Batman is one of the most popular characters in the DC universe. Behind the mask is billionaire industrialist Bruce Wayne, who has made a vow to rid Gotham City of crime and corruption. Batman uses physical strength and a wide array of gadgets to conquer the crime riddled throughout the city.One of the highest-grossing movie franchises of all-time, theBatmancinematic franchise began in 1966 and has cranked out plenty of amazing iterations of the Batman. From the quirky awkward Bruce Wayne as portrayed by Michael Keaton in Tim Burton’sBatmanandBatman Returnsto the smooth, yet gritty iteration of Batman as portrayed by Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight Trilogy. With fresh directors and a fresh cast, the franchise shows no signs of slowing down.
With the new release of Matt Reeves’The Batmanapproaching, it’s only fair that we take a closer look at Batman as a character and what he really stands for. While the masked vigilante is beloved by many in and out of the cinematic universe, it has become less and less clear over the years as to where Batman stands. While Batman has a strict no-kill policy, this doesn’t prevent him from being violent when he needs to. It would seem that between good and evil, Batman appears to be more on the good side with his intentions, but his methods may just have him straddling the line. As such, here’s our answer to the question: is Batman a hero or antihero?
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Batman’s Dark Origins
Batman isa hero in the DC Universecreated by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Making his first appearance in 1939, Batman is the alter-ego of Bruce Wayne, a wealthy playboy, philanthropist and industrialist in Gotham city. Batman’s origins come from his traumatic experience of watching his parents get murdered in front of him when he was just a boy, leaving him an orphan to be cared for by the family butler Alfred Pennyworth. After his parents’ murder, Bruce swore vengeance against all criminals after the death of his parents, and trains himself physically and mentally to carry out this all-encompassing vendetta. While Batman does do good for Gotham City and its citizens, his story is essentially a revenge story. Revenge is something that is most associated with villains like Harvey Dent AKA Two-Face, who is hell-bent on destroying Batman, holding him solely responsible for making him into a villain. Batman’s dark origins paint a different picture of Batman, making him less of a hero and more of a vigilante with his own agenda.
Is Batman Actually a Hero?
Batman is referred to as a vigilante. Vigilantism can be defined as enforcing the law through investigation and/or punishment without legal authority to do so. The public seem to be split down the middle when it comes to vigilantes. Some view them as a necessity to eradicate crime because vigilantes like Batman will do what the police won’t — or, in some cases, can’t — do. These people would most likely consider Batman a hero who seeks to protect Gotham and its people from any threats that may arise. On the other hand, some view Batman as a menace who is getting involved in what he should leave to the professionals. While Batman’s intentions are always good, the way he goes about it is often brought into question. By definition, Batman is not a “hero” as the majority of his actions are done outside the law, but that doesn’t mean that some don’t see him as a hero. After all, a hero is someone that can be looked up to; they don’t have to be the perfect superhero to achieve hero status.
Is Batman Considered an Antihero?
An antihero is a central character who lacks the characteristics of a conventional hero and often has an “unorthodox” method to how they handle crime and evil. A good example ofan antihero in the Marvel Universe is The Punisher, Frank Castle, a former military man who seeks revenge for the death of his wife and children. The Punisher has killed plenty of people, but he makes it a rule to only kill the people that he knows deserves it. The antiheroes fall into the gray area between good and evil. Some would argue that Batman falls into the antihero category based on his dark origin story, which has him swearing revenge against all criminals to his methods of managing the crime throughout Gotham. For example;the interrogation scene inThe Dark Knightbetween the Joker and Batman sees the Joker goading Batman on to make him angry, which he succeeds in doing before Batman begins to beat him to a pulp. One wouldn’t expect this kind of behavior from a hero, but rather from a vigilante and an antihero.
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Different Versions of Batman
Another aspect to take into consideration is the different portrayals of Batman over the years. From Adam West’s original cartoony comic book portrayal to the dark iteration fromChristopher Nolan in hisDark Knighttrilogy of films, there have been a variety of interpretations of Batman. While Adam West’s Batman is more heroic, focusing more on solving crimes, the more modern versions, from Tim Burton’sBatmantoThe Dark Knight, have a darker focus, portraying Gotham as not only a crime-ridden city, but as a horrifying place where survival is dependent on you fighting back. While each version of Batman displays his cooperation with Gotham police and how they use him to help rid the city of crime, the general dislike of Batman’s antics is also displayed, particularly inThe Dark Knight. In Nolan’s films, the citizens of Gotham eventually view Batman as a menace whose involvement only makes everything worse, leading to commissioner Gordon saying “he’s not the hero Gotham wants, but the hero Gotham deserves”.
