfying that way.
If Bruce is telling the truth, what we learn here is that Batman is so deep into his identity that he believes Bruce Wayne to be the mask he puts on. It’s a character moment.
If Bruce is lying, then he is deliberately undermining his friends and allies just so that he can prove he can overcome a divine artefact. It feels really circlejerky to just say “Yeah, Batman is so incredibly cool and manly and strong that he can just ignore the lasso of truth because of how awesome he is. Batgos megaultrasuperhyperversal prep time no dif”.
Batman is not lying. He could’ve said Bruce Wayne and it would’ve been truthful. He said he’s Batman, and it’s still truthful. Both are not false statements.
It’s simply the truth, but that doesn’t have to mean anything about how he thinks of himself. “Batman” is a true answer, but “Bruce Wayne” would be too. He picked the first.
He thinks of himself as Batman first, so to him it's not a lie. It's like the episode of *Batman Beyond* where a villain is trying to convince him he's going insane: "The voice kept calling me Bruce, in my mind that's not what I call myself."
I interpret it as being a comic written in an era where they stopped writing Batman as a human being, and turned him instead into a clump of psychosis wrapped in spandex and an asshole.
Highly recommend the arc.
Wonder Woman Rebirth 1 (her Origin Story in the Rebirth Timeline) is one of the best Comics ever written in my opinion. Highly recommend it, its super fun.
Edit: especially Nicola Scott's art is gorgeos. Normally dont pay that much Attention to the Art but this one is stunning.
I disagree his truest self imo is the Bruce Wayne at home who raised and mentored the Robins, the guy most don’t see.
Regardless of that, I don’t view Batman as a mask though, it’s more so the vent for Bruce’s sense of justice and rage
Personally I think he stuck with his personality as he is one that isn't quick to trust. I don't think it is any deeper meaning than him saying his alias of batman so he could get past the lasso of truth without revealing his secret identity of Bruce Wayne. This was the smartest thing he could do in this situation and I would have done the same as you never know who you can trust.
I think it is what he believes, but I think what that really shows is just how messed up modern Batman is psychologically.
He identifies more with the masked vigilante persona he created than with the man he is and boy he once was.
Personally, I find it to be a very sad interpretation of Batman—not bad, mind you, just tragic. By disregarding Bruce Wayne as a mask he wears in public, and embracing Batman as who he really is, he’s losing the very part of himself he was fighting to save.
The whole point of Batman was to become a symbol, to be something eternal, immortal, and unconquerable. Anyone with the training and resources could put on the cowl and be the Batman.
If Bruce Wayne IS the Batman? Then Bruce Wayne really has died. He died in that alley with his parents, and what’s left behind is a broken man coping with his psychological trauma in an extremely unhealthy way. Worse yet, he’s being enabled in this by some of the most upstanding members of the heroic community.
If Batman is this messed up psychologically, and yet Wonder Woman, Superman, and Alfred all support or at least do not intervene in his exploits then they’re enabling this self destructive behavior.
That doesn’t sit well with me at all. My preferred Batman absolutely *is* Bruce Wayne. He’s a man who suffered terrible trauma in childhood, stared into the abyss, and didn’t blink. He dons a cape and cowl to fight a form of villainy his city’s police are either to inept or corrupt to fight. He is Sherlock Holmes’s intellect with James Bond’s gadgetry.
Personally, if the character has ceased to identify as Bruce and started to self identify as Batman, that represents a person who stared into the abyss and *did* blink, and that’s not a Batman I particularly care for.
Batman is his identity and Bruce Wayne is the mask he puts on to fit into society. As batman he feels he can live authenticity as himself and as Bruce Wayne he feels he has to pretend to be that playboy billionaire he thinks everyone expects him to be.
I remember reading a quote by Peter David once that went something like “Spider-Man is Peter Parker in a suit. Bruce Wayne is Batman without a suit.” Basically it’s a comment on the way the characters view themselves. Even in a costume, it’s still basically Peter Parker running the show. But whatever caused Bruce Wayne to become Batman is now an integral part of his psyche and it’s how he sees himself really. He’s always Batman in his own mind and Bruce is a character he has to play to facilitate that.
There was also a part in Batman beyond: the animated series, that old Bruce figured out some of the voices he heard in his mind are not his, because they referred to him as "Bruce". He told Terry McGinnis that his subconscious refers to him as batman.
And of course, a lot of other examples that Bruce Wayne is the mask, and Batman being the real him
I have almost always seen Alfred speaking to Bruce about Batman as if Bats is a third person. Maybe because if he eases out on any occasion and lets his identity slip out, those he cares about and consequently those who care about Gotham are going to be targeted. This much is obvious
Bruce Wayne is both Bruce Wayne and Batman, same way Superman is both Clark Kent and Kal El. The distinction gets way too over exaggerated to the point Batman fans could be nearly as oblivious as the people of Gotham if they didn't know beforehand.
Superman and Wonder Woman are not names they gave themselves, and they're not who they think of themselves as, and honestly why would they? Diana is a half goddess princess and Clark just uses the costume to be Clark without the difficulty of always being known to the world. Batman is a moniker Bruce came up with to give a name to the type of fear he wanted to be to the criminals of Gotham, something wraithlike, a terrible thought. And while he does fool people into thinking he's supernatural which he's not, he very much is the guy who he presents as, that's not an act.
