#sorry I’m tired and weirdly emotional about children of superheroes

[redkelpfish]

Jason Todd is a damn good example of how superheroes can’t be parents. I’m not saying heroes should be forbidden from having children, but the moment you do, you choose one or the other. You either cease to be a hero or you must fundamentally fail your child.

Because that’s the basis of being a parent—choosing your child. Day in and day out, no matter what. There is no bigger picture, no greater good. Between a bus full of people and your kid, your kid has to count on you to be the one person in the world who would let the bus fall. A hero can’t do that. A hero shouldn’t do that.

Jason Todd so desperately wanted Bruce, his father, the one person he needed to let the bus fall. But Bruce had chosen “hero” two decades ago, and there was no room for Jason Todd, son. So Jason Todd, Robin died a martyr with no one left to carry the cause. An unfortunate casualty. He came back as the only thing left, the only version of Jason Todd that a clown didn’t beat to death in warehouse in Ethiopia. Jason Todd, son. And there was no father. He kept reaching and reaching and there should have been something to meet him. But Bruce Wayne was a hero. And Jason Todd was a son.

#sorry I’m tired and weirdly emotional about children of superheroes #because that’s the thing #you shouldn’t let the bus drop #morally you shouldn’t #it’s hard to look at a hero doing the right thing and go ‘you chose wrong’ #because that wasn’t the choice they fucked up on #it was a thousand choices before this moment #it was one choice in the middle #i love the robins #i love superheroes with children #but fundamentally someone has been failed in that situation #and unless you’ve been in the running for the flash mantel at least once #it’s probably your kid #dc #batman #bruce wayne #jason todd #dc comics #superheroes #clark kent #i think we all know why he’s tagged #justice league