Then his thoughts drift to the other end of the spectrum. What about men like Ra’z Al Ghul? How does Bruce fight him? Joker is a loose cannon certainly, but if you cleaned up Gotham he would still go to Arkham and he might create more doctors like Harlene. How would Bruce stop that? Or what about the things that have always happened where the light Bruce Wayne might generate have happened outside of. The court might be made up of corrupt aristocratic rich and they might be dangerous in a way Bruce could fight, but the talons are a different story.

Bruce Wayne can’t fight like that.

Batman can, but should he?

The only obvious answer? Yes.

Individuals are weak and easily frightened, criminals are creatures evolved to take advantage of that.

Police can only openly identify and prosecute roughly 8% of crimes. Criminals don’t fear the police, they evolve to operate around them.

Batman might only be able to fight 1% of crimes, but he can make the major criminals fear. They don’t evolve to beat Batman, he evolves to beat them. No procedure to stop him, no probable cause to hide behind and no warrant to get. Only to hit where they live and make it hurt.

Ra’z is powerful and driven but crucially he is not after anything that Bruce Wayne’s money can put out of reach. Whether it’s magic or the league of shadows. Bruce Wayne might make Gotham better, but at the end of the day he’s a poor savior. Influential yes, wealthy also yes. But even if you donated every cent of his fortune and liquidated all his assets, the world is fundamentally gray. That’s why Batman must be both.

He wears the mask of the boy who died in crime alley, to do what can be done in the light.

But he remains Batman to do the things that must be in the dark, made all the more urgent by how the light fades a little more every day.