Batman and Philosophy

A Dark Day for Gotham

BAM! POW!  WHACK!  Who does not love a good superhero?  There is nothing better than the larger than life “good guy” beating up the “bad guys” that causes all the pain and suffering in the city.  Whether it is Superman, Spiderman, the Incredibles, or even Underdog that you love the most, they all have a few things in common.  Almost every superhero story has the same basic story arch.  Somehow the superhero has to acquire and learn how to use their new superhuman abilities.  These new traits usually ostracize them from the rest of world either by the hero’s own choice or because the world no longer understands them.  Then the hero has to find some reason or motivation to use their powers for the betterment of society, to uphold justice, or to save something or someone from utter destruction at the hands of the villain (and there is usually a beautiful, young “damsel in distress” involved at this point).  After almost being defeated or breaking down in some way, the hero ends up saving the girl, city, or maybe even the planet and then makes sure that all is returned to order and the world can go on living as it was before. What happens when the hero is just a normal human being though?  What if they cannot just fly through the air saving people from danger and explosions?  What if they cannot stop or dodge bullets?  What if they cannot lift train locomotives with their bare hands?  What happens when the hero is not superhuman?  That is where Batman makes his appearance.  Bruce Wayne is simply a normal human being just like everyone else in the world (aside from the fact that he is filthy rich).  So what makes Batman a hero?  Having enough money to buy (or make) whatever gadget or gizmo you want sure is helpful for getting things started, but that is not what really transforms Bruce Wayne into the Batman.  As Randall Jensen put it:

Bruce Wayne doesn’t acquire superpowers and then later discover how he ought to use them. No, he first acquires a mission – a vocation or calling, really – and with it, a desperate need or extraordinary abilities. Through his own Herculean efforts (and with the help of the enormous financial empire he has inherited, of course!), he makes himself into Batman so that he can keep the promise he made.

What sets Batman apart from the rest of humanity is his physical training, his ideology, and, most of all, his ironclad will for vengeance and justice. What is it that makes Batman so fascinating?  Why did Christopher Nolen’s Batman Begins and especially The Dark Nightdo so well it the box office?  Is it the disturbingly convincing performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker?  Is it Christian Bale’s deep and gravelly Batman voice?  I believe that what some might call Nolan’s “thinking man’s action movie” style that combines deep philosophical questions with big explosions and special effects while being contained within a captivating storyline is what gives Batman Begins and The Dark Knight their mass appeal.  To better understand what makes these films so widely popular, I will explore different aspects of the two films ranging from the legitimacy of vigilantism to parallels of current events.

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© Ben Haws 2010