A lot of people like Batman. He's said to have one of the best group of villains as well. After interiviewing Detective Comics writer, Scott Snyder, he said something that I had thought about way back in a corner of my brain. Batman's villains represent different aspects of Batman's personality and show us what he could become.
I brought up the question before of whether or not Batman could've become the Joker. While Joker's past is not fully known, we assume he suffered some sort of tragedy. Where Batman decided to dedicate his life to train himself and fight evil, Joker went the opposite route. Joker gave in to all his dark urges and impulses. He allows himself to run free without any inhibitions. He represents what Batman could have done if his mind wasn't disciplined enough to deal with witnessing the murder of his parents and becoming a hero.
What about the other villains? Do they all show us what Batman could have become or show different aspects of his personality? == TEASER == Two-Face is what Batman would be if the struggle between having dual identities became too much. Like Bruce, Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face involved a horrific moment (at least I'd say getting acid splashed into your face would be pretty horrific). There's the possibility that Harvey had some issues before his transformation (as brilliantly shown in the Two-Face origin episode in Batman: The Animated Series). As dedicated as Bruce is to fighting evil, he does have a dark side. We saw him go over the edge after Jason Todd's death at the hands of the Joker. He began violently bringing criminals to justice, It was Tim Drake that convinced Bruce Batman needed a Robin to help keep that darkness in check.
What about Mr. Freeze? This is a criminal that uses a freeze gun on people. How could he have any similarities to Batman? Mr. Freeze devoid of emotions. Again, he suffered tragedy when his wife became ill and he lost everything that mattered. Batman rarely shares his emotions with others. If Batman didn't allow himself to interact with those in the Bat Family, he could easily become as cold as Mr. Freeze.
Those seem to make sense so far but what about someone like Penguin? Surely he and Batman don't have anything in common. Discounting Oswald Cobblepot's appearance, he is a victim of cruel teasing. We never really saw Bruce growing up after his parents were killed. We've only seen his story jump to when he was a young adult and had spent years training. I wouldn't think young Bruce was necessarily home schooled by Alfred or had a private tutor. He probably still went to whatever prestigious school there is in Gotham. At this point, Bruce made a vow to his parents that he would rid the world of evil. As he became focused, I'm sure his social skills went a little sour and there would most likely be ridicule or bullying. Penguin received it for his looks, Bruce would have by his behavior. It wouldn't be until later that Batman would hone his performance and Bruce Wayne and become the rich playboy everyone thinks he is. If Bruce became emotionally unattached to his peers but embraced what his parents fortune could give him, he could have gone the route that Penguin did. Only without umbrellas filled with weapons.
Those might make sense but there's no way he has anything in common with Catwoman, right? Wrong. Selina is about class (in some of her origins) and the thrill of excitement. She is often portrayed as being highly intelligent and could easily make a proper living without resorting to catburglary. It's the excitement of putting on a costume and doing things she shouldn't that often gives her the motivation to dress up as a cat. As Bruce began his training and on the night of his first venture as a crimefighter, he felt the adrenaline and rush of what he was doing. If he wasn't so committed to the vow he made, he could've turned to seeking thrills instead.
What about Ra's al Ghul? He and Batman may have more in common than Bruce would like to admit. When Ra's first approached Batman about being his heir, he talked a good talk. Batman was curious about his plan to save the world. Both believe they can form an empire to rid the world of the unworthy. Batman has started Batman, Inc and is trying to force his ideals on other nations. He may not go to the drastic means that Ra's al Ghul would but he does believe he knows what is best for the world. If Batman didn't have as much patience as he does and if he didn't believe there was good in everyone, he could easily go the route Ra's does.
There's a few examples. Perhaps not all of Batman's villains can be compared to him. Does the Ventriloquist and Scarface represent the dual personalities and Batman being in control? Is Killer Croc what Batman could become if he used all his power and training to kill anyone that got in his way? Is Firefly who he would become if young Bruce became obsessed with that candle that was burning as he made his vow to his dead parents? Maybe not.
What are your thoughts on this? Am I grasping at straws? Are there other villains that share personality traits with Batman?
Absolutely! A brilliant argument has been made by Tony 'G-Man' Guerrero. I haven't ever given much thought to Batman's rogues in comparison to his own personality. Very validate points were made.
Of coarse, this is what makes Batman such a fun psychological character. What make shim such a great topic of debate. Things like "should he kill", or "is he responsible for every person who is killed by those he lets live" are subjects of great debate.
How is Bane not mentioned? There is no one else that worked as hard, developed their mind as ardently, and can fight as admirably as Bane. He IS the darkened mirror. Okay article, but I've heard this before. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e0AwfVoNjY You can watch the entire film on Batman and his rogues as well as how they correlate to archetypes and emotions via Batman Unmasked from the History Channel
I think this is an excellent article. It gives that "Through the Looking Glass" feel. Batman's Rogues Gallery has always been interesting and I think that the only other Rogues Galleries that are as interesting is Flash, Spider-Man's, and Superman. The other galleries seem to fall short.
Essentially any human can become anything.. given stimulus and circumstance, you might as well argue that you could become any of batman's villains, so the argument you put forward is redundant... however your article is very entertaining. :)
Most assuredly yes, Batman's villains are mirror images of him, not all of them, but many. This is true for other heroes as well, because of the need of a struggle. The similarity enhances the sense of difficulty, facing a villain that is similar but not the same (like the Joker for Batman), or perhaps completly opposite (like Luthor for Superman) the sense of drama get a boost.
"So does the same apply to the Dick Grayson's Batman? "
Grayson is written as a sort of best friend to everyone in the DCU, but Grayson has more than his share of dark moments. Grayson has the same motivations as Bruce, but learned the superhero business on the job since he was a young teenager. I think they don't portray his inner demons enough as opposed to the goo guy role he plays for the DCU.
