There are so many fictional characters that fans love to study, dissect, and discuss. Comic book characters are particularly susceptible to this due to their longevity and the fandom that has followed them throughout their history.
My favorite character to discuss is Batman. His story arc goes way beyond the fun detective stories of his origin and have bled into modern-day philosophies about our society, our psyche, and our morality. Below are 10 of my favorite elements of the character and what makes his story so complex and thought-provoking.
His traumatic origin story
Vicki Vale says it best in the 1989 Batman film, “You’re not exactly normal, are you?” Even the casual fan knows that Bruce Wayne became Batman when his parents were murdered in a back alley. This defining moment of his childhood is one which is ingrained in pop culture history.
But it’s not so much what happened that night as what happened next. Young Bruce vows to devote his life to making sure that no one else dies as the result of a random act of violence under his watch. It’s a weighty goal to say the least and a near impossible one given the reputation of his hometown.
What steers Bruce down the path to becoming Batman rather than another villain, even a villain who takes down other villains? Why doesn’t he use his wealth to create programs to end gun violence or run for office to enact policies to make the streets safer?
There’s something more to Bruce Wayne than traumatized child. He turns down a strange and twisted path that makes you question his sanity and his motivations.
The first few issues of Detective Comics featuring the Batman character do not mention his origin story. So, the crime alley moment seems to have come as a way of explaining the costume and the motivations of the character, meaning that the origin had to shape itself around the character, not the other way around. The fun of this is that now comic book writers, filmmakers, and TV producers get to fill in the blanks with their own explanations of Batman’s psyche.
How sane is Bruce Wayne? Why does he do what he does? What would it take for him to stop?
Billionaire hero
Bruce Wayne’s number one defining feature is that he’s rich. This gives him nearly unlimited resources in order to have the time, capability, and funds to carry out his mission as Batman. And this explains all of the gadgets and vehicles and the idea that he doesn’t have to try to juggle his crime fighting around a 9 to 5 job like a Clark Kent or Peter Parker.
There’s something freeing about that. He can hide behind the persona that he’s a spoiled rich kid who can’t be bothered to show up to the charity event or disappears in the middle of a party that his socialite friends throw for him.
The rich are not usually so well-revered, especially these days. They’re an easy target to pick on because there are so many pegs to knock down before they get to the average person’s level that we continue to swing away at them in order to satisfy our own frustrations about our work and lifestyle and the struggle to survive.
Bruce’s billionaire persona is an act that he puts on to throw people off to who he truly is. He’s often called out for that. And even those who know him best tend to knock him down for having been born with a silver spoon. Sure, he lost his parents, but he wasn’t thrown into foster care or had to grow up on the streets. He sought out the streets but can return to his cozy mansion whenever he pleases.
But he also chooses to spend his nights protecting the innocent, risking his life for a just cause, and using his money to make the world a better place, both publicly and privately. And while the rest of the city doesn’t realize this, we as readers and viewers do. And we love to root for an underappreciated and modest hero, rich or not.
The Dark Knight or The Bright Knight?
The various iterations of the character over the years in several mediums prove that there’s no wrong way to do Batman. The comics alone have gone through several variations on Batman from a gothic detective to a science fiction adventurer.
Adam West used to refer to his version of Batman as The Bright Knight. And for some fans, his is the definitive version of the character. Others want their Batman to be as dark and brooding as possible, one who lives up to the nickname of The Dark Knight.
Fans will argue about the best movie Batman until they’re blue in the face, as if there’s a right answer to give. The only right answer is the answer that is right for you as a fan. But it’s still fun to discuss and figure out what makes each iteration work and within what situations and context.
No guns. No killing.
Most versions of Batman are anti-gun. This is in direct contrast to his early days when Batman had to qualms about packing heat and opening fire on any thug who stood in his way.
Even those stories where Batman doesn’t use a gun still allows guns on his vehicles, often to blow holes in objects that he wants to drive through. But who’s to say that there aren’t people standing in the direct path of those bullets?
Batman also seems to know how to use a gun. Christian Bale’s Batman disarms a rifle in The Dark Knight without batting an eye. And an episode of Batman: The Animated Series depicts an episode where a young orphan finds a gun in Wayne Manor and gets berated by Bruce for playing with it. But why was it in the house in the first place? Maybe he just wants to know his enemy.
Batman also tends not to use lethal force. This too is not always the case. A scene in Batman Returns where Batman straps a bomb to an opponent and blows him up is still highly criticized in the Batman mythos.
A lot of Batman’s problems could be solved by killing his arch enemies, most notably The Joker who, throughout his history, has killed more of Batman’s closest allies than anyone. But Batman also tries to be a symbol for others to do the right thing. The question is, is the importance of making that point worth the expense of countless innocent lives?
You can go back and forth on Batman’s rules forever. Either way, he’s a walking contradiction whose effectiveness will always be questioned. But again, he gets a pass for trying and for setting an example for others.
Did he create his rogues’ gallery, or did they create him?
