Batman is back…again. And again. And again. The OG super hero is coming back for another movie, this time Robert Pattinson will star as the Caped Crusader. I mainly know Pattinson from his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies and Cedric Diggery from Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. During the pandemic I watched him in Tenet, a movie written and directed by another person who brought a version of the dark knight to the big screen, Chris Nolan. It’s being reported that Pattinson received some pointers for portraying Batman, and Bruce Wayne, onscreen. And so far, the news about his performance has been good, which may give us multiple movies with his and Matt Reeves’ take on the beloved DC Character. 

That brings me to this point: is Batman truly a beloved character? Or has Batman just been a part of the American mythos for so long, that he’s risen to become one of the top American superheroes of all time? As it was said in Nolan’s The Dark Knight, “Is he the hero that is needed? Or is he the hero that society deserves?” His popularity seems to shift with Spider-Man’s. It seems that whoever has a movie out is the one who’s most popular at that time. 

I grew up watching Batman in syndication, that’s how you binged watched before binge watching was a thing. Television was different when I grew up during the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Cable didn’t really take off until the late 80’s so during the early part of the decade the major channels (ABC, CBS, NBC) ruled the airwaves; and after 5 years television shows could be syndicated usually to run on local affiliates. That means when I grew up Batman was on everyday Monday through Friday at 3:30 p.m., same Bat-time, same Bat-channel. I grew up with Adam West’s portrayal of the character which was pretty cheesy; fun but cheesy. In 1989 Tim Burton brought the character to the screen and Michael Keaton portrayed a brave and bold Batman. Jack Nicholson played the Joker, Prince did the soundtrack and another blockbuster was born. This time spawning a series of movie sequels and thrusting the character back into the spotlight. The character aged again, but cartoons, comics, and subsequent depictions of Bats took on the darker aspects of the character, rooted in violence, and not exactly kid-friendly. Fun fact, Robin was added so that Batman would seem less frightening; I don’t know if that helped him become less frightening, but it did help shape the character’s moral code and book sales. Batman is a really simple character, he strikes fear into the hearts of criminals, does what it takes to bring them to justice, without killing or crossing the line too far. Basically he won’t frame, but he will maim.

I’ve always wondered why this character resonates. Spider-Man I get. With great power comes great responsibility. But Bats doesn’t have any tags like that. Superman originally fought for truth, justice, and the American way, but Batman fights for himself, more importantly his inner demons. His immensely rich parents were killed in front of him after a night at the movies, and he never recovered from that incident. Batman’s true enemy might be a really good therapist. The character of Bruce Wayne does support charities, but it may make sense to become mayor of Gotham, or a different type of civic leader, as opposed to a vigilante. It probably comes down to how much time is on your hands. Vigilante, superheroes that moonlight as galavanting playboys, probably get more sleep than politicians. 

Back to my question, is he the hero we need? Or is he the hero that society deserves? He’s an individual with unlimited resources who ultimately uses those resources to take his personal issues out on others he determines are lesser-thans. Criminals are the bane of Batman’s existence and no matter what he does, they never stop coming. Lock up one, that opens a vacuum that’s soon filled by another enterprising criminal. Is he creating criminals? He definitely isn’t stopping crime. He’s not creating legislation, or doing much to impact long lasting change, but he does wear a mean cape and cowl, which isn’t crazy at all. 

That’s the duality the character lives with and movie portrayals of the character tend to focus a lot on Bruce Wayne dealing with his life as Batman. The comics reverse that, usually dealing with Batman having to deal with life as Bruce Wayne. The audience is really just along for the ride, which is why the Batmobile is a pretty big deal, although in today’s society it should be an electric car.

I just hope the newest iteration is a good movie. It’s probably going to be my second time going to the movies since the pandemic began. I saw Spider-Man: No Way Home on the big screen, but the experience was different. I didn’t order soda, I didn’t have popcorn, still I had a good time. It felt like going to see a movie in Gotham City. No frills, or fuss, just the looming thought that I hope Covid doesn’t catch me walking in the alleyway afterwards. It wasn’t quite the movie experience that I hoped for, but during these times, it was the movie experience I deserved. 

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