Originally published September 18, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
Anghus Houvouras on The Dark Knight…
Yesterday was Batman Day, an annual celebration of the Caped Crusader allowing the world to pay homage to the world’s most popular superhero. How did that happen? It seems like such a strange question to ask as we celebrate three-quarters of a century of the character who would come to define the medium of the comic book. A creation of Bob Kane and Bill Finger that elevated the idea of a pulp crimefighter obsessed with punishing criminals to epic new heights. The idea of Batman was nothing new. There had been shadowy crime fighters lurking in the darkness and heroes that adorned costumes to fight the evil scum that plague the good people of the world. But Batman was the perfection of those two elements: the character that took all the elements of the genre and gave it the perfect form.
Batman is a character that has endured for decades, adapting to different times and social scenarios. He went from the hard noir of the 1940’s through the groovy camp of the 1960’s. In the 1980’s when comic books took a hard turn into grittier territory, it was Batman that was used to make the transition. At the same time when studios were looking to adapt comic books into legitimate Hollywood blockbusters, it was Batman that showed the box office potential and helped lay the foundation for the comic book centered media landscape we’re currently living in.
It’s Batman’s world and we’re all just living in it. Instead of just running through the motions of why Batman is the most popular superhero in the world, I wanted to dive deeper into some of the philosophical depths of why Batman is so adorned at a molecular level.
So the question I ask today is, ‘Why Batman’?
Because we all want to be him
Batman is the hero that we mortal men can identify with. He is humanity in its most perfect form. An unrivaled physical specimen who can fell any foe and a sharpened intellect that can solve any riddle. He’s the most effective weapon on the planet in both body and mind. Everyone wants to be Batman because everyone believes they can be Batman. Each of us is capable of being Batman because he started with nothing more than a mind and body.
Because he allows we meager men to walk among the Gods
The Justice League is an assembly of Gods who walk among us. Men who can fly among the stars and command the seas. Immortal women with ancient wisdom and weapons. Time bending speedsters and intergalactic policemen. Batman is just a man. The best of us who holds equal footing with these being of extraordinary abilities. He shows us that the Gods are not unreachable entities that are superior to us, but equals who right wrongs in tandem. Batman makes our relationship with the Gods feel tangible and real showing we have no reason to fear them. He is our tether to a larger world that feels much smaller because of his presence.
Because he doesn’t let an unspeakable tragedy end his life
The murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne irrevocably changed young Bruce. This tragedy would shape his entire life. Bruce Wayne found a way to channel his rage into a lifelong crusade. Though he would never get over the loss of his parents, he turned his nightmares into fuel and he discovered a way to turn his pain into fuel. Batman makes the concept of tragedy and suffering very real. He carries his pain with him every day and works towards using it in a positive way. I’m guessing most therapists wouldn’t call it the healthiest expression of grief, however at least he’s found a mechanism for his madness. Batman is a prime example of the strength we are capable of even when dealt the worst of hands.
Because he’s a pimp
How many super heroes do you know that can stand up to Old Gods and New? That can beat down Superman so bad that he cries for his mommy? That can jump into a room full on angry ninjas and be the last man standing? Batman can make criminals piss themselves and any leafy or leather clad villainess wet. The guy gets the same amount of women whether he’s wearing a tuxedo or a suit with rubber nipples. He carries shark repellent in his utility belt. He drives a car so bad it made Shaft, Vin Diesel, James Bond, and Jeremy Clarkson shout ‘God Damn’.
Batman is the epitome of cool. A man among Gods. Stronger than the tragedies that created him. And a bad, bad man.
That’s why we love Batman.
Anghus Houvouras
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