He’s an interesting character. Ultimately, he is good, and, depending on the era in the comics, he nearly bankrupts his company trying to follow in his father’s footsteps.
He’s also an archetype for fear and vengeance. His parents’ death motivates him to act against the corruption exposed in the justice system. He starts off as a young hooligan out for revenge, but with a solid ideology behind it — he thinks he’s saving people. Once he sees that violence begets violence, he tried to address the problems at the root and ultimately hangs up the mask.
Most characters in Batman, including Bruce Wayne himself, have major trauma in their past. There are a lot or orphans, criminals by necessity, abused kids and victims of crime themselves. This was big for an era where people just did not talk about those things at the dinner table.
In some comics they explore sci-fi means of removing trauma, to expose ones “true self.” While it breifly improves people’s lives, it just leaves the subjects more vulnerable and less resilient.
Batman comics really explore how our past influences who we become, but also points out that everyone suffers, it’s what we do with that suffering that counts. Not only that, but learning from your past in a constant process.
Batman isn’t everyone’s role model, but he is a role model.
Batman is a rich asshoke who could do more good for Gotham through philantropy than beating up goons in a mask.
He’s an interesting character. Ultimately, he is good, and, depending on the era in the comics, he nearly bankrupts his company trying to follow in his father’s footsteps.
He’s also an archetype for fear and vengeance. His parents’ death motivates him to act against the corruption exposed in the justice system. He starts off as a young hooligan out for revenge, but with a solid ideology behind it — he thinks he’s saving people. Once he sees that violence begets violence, he tried to address the problems at the root and ultimately hangs up the mask.
Most characters in Batman, including Bruce Wayne himself, have major trauma in their past. There are a lot or orphans, criminals by necessity, abused kids and victims of crime themselves. This was big for an era where people just did not talk about those things at the dinner table.
In some comics they explore sci-fi means of removing trauma, to expose ones “true self.” While it breifly improves people’s lives, it just leaves the subjects more vulnerable and less resilient.
Batman comics really explore how our past influences who we become, but also points out that everyone suffers, it’s what we do with that suffering that counts. Not only that, but learning from your past in a constant process.
Batman isn’t everyone’s role model, but he is a role model.