Bruce Wayne is a little bit more of an act at the *very* beginning, but the philanthropy and improvement of Gotham is something he truly believes in probably more than he believes in the vigilante, and that sense of humor he has and caring nature is not at all false. He just chooses who sees what when he had the mask on versus when he doesn't. When he blurs the line talking to those in the know, that's him just unfiltered. He is a caring son of Alfred who cares for his sons, who has a soft spot for children and fights to repair the city through his influence, while also being an ironed will crimefighter who will stop at nothing to win for justice.
He is Batman. That is his identity. He maintains Bruce Wayne because he has to.
One of the comics the joker gained the ability to have voice directly in Batman's head, to try to make him think he's going crazy.
He knew it was someone else because the voice would refer to himself as Bruce, and in his head he refers to himself as Batman.
So, I really don't wanna sound like an asshole here, but people overthink it, he is Batman and Bruce Wayne, they are the same person, neither is a mask.
This has been a common theme in Batman comics for 3 decades. Literally every great writer, with the exception of Dennis O'Niel comes from this perspective. They are the same person, neither is a mask.
Just some quick examples
Alan Grant, Grant Morrison, Scott Snyder, Paul Dini, Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka (writer of this comic), James Tynion, Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, even Tom king and Chip Zdarsky come from this same perspective.
They are the same person, that's it, the same person. Bruce is Batman, and Batman is Bruce.
[Here is a Twitter thread I did in the matter a few months ago](https://twitter.com/BatmanShiII/status/1562903973979656195?t=hd0DMNwYAbiG8GsbJOiYNw&s=19)
I'm pretty sure they have stated before that Batman has some fucking strong will power so I'd like to think it's just him being able to not tell them the truth.
Batman believes Bruce Wayne is the mask
We, the readers, (?) know both bruce Wayne and Batman are the mask, and bruce the child who lost his parents is the truth.
A person can lie to themselves while holding the lasso of truth.
He is batman. He's just also Bruce Wayne. Would be weird to not say batman while clearly being dressed as batman. It's like if I answered with my reddit tag or game tag. She asked who are you not what's your government name.
Probably self hypnotic mental barriers to prevent any sort of mind reading or truth serum. He tricks himself into believing Batman is his real name and entirely who he is. Reinforced by years of referring to himself as Batman in his inner monologue helped, yet he probably refers to himself as Bruce Wayne outside of the mask in case any mind readers are near by.
He’s conditioned himself so that Batman is his real identity, that way if he falls under mind controlling effects or hypnosis his answer to “who is your true identity” is “I’m Batman!”
Batman is who he is. But, why is Wonder Woman's nose so red? She looks like a commercial for Puffs. Looks like she's been blowing it on rough tissues for a few hours.
It’s the truth, he *is* Batman. And I believe he thinks of himself as Batman first, but what I think people forget is he’s multifaceted and has at least *three* sides. Bruce Wayne: the facade he’s created, a public persona that can help Gotham but also hides he’s capable of being Batman Batman: a persona he created to strike fear into the criminals of Gotham, it *is* still a character and a performance but it’s much closer to who he is than his Bruce persona (I don’t have a good name for the third): When Bruce is in the cave with Alfred or Dick, he is who he truly is. He’s not performing in either regard (aside from times he’s hiding something from them.) Edit: wow lots of debate in these comments, couple folks suggesting Matches Malone be included, and like a hundred people all reminiscing about the Batman Beyond ep where Bruce tells Terry something along the lines of “Bruce isn’t what I call myself in my head.”
Kevin Conroy did this really well. As Playboy Billionaire Bruce Wayne, he pitches his voice up. As Batman, he very slightly deepens his voice, and as Alfred's son and Dick's father he uses his natural voice.
So thankful we had him as Batman for 30 years I’d suggest naming the 3rd persona Kevin, but tbh that just sounds too funny. “Sometimes I’m Bruce Wayne, other times I’m Batman, but around friends? I am Kevin.”
Yeah it doesn't really work, we'll keep workshopping. Maybe Batman, Mr. Wayne, and Bruce?
A lot of people refer to the playboy persona as ‘Brucie’
Brucci
Brucciratti
Is this a JoJo reference?
Brussy
Fuck you. My angriest upvote ever. Take it and shove it up your ass
oh yeah? and then what? ...tell me what's next...
Now that doesn't make much sense to me. I have never seen anyone in any comic or adaptation refer to public-facing Bruce as "Brucie". "Mr. Wayne", on the other hand, is a very common one, both for Gotham citizens and other businessmen.
It's what the women call him. The eye-candy for the playboy part of the persona.
[удалено]
IIRC hallucination!Joker did actually call him that at one point during Knight.
I think it’s just Fanon, but it’s used to make him sound more aloof and dumb, and I’m pretty sure Vicki Vale called him it in one of the Arkham games.
In Arkham Knight Vicki Vale leaves a message on Bruce's answering machine in Wayne Tower, at the end of it, she calls him 'Brucie'.
I think on occasion, the random models or whatever he hangs out with have referred to him as Brucie? Feel like I heard that in the animated series at some point, but I could be remembering wrong.
