#batman lore

Context:

Jack and Janet Drake have been kidnapped in Haiti and are being held for ransom. This is the arc where Tim’s mother dies and his father falls into a coma.

This is something Bruce Wayne learned somewhere, sometime in his life that burned it so deep into his ribcage that it became yet another line of defense for his heart.

It’s a case of “I can try to stop the disease instead of killing the infected.”

Bruce couldn’t kill to avenge his first and greatest loss.

Bruce forgave Joe Chill and sat with him until he died.

Out in the wide world, Bruce took in a good look at what the dregs of humanity turned up, and what he took with him was the firm conviction that the worst could turn themselves around with a little help extended their way. And those who wouldn’t accept help? They had to be shut away where they couldn’t hurt anyone. And perhaps one day they might change their mind and was on their own.

So Bruce resolved to be the hand extended. To be the thing to strike fear into evildoers and make them think twice before engaging with their bad ideas. And maybe, he could help. Maybe he could actually help everybody in Gotham.

“Why would I not? I know what it’s like to lose people I love. Why would I want to do that to someone else if there’s a way to help the person want to live a good life instead?”

Gotham deserves to be burnt to the ground, plowed under, and sown with salt. It is cursed, wretched, and actively drowning in its own morass.

Only people who have been broken by its curse could hope to pronounce mercy on it.

Not the League of Assassins, which has stood to raze civilization after civilization once it became too noxious.

Not the villains that seek to see the whole city lost in their rotting greed.

Not the outsiders who have no skin in the game.

It is the wounded and broken people who have the right to pronounce judgment, and yet choose to have mercy.

Dragging people away from the abyss, kicking and screaming, and binding up their wounds is the best revenge against looming destruction.

“No! I say, no! You don’t get to devour this place yet, not while I fight! And I’ll never give up the fight! I won’t quit! This is worth the fight! The cancer can be cut out! The wound can be healed! These people deserve better, and if nobody else will, I’ll give it to them! I’ll fight and scrape and bite and scratch and crawl through the dust and the mud for them! I’ll do it! I can handle it! So many things have tried to kill me, and I’m still here! So many things have tried to destroy this city, but it still stands!”

And that’s what Bruce does.

He’s one tough son-of-a-gun and he doesn’t go down easy. And when he does go down, Bruce always gets back up.

There are people to help, after all.

in the 18th century, two members of a notable gotham family were murdered in front of their son who was placed into the care of another man

they were tim and moira wainright and their son was cared for my aldridge pearce

TW and MW murdered in front of their son who was placed into the care of AP

I know this is like an impossible thing because of things like reboots and Flashpoint and tbh honestly I'm just gonna ignore New 52 completely.

Like idk things in order, only just randomly. like things/events I know vaguely happen: Jason's resurrection, the earthquake stuff, uhh fucking no man's land?, cass arrives, Under the red hood happens, Tim gets the clench, steph becomes robin Tim is fired, gang war, Damian arrives, bane takes over gotham, Dick is batman, Tim goes on Brucequest, gotham war (derogatory), etc