Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman: Reptilian #2!
Batman spent many years traveling the world to learn martial arts, forensics, and all sorts of skills critical to waging a one-man war on evil, yet for all his travel he seemingly neglected sources of wisdom in his native Gotham. Despite having used his family’s funds to supply his mission to make Gotham a safer place, Bruce Wayne has seemingly ignored an important lesson from his father, Dr. Thomas Wayne.
Thomas Wayne was a renowned surgeon and philanthropist in most continuities. His investments in Gotham City typically came from a sense of altruism and an earnest interpretation of the Hippocratic Oath and the doctor’s commitment to providing care to Gotham’s needy. Thomas Wayne’s concern for Gotham’s citizens transcends wealth and background, as he intrinsically believed that all life is valuable, and must be cherished. Famously, in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Batman: The Long Halloween Thomas Wayne’s oath leads him to save Carmine Falcone’s life after the future crime lord is critically wounded in a gang shootout.
In Batman: Reptilian #2 by Garth Ennis and Liam Sharp, Batman does the opposite of what his father would have done. The issue continues Batman's investigation into a mysterious force that has ravaged his rogues gallery and threatens Gotham as a whole. Following a tip from his informant, Batman reaches the scene of the latest attack. When Batman enters the crime scene, he finds Penguin among the carnage and wastes no time trying to get information from his long-running enemy. As he begins interrogating his foe, Batman lists off the reasons why he has to resort to talking with Cobblepot. He explains that most of the other villains are in the intensive care unit, and their henchmen are either dead or wounded so grievously they can’t speak. Batman offhandedly comments that he misdirected the EMTs on the way to extract Penguin and the other wounded, just so Batman can have some valuable alone time with the villain. Batman’s interrogation of the villain is verbally aggressive and physically invasive as the Caped Crusader takes a blood sample from Penguin.
This scene shows that Batman seems to believe that his foes are not entitled to healthcare and that he can forestall their treatment if it means getting an edge in his investigation. Thomas Wayne cared that his patients were comfortable, and conscious of their condition before he proceeded to administer treatment to get them on the mend. Batman, on the other hand, takes a sample of Penguin’s blood without his consent, teasingly telling the weakened and somewhat delirious villain “Recite the alphabet backwards if you don’t consent.” Clearly Thomas Wayne’s veneration for the Hippocratic Oath and bedside manner did not rub off on a young Bruce.
Bruce Wayne is a seasoned crime fighter, and has spent most of his adult life training and preparing to be the best vigilante he could possibly be. Despite this goal, it appears that Batman never learnt the compassion and empathy his father, Thomas Wayne, used in his attempts to make Gotham a better place.