WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Titans Season 3, Episode 5, "Lazarus," available now on HBO Max.
A major recurring part of the Batman mythos is that the Dark Knight's various rogues have, in some way, symptoms of psychological disorders. However, since Bruce Wayne's debut, there have been frequent scholarly, lay and creative examinations as to if he himself is living with a mental health condition. Now, the latest episode of Titans, "Lazarus," has given Batman a diagnosis.
In the episode, Jason Todd meets with mental health professional Leslie Thompkins at Bruce's behest. After Jason starts to trust Leslie, he tells her that he's afraid of losing Robin, as it's all he has. Jason was deeply dissatisfied with his life prior to becoming the Boy Wonder, and he thinks that the trauma responses he's suffering after the events of Titans Season 2 will cause Bruce to abandon him.
During her conversation with Jason, Leslie attempts to show the young Boy Wonder that people care about who he is behind the mask. In the process, she says, "Robin is a construct made by a crime-fighting vigilante who has a Borderline Personality Disorder. Robin is the living embodiment of that man's projection."
There are a lot of signs and symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder, and it's difficult to ascertain just whether Bruce has it based on what's happened in Titans so far. However, there are certain elements of the disorder that seem apt. Bruce, for example, has a history of engaging in risky behavior, as evidenced by his incredibly dangerous vigilante activities. His identity is also seemingly quite unstable, which is part of the reason he throws himself so much into crime-fighting and his Batman persona.
Others symptoms aren't so clear cut, though. Unstable relationships are a key part of a Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis, and those that Bruce has had in Titans have definitely been fraught. That being said, difficult or complicated relationships aren't necessarily the same as unstable relationships, particularly when taking into account what's called splitting, which is a common feature of Borderline Personality Disorder. With splitting, things tend to be entirely good or entirely bad. While Batman does engage in black-and-white thinking, he's at various points shown a capacity for understanding grey areas in his relationships. It's also unclear if Bruce has any suicidal ideation or self-harming behavior, which is another part of that specific diagnosis.
At this time, it's unclear if the Bruce Wayne of Titans does have what in the real world would be considered Borderline Personality Disorder. Still, Leslie is identified as a psychologist in the Titans Universe, meaning that she would absolutely be equipped to make that diagnosis. There's no real indication based on context or subtext in "Lazarus" that she's exaggerating when she tells Jason that Bruce has Borderline Personality Disorder. Instead, the conversation with Jason seems more intended to shock him back to a reality and process the idea that he's more than just Robin with the truth. So for now, Bruce does seem to actually have Borderline Personality Disorder.
The first five episodes of Titans Season 3 are available now on HBO Max. Episode 6 releases Sept. 2.
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