Characters / Common People

The Waynes

In General

Gotham's first family, the Waynes have been around since the founding of the city and have played a key part in its development since then. However, after the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne, their son Bruce Wayne dedicated the rest of his life to fighting crime, eventually planting the seeds for the Bat-Family, Gotham City's mysterious vigilante protectors.

Tropes:

• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Being biologically related changes the dynamics of the Bat-Family significantly.
  • Dick and Jason get along better since the succession of Robin is a non-factor in their relationship. Ditto for Jason and Tim, to the point that Tim is Jason's favorite brother.
  • None of the three eldest boys idealize Bruce due to him being their father first and Batman second, making their expectations for him much different. Hell, Jason outright hated him at first and is only barely beginning to soften on him.
  • Damian is forced to acknowledge his brothers' relation to him due the ties being blood, not adoption.
• Big, Screwed-Up Family: They wouldn't be the Bat-Family otherwise. The only difference is that they're now biologically related.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble:
  • Bruce and his three oldest sons. Dick is Sanguine, Jason is Choleric, Tim is Phlegmatic, and Bruce is Melancholic.
  • Damian also qualifies as Melancholic, making this apply to all four of Bruce's sons.
• In the Blood: All of Bruce's sons inherited something from him, regardless of whether or not he was a part of their lives.
  • Dick has his sense of justice — including his willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of the mission. He also inherited his father's acting abilities, hence why he managed to adapt to high society so quickly.
  • Jason has his Control Freak tendencies, but also his compassion and love for Gotham City. In fact, despite his abrasive personality, Jason is likely the most compassionate member of the family due to his experiences living in Crime Alley.
  • Tim is a genius like him. While all the boys inherited Bruce's intelligence to enough of a degree to count as above average, Tim is explicitly the only one that is smarter than Bruce. As a consequence, he also has Bruce's complete lack of social skills.
  • Damian has his martial prowess, though that is also partially due to being raised by the League of Assassins.
  • Finally, all four boys have his temper, though they express it different ways.
• Old Money: The Waynes are an old, distinguished family, who were wealthy from the outset and have grown only wealthier since then.
• Related in the Adaptation: The Bat-Family is now blood family. While that does fix some issues they canonically have, it also causes many others.
• Stepford Smiler: They are fervent practitioners. Underneath, they hide social awkwardness, volcanic tempers and lower-than-absolute-zero self-esteem.
• Wealthy Philanthropist: Played with and enforced. While Bruce is primarily focused on fighting crime, he's also fully aware that most of the crime in Gotham is a natural extension of increasing poverty in the city. Thus, he's been trying to carry on his mother's philanthropic work on top of being Batman, but finds he can't be effective as he'd like due to being unable to completely empathize with those he's supposed to help. It's only when Jason joins the family that Wayne Foundation's philanthropic work begins in earnest.
• Wise Beyond Their Years:
  • Dick is a marvelous actor, has a high EQ, and has the best interpersonal skills in the family by far. He can literally befriend anyone.
  • Jason is Street Smart, compassionate, and already advocating for social welfare and reform. He'll be running the Wayne Foundation by the time he's nineteen.
  • Tim is simply brilliant. He's managed to figure out his father and brother's 'extracurricular activities', frequently slips out of Wayne Manor unnoticed to go stalk and take pictures of them, and could probably graduate from middle school, if not high school, right now if he ever bothered to put in the effort.
  • Subverted with Damian. While he's every bit as intelligent and gifted as his brothers, he's a Spoiled Brat with elitist views and is significantly more immature than any of his older brothers were at his age.

Bruce Wayne — Batman

Patriarch of the Wayne family and the biological father of Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian. By day he plays the part of billionaire playboy and CEO of Wayne Enterprises; by night, he dawns a cowl and becomes Batman, Gotham's resident vigilante.

