Brian Carland

March 14, 2012

Batman: A Tragic Hero

The Silent Guardian. The Watchful Protector. The Dark Knight. These are just a few of

the many nicknames given to the character we all know as Batman. Whether you’re a fan of

Batman or not, he is one of the most iconic fictional characters in America. Batman has been

portrayed in every form of media. From the Detective Comics (DC) where he originated from in

1939, to the countless other ways he’s been reimagined in movies and books, everybody knows

who he is. One thing you probably don’t know, however, is how truly distraught of a character

he really is.

Born to billionaires Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce (Batman) had a great life. Living

in Wayne Manor with his parents and butler, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce had it all. At a young

age, Bruce was playing with his childhood love when he fell into a deep cave. As he lay on the

bottom of the cave, he was swarmed by a wave of bats. Being as young as he was, this

experience traumatized him greatly. When he was finally rescued, his fear was beyond repair. A

short time later, Bruce’s parents took him to the local movie theater (In the movie Batman

Begins, it was an opera). Dark images on the screen manifested the fear of bats inside Bruce

again and he felt the need to leave the theater immediately. Taking an emergency exit into the

back alley, Bruce’s parents rushed after him. Understanding his fear of bats, his parents tried to

comfort him. Standing in the secluded alley, a man approached the Wayne family. Living in the

streets and desperate for money, the man murdered both Thomas and Martha. Seeing the cold

look on Bruce’s face and hearing what he thought were police sirens in the distance, the man ran

away, sparing Bruce. Later that night, police caught the man and identified him as Joe Chill.

Feeling completely responsible for the murder of his parents, Bruce’s life spiraled

downwards. He became a loner, his only friends being his butler Alfred, and Rachel, his

childhood sweetheart. As the years went by, Bruce still felt guilty about leaving the movie

theater. Every night he had nightmares about the whole traumatizing experience, wondering why

it happened. Overtime, his sadness turned into anger and he changed completely. Rather than

living in his ten million dollar house, Bruce lived as a street rat. After living in the streets for

months, he goes on a spiritual quest in the mountains to regain who he is. After being trained by

The League of Shadows, a group of vigilantes who want to destroy evil through violence, Bruce

Wayne becomes a master in all forms of martial arts. After tons of training, Bruce becomes both

physically and mentally strong. With his new abilities, Bruce goes back to Gotham City to

avenge his parents’ death by ridding the streets of criminals. Becoming the “superhero” we all

know as Batman, Bruce hits the streets to fight crime. Considered a vigilante by the citizens of

Gotham City, this poses the question: Is Batman a superhero or actually a villain?

So first of all, what makes a superhero? I’m sure most people would define superhero as

anybody with superpowers. Well, whether you know it or not, Batman DOES NOT have any

superpowers. Yes, he does have tons of gadgets, a solid suit, and a super car called the

Batmobile, but no: he doesn’t have any superpowers what so ever. Maybe a superhero is just

somebody who saves peoples’ lives? Doctors and firemen do this every day and they’ve never

been called superheroes. So, why exactly is Batman considered a superhero? Heroes are out to

help people and do good deeds. Batman doesn’t really do either one of those things. For the most

part, Batman fights crime for himself, nobody else. Yes, he’ll help somebody that is in distress,

but he does it mostly to get back criminals. Beating people up for your own well-being doesn’t

make you a superhero: it makes you a vigilante.

What is a vigilante? Webster’s Dictionary defines a vigilante as “a member of a volunteer

committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily (as when the processes of law are

viewed as inadequate); broadly: a self appointed doer of justice.” Technically, aren’t all

superheroes vigilantes? Unless they have permission from law enforcement (which most of them

don’t) all superheroes are actually committing crimes when they’re supposed to be stopping it. A

prime example of this is the Marvel superhero Ironman. Not only does he get involved in

international affairs by fighting terrorists groups: he’s one of the only “superheroes” that I know

of that kills. Using various types of missiles and lasers, Ironman kills the criminals rather than

bringing justice to them. Although refuses to kill, isn’t he the same as any criminal: a man who

goes around commits crimes for his own benefits? Maybe Batman is actually a villain.

