Honestly, my favorite thing about Jean-Paul Valley is that he is, at his core, Just Some Guy(TM). I think DC should put more emphasis on how much he is Just Some Guy(TM). Whenever they try to make him cool or mysterious, it’s so much less fun than when he’s fighting as well as Batman while having no idea what’s going on. The tiny moment where he held a baby and there was a single silent panel across most of the page where you could just see his heart melt. When he sees his first serial murder scene, has a breakdown, and practically flees the area while asking himself how Bruce handled all the blood. When his dad first showed up to pass on the mantle, and Jean-Paul freaked out, because his dad was bleeding out in his apartment!
These are the moments that make him fun! Let him be Just Some Guy(TM)!
I don’t want him to monologue about needing to "work alone," I want him to be exhausted & to start comparing being Batman to taking finals with a double course load, or working retail on Black Friday, or something. I want to see him recognize when he’s in over his head. I want to know what his major was, and what sports he played in school, and I want to see them crop up as unexpected assets in hero work.
The moments when he questions himself are the moments where he’s most engaging. The moments when he’s allowed to be his own person outside of the hypnotically-implanted fighting skills are when he’s the most interesting. The moments when the writers remember that he’s Just Some Guy(TM) are when he’s at his best.
…Well. That, and when Selina said, “Boy, your religious hang ups are so bad, I can literally smell it on you!”