Tropes

• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Because they're biologically related, the expectations his three eldest children have for him are entirely different; they expect him to be their father first and Batman second (not helped by one of them not even knowing he's Batman and another being a Secret Secret-Keeper). Instead of idolizing him, here none of the boys expect much from him due to his No Social Skills and lack of emotional vulnerability.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: A gender inversion. Three of his four children's mothers are flat-out nasty — Janet is so ambitious she basically forgot empathy, Talia is a master assassin, and Sheila threw out her own baby without even contacting the proper authorities. To be fair to Bruce, the only one of them he was serious about was Talia, and despite her occupation, she has a far better temperament than the other two.
• Control Freak: Bruce tends to make decisions for his children without consulting them, such as forcing Jason to change schools or reserving a place for Dick at Princeton College.
• Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Bruce didn't even know Jason existed due to Catherine deliberately hiding the boy from him. Understandably, when Bruce finds out, he's furious.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Unfortunately for his boys, when he's pissed off, it's generally for a good reason.
  • He's unhappy with Tim constantly skipping school. Let's be frank, the brat's too curious for his own good.
  • One verbal fight with Dick came from the youth abruptly refusing to participate in the Olympic tryouts. Okay, he's allowed to change his mind, but doing it so right after Bruce paid for his travel and board, and without telling his team they would need a replacement? Not cool at all.
  • When Jason takes him to task for firing his secretary, Bruce retorts that yes, he fires people selling his private stories to tabloids because he would rather have trustworthy staff.
  • His distaste for Catherine is subtle, but there. Taking in account the fact that she technically kidnapped a week-old Jason and deprived Bruce from the opportunity to raise and love his son for thirteen years, he's surprisingly generous towards her.
• No Social Skills: Played with. He does have some social skills but they amount to putting up a facade so no one figures out he's Batman and being charming enough to get laid. When it comes to actually interpersonal skills and emotional intimacy, he's a complete failure.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Gotham's elite doesn't feel much respect for Brucie after seeing him bedding lower-class trash and siring a string of bastard kids.
• Parental Favoritism: Downplayed. While he loves his children equally, he pays more attention to Jason due to his Troubling Unchildlike Behavior and his Harmful to Minors past, having missed out on most of Jason's childhood. It also helps that Jason is the only one of his children who is actually applying his intelligence and skills in a constructive fashion, compared to Dick (who ditched a chance to go the Olympics) and Tim (who refuses to go to school because he's smarter than all his peers).
• Parents as People: He loves his children with all his heart and soul but has a hard time connecting with them due to his lack of social skills and utter devotion to his mission.
• Really Gets Around:
  • None of his four sons were from a spouse, and of the four, Talia was the only one Bruce was serious about. While Bruce did have relationships with Mary Grayson and Janet Drake, they were short flings at best. Sheila Haywood (Jason's biological mother) was an outright one night stand.
  • This is a major plot point during the subplot leading to Jason learning that he isn't Catherine Todd's biological son. While Bruce does get around, he also makes sure to keep track of all the people he's slept with. One of the reasons why Catherine kept Jason away from him is because he would know that he never slept with Catherine, and could bring her up on charges for kidnapping.
• So Proud of You: Clark reveals Bruce is outright gushing about Jason's kindness and intelligence to his friends. Jason himself feels embarrassed.
• Terror Hero: Batman's whole strick is to be as scary as fuck for criminals. It works a bit too well since Jason outright believes Batman would harm him or Tim.
• "Well Done, Dad!" Guy: To Jason. Jason's refusal to acknowledge him as his father and overall belligerence clearly distresses Bruce, who is desperate to earn his middle son's affection after losing out on the first thirteen years of his life.

Richard "Dick" Grayson-Wayne — Robin

The eldest son of Bruce Wayne, born from his brief relationship with circus acrobat Mary Grayson. Dick knew all his life that Bruce was his father, but didn't start living with him until his mother's death at age six. Presently, he serves as Batman's sidekick, Robin.

