In All-Star Batman #1 out last week, Batman made some statements to his new protege, Duke Thomas. The internet took them one way, writer Scott Snyder meant them another.

@Ssnyder1835 I really liked ASB, but why all the "robin hate"? Did bruce and Damian fight or something? 🙁 — Skywalker (@crolzinha) August 16, 2016

bruce saying duke os better than robin and that he doesn't need a robin :/ not actually hate just not love either haha — Skywalker (@crolzinha) August 16, 2016

whoa whoa! Bruce is saying he's trying something better than the approach he had before. not that duke is 1/? https://t.co/jm8nDouQqt — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

better than robin! duke WAS a robin already in W.A.R. Bruce has realized (across the books) that he needs full 2/? https://t.co/jm8nDouQqt — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

allies, not a sidekick. Instead of training Duke to be his side-man, he's training him to be his own hero 3/? https://t.co/jm8nDouQqt — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

As he did with each Robin before Duke when he or she was ready to move on. He's saying, I'm altering my thinking 4/? https://t.co/jm8nDouQqt — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

– I need full grown heroes beside me. Damian has made him proud. Tim, Dick, all of them. He's tweaking the 5/? https://t.co/jm8nDouQqt — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

program to be more about his trainee figuring out who he/she is as a hero in full than training them at his side https://t.co/jm8nDouQqt — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

All of us writing Bruce felt instead of having more Robins (b/c Damian wears that mantle proudly in TT), this 6/? https://t.co/jm8nDouQqt — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

would make sense as a way for Bruce to grow a new generation of heroes. Make sense? https://t.co/jm8nDouQqt — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

@crolzinha Yeah, a lot of Fans have been turned off and pissed at the fact that Batman said that Duke was "Something Better" — Bruce Alonso (@DarkKnight398) August 16, 2016

Had no idea! Would never have implied that. Bruce is talking about the program itself being better. https://t.co/tzX7Z1fTkp — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

And one other thing – I sometimes get flack for not writing Damian in to our run. To clarify, I didn't write Damian much for 3 reasons 1/? — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

1 – Batman and Robin was all about him and his relationship to Bruce. That was Pete and Pat's rich emotional material to mine and they — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

did it amazingly. So me doing it would have been encroaching, IMO. And editorial felt that way too and wanted solo Bruce from Batman (as — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

they largely do now). And 2 – I love reading Damian, some of my favorite stories are Damian ones, but I have trouble writing him for — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

personal reasons. You put yourself into the books when you write, your fears, etc., and my son is about Damian's age, and him getting hurt — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

or fighting people beside me – it's just something I have trouble with. It's too upsetting to me and it throws my Batman writing off. — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

I get too shaken by it and the stories fall apart. You can tell when Damian is the first person Bruce runs to in DotF at the end. Hugs. — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

He's only 10 and my son is 9, and weirdly, I'm protective of Damian, b/c of his age, and maybe myself, in avoiding writing him. — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

I put children in peril all the time in my creator owned work – I often do it to scare myself – but something about writing from the — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

POV of a dad having it happen in front of his eyes all the time… it's just too hard for me. @PeterJTomasi and @patrick_gleason B and R and — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

Grant's Son of Bats, B and R and INC? Some of my top Batman reads ever. But 1, Damian was mostly off limits anyway b/c he was in those — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

books and Batman was meant to be solo. 2, I'm too soft on him as a dad of a kid the same age (tho, yes, I know he's turning 13 now) and 3 — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

he was also mostly dead during our run… :) — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

Hope that clears it all up. Never meant any character better than another. Simply that Bruce felt this training prog. might be better. — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

So if you were writing Superman, you'd struggle with the same feelings for Jon? — Ian Cameron, Agent of G.I.R.L. SJW Obviously (@KalelData) August 16, 2016

Yes, and @PeterJTomasi and I have talked about this a lot. He mines those feelings (having a son of similar age). https://t.co/bLCo95RNyS — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

For me to do it, like him, the stories would become heavily about that relationship. And w/Bruce Dam. that was B & R https://t.co/bLCo95RNyS — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

Yeah, I took it to mean he was perfecting his training regiment. Always improving, analyzing, and revising… — 🎃 RDB 🎃 (@RichardDBK) August 16, 2016

That's all I meant. Hope by this point in my tenure it's clear to folks I'd never imply anything otherwise. https://t.co/9xH6wKsZJJ — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

Hypothetically do you think you'd struggle writing traditionally aged Dick as Robin or do you think relationship is different? — Kevin Chiat (@kevinchiat) August 16, 2016

I think Damian older I could write much more easily. Ten is very small. My son still sleeps with stuffed animals. https://t.co/5EpQURqpmB — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

Imagining someone punching him in front of me, shooting at him, hurting his little body, it makes me nauseous https://t.co/5EpQURqpmB — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 16, 2016

Of course, Damian Wayne just jumped from ten to thirteen in DC Universe Rebirth so that he could lead the new Teen Titans. Just.

I confess to having similar problems watching Pixar's Up, regarding child endangerment. Is it a coincidence that Damian Wayne was created by a writer who doesn't have kids? I've certainly been told I've mellowed since I became a father.

Do we all need to go to therapy? Probably.