What was canon and what's not?
Comic books canon is a flexible thing, and I’m all for picking through canon for the bits you like and ignoring the bits you don’t. Fanon versions of a character are inevitable and there’s nothing wrong with that, but digging into the differences is fun for me!
I think it’s important to be aware of what the canon is and where fanon differs from it. Ignore canon responsibly! Therefore I present my list of posts and things on Canon vs Fanon batfamily.
Primer: A fantastic write up by @fantastic-nonsense on how 'canon' even works in DC
Let me know if you spot any inaccuracies. Post under endless construction and reformatting and the link limit is really cramping my style.
The founding families of Gotham and why they are rich [1]
Who is legally a Wayne and when? [1]
The League of Assassins is not in Nanda Parbat except for in the Arrowverse (CW TV show). [1][2]
-> I dont respect the CW
What ethnicity are Ra's and Talia? [1]
When Bruce was lost through time, most characters figured out Bruce was alive independent of Tim. It involved zombies. [1]
A list of common misconceptions, including living situation [1]
What Talon are actually like [1]
We Are Robin was not a gang, and it was started by Alfred [1]
How old are these people anyway? [1][2] When were they adopted? [3]
Alfred is not perfect, he’s as flawed as anyone else (this goes to another list)
Alfred was not written very kindly in the Bruce with Venom arc [1]
Alfred agrees with no killing [1]
Bruce’s civilian personality is not one of total hedonism or carelessness, he's still a competent businessman [1]
Bruce doesn’t have a no metas in Gotham rule, and other heroes appear in Gotham as much as any other DC city [1]
-> Would be frankly concerning for a founding JL member to have a no meta stance
Overall stats of Bruce’s parenting by comics appearances (In summation, he’s a fine parent) [1]
'Then why have I seen panels of Bruce hitting his kids?' - mostly mind control, mental break/grief, the same instance shown from different POVs in different issues, occasional bad writing, and the occasional 'writer actually doesnt think hitting your kids sometimes is abuse' (WRONG) [1][2]
-> Mental health is not an excuse to hurt people, and sadly older writers thinking kids is okay is not... rare
Bruce is a deeply compassionate person [1][2][3][4][5]
Bruce does a lot of charity, he’s not just doing Batman to help Gotham [1][2]
Bruce missed Jason a LOT after he died [1]
Bruce did, in fact, try to avenge Jason after he died. Joker had diplomatic immunity from the UN and STILL got exploded in a helicopter that fell into the ocean [1]
-> Honestly, Death in the Family isn't that well written. And is racist.
Fatherhood is a foundational part of Bruce Wayne [1][2]
'Bruce is paranoid and distrustful, he had plans to take down every league member!'. WRONG! CONTEXT MISSING! Batman made those plans after Hal became Parallax [1] and then Bruce learned that the JL had been mindwiping and personality changing villains (including Catwoman) and had previously mindwiped him when he discovered it. Then he quit the League and made contingency plans [2]
-> YMMV on how reasonable a response you feel that is for a non powered guy to having his sense of self put under threat from a bunch of people with superpowers
She did NOT kick a homeless Dick Grayson out. He got kicked out of her apartment and THEN, later, his apartment building exploded. [1]
Barbara never blamed Dick for his SA [Link to this meta in the post linked in the first bullet point]
Barbara Gordon is not an abusive partner, people take panels out of context [Link to this meta in the link from the first bullet point]
-> I'm sorry Babs I only get 100 links and your posts are already interconnected
Dickbin and pre Dickbin, he never wanted to kill Tony Zucco [1]
-> To be fully accurate, Dick only said he wanted Zucco dead once [Batman Yr 3], and it was while still standing over his parents dead bodies. Once he was not literally looking at his parents' cooling corpses, he no longer wanted Zucco dead.
Dick has his own personal very strong No Kill Rule [1][2]
Dick does not have Eldest Daughter Syndrome, and is in fact not eligible. He is not an eldest daughter and was an adult by the time he started getting younger siblings. [1]
The origins of the name 'Nightwing' have shifted over time [1]
Dick became a cop to try to clean Blüdhaven from the inside and Bruce was not a fan. This is not the only job he has ever had. [1]
Dick has dual degrees in psychology and criminology, though there was a time where he had a law degree instead. [1]
Dick has only been written as part (1/4 to 1/2) Romani for a brief time in the early 2000s, and he has never been European [1][2][3]
-> Related, Haly's was an american circus. It didn't originate in Europe.
On the creation of Jason Todd and his rewrite not long after his introduction (He was a Dick clone for a bit). In fact, Jim Starlin (writer for Death in the Family) did not like Robin. [1][2]
-> Jaybin, they can never make me hate you.