Tropes:

• Beware the Nice Ones: Dick is a serial smiler, but he sometimes explodes into a towering fury. Generally, that's because his father's an ass.
• Big Brother Instinct: Robin almost jumped off the roof when he stumbled upon his kid brothers wandering through Gotham at one in the morning instead of being safely in their beds, because Jason wanted to see his mom and didn't trust his own family to let him visit her.
• Circus Brat: He was mainly raised by his acrobat mother within Haly's Circus until she was murdered, then the courts decided to place him with his father. People still hold this against him twelve years later.
• Cool Big Bro: To Jason and Tim.
• Embarrassing Nickname: What Jason thinks of him going by Dick instead of Richard.
• Follow in My Footsteps: He really wants to adopt the vigilante life full time. Bruce isn't so hot about it.
• Likes Older Women: And older women very much like him back, much to Jason's discomfort.
• Spoiled Brat: Subverted. While he does like to play up the "spoiled rich kid" image, Dick is actually very down to earth and likable, having no issues befriending a hooker that lives in Jason's old building.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Neither Bruce or Jason are impressed to learn he bailed on the Olympic tryouts, letting his whole team to hang and wasting the price of his airplane ticket and hotel room.

Jason Todd-Wayne

The main protagonist of the story and the second eldest son of Bruce Wayne, born from a one night stand Bruce had with Sheila Haywood and raised by Catherine Todd in Gotham's premier slum, Park Row aka Crime Alley. Jason was told all his life that Bruce was his father, but was never stupid enough to believe it — until it turned out to be true. Now stuck in a new world of glitz and glamour, Jason struggles in trying to fit in while also trying not to forget where he came from.

Tropes:

• Awful Truth: Finding out that Catherine Todd isn't his biological mother, and that his actual one, Sheila Haywood, abandoned him.
• Big Brother Instinct: Despite the rocky start to their relationship, he quickly adopts this attitude towards Tim. He skips school to save the younger boy after he finds trouble in Crime Alley, and calls out Janet during a family trip when she's about to abandon her son again.
• Bookworm: Jason noticeable enjoys the library within Wayne Manor, and sometimes references books.
• Calling Parents by Their Name: He showcases how resentful he is towards Bruce by referring to him as "Wayne", but later softens and upgrades to "Bruce". He also does this with Catherine after learning he was adopted and how.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Towards his newfound family. He's instantly fond of Alfred and warms up to Tim and Dick quickly. Bruce, however, is a much more gradual process.
• Follow in My Footsteps: Noting how concerned Jason is over Gotham's downtrodden, Bruce introduces him to Wayne Enterprises' charity side and later proudly boasts of his son inheriting his grandmother's kindness.
• Harmful to Minors: His entire childhood up until he met Bruce. Jason couldn't even go outside trick-or-treating with his friends because Park Row was so dangerous.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's easily the most abrasive member of the Wayne family, but also the most compassionate. He's outspoken about the family's charity efforts and a future scene reveals he has taken over the Wayne Foundation by the time he's sixteen.
• Locked Out of the Loop: He's currently unaware of his family's vigilante hobby. Considering how easily he managed to figure out Roy is Speedy, it's implied that part of it is because of Selective Obliviousness.
• Missing Mom: Twice! Catherine decided to give him to his birth father because she was too sick and addicted to properly care for a child, and Sheila outright dumped him into a hotel room when he was a newborn and never came back.
• Nature vs. Nurture: His inner conflict. Simply put, Jason wants all the benefits of being rich, while, at the same, time keeping the friends and general lifestyle he had in Crime Alley. Dick is the one to teach him that while it's not that simple, it can be done through some empathy and compromise.
• Nice to the Waiter: The first member of the Wayne family he connects with is Alfred, and he constantly worries about the butler working too much.
• Oblivious Adoption: Poor boy was completely floored and horrified to learn Catherine Todd wasn't his birth mother. The next time he looked in a mirror, he was shattered to realize he didn't resemble her in the least.
• One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: How he was conceived.
• Rags to Riches: He went from a Crime Alley kid just barely making ends meet to the second son of one of the richest men in the world.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: He wouldn't be Jason Todd without a mouth like that.
• Spotting the Thread: It only takes one look at his track marks for Jason to figure out that Roy is a drug addict. Later on, those same track marks help him identify Roy as Speedy.
• Street Smart: He learned a lot of...questionable skills while living in Crime Alley.
• Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Not only does he have a potty mouth a sailor would envy, he can identify a drug addict through track marks and his first thought when seeing his father bruised is accusing him of having kinky sex.
• Unreliable Narrator: Since he's pissed off and thrown off-kilter by his life suddenly changing, Jason's assessment of people around him reeks of bias.
• Wicked Stepfather: Downplayed, but he acutely remembers his mother's longest-serving Domestic Abuser Willis as a horrendous male figure in his life. It actually taints a bit his interactions with Bruce.

