>

I’m convinced Lex knows Bruce is Batman, and just sits smugly with the knowledge that Wayne Industries will never be able to overtake Lexcorp because Wayne spends all of his time punching mental patients at night while Lex is making shady land deals and stealing cakes.
You're still gonna need a smart, well-trained ninja

In the grand scheme of things, do you really need a ninja? Like, actually? Is there any scenario where pouring of billions of dollars of tech into one guy who runs around and punches people actually makes sense? >

Exactly, batman has been as this for years and has he made any meaningful progress for Gotham City? 
(Depends on what universe you look at) >


Exactly, batman has been as this for years and has he made any meaningful progress for Gotham City?  
(Depends on what universe you look at)

Gotham was already headed for hell on a train with no brakes and no conductor.  I like to look at it as Batman finding ways to slow the train and get people off safely where he can.
Has he lowered the crime rate?  No.  Did he prevent a mass casualty event and stop the city's complete destruction on numerous occasions?  Yes.  I wonder where that rates on the "meaningful" scale. >

Practically every "super villan" in Gotham were created by Batman. It wasn't super serum powered undead giant that killed his parents, it was thugs. But after bat hit the scene Arkham was filled with super powered lunatics.
Without bat we wouldn't have to worry about city scale attacks from laughing plant ninjas. >


Without bat we wouldn't have to worry about city scale attacks from laughing plant ninjas.

Poison Ivy was a rich girl who was experimented on, went insane, and became an eco-terrorist.  If Bruce had died with his parents and never became Batman, nothing would change for her (except maybe her plans to destroy Gotham would more likely succeed).
Penguin, a bullied outcast from his family turns to crime.  Again, Bruce not existing changes nothing for him.
Firefly, a pyromaniac criminal, his origin having nothing to do with Batman.  Mad Hatter started off killing people in high school, again nothing to do with Batman.  Victor Zsasz was a hitman for the mob before Batman.
The often-repeated sentiment that Batman created his villains is horsepoop that can be disproven with a little research. >

In fact, one Batman the Animated Seried episodd features all villains making a mock court against Batman, trying to prove that he is responsible for their crimes, only to realize that sithout Batman they'd wind up the sake. >

I don’t think it would be a magical solution, but if we’re being honest, it could be a better one. Batman has been doing his thing for a long time, and hasn’t made any significant improvement in the lives of your average Gotham residents. Things are still just as bad as they were before he started. 
Might as well try something different. >

Well, Bruce Wayne is one of the most charitable people in DC.  The Wayne Foundation already does a lot with funding, public projects, etc.  It's not as though he only spends a tiny percent of his fortune on charity as the wealthy do in real life, Bruce actually does put a lot of cash toward the less fortunate.
Things are worse than when he started because Gotham was a snowball already rolling downhill when Thomas Wayne was murdered.  It was already headed to hell in a handbasket.  Batman has been managing one crisis after another that the city itself wouldn't have been able to handle without him (leading to mass casualties or complete destruction on more than one occasion, averted by Bruce and the Bat-fam).
If he stepped away tomorrow and gave 90% of his money to the city directly, that would be entirely meaningless if Joker gassed the whole city the day after Batman retired. >

It’s kind of shitty that you have to preface such arguments to have an actual debate instead of being crucified. Who cares if you have hyper capitalistic perspectives, has little to do with this argument.
But I do agree with you here. >

it's just a preface these days lest loonies believe you're some capitalistic shill which ironically is a no-no on a capitalistic website. >


Can you convince me that Gotham City, as written, would be better if Wayne quit being Batman and put most of his money into the city?

No, but maybe I can convince you that he already does that (the money part). Bruce is already one of the biggest philanthropists in the DC world. Medical centers, job training, soup kitchens, infrastructure programs, scholarships, orphanages, anything that exists to help the people of Gotham exists because of the Wayne Foundation. 
People who say he should pay more taxes, and that that would help Gotham don’t understand how taxes work. The city would never be able to tax Wayne in any substantial way. Any increase in taxes he’d face for amounts that would materially affect Gotham’s budget would come from the state, or the federal government, and they wouldn’t give it to all to the city. And even if Bruce lobbied for increased taxes on billionaires, Luther would oppose him and outspend him on lobbying. He doesn’t spend his billions on charity like Bruce, so he’d just buy or threaten congress until they killed the bill. >

Which is pretty realistic when you think about it