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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ourph" data-source="post: 4994030" data-attributes="member: 20239">My assertion is that superheroes don't have friends. You apparently disagree with that. I think I'm perfectly justified in asking you to name people who are friends with Batman in his superhero identity only. If you can't, I don't see how you have any basis for disagreeing with me.I don't really see how this is relevant to the point of our discussion. I've already conceded that the Bruce Wayne public persona isn't necessarily the "real" Bruce Wayne. If your argument is that Bruce Wayne is the mask and Batman is the "real" person, I'll concede that too. It doesn't change the fact that everyone that Batman/Bruce Wayne is close to knows that Batman=Bruce Wayne. Batman has no friends who know him only as Batman.Why is that? It's because people can't be "friends" with a superhero. As soon as they get within the friend "range" with Batman they want to know who is behind the mask and Batman wants to show them, because it's impossible to establish a real human connection while that wall is still up. Even if the personality doesn't change (i.e. the private Bruce Wayne is just like Batman), taking off the mask is an absolutely necessary step to maintaining and growing that relationship.</blockquote>