Batman Reboot Concepts

Chapter 1: Goodfellow

Meet my idea for Tim Drake's hero self — Goodfellow!

The name is a play on Robin 'The Puck' Goodfellow from Shakespeare. I would foreshadow this by giving him a mischievous ferret named 'Puck', and by occasionally having him quote a Midsummer's Night's Dream. I can just imagine Tim sighing and muttering to himself 'My Lord, what fools these mortals be' in response to some antics or other, you know?

My reasoning for this is twofold. Part one: RED ROBIN IS A VERY STUPID NAME. There's Robin, there's Red Hood, and there's a store named Red Robin. Let Tim have an identity of his own, for Pete's sake!

Part two: Joker Junior. I love how Tim is written in some Joker Junior fanfics. Specifically, I love the idea of Tim being a somewhat-unnerving prankster who laughs a lot.

But since my version of Joker is Lighter And Softer, the Joker Junior plotline can't happen. So I thought, what if Tim Drake was always like that?

Enter Hyperemotional Pseudobulbar Affect Disorder, or Gotham Bug. A fictional and very rare neurological condition that causes one to laugh, sometimes uncontrollably, in different ways in response to different emotions, both good and bad. Joker is one of the most famous cases, giving it a bad name.

My Tim has it. His parents — well-meaning but very, very bad at parenting — taught him to suppress his laughter. All of it. The most you could get from him was polite but very fake chuckles. Because of the nature of Gotham Bug, Tim developed headaches and occasional nausea from constantly holding back his laughter.

Tim is somewhat of a goofball, good at pranks and deadpan snarking, but bad at jokes and spur-of-the-moment banter. He doesn't like close combat, preferring to dodge opponents and take them out with long-ranged attacks or preset traps. And he really, really loves laughing. Bruce knows absolutely none of this at first, because Tim is a self-sacrificing idiot who molds himself into something closer to what Dick and Jason were as Robins, thinking Batman needed that.

But eventually there comes a day where Tim isn't Robin anymore, because he gave it to Damian. A day when he isn't the Drake heir anymore either, because his parents signed him over to Bruce's care. A day when years' worth of 'you are perfect just like this, Timmy' from Dick starts to break through, because he finally has a moment to think about who he is. Goodfellow is Tim when he's no longer shaping himself for other people.

Goodfellow fights with long-ranged attacks, boobytraps, and psychological warfare. He's a goofball and a prankster, who loves freaking people out with his laughter, but he doesn't joke around much. He's still a genius, building his own bostaff/stungun collapsible weapon, and he often hacks villains (though he's no match for Barbara there). His favorite villain to fight is Riddler, because he's easily bored and thinks the mazes/puzzles/riddles are actually really fun.

And that's Goodfellow. What do you think?

Chapter 2: Cass And Dami: Twins?

What if when Talia mixed her and Bruce's DNA, it didn't just result in one child, but twins?

In this world, Damian is the perfectly obedient little heir he's supposed to be. Despite his grim fate, he would go to it willingly, unable to comprehend fighting back...

...if it wasn't for Cassandra. We know that the League Of Shadows/Assassins/Whatever is sexist, so I feel like mixed with her muteness, she wouldn't be treated well. Damian cannot stand for this.

Cassandra starts off as the only person Damian cares for unconditionally, the one person he can accept weakness in and show weakness to, the one person he would stand as equals with no matter the circumstance. For her sake and her sake alone, Damian defies their Grandfather and runs away to Gotham with Cassandra.

Damian doesn't think his father will accept him, but hopes he might find Cassandra useful enough to protect. Before he hands his precious sister over to a man he's been raised to view as an enemy and goes to face death by the League (he can't return to them, he knows they'll make him kill Cassandra if he does, but at least he can go out fighting), however, he wants to gather information.

Damian and Cassandra try to survive in Gotham by themselves, but they don't understand how the wider world works. Luckily, they find refuge in the Sewer Kingdom (I'll devote a chapter to them, let's just say they aren't exactly bad for now). They learn many new skills from the children of the sewers, including a marvelous thing called sign language.

