S4E82 - Issue 82 - Azrael

It's time for another Bat-family episode, this week it's Azrael! We break down the Az-Bat and discuss how religion impacts his outlook on life! Plus we get real about current events - you won't wanna miss it! SHOW NOTES: IntroTalk about last week's call to actionBackground (10:35) Jean-Paul Valley created by Denny O'Neill, Joe Quesada, Grant Morrison, and an uncredited Peter Milligan in Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 (Oct.1992)Jean-Paul Valley is a computer science student in Gotham City, who discovers his father was an assassin for a secret religious society called The Order of Saint Dumas, and that he is next in lineHe was sent to kill Carlton LeHah, who had murdered his father, and in so doing crossed paths with Batman - ends up saving Bruce and overriding his conditioning, becoming his own manJoins WayneTech, and after Bruce is paralyzed by Bane, takes over as BatmanOperates much more ruthlessly, as a combination of his conditioning and his belief that Bruce is too lenient on criminals - after killing one villain, Bruce realizes Jean-Paul is going too far, rehabilitates himself, and battles Jean-Paul, finally winning after snapping Jean-Paul out of his deluded stateBruce takes pity on him, and gives him money, encouraging him to find out where he came from - discovers he was a test tube baby whose DNA was spliced with animalsWorks to regain Bruce's trust, which he does after saving several SenatorsLater killed while battling his father's murderer - later revived as part of Black Lantern CorpsNew 52 - Jean-Paul Valley was cloned by his father as the newest member of the Order of Saint DumasSent to battle Bane on Santa Prisca, where he encountered Red Robin (Tim Drake) & Red Hood (Jason Todd) - began to question the Order, and joined the Bat-FamilyHis conditioning returned, and Bruce & the family were forced to battle him - Bruce then created a suit that would allow Jean-Paul to stay in controlBecame a member of Justice League OdysseyIssues (15:38)Struggles with conditioning - ultimate nature vs nurture argumentExtremism as a result of the Order - belief that mercy is weakness (24:35)Break (34:24)Plugs for Parent Quest & Popcorn Psychology, plus Gail SimoneTreatment (35:47)In-universe - Create structure within the Bat-family for "controlled complexity"Out of universe - (42:00)Skit (47:49)Ending (53:33)Recommended reading: Batman: KnightfallNext episodes: Northstar, Erica Schultz interview, RaphaelAnthony's appearance on P3Plugs for social References: Bane episode - Anthony (12:22)Laura Kinney episode - Anthony (16:03)Jason Todd episode - Anthony (39:48)Dick Grayson episode - Anthony (39:50)Forrest Gump - "Life is like a box of chocolates..." - Anthony (59:05) Apple Podcasts: here Google Play: here Stitcher: here TuneIn: here iHeartRadio: here Spotify: here Twitter Facebook Patreon TeePublic Discord