Batman (every screen adaptation of the story): “A self-loathing millionaire persecutes mentally ill people”
It’s true, Batman is a cultural institution. Originating in DC comic books 75 years ago, he has battled bad guys in television, film, animation and video games for generations. He is the beloved vigilante – scarred by the brutal murder of his parents, enabled by the vast wealth they left behind, and supported by his faithful butler and battle-weary Police Chief. He is a troubled hero – the Dark Knight – who protects his city and all its citizens. At this point, his sworn enemies are almost as famous as he is. The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, Ra’s Al Ghul, Bane – they have achieved iconic status in their own right, thanks to the many iterations of Batman’s story, across various media.
But, look a bit closer, and we see that the story of Batman has the character spend his time almost exclusively assaulting mentally ill people. Never, on screen, have we seen the Bat battle against someone who is simply a criminal, who just wants to commit crime because they have the urge to operate outside the law. His cinematic foes are all unhinged in spectacular and extreme ways. In fact, The Joker, The Riddler, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Bane and Harley Quinn (who is slated to appear in upcoming DC movies) are all former patients of The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum For The Criminally Insane. Of course, they are dangerous villains, but more often than not, their dastardly plans are designed specifically with Batman in mind.
Does a villain who is designated as ‘criminally insane’ immediately ramp up the drama and tension in terms of their potential clash with a superhero? Of course they do, in narrative terms. But that does not detract from the simple fact that Batman has a particular itch to scratch when it comes to the mentally ill. Why do you think that is? Perhaps he is not so different from them himself and, being famously consumed with self-loathing, battles them in particular, to quieten his own troubled mind.
