Why Batman?
By Patrick Hodges
It’s a question I’ve been asked numerous times. “Why do you
like Batman so much?” “What’s the big deal about Batman?” “Of all the fictional
heroes and action icons out there, why are you such a big Batman fan?” I have
found these to be difficult questions to answer without completely spiraling
downward into utter geek-dom. It’s not so much that I mind sounding geeky, but
as soon as I let slip hyperbolic words like “cool”, “awesome”, or “amazing”, I
have noticed that anyone other than a fellow Batman nut starts to glaze over
with disinterest. When someone asks me why I like Batman, they are obviously looking
for something a little deeper.
I like this question because it gets me thinking about exactly
why I love the character. The Batman has such a rich, diverse history that
people are free to take the character many different ways. Batman is one thing
to one person and he is something completely different to another. This is one
of the major strengths of the character. However, here I will focus on exactly
what the character is to me.
First off, the love he has for the people of Gotham is simply
stunning. Before any of you self-proclaimed “manly” men check out on me, we’re obviously
not talking about the cutesy, lovey-dovey, February 14th “eros” love here.
We’re talking about what it means to be a man and to sacrificially love others.
The great Christian philosopher C.S. Lewis defines this type of love as “not
affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as
far as it can be obtained.” Bruce makes himself look like a vain, snobbish,
womanizing drunkard to protect his identity as the Batman. Can you imagine
willingly projecting this sort of identity for yourself to people you care
about? He cares so much more about the people of Gotham
than he cares for himself that he willingly makes himself look like a fool so
that he can protect them as the Batman. He daily lays down his life for his
people.
One utterly breathtaking scene in Christopher Nolan’s 2005 film
Batman Begins portrays this
magnificently. Bruce descends into a well outside Wayne Manor to both explore
the cave beneath his house and overcome a fear of bats he gained by falling
into the same well once as a child. He enters the cave, switches on a
flashlight, and bats immediately swarm from all around the monstrous cave,
washing over him. He is baptized and reborn another man. Bruce’s fears, dreams,
and selfish desires die; the mission to save the people of Gotham
is all that remains.
Also, he uses his gift of extreme wealth in a completely
selfless fashion. Many people—if not most—would use such great riches to obtain
the most extravagant life money can buy. So how does Bruce choose to use his
wealth? He pours all of his financial resources into developing equipment to
stop people from hurting others. He could blow it on frivolous diversions in an
attempt to medicate his pain at the loss of his parents, but he chooses instead
to invest the gift his parents left him in the lives of others.
Another major aspect of Batman’s character I am drawn toward
is his deep sense of honor. Of all the alternate names the character has gained
over the years, my absolute favorite is “The Dark Knight”. This title perfectly
captures both his shadowy, fearsome nature and chivalry that is deeply-rooted in
his character. Batman is old-fashioned in the very best of ways: he has a bravery
and strong moral code that harkens back to that of the medieval knight.
Batman’s chivalrous code is strong and rather complex. One
of my personal favorite aspects of this is his respect for women. He never
marries Vicki Vale, Silver St. Cloud, Rachel Dawes, or Selina Kyle out of
respect for them and their safety. He has pledged his life to his mission and
knows that he could not give any of them the amount of himself they would deserve.
Also, “my” version of Batman is abstinent. He pretends to be a womanizer as
Bruce Wayne, but he never actually sleeps with the women with whom he publicly
parades around to tarnish his carefully-constructed faux reputation. He knows
getting involved with women sexually would only hurt them, him, and hinder his
mission. Similarly, Bruce makes the commitment to abstain from drinking alcohol
but pretends to drink—a lot—as another piece of his public façade. He has the
complete self-discipline to keep himself sharp mentally for his work as the
Batman. One of the many reasons I have really appreciated Nolan’s Batman films is
that they have completely embraced these aspects of the chivalrous nature of
the character.
The Batman will do whatever is needed for the good of his
city, but he does have one line that he will not cross, one hard and fast rule
he will not break. He does not kill. He understands the preciousness of life.
He’s witnessed it being stolen away and knows firsthand what it means to have those
closest to you ripped away by the cold judgment of a gun barrel. Most
importantly, he knows that he has no right to snuff out the candle of a human
life, even in the name of justice. Also, he believes people can change. In many
stories he repeatedly tries to help Harvey Dent recover from his fallen
state—be it pure choice or mental illness—as Two-Face. In Christopher Nolan’s
2008 film The Dark Knight, the Joker
cynically labels Batman’s value of life as a “misguided sense of self-righteousness.”