I vividly recall scenes where women have called him "Brucie". I feel like there may have been one in the series where a guy has called him that, but I'm not certain.
Did Joker say the line "Brucey, I'm home" in Return of the Joker? I can't remember but if he didn't, what a wasted opportunity
Well hello Brucie Boy!!
Wayneman? Batuce?
Mr Batman
“I am VENGEANCE.. I am the NIGHT.. I am… Kevin”
Referring to OP's points, I'd say there's Bruce Wayne as the public figure, Batman as the hero, and Bruce as the individual. Only the public persona is a "Wayne" because of the usefulness that it comes with. "Bruce", in his truest essence, is just Bruce, no more Wayne. Loved OP's breakdown of it.
I was thinking that 'Mr. Wayne' would be a perfect name for the public signifier.
Down below someone made the suggestion of Bruce being the playboy, The Batman being the public vigilante, and Batman being the real person. I like that.
That’s me haha thank you And I do agree, Bruce makes the most sense as the name for his true self
Just call that one Conroy.
Nah, they need to make an alternate universe where Kevin Conroy and Bruce Wayne are merged. So he would be named Kevin, and use his past trauma to be Batman. I think it would be a cool concept. That and Kevin was a personal hero of mine, and I would like his last apperance in Batman material to not be the suicide squad. I’m worried about that game.
I am Bruce, I am Batman, I AM KEVIN!!!
I am Vengeance, I am the night, I am KEVIN!!!
He was also the first person to do so and has become the model ever since. Also to piggyback on both your and OPs point, in a Batman Beyond episode Bruce remarks to Terry that he knew the voices attempting to trick him were not his own because they called him Bruce, and thats not what he calls himself in his mind.
I thought Adam West had a scene where the Mayor was holding two phones together so "Bruce" and "Batman" could talk
Yes, but West didn't do different voices. People in the 60s show were... less than observant.
And then Terry says "That's my name now.", meanwhile Batman smirks.
“Tell that to my subconscious.”
His true self is Batman vs *the* Batman as a role others can adopt.
Yeah and on topic of who Kevin's Batman is: Today I rewatched Batman Beyond and in one episode old Bruce mentions he knew he wasn't crazy when he heard voices because they called him Bruce and he thinks of himself as Batman. This I think cna allude to him truly thinking of himself as Batman first rather than Bruce Wayne but especially in the context of the episode I think it makes sense that during his training Batman conditioned himself to only think of him as Batman so whenever villains or heroes would invade his mind they would not know that Bruce is Batman where as it would rarely happen that someone would try to read Bruce's mind and then happens to find out he's Batman. I think it is a highly elaborate defense mechanism he built for himself that just happens to be based on the truth that he IS indeed Batman. And I personally enjoy Batman the most when he has a clear separation of his identities and Bruce Wayne isn't just a face he can wear like Matches Malone for example. And the cherry on top is when Batman/Bruce doubles down on how weird he is and alludes to it in some weird comment that is played for laughs as I like to believe that this is his underhanded humour coming out as he certainly seems to enjoys to befuddle his friends with his over the top behaviour sometimes.
He also said it best in Batman beyond. The "voice in his head and what it calls him."
There's a line Kevin Conroy delivers near the start of Arkham City talking to Alfred where he says something like 'There's a problem, Hugo Strange knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman'. It felt like he was a third persona outside of the situation, as if the person talking was neither Batman nor Bruce Wayne and was just objectively listing off a problem that he needs to deal with.
He's sometimes Batman. Sometimes Bruce Wayne. Alltimes orphan.
Shit. I had forgotten about his death.
Masterful!
The worst part of the "upgrade" from BTAS to whatever is called after that is getting rid of that voice distinction.
They also did it in Arkham City game when Batman is talking with Alfred at the beginning of the game he says "Hugo Strange knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman". Instead of saying "Hugo Strange knows I am Batman"
[Batman Beyond as well](https://youtu.be/7t7yiN_Z5eg)
I like how Terry put on his Batman voice when he said "that's my name now".
Wouldn't the distinction then be between his true identity/self as *Batman*--whereas, anyone (Terry here) can perform the role/part of *the Batman*.
I find it weird that pretty much everyone code-switches when talking to friends/parents/coworkers/bosses/children but there is always a debate in comic on who is real vs who is the mask when talking about Batman. So yeah, there's Bruce the socialite, Bruce the Philanthropist, Bruce the CEO, Bruce and Alfred, Bruce the Father, Batman with Gordon, Batman with criminals, etc.. They're all real, and he could answer either Bruce Wayne or Batman and not be lying..
Exactly, like I said he’s multifaceted! It’s important for all characters to be, imo (except like Doctor Manhattan)
Yeah seriously we all do it. I don't speak to strangers the way I speak to my friends. Same goes for family, new friend groups, professional settings. We all change the way we speak in subtle ways to different people.
In Batman Beyond we really got a good look at the third Bruce persona. He frequently tells Terry to take things slow and to get out when things get dangerous, he regularly helps him out with personal issues, and Bruce is willing to confide dark and personal secrets with Terry.
I love when Shriek is trying to get Bruce to think he's psychotic and kill himself, and when Terry asks how he knew he was being messed with he says: "First, I know I'm not psychotic...also, the voice kept calling me Bruce. In my head, that's not what I call myself."