Timothy "Tim" Drake-Wayne

The second youngest son of Bruce Wayne, born from a short fling with Janet Drake. Bruce has practically raised Tim all his life due to his mother's negligence; naturally, due to Bruce's own lack of parenting skills, Tim has managed to pick up some odd habits all the same, including a tendency to stalk his loved ones. Even so, he is unquestionably the smartest of Bruce's sons; the only problem is finding a way to make him use his intelligence in a constructive fashion.

Tropes:

• Animals Hate Him: Inverted. Animals are fine with Tim, but he's outright phobic about them. When his brothers get a horse, he refuse to care for it because horses kill people and give them the statistics.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: Jason certainly thinks he's exasperating at times, and he enjoys trolling Dick.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: Since Tim tends to not make waves, Bruce and Dick assume he's alright and a perfectly innocent little lamb. Said little lamb is actually very insecure regarding his family's love for him, thinks "privacy" is only a word and goes traipsing through Gotham at night.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Currently making do with home tutors instead of going to school, even though he could probably skip several grades if he wanted to. This, understandably, exasperates Bruce.
• Camera Fiend: It's basically his security blanket. Deconstructed when he's almost assaulted in Crime Alley because it's worth several thousands dollars.
• Innocently Insensitive: His interest in Jason first looks like as a curious researcher inquiring about a new pet, and he also repeats his mom's classist prejudices. He wises up after his brother blows up at him.
• Missing Mom: Janet is constantly travelling the world and acting as if she never had a child at all.
• No Social Skills: At least Bruce can pretend he abides normality. Tim needs to be bashed upon the head with the fact he can be creepy and insensitive.
• Parental Neglect: A huge victim of it.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: He's perfectly aware of his father and eldest brother's extralegal activities, and is waiting for them to trust him with the truth.
• Sheltered Aristocrat: In spite of running across Gotham at night, Tim hasn't really understood how nasty the world can be. It makes for a nasty surprise when he decides to explore Crime Alley on his own.
• Snooping Little Kid: To him, people locking their doors is because they want to be eavesdropped on. No, seriously.
• Stalking is Love:
  • Tim spends his nights spying on his father and eldest brother hitting criminals.
  • Rather than just trying to talk to Jason, he tries to understand his newest brother better by stealing his clothes and visiting Crime Alley, the place where Jason grew up.
• Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: He stays up at night to watch his father and eldest brother commit various acts of violence, is constantly eavesdropping or looking into his family's possessions, and is morbidly fascinated by Jason's "criminal" upbringing. Brat's got issues.
• Trophy Child: Hints of this for his mother Janet.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: He knows Janet really isn't a good parent, but he's still on the verge of crying when she demonstrates she will never properly love him.

Damian Wayne

The youngest son of Bruce Wayne, born from a night he spent with Talia al Ghul, one of the only women Bruce has ever truly loved. He first appears in a side story and has yet to do so in the main story.

Tropes:

• The Baby of the Bunch: The youngest member of the Wayne family, and by far the most immature.
• Early-Bird Cameo: He appears in a side story before he can even be mentioned in the main story.
• Foregone Conclusion: The side story confirms his conception, birth, and eventual joining of the family when he's ten.
• Related in the Adaptation: In comic book canon, Damian heavily insisted upon the fact he was Batman's only biological son. Here, he's gonna have to contend with three older brothers.
• Spoiled Brat: Yes, Damian, you have to travel with the commoners. No, you can't ask for a private jet at the last minute.

