new to #dctwt & #comictwt but you may already know me from a similar user on tiktok. primarily a batman comic fan, however, i do talk about other characters/comics when i feel like it. mainly an archive for my analyses, panels & comic recs as a fan of almost a decade.

People still struggle to understand that, yes, even grown men struggle with mental illnesses, and making fun of or demonizing their disorders (with the added fact that emotionality is a touchy subject in terms of masculinity) only worsens the situation.

first of all, thank you so much ! <3 but i do agree that it is a rampant issue i've observed in fandom, but also in comics. I think another big factor that influences how Bruce's mental illness(es) are discussed is the fact that he is a man, but also an older one.+

tadahhhh #StephanieBrown #Batman #DC

https://t.co/7VCafirtMT

(to applause) bruce wayne facial hair #BruceWayne #batman #dccomics

Can I just say, I am so happy they're utilizing the terrific kids more. Quiz Kid (the sidekick of the original Mr. Terrific) was so endearing in Stargirl: The Lost Children, but also Fairplay (Mr. Terrific's son) getting more spotlight makes me very happy.

Juni Ba Variant Cover for DC KO: The Kids Are All Fight Special. Characters include: Fairplay (Jeffery Holt), Cheshire Cat (Lian Harper), Quiz Kid (Raghu Seetharaman), Boom (Judy Garrick), Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) & Superman (Jon Kent)

league of comic book geeks users are so strict with the character icons DAMN

going off of the little smirk on Bruce's face when he pins Damian to the wall, I'm betting Bruce said something to ragebait Damian LMAO

https://t.co/vofNAqGJyn

When fandom treats trauma, OCD, autism, or PTSD as signs of villainy, it tells real people with those conditions that their existence is something to mock or fear. That language doesn’t just hurt a fictional man in a cape. It hurts the people who see themselves in him.

Recognizing all this doesn’t mean Bruce Wayne is flawless. He’s done harmful things and made questionable choices. But there’s a difference between holding a character accountable and pathologizing human behavior that mirrors mental illness or neurodivergence.

The same goes for how fans label him “sociopathic” or “narcissistic” as shorthand for “bad person.” Those words describe real, complex mental health conditions that already face heavy stigma. Using them as slurs only deepens that stigma.

Bruce is also often portrayed or described with autistic traits—struggles with emotional expression, difficulty connecting, strict routines—and these are used as insults. It’s cruel to turn neurodivergent traits into moral corruption. People live with these realities every day.

His paranoia, need for control, and contingency plans are often demonized too. They get written off as signs that he’s an obsessive freak or power-hungry control addict. But for many people, hypervigilance and compulsion are survival strategies, not moral failings.

When people mock his boundaries against killing or using guns, they ignore that these are trauma responses. They are coping mechanisms rooted in the violence that shaped him. Saying they’re “impractical” erases what boundaries actually mean for survivors.

There’s a tendency to flatten Bruce’s trauma into “his parents died, he should get over it.” As if losing your entire sense of safety and identity as a child is something you just outgrow. That framing treats trauma like a plot device instead of an ongoing condition.

respond to traits that mirror real mental health experiences.

Gonna dedicate a seperate thread to this, because i do have a few things to say, but i'll keep it short: People often talk about Bruce Wayne in ways that reveal how deeply sanist language is baked into fandom spaces. It’s not just about him as a character. It’s about how people -

the way some people talk about bruce's trauma and possible mental disorders is usually very ableist/sanist, but if i speak...