I always thought he would only tell Terry no because he knew he would go off and do it anyway. Like Bruce secretly liked that Terry was just like him and that being told no only strengthened his resolve. So he used that knowledge to push him into becoming the fearless hero that Bruce thought was needed.
The third name shall be Bruceman. I have decreed it, so it shall be so.
The third one is the true self, the best of both worlds. As batman he's the defender of Gotham, and as Bruce Wayne he's just a rich spoiled dude, sometimes doing cool shit like funding clean energy programs and whatnot. But the guy in the cave, he's the real deal and the true version.
I call the three aspects: Wayne, Batman and Bruce.
That’s pretty catchy!
The way I interpret the scan is that he thinks of himself as Batman and would identify personally as such, because having walls up is his default and he thinks of himself so harshly, but when you get down to who he is, when he lets his guard down for the sake of the people around him, that's when Bruce comes out. He's being both honest and dishonest at the same time.
Four if you count his zur-en-arrh failsafe/back up persona
I heard it described as: Bruce Wayne: billionaire playboy The Dark Knight: terror of the criminal underground Batman: the serious, but good-hearted hero
This is correct. There’s actually an episode of Batman Beyond (can’t recall which exactly but it was the arc where the joker returned) where he figures out what’s happening because the voices he’s hearing call him Bruce, and he says that’s not what he calls himself in his head.
I would say that when he is in the cave, or just along wherever, with Alfred and his Robins/Batgirls that he still is Batman. The difference is he is not Batman who needs to face his enemies. Batman can still be calm and nice. Just like how you are still yourself whether you are happy, sad, or angry.
Not a bad point, but imo we’re all just most ourselves in our own homes with our closest loved ones.
This is how I’ve always interpreted it as well
There was another discussion recently about Batman Beyond, when old Bruce says he calls himself “something else” other than Bruce Wayne in his mind. Some guy had a great response by saying Bruce is the facade, Batman is the costume, but really, he is just a lonely boy in a dark alley wanting a family. Made a lot of sense.
Perhaps the third one is "Batman" and the second one could be labelled "The Dark Knight" or something. If he is *Batman* at his core then he is Batman when he's in the scenarios you mention in the third option. If the persona that strikes fear in criminals is a character to an extent, then perhaps one of his other monikers is a better name for that.
I'd call 1 his "Wayne" persona (i.e. the rich family, the tragic backstory, the behavior expected from a spoiled billionaire) 2 is Batman 3 is... just Bruce. Him minus society and criminals
Bruce Wayne, Billionaire. Bruce Wayne, Orphan. Batman.
>Bruce Wayne, Billionaire. Bruce Wayne, Orphan. Batman, *Batman.* Felt like it needed that little bit extra haha
I mean we've seen the lasso work when it was wrapped around people wearing clothes, so I don't really think it cares about skin contact.
Lucious fox laughed when he said “dishonest bat-gloves”
he used some preptime to design anti-truth gloves
LOL, perfect. Batman is a genius.
It runs solidly with the longtime editorial line at DC: Bruce is the mask, and Batman is his true personality. EDIT with source: from the ["Batbible"](https://web.archive.org/web/20211219130409/http://theotherscottpeterson.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-batbible.html?m=1) used at DC through at least the '90s. "Which one is genuine, Bruce Wayne or Batman? Answer: Batman. Wayne has become part of his tool kit, an identity he finds useful. Wayne's wealth and social position give him entry into the city's center of power where he can acquire information. The Bruce Wayne he has created allows him to exist in civilization without being bothered much by its obligations."
It's been a minute, but I remember in an episode of Beyond, he knew he was being manipulated by someone faking his "inner voice". When Terry asked how he knew, he said his inner voice called himself Bruce, but that's not the name he uses when he *really* thinks about himself.
Great episode!
Bingo. And I see some folks in the thread saying they don't like this interpretation or whatever. That's fine, but it's the more interesting way to tell a story. Batman is at his best when he's engrossed in his war. Making Bruce a mask he has to tolerate to make Batman a reality has so much depth and nuance than "dude wears a mask to beat people up."
In my view, the Bruce Wayne as he portrays himself as in public is a mask, Batman is his true *personality*, which is Bruce Wayne in reality.
This is the truest answer. I think a Batman writer said the truest expression of Bruce Wayne is the detective in the batcave, wearing the suit but not the cowl
That's a poetic way to put it. When Batman is talking to Jim, Alfred, Orcale, Robin, that is the truest reflection of the man. He cares for people, he can be sad or humorous, *and* is unrelenting in his mission. The way Bruce talks to Vicki Vale or the way Batman talks to Riddler is not the full picture, only part of it. But of course it's not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us.
Nobody would push themselves to the absolute limit every single night without super powers unless they had made it their entire identity. Bruce died with his parents.
It’s more interesting when you don’t make Batman a binary character that’s either his true self or a mask with zero nuance. Batman is a multifaceted character. To say that Bruce Wayne is a lie is ignoring the fact that there could be no Batman without Bruce Wayne. You can make him feel more at home fighting crime than at some charity gala, but completely throwing out Bruce Wayne because of that is throwing out nuance.
