I mentioned a few posts ago that I'd be starting to scale back my blog postings after Valentine's Day to devote more time to The Carousel. I haven't quite figured out what that will mean, either blog posts with shorter word counts (not necessarily a bad thing) or fewer postings overall. I'm making this up as I go.
But let's talk Batman, because that never gets old. In terms of the superhero genre there's a noticeable hierarchy, kind of like athletes. There's the ones that you recognize as superheroes even if you can't name them (Empowered, love ya girl!). Then there's the ones you may have heard of like Savage Dragon, Hellboy, and Witchblade that the passing consumer knows the basic premise of even if they can't name a non-title character. Moving into the upper tier are your endless X-Men and Women, and Martian Manhunters, and dude they should totally make a Vampirella movie except they did and clearly didn't care about it man that sucked. And then there's the one percent of Thor and Supes and Spidey and Wolfie.
And finally there's Batman.
If you were to ask me who my favorite superhero is Batman wouldn't be my first choice. In fact, if I went down the list Batman would probably make an appearance in the thirties somewhere. So he's not a personal favorite, and I don't think he's the best or the most interesting, but I have to admit he's the most iconic of all superheroes. Somehow this admittedly silly concept of a self-proclaimed detective billionaire who dresses in rodent guise and beats up the poor and desperate has transcended into archetype. Papers are being written in schools about Batman based on thought exercises like "Is Batman good for Gotham" and "Should Batman kill the Joker" (where the hell were these classes when I was pulling my hair out over Tess of the d'Urbervilles?).
Batman is the escapist version of Bruce Lee, answering the question of what the human body will become if it's pushed to its boundaries. Then you have an artistic level of crime waves that require one to push even further and add in infinite resources and a bit of Batman-will-never-lose bullshit from the comic book establishment and you have a guy with all the strengths of a metahuman and none of the weaknesses. And any one of us could be Batman if we were just born into the right tragic family.
So unlike Ironman who is very clearly defined and will likely always be thought of as Robert Downey Jr., Batman is a fluid character. I've long held the idea that with the right costume, lighting, and camera angles even Gilbert Gottfried could effectively portray the Dark Knight. Which begs the question, when is Batman not Batman? Is Adam West's version too far removed from the source to really be Batman anymore? Does Zack Snyder's violation of Batman's no-kill rule effectively disqualify his movie from legitimacy? If so, why didn't Tim Burton receive this kind of criticism?
I don't think there are definitive answers because there's no definitive Batman. He's whatever the plot needs him to be. I could be wrong, so let me test the theory on a couple of alternative takes on the Caped Crusader.
Lego Batman (The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie)
I could drone on about why I love The Lego Movie and what it did correctly with the story telling. First it created a world that looked visually amazing. Then it gave you a POV character that you liked. Then they gave him very real emotions (and that was the key) which made you care about him. And then they put him in over his head. And from there it was a gradual peeling back of the layers to a mood whiplash reveal of what this movie was about.
But this blog is about Batman, and Batman (voiced by Will Forte) believes everything is about Batman including The Lego Movie. To be fair, the moment Batman arrives on the scene you can feel the advantage shift in favor of the heroes. So it makes sense that Batman would think of himself as the hero of the story. But The Lego Movie is about teamwork, and Batman is not a natural team player. As such, he becomes dangerously close to burdensome as the story progresses.
This film takes a familiar strength of the Dark Knight and exposes it as a potential weakness. The it's-all-about-me mentality makes for a real obstacle when it needs to be about something more. It's refreshing to see Batman get lovingly criticized, and the plot NOT confirm Brucey to have been right all along.
The Lego Batman Movie I have to say was a bit of a letdown for me, despite its 91% approval rating on rottentomatoes.com. The heart of the first film is omitted and the emotions are only plot devices (read: fake). It's up to the humor to really carry the proceedings, and that falls flat way more than it doesn't by resorting to mere reference humor. Yeah I saw Suicide Squad. I see the filmmakers saw it too. Killer Croc's one line acknowledges that we both saw the movie but there's not any zing on the punch line. Jokes like that are there in quantity but they lack the crucial tension/release timing and subtext that comedy requires. The character still feels like Batman, but the one takeaway is just how dependent Batsy is on his challenges and obstacles to make him more than a mere logo.
Superhero Café (How it Should Have Ended)
What started as a throwaway gag in the flash animation video "How Superman (1978) Should Have Ended" grew into its own life form. The Superhero Café portrays Superman as a reasonably responsible adult, and Batman as a spoiled brat. It's a freeing take on Bats, as he's become dangerously genre savvy. He knows he doesn't have to try so hard or brood about it because the cowl blesses him with victory. How did he get into the Doctor's Tardis? Growl it with me, "Because I'm Batman!"
And he's right. This isn't a false bravado. Maybe he got in over his head by trying to take on every villain ever at the same time but the rest of his accomplishments are fairly accurate. This truly is the funniest Batman has ever been. Kevin Conroy occasionally gets in a wham line in the animated series but those are more dramatically humorous. They don't compare to the sheer audacity of his juvenile "Luh-luh-luh! You can't make me!"
So this is still Batman; all ego with only slight overconfidence (who never seems to acknowledge his poor batting average with the ladies). This is the Batman you want to see in a Deadpool movie, and arguably the only version more comfortable in the spotlight than the shadows.
I'm a Marvel (and I'm Batman)
Voice actor/coach Mike Agrusso (ItsJustSomeRandomGuy) put out a brilliant and (what appears to be) sadly discontinued video series where the leads of DC and Marvel's blockbusters riff on each other's current films. It's a labor of love for the characters as the videos essentially involve Agrusso playing with his action figures with minimalistic animations. But where the production values are limited, the stories are thoroughly written, timed out, and acted.
As with the previous examples, this Batman knows he's a fictional character. But he also knows what that character has to be, which is responsible in a way that nobody else is. This Bruce gets along quite well with Charles Xavier, has a rivalry he didn't ask for with Tony Stark, and has managed to attract Peter Parker's inner fanboy.
Superman is a little out of touch with the rules of this world, which places Batman in an unwanted mediator role. The humorlessness and brooding are back, as is his penchant for pushing people away. This action figure is strangely true to form and it's impressive to see the character regularly have to rely on his wits to overcome challenges.
Conclusion
So in the end what do we have? Even in-universe, the character of Batman is a fabrication of Bruce Wayne. He's an alternate identity that kind of takes over, much like Archie Leach eventually became Cary Grant both on and off screen. In superhero terms, Batman is the equivalent of a rock star persona. And each of these versions, as well as those which appear in comics/films/TV/games/etc. represent a slightly different take on how Bruce Wayne the person might react to his status as icon. Lego Batman embraces it. Flash animation Batman flaunts it. Action figure Batman resents it.
Batmen of the past and present may enjoy the cowl or be tortured by it. And maybe that's why he resonates so strongly with us. We all have to assume a mantel when we face our jobs or our children or the cops who pull us over to check our insurance. Sometimes that 'character' may feel better or worse than who we really are, and resolving our sense of immediate self (the Id) with our sense of long-term self (the Ego) is a struggle we all have to balance. Batman's journey is our own, and that's why there can be so many different Dark Knights.
Because we're all Batman.
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