Something that I think is so important about Cass and Dick is how they're affected by expectations. It's a shame so many people miss it. I don't mean Dick trying to be Batman and Cass trying to be Batgirl even though that does play a part in it all.
Dick is loved by the hero community, he's seen by others as what a hero should be, so many others look up to him. He's charming, a great leader, excellent fighter but that's not good enough.
Cass is one of the best fighters in the world, she's the strongest hero in Gotham. She's done so much for the city, others look up to her. She's witty, nimble, strong, determined and one of the best but that's not good enough.
They're both extremely skilled people and those that carry on their legacy feel helpless in trying to fill their shoes. You see them struggle in trying to live up to the expectations they set. They see Cass and Dick as nearly perfect but that's not all it's cut out to be.
Cass and Dick show what it's like on the other side, what people tend not to realize. They have others approval and respect, in others eyes they've made it but they don't see it that way, in their eyes it'll never be enough.
Both of them push themselves to the brink, they work themselves to death to save one more life, one more family, one more community. They have to save as many people as possible because they're depending on them.
They work themselves to the brink because failure means death. Even if there was no possible way to save someone Dick will convince himself that it's his fault, that he could have done something. Cass will convince herself that any death that she could have prevented is her fault, is blood on her hands.
If they aren't out there saving people then their deaths fall on their hands. To Dick failure is inaction, if he's not doing every thing he can then someone he loves will die. To Cass failure is action, if she can't save someone then she might aswell have killed them herself like she did all those years ago.
They hold themselves to an unobtainable standard. They have to always do more, they always have to be better, they cannot fail because failure means death, not only to the people they failed to save but to themselves.
People look up to them so they need to be better to be as perfect as others think they are. They're climbing for a pedestal that they will never be able to reach. But they try, they try with all their might because the only other option is death.
They'll convince themselves that others don't think they're enough and so they'll pretend they are as they push themselves to the limit. They are tearing themselves apart.
It's a viscous cycle with no way out, they're killing themselves but failure also leads to death. They raise the bar for others with every step they make, leaving others with even bigger shoes to fill.
It will ever be enough, Dick will never be enough, Cass will never be enough, Steph nor any of the other Robins will ever be enough. Nothing ever will be and that's the sad truth of it all.
No matter what end you're on you crumble to expectations all the same.
ellievsbear
baratheonpilled
snowghoul
2087
theartofmadeline
annaxmalina
titsay