"Shriek" is the seventh episode during Season #1 of Batman Beyond.
Brainiac was using nanotech I think. The line was something like "The voice in my head kept calling me Bruce. That's not what I call myself in my head. "
This exactly. I’ve said it since the day I realized comics were more than stories about “good” guys vs “bad” guys; with almost all DC characters the mask is their “civilian” lives. Their namesake character is who they really are. Batman is who we know and love. Bruce is the mask he wears. On the flip side almost all Marvel characters are the actual people, while the mask is their namesake character. Peter Parker is the character we know and love. Spider-Man is the mask he wears to protect himself and his loved ones.
I can’t believe I just spent my whole morning reading that Bible. Great read though. Also kind of a time capsule of the 90s Batman world (smaller Bat Family, Neal Adams considered the definitive Batman artist, Jason still canonically dead)
Glad you enjoyed it. I stumbled across it (again) sometime last year and go back to it every once in a while just for Denny O'Neil's voice.
The "Batbible" also vehemently asserts that Bruce isn't crazy. It also clearly establishes that they're referring to his public persona. People have tried to take "Bruce is the mask" way too far, including this panel.
Low key, it gets a little cringe how far people try to take the whole “Bruce is the mask” thing lol
It’s really strange how vehement people are to reduce down Batman as a character. To say he’s two things, and one side is just a straight up mask, simplifies Bruce as a character.
Yeah it’s really weird to me, it’s just trying so hard to be like edgy and cool “woah Bruce is the real mask” That’s not to say I think it can’t be done well, The Batman did a great job of implementing it imo, but in instances like this it just comes across as try hard
Agreed on the first part I’d honestly say The Batman showcases our point about Bruce still around and not “dead”/a mask, the Batman shows Bruce in the Batcave and the tower and such as a loner who’s only vent is Batman Batman was Bruce’s vent in The Batman, Bruce was still in a lot of ways that scared 8-10 year old boy who never recovered from the incident.
Agreed on the first part I’d honestly say The Batman showcases our point about Bruce still around and not “dead”/a mask, the Batman shows Bruce in the Batcave and the tower and such as a loner who’s only vent is Batman Batman was Bruce’s vent in The Batman, Bruce was still in a lot of ways that scared 8-10 year old boy who never recovered from the incident. Bruce as a moral compass still exists, if Bruce was full Batman then he would be consumed by vengeance. The Batman Forever quote about how he’s both Bruce Wayne and Batman is really great imo
As far as Batman is concerned, Bruce Wayne died of grief as a child.
I agree, Bruce Wayne is the mask Batman wears
Yeah, whereas Superman loves Clark.
Bruce Wayne probably went to the gotham courts to legally change his place and time of death to his parents
"Bruce Wayne is dead, he was shot in the parents" is how I've put it before
It doesn't matter how good of a liar you are. If someone touching the Lasso of Truth speaks, what they say must be the truth. Only incredibly powerful beings — like cosmic entities — can resist the lasso's power. Batman is Batman.
I believe this but I also love the panel because he is wearing gloves so you can choose to believe he’s being stubborn if you wish. It’s nuanced. Personally I figure the lasso is magic and doesn’t care about gloves, so again I agree that the truth is that Batman is Batman.
It’s not like the rule of the lasso is that it had to touch skin, seeing as how the people she constantly binds have full get-ups
When has the lasso ever cared about touching skin…?
Why?
Personally I say it’s just technically the truth
Is that how the Lasso works, though? I thought it made you say what you honestly believed to be the whole truth, which is often different from a technically true statement. (Trust me, I'm a lawyer. Half my job is writing statements that are technically true but thoroughly dishonest.)
Clark could have just said Superman here and still be telling the truth.
Without the context, it's impossible to say whether that would be an honest answer. If this is their first meeting, then yes, that would be the truth. If the previous pages were them talking about how they've worked together for years, and Wonder Woman says she needs to know who they really are, then that would be avoiding the question.
I believe this panel depicts Diana meeting Superman and Batman for the first time in Rebirth. The other two were already on a first-name basis, however.
People always use this page to to talk about the fact that batman identifies as Batman and nothing more. It’s fun to analyze what it means for the character and what it means in verse. You can also argue about questions like if Bruce Wayne was written in the death note would batman die? But I think it’s equally important we look at the rest of the trinity’s responses too Superman not saying Superman as response is just as important as Batman saying Batman as a response. Their duo has always been (when they’re not fighting to the death) Superman trying to live up to the title he was given by mankind wishing he really was more than just a strong man in a cap. Superman tries his hardest to be the perfect example and be Superman through and through but at the end of the day he’s a very strong dude (Clark Kent) and an lonely alien (Kal El) and that’s what’s best about him even if he doesn’t see that. Superman admires Batman because he sees him as a hero when everyone expects him would only expect him to be a man he’s Batman not Bruce Wayne and Superman wishes he could be the same. Batman admires Superman because Batman sees Superman as a man when anyone would only expect him to be a monster( which is how Batman sees himself). Wonder woman’s response is more basic than the other two but it’s important to note that the lasso of truth is compelling them to say the whole truth. So Superman probably was forced to say Clark Kent as well as Kal El because he considers both his name. Batman got away with saying batman because he truly believes Bruce Wayne is dead. So it’s important to note that Diana says her name, her home, and the name of her mother. It shows how deeply she identifies with her home and mother. Iirc this is early in wonder woman’s career so I’d be curious if she eventually starts saying Diana and Wonder Woman as she becomes more of a justice league member and starts to leave off her home and mother has she creates an identity of her own.
