Thinking about the difference in Jean Paul’s hallucinations between runs and how closely they’re tied to his perceptions of the world and people around him (Particularly Bruce).
In Knightfall’s various tie-ins we see Dumas acting as a sort of moral compass, discouraging Jean Paul from violence, whereas Ludovic encourages him. At this time, Jean Paul has little to no concept of what the Order of St. Dumas actually does or stands for. He knows only that Dumas is his (Azrael’s) Saint—Or, that he should be.
This Saint takes on the more “Wayne” perspective, dissuading him from violence, pushing him to operate like the previous Batman. He is the “angel” on Jean Paul’s shoulder, at this time. And Ludovic his devil.
This is really interesting when you consider Jean Paul has no reference for what St. Dumas is supposed to act like at this point. Dumas takes on the behaviors of the man closest to sainthood that Jean Paul knows—Bruce, who had given him a job and training, much needed support after his father died.
On the other hand, Jean Paul recently learned Ludovic was a murderer. He had killed multiple people, groomed Jean Paul into becoming the weapon for a cult. Ludovic directed him to Nomoz, who beat him and manipulated him. In his mind, Ludovic had made him something terrible. And so, his hallucination of Ludovic is incredibly violent and degrading. Shaming Jean Paul for what he is (or fails to be).
However, once we shift to Azrael (1995) / Agent of the Bat, Jean Paul learns more about the Order, and by extension, his father. He is more sympathetic towards Ludovic, even acknowledging that Ludovic himself was a victim and admitting he sees his father as a better man than he likely was. Dumas, on the other hand, begins to appear as a wholly different figure.
Azrael: Agent of the Bat #84, #98, #58
In his earliest hallucinations of Dumas, he looked to be a knight, one fairly similar in appearance to Ludovic. But as his perception of The Order of St. Dumas changes, his visions do as well. Dumas appears more monstrous, skeletal. He acts a negative driving force, a Faustian devil rather than the voice of reason he once was.
Similarly, Jean Paul sees Bruce as a sort of “demon” as well. He is also shown to be afraid of Batman when (Dick) Batman visits him during Prodigal.
As his understanding of both Bruce and the Order shift, so to does his vision of St. Dumas. I think this is especially reflected in conversations about obedience, identity, and failure.
In Knightquest, and the later Knightsend, Azbats is very conscious of Bruce’s methods and beliefs as Batman. He says that Bruce’s morals should be followed, and constantly compares his own actions to Bruce’s. Occasionally he does this to bolster his own confidence, but usually he is criticizing himself. Dumas also reprimands him when Jean Paul goes against the beliefs that Bruce upheld. It isn’t until Jean Paul has made the grievous mistake of killing Abattoir (Disobeying Batman’s firmest rule) That Dumas becomes very critical of him, accuses him of failing because he had failed Batman.
Azrael: Agent of the Bat #98, Batman #509
While Azrael is a servant by nature, created to obey the Order, Jean Paul also “serves” Batman. He obeys his rules, does his dirty work, he is the Agent of the Bat. Jean Paul knows his (Azrael’s) place is beneath Bruce, just as it was beneath Rollo and Dumas. And it is when he has been “ousted” from the Batfamily because of Bruce in Fugitive (more on his mindset in this post) that Dumas tells him to kneel and kiss the ground. Something Jean Paul had (metaphorically) done for Bruce for years up until this point.
Dumas is not always reflective of Bruce. There are times (particularly in Day of Judgement or Jean Paul’s reunion with Lilhy as Azbats) where he is clearly more representative of Jean Paul’s understanding of the Order’s beliefs. But I think the hallucination of Dumas, especially in his earlier appearances, is impossible to separate from Batman. From the conflict that was Bruce as a surrogate father vs Ludovic and their legacies.