This is where things get complicated. Although he thinks he’s doing good for all of the

people in Gotham City, they all see him as a menace (Hunt). The citizens of Gotham aren’t too

happy about a man lurking in the shadows and beating criminals up rather than them being

arrested by law enforcement. In the Dark Knight, Batman thinks he’s doing what is “right” when

he’s really just committing felonies. Whether he’s kidnapping a criminal in China, using

explosives to break into a building, destroying half a city block to rescue a would be district

attorney, or even wiping out an entire police swat team in order to stop them from going after the

wrong people: Batman performs more acts of deviance than anything. In what is considered a

just society, nobody is above the law. Although he does these actions for the greater good, he

himself is actually breaking more laws than the criminals.

Diving deep into the mind of Bruce Wayne, we can see he’s a broken man. Having

witnessed the murder of his parents and beating himself up over it for years, his mind is

broken(Moye). He becomes obsessed with being Batman and forgets who he really is. Because

of this, he suffers from various psychological disorders (Bohlen). The first and probably the most

notable is Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). Not to be confused with regular

OCD, OCPD is more acquainted with how the person sees themselves. Occupied with

perfectionism, people who suffer from OCPD have trouble with anxiety. Whatever the person is

obsessed with, they feel the need to have it perfected. In Batman’s case, it’s justice. He cannot

stop until every criminal has been stopped which is nearly impossible. No matter how battered or

beaten he becomes, Batman refuses to stop fighting. Obsessed with avenging his family’s death,

Batman has been threatened with serious jail time if caught, shot multiple times, and has even

had his back broken by a super villain named Bane (Batman #497).

Another thing that Batman is obsessed with is the Joker. In many aspects of both the

comics and the movies, Batman is considered to be on the same sanity level as the Joker. Known

as The Clown Prince of Darkness or The Clown Prince of Crime, the origins of the Joker are

unknown (Alinio). Having been introduced in 1939 in the first ever issue of a Batman comic, the

Joker is Batman’s longest and most well-known arch enemy (Batman #1). Dressing up as a

clown, the Joker is obsessed with crime. This clown uses gags and puns in every crime he

commits. From using magic tricks to kill his victims to using laughing gas to rob innocent

people, the Joker has serious mental issues, just like Batman (Batman #37). As twisted as it is,

the Joker needs Batman as much as Batman needs the Joker. Batman is the Joker’s main fuel for

engaging in criminal activity. With Batman refusing to kill him, the Joker knows he can get away

with a lot. Having this kind of freedom, the Joker really can’t be stopped. Despite his parents

being killed, Batman resists killing the criminals who do wrong. Sticking to his strong moral

code, Batman can’t bring himself to kill the Joker. This relationship works both ways, however.

With Batman being obsessed with fighting crime, he’s let the Joker go free on numerous

occasions. Batman has had dozens of opportunities to put the Joker away for good but he

doesn’t. As long as the Joker is out committing crimes, Batman has a reason to go out and do

justice. This toxic relationship between Batman and the justice system is actually quite

disturbing. Hundreds of innocent people being murdered could have been prevented if Batman

would just break his moral codes and kill the Joker. Strange as it may sound, the only way the

Joker can be stopped is for Batman to kill him. Having tons of resources, the Joker can never be

locked up and always manages to escape prison. Murder is the only thing Batman can do stop the

Joker, and murder is the one law that Batman refuses to break.

One final thing Bruce Wayne is obsessed with is fear. Fear is his most powerful weapon

(Fritscher). When fighting crime, Batman lurks in the shadows and psyches out his enemies with

various scare tactics. With fear running through their minds, the criminals can’t think rationally

and always fall into Batman’s traps. As Batman becomes more notorious in Gotham City,

criminals start to think twice about what they do. With the constant fear that they are being

watched by the Dark Knight, bad guys may not follow through with their intended actions.

Always staying submerging himself in darkness, Batman runs Gotham city with a shadowy fist.

Still traumatized of bats from a young age, Batman uses this fear to motivate him. Masking

himself as a bat, he shows the world he’s out to face his fears. Anybody who faces their fears on

a daily basis in the manor Batman does cannot be thinking straight. Batman also suffers from a

slight case of coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Anybody would suffer from coulrophobia if they

were attacked by a psychotic clown who wields guns, chains, and knives once a week. Like his

fear of bats, Batman must face his fear of clowns. Carrying a joker playing card around with him,

he attempts to gradually rid himself of his fear of clowns. Fear will stop sane people from doing

things, fear fuels Batman. While most people avoid their fears, the Caped Crusader embraces

them and uses them to his advantage.