Batman villains are among the most colorful, interesting, and complex characters in comic book history. They play with Batman’s outsider trope and show you the opposite end of the spectrum, those who experienced some horrible event and came out psychotic, deformed, and, in most cases, homicidal.
Batman regularly battles normal villains such as the mob, street thugs, and corrupt citizens in power. But his battles with his classic rogues’ gallery are by far the most interesting. However, in seeing how extreme these villains are, it has created the question as to whether they were inspired by Batman’s theatrics to become more theatrical themselves, or is Batman trying to match their level of theatricality in order to make each other worthy opponents?
Some believe that if Batman were to disappear that the criminals of Gotham would tone it down. But Gotham isn’t the average city, and maybe without Batman, the villains would burn it to the ground.
The world’s greatest detective
True crime has always been a popular topic. People love to hear about terrible situations and how to avoid, survive, and solve them.
Batman is first and foremost a detective. A detective who can also beat you to a pulp with his bare hands. But he uses his brains to follow vital clues, escape from death traps, and save the day. Certain villains are obsessed with trying to best Batman’s detective skills, and they constantly challenge his intelligence in order to see if they are smarter than he is.
The detective element adds a sophistication to these stories that appeal to older readers and viewers. But they can also be simplified for a younger audience. Batman only has to be as smart as his subject matter. But in any case, he’s always impressive.
Is he super?
Ben Affleck’s Batman in 2017’s Justice League movie describes his superpowers as, “I’m rich.” It’s a simple answer to a very complex question for this character.
Batman is the non-superpowered member of the JLA. So, what makes him worthy of a spot on the team? Some argue that his discipline alone is a superpower. Others say it’s his detective skills. Others may argue that having the technology to keep up with the superpowered teammates puts him on their level.
Batman may not have any standard powers, but he’s certainly not ordinary. It takes a mixture of discipline, stamina, willpower, and intelligence to learn dozens of different martial arts skills, achieve and maintain his physique, and study enough to learn a little about everything and know how to find the answers to what he doesn’t know.
It’s interesting to speculate how much Bruce would have tapped into his full potential had he not been motivated by grief and vengeance. But as Batman, he definitely uses every ounce of potential he has.
The vigilante in a corrupt justice system
A more timely element to the Batman storyline is the idea of living in a corrupt city with elected officials and protectors you can’t trust. These ideas are nothing new, but in an age where you can’t hide your dirt, more corruption and injustice is being brought to the surface of our society from all angles, and it’s interesting to see that reflected in these fictional stories.
Batman’s only real ally outside of Wayne Manor is Jim Gordon. They trust each other in ways that they can’t trust anyone else when it comes to their work. They’re on the same page and working towards the same goal. Gordon is invaluable in his inside knowledge of the system and his ability maneuver throughout it while Batman and wiggle over, under, and around it when needed in order to beat the system when it fails its citizens.
Rules are meant to be broken, and when the right people are breaking them, that’s when we see results. Gordon is intent on trying to make the rules work in his favor. Batman is able to bend the rules without going too far, and he always has Gordon to reel him in and to give him the pat on the back that he doesn’t get elsewhere, not for his own satisfaction but as a way to measure what he’s doing right.
His death wish
Batman is a sympathetic character in that life is essentially a burden for him. Being Batman is his true identity, and it gives him purpose. But he’d gladly sacrifice himself for that purpose.
Batman is a tortured soul. You can hear it in his internal monologue in the comics, in his portrayal in many of the movies, and even in the theme songs that are created for him.
We all want to be able to swing on grappling hooks, drive the Batmobile, and punch criminals in the face without breaking our hands. But to live in Batman’s skin for even a day would be unbearable.
It’s no secret that Batman would gladly die for this cause. This idea leads to a huge moment in The Dark Knight Rises when Bruce must put away his death wish and leap towards the will to live in order to get himself out of Bane’s pit.
In The Dark Knight Returns, often he ponders whether the danger he’s in would lead to a good death. Part of this is concern for his legacy. The other is searching for an out. It’s an unhealthy and tragic way to go through life, but it’s also inspiring to see how often he fights against these suicidal tendencies to keep going and live to fight another day.
His bat family
Despite often being the loaner of a group who hides in the shadows, Batman sure has collected his share of sidekicks and allies over the years. It all started with Alfred, his surrogate parent who not only looks after Bruce Wayne but also Batman. He’s always involved with Batman’s latest case and aids in some way, even if it’s just to sew him up after the end of a bloody battle.
Then there are his collection of children, fellow orphans, rich kids looking to make something of themselves, or nosy do-gooders who weasel their way into the bat cave and end up with a costume, a vehicle, and their own arsenal of gadgets. Batman can’t seem to say no to recruiting a new teammate, no matter how hard he initially resists.
But from his first ward, Dick Grayson, to his own son, Damien Wayne, these kids have given Batman a new sense of purpose, a way to build relationships with others, and a helpful ally when needed. He often keeps them at arm’s length and can often cause them to distance themselves from him in return, but they also help him to carry on his legacy from his time as The Dark Knight to Batman Beyond.
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