Alfred Pennyworth

The butler to the Wayne family, and prime witness to their Dysfunction Junction.

Tropes:

• Cool Old Guy: Jason only needs a few minutes to peg him as this.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: For the Waynes, especially Bruce. Without him the Manor is completely unable to function at any level.
• New Powers as the Plot Demands: Alfred isn't only taking on butler duties, he's also the designated cook, cleaner, driver and confidante.
• Parental Substitute: To Bruce. This also makes him a pseudo-grandfather to the boys, which is partially why they're so fond of him.
• Servile Snarker: Not even the Wayne boys are spared by his deadpan commentary.
• Stiff Upper Lip: Alfred oozes dignity through every inch.

Other Relatives

Mary Grayson

Dick's mother, a trapeze artist for Haly's Circus who was murdered when he was six.

Tropes

• Deceased Parents Are the Best: The only one of the boys' mothers that is deceased and by far the best parent out of all of them. Dick adored her and was devastated by her death.
• Nice Gal: No, she wasn't an internationally known assassin, a neglectful corporate executive or a junkie. She only was a sweet woman who cared for her son.
• Posthumous Character: By the time she's first mentioned, she's been dead for over twelve years.
• Token Minority: Among Bruce's exes, Mary is exceptional on two levels. Not only she was a fully-fledged Nice Gal, she's currently dead.

Catherine Todd

Jason's mother, who did her best to raise him until her realization her best wasn't enough. More than meets the eye.

Tropes:

• Broken Pedestal: Jason completely adored her, until he learned Catherine found him in a hotel room and forgot to tell Bruce about him.
• Cassandra Truth: Has told Jason all his life that Bruce was his father. Jason refuses to believe her up until the moment a blood test outright confirmed it.
• Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: She ultimately contacts Bruce to tell him about Jason because she knows she's a complete mess, too ill and addicted to be the mother Jason deserves.
• Junkie Parent: Unfortunately. Her struggles with heroin addiction heavily impacted Jason.
• Lima Syndrome: The more she cared for an infant Jason, the more she felt reluctant about handing him to Bruce, until she decided to keep him.
• Parents as People: She really loves Jason, but it doesn't mean she's equipped to give him proper care. And there's the circumstances of his adoption...
• Not Quite the Right Thing: Her decision to adopt baby Jason would be much more laudable if Bruce hadn't been an option.
• Struggling Single Mother: She had everything - drug addiction, being fired from her job, abusive boyfriends and constantly worrying about money.
• White-and-Grey Morality: Ultimately, she was just worried about an abandoned baby and wanted to give him a loving parent. Word of God also reveals she didn't feel she could trust Bruce with Jason since he hadn't proved he could be responsible with his offspring.

Sheila Haywood

Jason's actual mother.

Tropes:

• Abusive Parents: Okay, not wanting children is an understandable life-choice, but flat-out dumping your newborn infant son into an hotel room, without even contacting Child Services? What the hell, lady?
• Foil: Both for Catherine Todd and Janet Drake.
  • Catherine and Sheila both committed a crime regarding their shared son. Sheila carelessly threw Jason away in spite of her duty of care towards him, and Catherine stole Jason even if she had no right to his custody.
  • Just like Sheila, Janet is very much absent from her son's life. However, Sheila picked a clean, definitive option while Janet is dragging her neglect through the years.
• Missing Mom: She threw Jason away barely a week after his birth and never looked back.
• Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: She was mentioned to be a doctor. And the way she treated her newborn son really wasn't nice.
• Mysterious Parent: She basically vanished after abandoning her son. Jason briefly wonders about seeking her, but ends up deciding to not do so.

Janet Drake

Nominally, she's Tim's mother. In practice, she remembers having a son mainly when convenient for her.

