Batman has been with us for over 75 years now. There are almost eight decades worth of comic book stories about this one man. He is among a select few comic book characters to have been so embraced and adored by readers and audiences that he has long since transcended his original medium and has become firmly entrenched in film, television, animation and video games – in addition to his ongoing, vast, comic book presence. This leads to two very important facts.
Firstly, with such a long history of comic book stories, he has been reinvented, rebooted and ‘retconned’ countless times, leading to many subtle alterations and evolutions of his character. Secondly, with so many versions in other media added into the already varied mix, he has actually been portrayed in popular culture in a wider range of ways than many figures from classic literature.
This all adds to the reason why we love him. Batman is one of the most relatable of all comic book characters. He is, literally, just a man. He’s not an alien, or a mutant, or an intergalactic policeman. He’s not an ancient being related to Greek Gods, nor is he part-robot. He’s just the world’s greatest detective, who happens to be rich enough to have some cool gadgets. We can relate to his grief, we can relate to his anger and we can relate to his desire to protect what he loves. Batman is us, and we all have a Batman of our own, tucked away in the dark recesses of our minds.
So, when Batman says that he doesn’t kill, and that this is central to his ethos, we want it to be true. We are rooting for him to succeed. We reflect on the balance between the dual identities of Bruce Wayne and the costumed vigilante, and the meaning these both hold for him.
We demand that storytellers adhere to his ‘no kill’ rule, and any time they don’t, we declare it to be wrong, or an aberration, or “non-canonical.” Here’s the thing though – Batman is us, and we are Batman. When he says that he doesn’t kill, this is the goal to which he aspires. But, being us – being human – he is imperfect, and though he strives to do the right thing, sometimes events conspire against him.
This is the heart of our relationship with the Dark Knight. As a character, he aspires to be better than the criminals around him – better than those that killed his parents – while protecting his city. As fans, we aspire to the heroic aspects of his character (and to the cool gadgets and car) and we’re haunted by his darkness, just as we are haunted by our own. Many argue that it is his ‘no kill’ rule that sets him apart from the criminals he pursues because, without it, he would be just another killer. But it is, in fact, his conscience that sets him apart, and to which we also relate and aspire. His conscience is the thing that both keeps him from killing most of the time – and it is the thing that leaves him crushed and devastated when he fails to reach that goal.
When he does kill, it is often indirectly – either through purposeful inaction, or by coincidentally manipulating circumstance to result in death – because if a villain meets their end while engaging in criminal activity, that’s their own fault, right? But, he also kills purposefully on occasion, and for us to cling to ‘purposeful inaction’ as evidence of the innate goodness of the character is to do Batman a great disservice. We must also accept those occasions when he takes the decisive step to kill – because the Caped Crusader has always existed entirely on that line between right and wrong. It is the nature of his inner struggle.
This is, perhaps, why many were so troubled by Batman’s actions in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice – because he kills people and consciously decides to kill Superman. The point is this, though – Ben Affleck’s Batman is a version of the character that has been pushed over that line on which he usually exists and is struggling to find his way back. He is a man in deep crisis. This is why a final, piercing echo of his childhood trauma is essentially a light in the darkness, leading him back to where he should be.
Throughout the movie (outside of dream sequences), he kills villains – including using firearms mounted on his Batmobile (which are also a constant for the character across different versions) – and it is an indication of his downward spiral. He meets each act of aggression with an equal act. Somebody shoots at him – he grabs their gun and fires. Somebody stabs him in the shoulder – he pins them down and stabs them back, in exactly the same spot. This is Batman distributing true vigilante justice – taking an eye for an eye, until he is saved from himself, and the final scenes find him gearing up to charge onward once more.
This is what makes the character of Batman a hero – in every version. He continues to strive, despite his occasional failure. He has spent three quarters of a century facing down foe and predator, the like of which would cause many to turn tail, or turn rotten – but still he reaches for that goal, because it is the right thing to do. He tells himself, and others, that he doesn’t kill – so how dire must the circumstances be for him to break that rule? How far must he have been pushed for him to consider using the weapon that killed his parents?
These aspects of his character constantly create unparalleled, high level drama. Of course, it is well within his capabilities to kill each and every one of his nemeses – but he is striving to be better than that. Batman is us, and we are Batman – and this is why we love him. The only difference is that, for Batman, the stakes a little higher. When Batman fails to reach his goal, it’s a little more serious than letting a gym membership lapse, or not managing to learn a new language. When Batman fails to reach his goal, people tend to die – a lot – in every medium he currently occupies.
Still unconvinced? Let’s take a look.