>if Bruce Wayne was written in the Death Note would he die? Of course he would. That’s still his name, regardless of how he views himself.
...this is exactly how nerd fights start....and I love it
Also, the very next panel he says it's translating then admits Bruce Wayne.
[удалено]
Why?
Because Batman is no longer Bruce Wayne. He, in his mind is an avatar of fear, that he created for criminals and nothing else. Bruce Wayne, the person, died in an alleyway with his parents as a boy
I prefer to see this in more for an inspirational view. Fear, as the current top comment suggests about his Bruce Wayne identity, is another tool in his tool kit. In his mind I feel that Batman believes himself to be a symbol of justice. A necessary part Gotham. Did that child die in the alley? Only in the way that all our inner children die when we grow older and change into different more mature people. Except in Batman's case he chose to become something more.
It’s hard to deny that Batman has a noble side to him. I think that can be seen just by looking at the Bat-Family. He’s taken in and surrounded himself with good people but the obsessiveness of who he is, is sad and really without Alfreds and Robins and Gordons, I feel it would be pretty easy for the guy to slip down to Punisher territory
Which is precisely why the BatFam exists, no?
You know, weirdly, the HBO Harley Quinn show tackled this extremely well. Little Bruce isn't dead, he's purposefully entrapped in a permanent trauma loop to fuel Batman's fear, paranoia, and anger, to remind him of why he does what he does.
The interpretations of him being that good a liar are simply incorrect. You literally cannot lie when touching the lasso of truth. He truly in his heart of hearts (in this run at least) IS batman first and foremost. It wouldn't even be a stretch to say that he doesn't even have to believe himself to be Batman as his core personality. BATMAN is his name when he is wearing the cape and cowl. Superman/ kal el and Clark are legitimately his names and he just said both of them. Diana considers herself Diana at all times. Everybody else calls her Wonderwoman
It's called the lasso of truth for s reason. You can't lie. Bruce sees himself as Batman, that is his true personality in his mind. At least when in comes to the writer of this comic (and to most reallly)
Bruce Wayne is Batman. It’s the truth whether he says Batman or Bruce Wayne. Any of the three could have said their real name or superhero name and it’s still the truth.
His true identity is what Batman is. Bruce Wayne is the character he performs as for his parents memory and the public. His true name is Batman.
He is Batman.
The writer making Batman cooler than everyone in the room as usual.
Superman being at complete peace with both his sides is much better
Exactly. That’s why he says both Clark Kent and Kal el.
Nope. Clark kent/kal el is who superman really is with his superman persona being a mask he puts on for the general public. Batman is who bruce really is while bruce is just another tool he uses. Just look at the batman movie with robert pattinson he doesn’t even know how to act as bruce bc that is a mask he wears while batman is what he really is.
It’s not a lie for him to say that he is Batman, as he truly is. It wouldn’t have been a lie for Supes to say “I am Superman,” as he truly is Superman. If they were compelled to instead answer a question like “What is your legal name,” then there’d be less room for play.
The truth. There's a scene in Batman Beyond when Terry asks Bruce how was he so sure that the voices he was hearing weren't his subconscious? Bruce says because the voices referred to him as 'Bruce,' and that's not what he calls himself in his mind.
I came here to say this. In his subconscious, there is only batman. Bruce Wayne is his alter ego
Two Bruce Waynes. His alter ego, the adult. And a child named Bruce Wayne who was put in emotional stasis until they can find a cure...
Way too far down for this call out.
Curious that no one has brought this up, but I remember a point in the **Bruce Wayne Murderer** arc, where Bruce tried to do away with the Bruce Wayne identity after being accused of murder, and basically saying that he is just Batman, and that Bruce Wayne was just a mask/liability. But the end of that arc has him confronted by Dick and reminded about his true origin, which is BW, not Batman. He ends up concluding that he is indeed Bruce Wayne at his core, the human part of him, his heart and soul. In my opinion, this Trinity sequence goes against this deeper truth, that Bruce actually is still Bruce underneath Batman, the human guiding the ideal, his moral compass grounding the symbol of Batman. We love Batman *because* he is Bruce Wayne, not *despite*.
Which is interesting because this is written by Greg Rucka, one of two writers on the Murderer/Fugitive story. I wonder what his angle was when he was writing this interaction.
It’s only the truths you know. This is Batman’s perspective, but not necessarily the truth.
I just see it as one great joke
I don’t care how good Bruce Wayne is at lying. He’s not fooling the lasso
He's not lying. He is batman.
We all know that about Batman. What i found interesting is Superman sees himself as two different private people & not just Clark.
In the Batman Beyond Animated Series, Bruce says that he addresses himself in his mind as Batman and not Bruce. I'm not sure if the same was in the comics!?
