History TearJerker / Batman

* Batman's final scenes in ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis''. First, he visits the grave of his parents, asking them to watch over Jack Drake and Sue Dibny. Then, when the JLA meet up and return to business as usual, he notices Wally (who just learned about the League's betrayal of Batman by erasing his memory) being hesitant. He asks Wally to speak his mind, clearly hoping that he'd reveal to the others about what they had done was wrong... but Wally, for the League's sake, stays silent. In three panels, you see Bruce's heart and trust break... leading him down the path to create [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis Brother Eye]].

* ''ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison''

* You would never believe a LampshadeHanging to be this, but the story "When Is A Door" from ''ComicBook/SecretOrigins Special'' #1 (penned by Creator/NeilGaiman himself) has one. Despite being rather [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs nonsensical]], [[http://www.oafe.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/sosr5.jpg The Riddler's longing for "the good old days"]], back when ComicBook/TheJoker wasn't killing everything that had a pulse, always gets to him. Nostalgia may be a part of it, seeing as how Riddler makes several references to the unforgettable [[Series/Batman1966 sixties Batman TV show]]. This line is what really makes him crack up:

* The scene in "Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns" where Franchise/{{Superman}} pleads to the planet Earth itself for the strength to save its people. Later in that same book, the death of Alfred, as he watches Wayne Manor and his life with the Waynes go up in a roaring ball of flame - as he thinks, "How utterly proper."

--> "I always thought of you as a father to me, but I was wrong. You're not like a father, you ''are'' my father Alfred. And the fact I am blessed to have had two amazing ones in this life of mine, well it only makes it harder to say. Goodbye, Dad."

--> '''Joker''': No... I'm sorry, but...no. It's too late for that. Far too late...

* Batman's final scenes in ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis''. First, he visits the grave of his parents, asking them to watch over Jack Drake and Sue Dibny. Then, when the JLA meet up and return to business as usual, he notices Wally (who just learned about the League's betrayal of Batman by erasing his memory) being hesitant. He asks Wally to speak his mind, clearly hoping that he'd reveal to the others about what they had done was wrong... but Wally, for the League's sake, stays silent. In three panels, you see Bruce's heart and trust break... leading him down the path to create [[Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis Brother Eye]].

* Damian's death and the resulting fallout in the Bat-Family. ''Batman & Robin'' in particular has an arc with Bruce going through the five stages of grief, where he further alienates and hurts his allies, still bearing wounds from ''Comicbook/DeathOfTheFamily''.

* [[Creator/PeterTomasi Peter Tomasi's]] run on Batman had the writer humanize Damian in ways that even Grant Morrison's more subtle characterization wasn't able to do alone. So, after Damian's death in [[Comicbook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Batman Inc.]], Tomasi dedicated a completely silent issue to the character in ''Batman and Robin'' #18. From Alfred's weeping at the Wayne Family portrait, with Damian's figure still unfinished, to Bruce's near inability to keep functioning, the issue reaches a climax when Batman finds a letter Damian wrote to his father explaining why he needed to help his father and how much he loves him. Bruce finally breaks and nearly destroys a whole room, collapsing onto his knees and holding Damian's costume in his hands.

** The sadness of Batman's origin is taken UpToEleven in the 2016 "I Am Suicide" arc of the Batman comics in the new Rebirth continuity. A letter Bruce sends to Selina Kyle/Catwoman as she is on her way to be detained in Arkham Asylum for committing 237 counts of murder explains the emotions that came out of witnessing his parent's murder in-depth. Bruce explains that after his parent's deaths, he felt nothing but pain, and attempted to [[DrivenToSuicide slit his wrists with his father's razor.]] However, remembering all of the people in Gotham that were going through similar pain kept him from ultimately doing the deed... at least physically. Spiritually, he already felt dead, and crafted the Batman persona in the hopes that he would one day die defending Gotham from criminals. The events of this particular comic arc seem to be building up to just that. It's extremely harrowing to find out that, at least in this new interpretation, suicidal despair was the ultimate emotion behind the creation of Batman.

[[quoteright:203:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/6qtg6gylmat5icti6d_anobwfv4svb_clqa_2ngw9w.png]]
[[caption-width-right:203:''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker "Behind all the sturm und Batarangs, you're just a little boy in a playsuit crying for mommy and daddy."]]'']]