Pre-Flashpoint Hood Jason was not a hero or even an anti-hero, he was a villain and murderer. This has been retconned. [1]
Who made Jason’s memorial? Unclear. When did it appear? Before his death, actually. Why does it say ‘A Good Soldier’? It didn’t always. [1]
Jason won’t let drugs be sold to kids but is willing to put kids in danger for his goals and is willing to attack kid heroes [1]
Crime Alley isn’t Jason’s area that he gets territorial about. Tim has lived there, Leslie has a clinic there, etc [1]
During his run, Jaybin neither dark and angry (What DC likes to pretend now) or a little angel (fanon). He was as angry as any other kid [1][2][3][4]
-> Jaybin they can never make me hate you!!
There is no evidence of Jaybin being a Wonder Woman fan, but he certainly was a Superman fan [1]
No evidence either of Jason being some huge literature nerd [1]
Jason did not have Pit Madness, and it doesn't work how fanon thinks [1]
The many wrongs done to her by DC and Dan Didio in particular [1][2]
Cass does not know ASL [1]
Cass is not mute, and plenty expressive and funny [1]
Cass is a skilled detective. All the Bats are, to be a bat is to be a detective [1]
What was going on with her return to life? A lot [1]
Steph is not from Crime Alley. She's from blue-collar suburbia [1]
Tim wasn’t following about Batman and Robin every night from age 8. He followed their exploits through the news religiously, and then ONLY during a week off from boarding school (during A Lonely Place of Dying) did he stalk Batman and then Dick as part of his Make Dick Grayson Be Robin Again plan [1]
Prior to highschool, Tim attended boarding school just outside Gotham. He has been written as attending five different public highschools, none of which are Gotham Academy. [1][2]
Tim did not set out to be Robin, he wanted Dick Grayson to come back to being Robin. [1]
The Drakes were neglectful but not physically abusive. They did care for Tim despite their faults. [1]
Tim doesn’t actually drink much coffee, but Barbara sure does. Time likes soda and tea. [1]
Tim lost his spleen when stabbed by a member of the Council of Spiders. This was just before N52 and his spleen has not been addressed since then so it is currently Schrödinger's spleen. No evidence that Ra's keeps Tim's spleen in a jar or something. How much Ra's actually cares about Tim is overblown in fanon. [1]
Tim was only ever CEO of Wayne Enterprises for a hot second as part of a scheme to keep the money away from Ra's. He has been a majority shareholder but has not been involved with the day to day or running the company. [1]
'Drake Manor', in Bristol near Wayne Manor, was purchased after Janet Drake had died and Tim was Robin. Tim did not grow up as Batman's neighbor [1][2]
A list and analysis of common beliefs about Duke
Duke is not the normal one or super chaotic. He’s as nuts as any other vigilante and does not respect authority [1]
Duke’s legal status in the bat family [1]
Damian only actually tried to kill Tim once, when he first came to Gotham [1]
Damian had an origin by Grant Morrison where Talia drugged Bruce. This has been retconned out of canon. [1] In New Earth he was created and incubated in an artifical womb [2]. In Prime Earth was was conceived normally and then artificially aged [3].
Inter character relationships
Bruce and Damian have developed a strong father-son relationship since Bruce returned from time [1][2][3]
Bruce and Duke’s relationship over time [1]
When Damian first interacted with each Batfam member (it didn't go well). There is no textual evidence for Damian having met Jason in the LoA. [1]
Relationships between batsiblings [1]
How Tim and Damian were in early RR [1] and the development of their relationship [2]
Dick didn't hate Jaybin and treated him fine [1]
Dick never tried to send Tim to Arkham, he said he should see a therapist in Metropolis [1]
THE list of lists documenting how different members of the batfam refer to each other. (Note: Post crisis/pre N52) [1]
-> Jason has only ever called Tim 'Replacement' once in Lex in the City (2025; oneshot), and is likely fanon bleeding into canon.
-> Dick has only ever called Jason 'Little Wing' twice. Jason has not called Dick 'Goldie'.
-> Bruce is only rarely called 'B'.
-> Bruce called both Dickbin and Jaybin 'Chum', because that's just what he was written like Back In The Day
-> No one has been called baby bat.
-> Duke is the only one to have ever been called babybird, it was his mother's nickname for him.
The Batarang Thing with Bruce and Jason (Bruce wasn’t trying to hurt Jason but it ricocheted into him) [1]
Cass and her mother Shiva [1] and her momsistermentorfriend Barbara [2]
Tim is not 'Duke's Robin' and in fact no one Robin is [1]
However Dick *was* Tim's Robin, because Tim is a Dick Grayson AND a Batman and Robin fanboy [1]
-> You know that kid was PUMPED when two of his favorite people turned out to be the same guy