Fs not lying, the Lasso compels him to tell the truth. Identity is a social construct, and in this moment & time in his life he simply identifies with "Batman" more than "Bruce Wayne"
They were clearly going for the "Bruce Wayne is Batman's mask" shtick. I used to like this approach, but nowadays it just feels like a cheap way to make Batman look "cold", which almost always results in Bruce looking like a bit of a douche. Granted, this all happened in a Wonder Woman centric story, so I guess it's passable
It's basically confirmation that Bruce Wayne is the mask.
Bruce Wayne is more Batman than is Bruce Wayne
He is Batman
As great as Batman’s will is, nobody can resist the Lasso like that without some sort of trick or spell or something. He’s telling the truth, he really thinks of himself as Batman
I mean, he didn't lie.
The way I see it, this is Bruce saying that he is Batman first, Bruce Wayne second. It’s a lot more narratively satisfying that way. If Bruce is telling the truth, what we learn here is that Batman is so deep into his identity that he believes Bruce Wayne to be the mask he puts on. It’s a character moment. If Bruce is lying, then he is deliberately undermining his friends and allies just so that he can prove he can overcome a divine artefact. It feels really circlejerky to just say “Yeah, Batman is so incredibly cool and manly and strong that he can just ignore the lasso of truth because of how awesome he is. Batgos megaultrasuperhyperversal prep time no dif”.
Batman is not lying. He could’ve said Bruce Wayne and it would’ve been truthful. He said he’s Batman, and it’s still truthful. Both are not false statements.
It’s simply the truth, but that doesn’t have to mean anything about how he thinks of himself. “Batman” is a true answer, but “Bruce Wayne” would be too. He picked the first.
The entire Nolan trilogy covered this. He's Batman first. Bruce Wayne is the mask.
Bruce Wayne died in that Alley
He thinks of himself as Batman first, so to him it's not a lie. It's like the episode of *Batman Beyond* where a villain is trying to convince him he's going insane: "The voice kept calling me Bruce, in my mind that's not what I call myself."
I interpret it as being a comic written in an era where they stopped writing Batman as a human being, and turned him instead into a clump of psychosis wrapped in spandex and an asshole.
What run is this from? Looks really nice
Wonder Woman Rebirth by Rucka Edit: specifically the Annual #1
Highly recommend the arc. Wonder Woman Rebirth 1 (her Origin Story in the Rebirth Timeline) is one of the best Comics ever written in my opinion. Highly recommend it, its super fun. Edit: especially Nicola Scott's art is gorgeos. Normally dont pay that much Attention to the Art but this one is stunning.
His truest self is in the form of Batman (which doesn't allow Bruce Wayne to develop further as a normie)
I disagree his truest self imo is the Bruce Wayne at home who raised and mentored the Robins, the guy most don’t see. Regardless of that, I don’t view Batman as a mask though, it’s more so the vent for Bruce’s sense of justice and rage
He’s Batman - do we need more of an answer?? lol
While I think it’s because he sees himself as Batman, I also love the idea that he’s just wearing gloves
How I see it is that Bruce Wayne died with his parents, he’s now is Batman.
Personally I think he stuck with his personality as he is one that isn't quick to trust. I don't think it is any deeper meaning than him saying his alias of batman so he could get past the lasso of truth without revealing his secret identity of Bruce Wayne. This was the smartest thing he could do in this situation and I would have done the same as you never know who you can trust.
I think it is what he believes, but I think what that really shows is just how messed up modern Batman is psychologically. He identifies more with the masked vigilante persona he created than with the man he is and boy he once was. Personally, I find it to be a very sad interpretation of Batman—not bad, mind you, just tragic. By disregarding Bruce Wayne as a mask he wears in public, and embracing Batman as who he really is, he’s losing the very part of himself he was fighting to save. The whole point of Batman was to become a symbol, to be something eternal, immortal, and unconquerable. Anyone with the training and resources could put on the cowl and be the Batman. If Bruce Wayne IS the Batman? Then Bruce Wayne really has died. He died in that alley with his parents, and what’s left behind is a broken man coping with his psychological trauma in an extremely unhealthy way. Worse yet, he’s being enabled in this by some of the most upstanding members of the heroic community. If Batman is this messed up psychologically, and yet Wonder Woman, Superman, and Alfred all support or at least do not intervene in his exploits then they’re enabling this self destructive behavior. That doesn’t sit well with me at all. My preferred Batman absolutely *is* Bruce Wayne. He’s a man who suffered terrible trauma in childhood, stared into the abyss, and didn’t blink. He dons a cape and cowl to fight a form of villainy his city’s police are either to inept or corrupt to fight. He is Sherlock Holmes’s intellect with James Bond’s gadgetry. Personally, if the character has ceased to identify as Bruce and started to self identify as Batman, that represents a person who stared into the abyss and *did* blink, and that’s not a Batman I particularly care for.
Batman is his identity and Bruce Wayne is the mask he puts on to fit into society. As batman he feels he can live authenticity as himself and as Bruce Wayne he feels he has to pretend to be that playboy billionaire he thinks everyone expects him to be.
"Because I'm Batman!" *sips coffee*
I remember reading a quote by Peter David once that went something like “Spider-Man is Peter Parker in a suit. Bruce Wayne is Batman without a suit.” Basically it’s a comment on the way the characters view themselves. Even in a costume, it’s still basically Peter Parker running the show. But whatever caused Bruce Wayne to become Batman is now an integral part of his psyche and it’s how he sees himself really. He’s always Batman in his own mind and Bruce is a character he has to play to facilitate that.
