WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Titans Season 3, Episode 5, “Lazarus,” available now on HBO Max.
In Season 3 of Titans, Iain Glen’s Bruce Wayne constantly proves to be a failure as a father and leader. It’s why Dick Grayson needed to forge his own identity as Nightwing and why Jason Todd easily underwent his own dark rebirth as Red Hood. However, the latest episode proves Bruce wasn’t as bad as we thought, giving him the ideal redemption moment. Unfortunately, he shatters it right after in an act of negligence that costs him big time.
The first instance of atonement occurs in the Bat-cave when Jason’s looking at Scarecrow’s toxin, wondering why he’s so fearful in battle now. Bruce intercepts him and while he grounds Jason as Robin, he makes it clear it’s for his own good. He wants to protect him, urging Jason to take the car and go on a date with his friend, Molly.
He even calls him “son” a couple times, leaving Jason with a smile on his face as this is a much-welcomed approval. However, he still doesn’t think Bruce truly accepts him as family. It gets even more emotional later when Bruce picks up Jason from a therapy session with Dr. Leslie Thompkins and takes him to Crime Alley.
There, the Bat admits Gotham ruins them and that they need to unplug. He tells Jason that while the teen may feel like Robin is his only identity, he doesn’t need to be the Boy Wonder to be Bruce’s son. It’s a remarkable moment and one of the strongest in the show as we get a vulnerable Bruce begging Jason to walk away to save himself. Bruce even confesses he’s a monster and that he doesn’t want Jason to become the same, or make his mistakes.
However, Jason is anguished, thinking Bruce is stripping the Robin mantle away because he’s weak and incompetent. It’s clear at this point Jason’s going to go off on his own and do something stupid to prove he’s worthy but rather than stay and console him, Bruce says he has to jet off to Europe on business. It’s heartbreaking because Jason, usually a brat, is breaking down in tears and in need of support.
As he saunters off, a real dad would have dropped everything to stay with the boy at such a life-defining moment. Instead, rather than remain in Gotham to remind Jason that his “identity” has not been taken from him and that his human persona is what makes him whole, Bruce is all too eager to depart. It feels like Bruce is scared and in denial as he doesn’t know how to fix Jason outside of platitudes and speeches.
Jason then thinks Bruce has been spying or working with Leslie to manipulate his therapy, and it results in Jason going after Joker by himself. Thus, right after he builds Jason up and puts him on a pedestal, Bruce’s cowardice pushes the boy towards his death, giving way to a deranged murderer who emerges from the Lazarus Pit.
The first five episodes of Titans Season 3 are available now on HBO Max. Episode 6 releases Sept. 2.
About The Author