However, there is certainly no self-righteousness to be found in deeply valuing
the lives of others. If the Batman were saving others to seek personal glory,
it would be so. However, as we have already discussed above, Bruce has no
concern for his own image or that of the Batman’s.
As a consequence of this, Bruce obviously detests guns and
does not carry one as part of Batman’s equipment. He uses only his intellect,
an ever-evolving array of non-lethal weaponry and technology, and his “hammers
of justice” (as his fists are often referenced in gloriously over-the-top
fashion in Batman: The Brave and the Bold)
to incapacitate criminals. I cannot imagine what sort of strength and moral
commitment it would take to fight criminals armed with machine guns (or worse) with
only martial arts, smoke bombs, boomerang-like throwing stars, a grappling
hook, and other strategic gadgets.
He often, if we’re being honest, quite understandably wants
to kill criminals for the unspeakable acts they commit, but he never crosses
the line. The prime example of this is scattered throughout Batman’s history
with his most terrible nemesis, the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime shot
Barbara Gordon—James Gordon’s daughter and the first Batgirl—in cold blood,
leaving her paralyzed from the waist down, and even went as far as to beat
Jason Todd to death with a crowbar—the second bearer of the “Robin” moniker.
What would most of us do under these circumstances? I cannot even imagine. In Romans
12:19 (ESV) in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, the Apostle Paul tells
us to “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of
God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” Bruce
holds this conviction. He values life so dearly that he knows even the life of
the Joker is precious enough that he has no right to take it.
He prepares extensively for his mission. He devotes himself
to strength and endurance training, martial arts and to studying the art of
detective work, forensics, stealth, chemistry, and technology. This is often
taken to the point of fantasy or impossibility in the comics, but the character
is constantly sharpening his physical and mental condition to make himself a
more useful tool for the mission.
He also seeks to understand what motivates criminals. In Batman Begins, mob boss Carmine Falcone
challenges him with the statement “You always fear what you can’t understand.”
Humbly accepting wisdom from the most unlikely of sources, he responds by
casting aside his life of luxury for several years to live in hunger and anonymity
among the world’s have-nots. Not only is this crucial in helping him to
efficiently combat criminality, but it also allows him to properly see
criminals as human beings whose lives are too valuable to discard.
As he studies criminality, he comes to understand a very
important truth. “Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot,” Bruce remarks
in one of the earliest Batman stories published in Detective Comics #33
(November 1939). With that knowledge, he dons the dark visage of his childhood
fear to strike terror into the hearts of those who would hurt others. He is the
visual representation of the wages of sin: pain, suffering, and ultimately
death. Criminals have chosen to ignore the negative consequences of their
actions, so he gives them one they simply cannot ignore.
While the Batman is the embodiment of wrath and justice for
those who would feed off of the pain of others, he shines as a beacon of hope for
the downtrodden and hopeless. “People need dramatic examples to shake them out
of apathy,” Bruce concludes in Batman
Begins. Before Bruce donned the cape and cowl, Gotham
was run by gangsters, aided by a corrupt, paid-off police force and judicial
system. The citizens had wearily accepted these sad truths with cynicism,
apathy, and despair. They needed someone to rescue them from themselves,
someone to wake them up and give them hope. He stands forever as their
protector and an inspirational figure of someone who cares more for them than he
cares for himself.
Resolute, he dons the cape and cowl and pushes onward. He
sees the needs his government is not meeting, the injustices it is causing, and
chooses to do something about it. I love the moral question his actions raise:
if your government is wronging its people and you try to use political avenues
to correct the issues without success, is it then appropriate to take matters
into your own hands and become an outlaw?
These are simply a few of the reasons why I greatly
appreciate the character. He has existed in many different incarnations. He has
inspired audiences of little kids, teens, young adults, and mature adults. The
tone of the character has varied wildly from the serious, gritty, urban crime
fighter; to the goofy, lighthearted self-parody of the 60s TV show; to weird,
gothic historical fiction. He even fits in well with exotic, super-powered
heroes because of his skills, intellect, and unrelenting spirit. He hearkens to
absolute, eternal truths relevant to all ages and incapable of going out of
style. For these reasons and many more he continues to be effective and
relevant over 70 years after his creation and will more than likely continue to
inspire people of all ages for a great many years to come.