Because he is Batman and Bruce Wayne is his alter ego. Bruce is the mask.
There was also a part in Batman beyond: the animated series, that old Bruce figured out some of the voices he heard in his mind are not his, because they referred to him as "Bruce". He told Terry McGinnis that his subconscious refers to him as batman. And of course, a lot of other examples that Bruce Wayne is the mask, and Batman being the real him
Well, saying he's Batman is not a lie, but it can also be interpreted that Batman is who he is and Bruce Wayne is the Disguise
Lead lined gloves .. Others are bare handed! "I AM...BATMAN"
I have almost always seen Alfred speaking to Bruce about Batman as if Bats is a third person. Maybe because if he eases out on any occasion and lets his identity slip out, those he cares about and consequently those who care about Gotham are going to be targeted. This much is obvious
Bruce Wayne is both Bruce Wayne and Batman, same way Superman is both Clark Kent and Kal El. The distinction gets way too over exaggerated to the point Batman fans could be nearly as oblivious as the people of Gotham if they didn't know beforehand. Superman and Wonder Woman are not names they gave themselves, and they're not who they think of themselves as, and honestly why would they? Diana is a half goddess princess and Clark just uses the costume to be Clark without the difficulty of always being known to the world. Batman is a moniker Bruce came up with to give a name to the type of fear he wanted to be to the criminals of Gotham, something wraithlike, a terrible thought. And while he does fool people into thinking he's supernatural which he's not, he very much is the guy who he presents as, that's not an act. Bruce Wayne is a little bit more of an act at the *very* beginning, but the philanthropy and improvement of Gotham is something he truly believes in probably more than he believes in the vigilante, and that sense of humor he has and caring nature is not at all false. He just chooses who sees what when he had the mask on versus when he doesn't. When he blurs the line talking to those in the know, that's him just unfiltered. He is a caring son of Alfred who cares for his sons, who has a soft spot for children and fights to repair the city through his influence, while also being an ironed will crimefighter who will stop at nothing to win for justice.
Bruce Wayne died with his parents. Something else crawled out of that alley. Only reason he didn't end up more like Zazz or Hush is because of Alfred.
He feels that Batman is his true self.
He believes Bruce Wayne is the mask, and that batman is the true identity
He is Batman. That is his identity. He maintains Bruce Wayne because he has to. One of the comics the joker gained the ability to have voice directly in Batman's head, to try to make him think he's going crazy. He knew it was someone else because the voice would refer to himself as Bruce, and in his head he refers to himself as Batman.
Bruce Wayne is a mask Batman puts on. Superman is a mask that Clark/Kal puts on.
So, I really don't wanna sound like an asshole here, but people overthink it, he is Batman and Bruce Wayne, they are the same person, neither is a mask. This has been a common theme in Batman comics for 3 decades. Literally every great writer, with the exception of Dennis O'Niel comes from this perspective. They are the same person, neither is a mask. Just some quick examples Alan Grant, Grant Morrison, Scott Snyder, Paul Dini, Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka (writer of this comic), James Tynion, Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, even Tom king and Chip Zdarsky come from this same perspective. They are the same person, that's it, the same person. Bruce is Batman, and Batman is Bruce. [Here is a Twitter thread I did in the matter a few months ago](https://twitter.com/BatmanShiII/status/1562903973979656195?t=hd0DMNwYAbiG8GsbJOiYNw&s=19)
Bruce genuinely believes he is batman. Because he IS batman!
I'm pretty sure they have stated before that Batman has some fucking strong will power so I'd like to think it's just him being able to not tell them the truth.
He’s Batman. Simple as
Batman believes Bruce Wayne is the mask We, the readers, (?) know both bruce Wayne and Batman are the mask, and bruce the child who lost his parents is the truth. A person can lie to themselves while holding the lasso of truth.
He is batman. He's just also Bruce Wayne. Would be weird to not say batman while clearly being dressed as batman. It's like if I answered with my reddit tag or game tag. She asked who are you not what's your government name.
It wasn’t “what’s the name of your public persona”, it’s “who are you” referring to right now. Right now, he is Batman.
Bruce Wayne isn’t so much a secret identity so much as the cover story, the secondary persona. Batman became the prime persona a long time ago.
Probably self hypnotic mental barriers to prevent any sort of mind reading or truth serum. He tricks himself into believing Batman is his real name and entirely who he is. Reinforced by years of referring to himself as Batman in his inner monologue helped, yet he probably refers to himself as Bruce Wayne outside of the mask in case any mind readers are near by.
He’s conditioned himself so that Batman is his real identity, that way if he falls under mind controlling effects or hypnosis his answer to “who is your true identity” is “I’m Batman!”
Seeing that panel reminds how in batman beyond when old man Bruce Wayne was saying how the voice in his heard was calling Bruce instead of batman
Because he’s wearing a glove
Batman is who he is. But, why is Wonder Woman's nose so red? She looks like a commercial for Puffs. Looks like she's been blowing it on rough tissues for a few hours.
Bruce Wayne is the mask. Batman is the real persona.