You know what I would love to see more of? Fic and/or meta that teases apart arch-enemy and most traumatic from deeply hurtful narrative foil, particularly within the larger discussion of the way Bruce, his kids, and the Rogues all reflect and deflect each other.
Let me see if I can explain.
Okay, take Jason. His arch-Rogue is Joker, obviously. That's where the root of his trauma, his hatred, and his antagonistic energy lies, right? But I don't believe, despite what DC has tried to do with Red Hood, that Joker is Jason's foil.
Jason's foil is Two-Face. Self-righteous Harvey, determined to clean up the city his way. Precariously hinged Two-Face, trapped with an enemy in his own head, himself. A potential ally corrupted seemingly beyond redemption, crafty and clever and cunning but corroded by uncontrolled madness. Two-Face is the abyss Jason peers into and sees himself stare back.
So in a fic where Two-Face operates, how does his existence affect Jason? How do his choices echo into the Pit-carved cavern in Red Hood's chest?
And if Jason's antagonist is Joker but his foil is Two-Face, who can be assigned to those positions from the other kids?
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NB: In my opinion, it's obvious that all of the Rogues are Bruce's foil simultaneously, because each of them reflects a fault in him and a path that he could take if he's not careful. (Harvey is his self-righteousness and despair, Freeze is obsessive devotion to a loved one above all else, Penguin is old money avarice and corruption run rampant, etc. etc. etc.)
I'm actually in literature class right now and we're just introducing what "foil" is. Tumblr has never been so on time and helpful 😮
As a former English major, I am delighted to hear this.
