I agree with your detail However, I totally rolled my eyes at Alfred yet again working in a speech about Damian as if Damian is his OC instead of a kid. Damian works for me as a kid with certain specialized skills who's socially repulsive, therefore has no friends and clings to a fantasy that the man he's heard is his father will recognize him as his natural heir and validate him. (How upsetting when the guy's got sons already.)
Heh.
It's only GM who makes Alfred tell this story. That's the way I feel too. And it really, really hurts my story enjoyment.
This for me tends to call attention to the central belief suspension question for me. I get how Damian is good for bringing out Dick's problems being Batman. I enjoyed the scenes showing that. But I have a bit more trouble buying why Dick has chosen to do that to himself. It's not that I couldn't buy Dick doing something like this, but I don't feel it with Damian. I've always felt like I understood Bruce's Robin decisions. I get the story logic behind Dick's decision, but it doesn't have the emotional logic I got from the others.
Well put.
Also? I LOVE the creepy Alfred story angle. Now that WOULD be interesting.
I could be completely wrong, and I hope I am, but Damian's character arc seems already telegraphed. And any day now, I'd love for GM's Alfred to stop telling me what I should think.