Batman: A More Familiar Superhero

Batman was first published in May 1930 by American writer Bob Kane. He breathed life into the two characters, ‘Bruce Wayne’, the billionaire and ‘Batman’ his alter ego. In many ways both the characters (Bruce Wayne and Batman) seems to us more familiar than other superheroes like The Spiderman or The Superman. That is because in Batman we see the evolution of a human being into a superhero. Unlike Superman, Batman is never born a superhero. Unlike Spiderman he doesn’t have any superpowers that come to him naturally. The powers that he possess are all manufactured ones. Hence Batman seems to us a more possible or a more achievable superhero.

Batman is the vigilante of Gotham city, an imaginary place created by Bob Kane. Saving Gotham from evil powers is not thrust upon Batman. Young Bruce Wayne becomes a superhero by his own choice. His decision to save the city from its villains is the result of witnessing the murder of his parents by a thug. His loneliness results in fear. Later Bruce overcomes this fear and decides to take revenge on his parent’s murderer, but abandons that act. That actually is the moment where Bruce Wayne becomes a superhero. “That is the moment of maturation of the character”. Consequently Bruce decides to fight against all that is evil in Gotham.

For us, both Bruce Wayne and Batman creates a sense of pleasure inside us. In Batman what attracts us is the superpowers that he possess. In the case of Bruce it is money and luxurious life of a billionaire that attracts us. Another thing that makes Batman more similar to human beings is his nature. Batman is not entirely good, but also not entirely bad. He is both good and evil. He looks like a devil, but his intensions are good. Human beings are also like that. We all have good qualities and bad qualities. Often we find it difficult to control our mind and stop doing bad actions. This is where Batman differs from us. He has developed the ability to control his mind which makes him a superhero. Inside us lies a hidden temptation to break laws and live life the way we want it. But often we are submissive. Batman works outside the law because he finds “the system to be corrupt”. He is a wanted person in Gotham because he breaks laws, but what makes him lovable to us and to the cops is that even though a lawbreaker, Batman “still works inside a moral code of conduct”.

It is not just Batman that we identify with, but even the villains in Batman comics are a true representation of modern day society. Villains like The Joker, The Ridler, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Penguin and Catwoman evolved as a result of industrialization and scientific inventions gone wrong. ‘The Ridler’ is a villain who loves killing people to gain attention. He leaves behind trails which are his ways to get noticed. ‘Scarecrow’ is a doctor who uses chemicals and science for all the wrong reasons. ‘The Joker’ is another interesting villain who kills people for fun. His attack on Batman is psychological. According to him existence is a joke. ‘Two-Face’ is a villain who lost half of his original face in a blast. The incident makes him physically as well as mentally unstable. He has to toss a coin in order to make a decision.
Like Batman the villains too have faced personal tragedy. But the villains never came out of their tragedy. They feel that life has not been fare to them. Hence they feel that they must inflict pain on others too. Batman on the other hand overcomes his personal loss. He not only comes out of it strongly, but also feels that nothing like that should happen to others. And he makes sure of this by becoming the silent guardian of Gotham.

References: 1.Psychology of The Dark Knight (documentary)
2. Batman movies