Along with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, Batman also suffers from a

number anti-social disorders, the most prominent being schizoid. Not to be confused with

schizophrenia, schizoid revolves around the person being a recluse: disassociating themselves

with other people and taking on an apathetic view on life. With the tragic loss of his only family

members, Batman refuses to associate himself with anybody else. Not wanting to go through the

loss of losing another person he’s close to, Bruce will not get close to anybody else. Viewed as

an outlaw by the citizens of Gotham, Batman takes on the lone ranger personality. In the comics,

Batman has a teenage partner named Robin. This is pretty much the only instance in the Batman

universe that he works with somebody else. Even then, his relationship with Robin is more

mentor-apprentice than a friendship. Having similar characteristics to that of Spiderman, Batman

chooses this secluded life to avoid loved ones getting hurt. Living through this life of isolation,

Batman suffers from the most common mental illness in the United States: depression (Grohol).

With depression affecting over 21 million people in the United States, Batman is no

different. From being considered one of the most hated men in Gotham City to living in solitude,

Batman suffers from high levels of depression. With his association to the color black, Batman

does not have a very good outlook on life. Willingly making his life miserable to make the lives’

of the citizens of Gotham’s easier, Batman just cannot win. No matter how much good he may

do for Gotham City, Batman will still be hated. Suffering from depression, Batman’s case of

depression is worse than that of the average person. Declining to get mental help, Batman’s

depression psychologically tears him apart daily. Still feeling responsible for his parents’ death,

Batman also suffers from post-traumatic stress. He often has nightmares about his parents being

killed, occasionally seeing himself as the killer in his dreams. What’s even stranger is how he

chose to deal with the death of his parents. Rather than accepting their death like a normal

person, Batman chose to dress up like a bat and solve the problem with his own methods.

Because of his untamable depression, Batman has also turned to substance abuse over the years.

In the early comics, Batman even went as far as to use crystal meth and heroin (Batman #16-

Batman #20). Feeling he’s the only protection for the people of Gotham, Batman feels

completely responsible for whatever happens to them. With the Joker killing innocent people

every day, Batman takes full responsibility for not being able to save them all. Like an army

commander, Batman feels as if it’s his fault if he loses anybody. Feeling this need for control

leads to Batman’s next mental disorder, paranoia.

Characterized by irrational fears and the want for being in control, Batman is clearly

paranoid. He refuses to fully trust anybody and feels like the world is out to get him. His high

anxiety prevents him from thinking rationally even in the most simple situations. With his

distrust towards people in general, Batman is completely oblivious to the bigger picture of

things. But honestly, can you blame him? Risking your life every night to defend a city you care

about, can Batman afford to take an unnecessary chance? Maybe his paranoia actually works as

an advantage. Always assuming the worst, Batman is much more proficient in his defending of

Gotham City. Like an extravagant strategist, Batman is forced to pay attention to every minor

detail in his life. Not wanting to overlook the smallest thing, Batman is forced to think critically

on a constant basis. Fearing that everybody is out to get him, Batman truly can’t afford not be

paranoid. Not only does he suffer from paranoia, he also suffers from a form histrionic. Not only

does Batman have the urge to be the center of attention, but so does his alter ego, Bruce Wayne.

Still having billions of dollars from his parents, Bruce Wayne is the face of Gotham City. This

center of attention carries over to the Batman part of his life. Running around dressed as a bat

and using his appearance to strike fear in his enemies, Batman clearly wants attention. It’s also

clear he’s egocentric in the name he gives himself: The World’s Greatest Detective. Not getting

the attention he needs through personal relationships, Batman gets it through his actions. From

his overly dramatic raspy voice to protect his identity to his flashy martial arts moves, Batman

loves drawing attention to himself. The ironic part about this: he does a lot of this from the

shadows where nobody can really see him.

