Explained: The Long-Lasting Appeal of Batman - MovieWeb

For many younger fans of Batman, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy was likely the first time they witnessed the world's greatest detective grace the big screen. Those films became a major phenomenon of 21st century filmmaking, and to this day, The Dark Knight is one of the most well-renowned films of the last twenty years. Combining a gripping power fantasy with a vision of a dark, crime-ridden world, Nolan's films enthralled an entire generation of film viewers.

Larger even than the phenomenon of The Dark Knight trilogy is the Batman franchise, which has existed across different forms of media since 1939. Beginning as a merciless vigilante in tights, pulled from early Hollywood serials and the pages of Sherlock Holmes novels, Batman has been presented and represented by countless creatives in the century that followed and across many forms of media. As a result, the character has been played by many different actors and undergone significant changes and revisions to incorporate different cultural tastes (and even government intervention) in different eras of history. What may not be immediately clear to newer Batman fans is that the mythos behind the beloved figure is actually quite loose, built from a pastiche of artistic trends across several decades. Despite that, the character has stood the test of time. Batman continues to be one of America's greatest myths, being recreated for the third time in the last twenty years for Matt Reeve's upcoming film The Batman. Here's a look at the long-lasting appeal of Batman.

King of the Grim and Moody

There's something deeply romantic about the image of Bruce Wayne alone in his cave, brooding with his brow forward in the classic Kubrick glare, considering how best to save the city. As a compilation of outlandish and impossible circumstances, Batman's life and work have proven to be some of his most beloved characteristics. Suspending disbelief for the horrible trauma inflicted on him, it becomes easy to identify with the grandeur and darkness inherent to his mission. This is why most of Batman's iterations in film place him as the center of a grim, moody tone that radiates outward through the production. The more audiences become immersed in the dark tone, the easier it becomes to appreciate the grand stakes of his city-saving endeavors.

A lighthearted iteration of the character was attempted in the 1966 Batman TV series. With Adam West in the titular role, this series focused more on Batman's day-to-day life, bringing an action comedy tone to the mythos that has rarely been seen since. The show has since gained a cult following, but almost all future iterations of the character have refocused on the hyper-competent, troubled version of Bruce Wayne. “The Dark Knight Returns”, a comic book series considered integral to the Batman mythos, would become the blueprint of success for the dark version of Batman beloved by modern audiences. The series was a big inspiration for 1989's Batman, directed by Tim Burton, which depicted the grand, order versus chaos conflict between Batman and the Joker that would become the stuff of legend. Since then, The Dark Knight trilogy and the Ben Affleck Batman films have affirmed the dark tone of the Batman myth and indulge in the righteous violence that makes the character so popular.

Justice Outside The Law

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Part of the appeal of the caped crusader is the gray area that he occupies outside the justice system. This is a character who observed flaws in the justice system, and decided that his unlimited resources and mental acumen could position him perfectly to spend his nights beating criminals in the name of justice. Obviously, it requires a certain suspension of disbelief to buy into the idea—as it does with all superhero stories—but Batman's disregard for the law is a narrative that holds a mirror to society, offering many questions, and very few answers, about why this is such an enthralling part of his character. His moral code, achieving “justice” by any means necessary, fulfills the common American’s fantasy of making the world right by sheer strength of will. Steeped in self-sacrifice for the greater good, the narrative appeals to the popular image of the self-made man, who works past obstacles without help. Making moral judgments is inherent to all humans in the same way social comparison is, and Batman provides the fantasy of owning and becoming that moral force.

It's nearly impossible to discuss Batman's moral code without examining the Joker, his arch nemesis, who is frequently positioned as the antithesis to Batman's beliefs about order and justice. In Tim Burton's films, as well as Christopher Nolan's, the Joker exists to assert the belief that chaos is the only source of meaning in the world, and that creating chaos is in the best interest of those with power. What makes the Joker such a figure of reverence and intrigue in modern society is the idea of a criminal who is simply innately evil. He has no family or friends to fight on behalf of, and there is no woeful sob story meant to make the audience empathize with him. The existence of such a force of chaos is a powerful narrative argument for the existence of Batman, the moral man with power to be used for a self-determined "good". The dichotomy between the characters that frequently graces these films has proved to be a fascinating contrast for audiences to ponder upon.

A Flexible Legacy

In the first iterations of the character, Batman was known to kill criminals almost indiscriminately. It wasn’t until an editor overrode the writers in the mid 20th century that Batman adopted his now-renowned rule against killing. After WW2, the character was depicted as working with the government because postwar mandates wouldn’t allow an extrajudicial vigilante, even in fiction. The 1949 Batman and Robin serial puts both characters in a post-war suburban environment facing the challenges of suburban living. Nolan's The Dark Knight is a reflection of Bush-era politics, featuring fears of technological surveillance and the uneasy acceptance of the "any means necessary" approach to terrorism.

Each adaptation of the hero across different forms of media will always be a reflection of dominant cultural narratives of the time. The only common characteristics across most iterations are the hyper competent, brooding billionaire with an itch for crime-fighting. As an archetype, the myth of Batman has a certain flexibility thanks to its dissemination across so many forms of media. In 20 years, there will likely be a new series of Batman films that reflect cultural fears and hopes of the future. This is a large part of what makes Batman so endearing as a continued story across so many decades: that he is whatever the modern age demands him to be.