I dont read batman comics much but i dont think that batman and two face have anything in common. Sure batmans parents were killed but thats nothing compared to two face(the guy lost half his face). And thus loosing his face he developed that psychological disorder. Batman saw bats after his parents murder and decided to make a costume symbolising that day. And about batmans personality batman\wayne they are both good . I mean if he was to subdue to becoming more batman he still does good. I hope u guys understand what i just said lol.
I certainly think that its the Villains that make the hero. I like DD but he's not one the greatest hero's ever becuz he doesn't have the same quality of villains as say Batman. Punisher is the same way. Great villains push the hero to do things that they wouldn't normally do. If you look at the list of the all time greatest heroes I guarantee they have an equally great villain.
Thats a great picture of catwoman and Ra's is badass as usual.however bane,deathstroke and prometheus are in my opinion the ultimate negative representations of bruce,more so than either freeze or penguin.hush could have made it but he's a failed character at this point.
batman unmasked on histroy channel i think,they tried to sell to the mainstream audience that batman is realistic and used evidence to support it,but funnily left out all the evidence which disagrees with that notion. meh
" I dont read batman comics much but i dont think that batman and two face have anything in common. Sure batmans parents were killed but thats nothing compared to two face(the guy lost half his face). And thus loosing his face he developed that psychological disorder. Batman saw bats after his parents murder and decided to make a costume symbolising that day. And about batmans personality batman\wayne they are both good . I mean if he was to subdue to becoming more batman he still does good. I hope u guys understand what i just said lol. "
I think you're missing the point. Two-Face was a good guy whose ability to discern between right and wrong (hence the coin) snapped after something horrific happens. Batman similarly has been shown at times being tempted to cross the line as a result of various circumstances.
It might not make much sense to lose one's ability to reason just from disfigurement but most of Batman's most iconic villains are mentally disturbed. See the Dark Knight for a more provocative explanation of why he snaps.
@G-Man: This could be the start of a new thesis on Batman (and would make a change from the usual homosexual innnuendoes ;)
I think you're onto something. They definitely sem to represent different aspects of Batman's personality-traits but pushed to the extreme. It's almost as if the line that separates the hero from the villains is so very feint. Depending on the angle, he's not so far removed from the usual costumed residents from Arkham...
@perry_411:@guerilla939: I didn't want to mention every single Bat-villain. Otherwise it'd be a super long article. Also some might be a bit of a stretch. And honestly, I thought people would think I was crazy over this one.
His childhood mirrors Bruce's in that he's an heir to socialite parents with a fortune and company. Unlike Bruce, he was ignored and verbally abused as a kid. He grew up to squander the fortune and ruin the company. He turned to crime and found that he was surprisingly good at it. He created a gang called the False Face Society where all the members wore masks including him. Just like how Bruce Wayne is the mask of Batman, Roman Silonis became the mask of Black Mask except after a fire, Black Mask is forced to wear his true face forever more.
Hugo Strange He is a man obsessed with perfection. He grew up in the Hell's Crucible section of Gotham and managed to send himself through college and medical school. His obsession lead him to dabble in genetic manipulation and creation of his Monster Men. He eventually tangled with Batman and became obsessed with Batman as the perfect human. He achieved the challenging feat of logically deducted that Bruce Wayne was Batman and is bent on turning himself or someone else into the same icon of perfection.
Bane He grew up in a prison serving the sentence given to his father. He became the criminal version of Batman by teaching himself everything he could learn and training himself to peak strength. He became what the guard and other prisoners feared and sought to defeat the only other thing they feared, Batman.
Riddler He is obsessed with brain teasers and theatrics. Thus he seeks to challenge himself with Batman, the so-called Detective. He'd always announce his crime ahead of time with a riddle and dare Batman to foil him.
Scarecrow Like Batman, he uses fear as a weapon but it is Scarecrow's only weapon. He induces fear or sometimes other emotions to get what he wants.
Absolutely brilliant G-Man! A deep psychological synopsis of Batman villains that in some way reflect the different aspects of Batman/Bruce Wayne's inner psyche or opposite of his personality. I truly believe this is why Batman will remain at the top of everyone's list as the most interesting DC character of all time.
" I think this is an excellent article. It gives that "Through the Looking Glass" feel. Batman's Rogues Gallery has always been interesting and I think that the only other Rogues Galleries that are as interesting is Flash, Spider-Man's, and Superman. The other galleries seem to fall short. My two cents... --Jim "
I completely agree with this!! These guys have the most interesting rogue's! Their rogues have more pizzaz and oomph to them and are more characterized and widely spread out than other hero galleries!
" How is Bane not mentioned? There is no one else that worked as hard, developed their mind as ardently, and can fight as admirably as Bane. He IS the darkened mirror. Okay article, but I've heard this before. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e0AwfVoNjY You can watch the entire film on Batman and his rogues as well as how they correlate to archetypes and emotions via Batman Unmasked from the History Channel "
They should make one of those for every Superhero!! I would love one on Spider-Man!!
I think that in a lot of ways you're right with the mirror reflections of Batman vs. villain - then again, how often does anybody truly fight against something else that they are also not fighting within themselves? I wonder if this, plus the way he so perfectly fulfills Joseph Campbell's hero's journey, is why he is still one of the top favourite superheros out there.
Enjoyable and interesting article but I largely disagree with it. Sure there are some cases where this may have been intended and you can always find something to connect two people (kind of like how psychics work) but then it is more coincidental. IMO, Batman villains have always been more of a reflection of Gotham than him.
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