Bruce Wayne is a member of Gotham's old money elite. That's indisputable. Yet in our modern world, being a billionaire \[which Bruce has been since the 1990s\] has become a polarising status. The billionaire status of Batman/Bruce Wayne has often been attacked, with many perceiving Batman's vigilante activities as exemplary of elitism, especially as most of the criminals Batman fights are from poorer backgrounds.

Now, I know I'm going to upset a lot of people when I say this, but those people have a point. Obviously Batman isn't a straight up elitist who views the poor as lesser or a greedy billionaire who hordes his wealth, but it can't be denied there's a serious power imbalance between him and the average criminals he fights not helped by Batman's association with the police, an organisation notorious for persecuting the poor.

This problematic nature, which was long ignored due to the general admiration people had for billionaires throughout the late 20th-2010s, has become impossible to reconcile with Batman's usual perception as a heroic and admirable figure and so this has lead to writers trying to find a way to make Batman's background and heroism coexist, with a more realistic approach to Bruce's status.

There's the Murphyverse, where Batman is an integral part of Gotham's systematic destruction of poorer neighbourhoods for the benefit of wealthy developers. Matt Reeves the Batman shows Bruce's disregard for his status resulting in his Father's charity \[the Wayne Renewal Fund\] being corrupted. And of course, we have Scott Snyder's Absolute Batman, which removes his wealth all together. 

I'm going to be blunt, Absolute Batman and its approach to Batman is bad. I'm sorry I just didn't like it at all and think that its the definition of having your cake and eating it. The book glorifies Batman as this rugged, resourceful character who can be aspired to, while also removing the aspects that conflict with that common perception of everyone wanting to be Batman, and I think it only hurts the character.

Batman is in my opinion, not a great character because he's aspirational, he's a great character because he is both flawed and deeply tragic. He sort out justice through a on paper noble, yet in practice deeply unethical method and the fact that he is part of Gotham's elite adds layers  Batman. Gotham and him are inseparable because the city was built by his family and thus he has a sense of ownership of it.

This leads me to ask how Batman's status should be handled, because I think its something that can and already has enhanced Batman as a character. Sure he may fall into the archetype of the Tragic Gothic Hero, but that doesn't detract from him at all. Should Batman's status as a billionaire be a bigger factor to him going forward or should adjustments be made to make him still rich but also more down to earth?

Also, please go easy here, don't want any toxic comments here. Be nice to each other.😊

[Artwork] How should Bruce Wayne's statues as an elite be handled? [Batman Vol. 2 #1, Batman and Robin #16,]