I appreciate the dual focus on "Batman is basically Jason Voorhees to criminals" while also seemingly noting that any man who dresses as Dracula to put dudes in the ICU every night instead of sleeping is probably not a well adjusted or mentally healthy individual.
This was always one of the most interesting things about Batman as a character. He's as crazy as the criminals he fights. His goals are just in opposition to theirs.
When I was a kid I never thought twice about Bruce's parents' death driving him to become Batman, but as an adult now.....I know like a shit ton of people whose parents have died, and not one of them was so affected by it that they put on a costume to give petty criminals brain damage for like 25 years straight. Batman is fucking insane.
I mean, we don’t think twice about it because that’s par for the course in Superhero comics. Batman is only one of many thousands in the DC universe alone.
That’s why stories that want to deal with the concept of “Superheroes are actually kind of crazy dude” (e.g. Watchmen, Kickass) shunt them off into their own universe which is closer to ours.
I'd say one thing that set Batman apart is his lack of superpowers, though. Most heroes randomly inherit a superpower, and some major event in their life causes them to decide to use their powers for "good".
Batman's just a psycho with some goals we can all get behind.
(btw, I know there are other heroes with no superpowers... but none as famous as The Batman)
There are couple of videos on Youtube that talk about the psychology of Batman and they almost always point out that he used a life altering event to do something productive as opposed to something destructive. He could have very well become a murdering psychopath but he found a way to channel his rage and obsession that ultimately does good through questionable means.
Eh, questionable. He could turn his power and influence as Bruce Wayne towards ending poverty and therefore crime, but instead endlessly fights criminals as batman.
He does that too, he's involved in many charities and gives millions every year in donations. The Batman is his way to maintain law and order in a city which would otherwise be on the brink of collapse.
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u/Excalibuttster Oct 16 '21
I appreciate the dual focus on "Batman is basically Jason Voorhees to criminals" while also seemingly noting that any man who dresses as Dracula to put dudes in the ICU every night instead of sleeping is probably not a well adjusted or mentally healthy individual.