Cassandra is very happy. She can 'talk' with others for the first time in her life, she's making all sorts of new allies (maybe friends, though she's not sure how that works), and even Dami seems happier. Life is harder in some ways, but at least they don't have to hurt anyone. Things are good. Of course, the League eventually finds them, and Cassandra lets herself be captured to give Damian a chance to go for help.

Damian is not ready to face his father, but needs must. He doesn't immediately reveal himself as a Wayne, only telling Bruce that his sister has been captured by the League and he will reveal the Bat's identity if he doesn't save her. Bruce of course immediately goes to save the child, planning to deal with the adorably-angry-and-vaguely-familiar child trying to threaten him after.

Long story short, Cassandra is saved, identities are revealed, and Bruce takes in his new kids who eventually become Robin and Batgirl. Damian is still worried he will be cast out if he slips up. Cassandra knows Bruce would never do that and as well knows that her brother will realize that eventually, so she mostly just contents herself with learning ballet and eating Alfred's cookies. Life is good.

Oh, and they're part literal demon, which leads to some interesting things, especially with Scarecrow (who is consensually possessed by a demon). But that's a story for another time.

Chapter 3: Rogue Families

Jervis Tetch and Temple Fugate are brothers.

Temple has a wife whose name he took (hence why he's Fugate and not Tetch). Despite being waaay too old to be having their first kid, Temple and his wife have only recently had a young daughter.

The Tetch brothers' parents were good people who raised them well — this did nothing to prevent their sons' mental issues and criminal careers, but is probably why they both remain decent people.

Jervis is dating Jonathan Crane. Neither has any offspring.

Jonathan was once known as Jonathan Keeny and was raised by his great-grandmother; she was a vile woman who abused him greatly.

Jonathan's other relations include a bond to a field Spirit named Corvin and a distant but treasured relation to Harleen Quinzel.

Temple and Jervis are cousins to Oswald Cobblepot.

Oswald is married to Selina Kyle, and they have three children: their eldest is a daughter named Kitrina (who is dating Jason Todd), the middle a daughter named Skylar, and their youngest a son named Adrien.

Adrien and Kitrina inherited a more extreme version of their mother's connection to animals, with Adrien able to talk to cats and Kitrina able to talk to birds. None of them really inherited their father's physical issues beyond a few weird fingers, a fact for which he is forever grateful.

Kitrina is following in her parents footsteps as the young supervillainess Kittyhawk, flamboyant Skylar is enthusiastically focusing on one day running the Iceberg Lounge instead, and Adrien has a quiet interest in fashion design.

Oswald is the brother of Nora Fries, who is of course the wife of Victor Fries.

The brothers-in-law have bonded greatly in their quest to save the woman they love, though Oswald can't really do much more than fund things and make sure Victor has a place to do his research/store stuff/etc.

Victor and Nora have several children and grandchildren.

Pamela Isley is dating Harleen Quinzel. Neither has any offspring.

Mary Dahl befriends Clayface, bonding over acting. Somehow, she eventually gets mutated in the same way as he did, letting her finally have an adult form and leaving her free to pursue a romantic relationship with her best friend. She is then known as Lady Clayface and Clay Doll, rather than Baby Doll.

Maybe they have kids? I'm not even sure that'd be possible... Eh, maybe eventually. He needs help with his identity issues and she needs to learn how to actually live as an adult, first — they aren't gonna age, they've got plenty of time :)

Harvey & Harv Dent have a daughter named Duela Dent-Gold, who is in the custody of Harvey's ex, Gilda Gold. Harvey & Harv are dating Edward Nygma.

Edward's neglectful mother and abusive father both died in a carcrash during his mid-teens, after which he was sent to live with his aunt and her then-girlfriend now-wife: Deirdre Vance and Nina Damfino. They raised him well, mitigating the damage that was already done.

Edward has an adopted daughter (though I'm toying with the idea of making her his biological daughter that he didn't know about) named Stephanie Brown, now Stephanie Greene/Nygma (she's dating Tim Drake).

Joker has a wife/widow he can only sometimes partially remember, named Jeanie Napier. They have a son he doesn't know about, named Jack Jr.

Joker is dating Bruce Wayne.

I haven't made any relations or relationships for Waylon Jones or Manbat yet.