The fight was not for glory. It was for seconds. Each punch was a prayer. Each block, a plea. Ra’s was faster, older, a blade honed by centuries of philosophy and murder. But Bruce had one advantage Ra’s had forgotten: hope.

And then came the final test.

He met Rachel Dawes again in the stark light of a courtroom hallway. Her eyes were harder, the idealism of the girl now tempered into the righteous fury of an Assistant District Attorney. “Justice is about more than revenge, Bruce,” she said, and the words stung more than Ducard’s training blows. Batman Begins Batman

Gordon turned. “What about the escalation? I’ve seen men like you. They start out fighting criminals. Then they become them.” The fight was not for glory