Tropes:

• Becoming the Mask: She adapted so well to the upper class that Jason cannot see her as otherwise but the embodiment of rich people.
• Evil Counterpart: Jason feels nauseated when he understands he might become like her if he lets his bitterness poison him.
• Evil Mentor: She's hinted to see herself into Jason and interested into helping him to adapt to the elite's way of living. It kinda backfires on her, as Jason considers she's the perfect embodiment of everything he doesn't want to become.
• Hands-Off Parenting: A strong believer in this concept. She mainly dumped Tim with Bruce to be raised, and has no problems leaving the kid alone in a room.
• Parents as People: She genuinely cares about Tim, but to her, it means giving him opportunities to live in comfort and be well-connected, failing to understand Tim just wants his mom.
• Rags to Riches: As she explains it, she took her father's small business and made it into an economic empire.
• Rich Bitch: So much, you wouldn't believe she actually went from Rags to Riches.
• Self-Made Woman: She's explicitely dismissive of poor people due to this - she was poor too, and she made it, so anyone staying poor is just lazy and dumb.
• Wicked Stepmother: Downplayed since she's not married to Bruce, but her assessing Dick as a shallow charmer who will never achieve anything is downright brutal and mean.
• Wine Is Classy: She's shown drinking wine twice, and both occasions are a display of her ease in rich culture.

Jack Drake

Janet's new husband and Tim's stepfather.

Tropes:

• Absent-Minded Professor: Basically his main characterization.
• Flat Character: He's only there as a prop to Janet.
• Foil: Just like Willis for Jason, he's stepfather to a Wayne boy. Where Willis was straight-out violent and domineering, Jack is so well-meaning and laidback he's a doormat.
• Morality Pet: Janet is genuinely fond of hearing him talk about his work, which comes as the first hint she can have feelings.
• What Does She See in Him?: Jason just can't understand why Janet picked such a fop after her fling with Bruce, and winds up concluding she wanted someone as different as possible from Bruce.

Talia al Ghul

Damian's mother, an international assassin and terrorist. She is the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, leader of the League of Assassins.

Tropes:

• Dating Catwoman: One of the only women Bruce has ever truly loved.
• The Ghost: She hasn’t even been mentioned in the main story proper yet. The only thing that confirms her existence is Damian.

Affiliates

Roy Harper — Speedy

One of Dick's best friends. He hides quite the secrets.

Tropes:

• Atrocious Alias: Due to Roy's drug use, Jason wonders if Speedy is a reference to it.
• Chocolate Baby: Jason is rather surprised to learn fair-skinned, redheaded Roy is one quarter Native American.
• Functional Addict: When Jason pegs him as using, he cannot see any hints of this in Roy's behaviour. Downplayed since Jason admits he's only familiar with heroin addiction, and Roy could not be using right now.
• Race Lift: Downplayed — canon Roy was pure Caucasian in spite of identifying with his Native American adoptive upbringing. In this fic, he mentions his grandma was Diné (Navajo), so he's one quarter Native.
• Recovered Addict: Going to rehab did him a world of good, but it's still downplayed as Roy confesses the reasons why he started to use didn't go away, so true recovery is ongoing.
• Spotting the Thread: His track marks betray him twice. First, Jason immediately understands he's a junkie. Second, seeing Roy Harper's track marks on Speedy's arm leads to his Secret Identity blowing open.

Clark Kent — Superman

A mild-mannered reporter from Metropolis, who happens to know Bruce Wayne. He's also Superman, the greatest superhero in the world.

Tropes:

• Cool Uncle: To the Wayne boys. Tim is immediately chuffed when given the opportunity to see him, and calls him when he and Jason are stranded alone in Metropolis.
• Friend to All Children: When he first meets Jason, he immediately tells him how Bruce is proudly boasting of his son's kindness and intelligence.
• Honorary Uncle: He's one of the only people Bruce trusts with his children outside of Alfred.
• Odd Friendship: Yup, the Farm Boy in plaid is on first-name basis with the billionaire.