Warning! Spoilers for Nightwing #78!
Bruce Wayne might spend most of his time striking fear into the hearts of criminals as the vigilante known as Batman, but on his own, Bruce can’t be the hero his alter ego handily succeeds in being. From using his vast fortune to help as many causes as he can, to hamming it up as the boring and uptight playboy the city of Gotham perceives him to be, Bruce Wayne’s contribution in the hero department is more limited than he cares to admit.
Set in the new DC era of Infinite Frontier, a flashback in Nightwing #78, written by Tom Taylor with art by Bruno Redondo, brings fans back to a time when Dick Grayson – Batman’s first Robin and current Nightwing–is just a kid. The apparent reason for Bruce’s inability to be a hero not just inside the suit but also out of it, is revealed in a very subtle way. Bruce may have accomplished much as the protector of Gotham, but his secret identity is sort of lacking when it comes down to it.
Mentioned during a conversation that young Dick and Alfred have after Dick gets into a fight at school protecting a fellow student from being bullied, Alfred commends Dick for taking on a situation where he was outnumbered and doing his best to help someone in need. Trying to get Alfred to understand why he did what he did, Dick defends his actions only for Alfred to almost immediately understand his reasoning, saying, “Master Bruce may feel you should only be a hero when wearing a costume. But I’m glad Dick Grayson steps up when someone is in need.”
Clearly alluding to the fact that Bruce dresses up like a giant bat to help the citizens of Gotham once the sun sets, the subtlety of Alfred’s words also carry another meaning, one that hits the nail on the head as to why Bruce can never be the hero Batman can be. Being the aforementioned playboy that the city of Gotham has more or less written off as a good hearted albeit spoiled rich guy, the idea of Bruce helping anyone out of his costume is a far reach at best. This is especially true when the persona of Bruce Wayne is often used as the secret identity of Batman, not the other way around.
Constantly having to “get lucky” or come up with an excuse as to why Bruce can–on occasion–use some questionably Batman-esque moves to help in dire situations where Batman can’t readily show up, it’s imperative that Bruce never let on that his alter ego is anyone close to resembling the man the public perceives Bruce to be. Like Alfred mentions, Bruce feels that “you should only be a hero when wearing a costume,” successfully calling out his surrogate son and the fact that Bruce can’t be the hero he is unless hidden behind the cape and cowl. Luckily, Alfred goes on to say that “It takes a different hero to help without a mask,” twice now deliberately mentioning Bruce’s flaw in his unwillingness to do something as himself, a mindset that Alfred applauds Dick for not abiding by.
So while Bruce Wayne may never be allowed to be the hero that Batman is, Alfred is clear to note that Dick can be the same hero inside the spandex as well as out. Nightwing may have come a long way in his crime fighting career, but he’s got one thing that Bats doesn’t: the willingness to help those in need without the protection and anonymity of being behind a mask.