Living the lives of two completely different people, Batman also suffers from split

personality or more commonly known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). According to

Psychological Science, Dissociative Identity Disorder is the occurrence of two or more distinct

identities in the same individual (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, Halpern, 623). As seen in the movies,

Batman is also very similar to a character known as Two Face. After having oil cover half of his

face, Two Face (or is real name Harvey Dent) had part of his face burned off in a warehouse that

was set on fire. Before his accident took place, Harvey Dent was running for District Attorney of

Gotham City. When his face was scorched and his girlfriend was killed in a similar fire, Two

Face’s personality changed for the worse. Harvey Dent always let “luck” control his life,

carrying around a two-headed coin with which he made his own luck. For example, in the fire,

one side of the coin was burned, changing him forever. Rather than being the beacon of hope that

Gotham City needed, he became a cold blooded killer that many people feared. Still relying on

the coin to decide his actions, Two Face will commit deviant deeds if it lands on the burned side

and feels like he should do good if it lands on the non-scarred side. In a way, Batman is like Two

Face. For one, there’s the Bruce Wayne side of him: the face of Gotham City, a man who pretty

much everybody in the city looks up to. Then, there’s the Batman side of him: a vigilante who

goes out every night and beats criminals up to make him-self feel better about the death of his

parents. Ever since he became Batman, Bruce Wayne has lost sight of who he really is. Despite

what Alfred tells him about how he doesn’t need to be Batman, Bruce can’t grasp the idea that

he’s just a normal man, not a criminal. “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself

become the villain” This famous quote that echoes through The Dark Knight multiple times

wraps up Batman’s split personality perfectly (Bohlen). It’s basically saying that Batman should

either stop what he’s doing and accept that he won’t be able to completely save Gotham, or,

continue doing what he’s doing and eventually become the criminal that he’s sworn to banish so

many times.

It’s pretty clear that Batman suffers from more than one mental disorder. It’s also pretty

safe to say that his mental illnesses are on a higher level than that of a normal person. Between

both the comics and the movies there’s something interesting with Batman’s illnesses: through

each mental disorder he has, there is another villain or super villain that mirrors him identically

(Alinio). As mentioned before, Batman is on the same twisted level as the Joker and a similar

split personality to that of Harvey Dent, but what about his other illnesses? Firstly, there’s

Oswald Cobblepot. Better known as his criminal name The Penguin, Cobblepot easily swayed

from a life of vigilante like Batman, to a life of crime (Batman #58). However, unlike all of

Batman’s other enemies, The Penguin isn’t insane. He has total control of his actions but chooses

to commit these crimes to make money. Running an illegal night club called The Iceberg

Lounge, The Penguin illegally sells stolen goods to willing buyers. Batman uses this night club

to collect criminal intel and cannot report it to the police because he would be forced to give up

his true identity (Batman #58). Similar to the Joker, Batman and The Penguin have a mutual

relationship where they both benefit from each other.

Next up is Victor Fries (A.K.A. Mr. Freeze). An accomplished scientist, Victor Fries was

living a perfect life with his wife, Nora. Eventually, Nora was stricken by a disease that was

unknown and obviously had no cure, eventually killing her (Batman #121). Not knowing what to

do, Victor froze her in a cryogenic chamber in the hopes of restoring her back to normal

someday. Seeing it was useless, scientists decided it was useless to keep her in the chamber and

decided to pull the plug. In doing so, a freak accident occurred and Victor’s genes were changed

resulting in him not being able to survive in temperatures above subzero. Now in critical

condition, Victor turned to a life of crime, creating a suit that could shoot ice and keep his body

at the ideal temperature. Calling himself Mr. Freeze, Victor turned to robbing people to gain

money to try to get enough money to save his beloved Nora. Never finding a cure for her that

worked, Victor became a criminal for life, not giving mercy to anyone because he wasn’t given

any his whole life. Mr. Freeze is similar to Batman in the sense that they both lost the only

people they ever truly loved. Rather than mourning their losses, both of these broken men turn to

vengeance to hopelessly try and get back what they lost.

One final villain that Batman is identical to in a sense is the super villain, Scarecrow.

Once a famed psychiatrist, Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow) created a gas that once inhaled, would

cause an illusion in the victim to see his or hers’ greatest fears before their eyes (Batman #189).

Like Batman, Scarecrow used fear to his advantage. Fear is an extremely powerful thing and

both Batman and Scarecrow realize this. Rather than use these fear weapons to gain fame and

fortune, Dr. Crane uses his drugs to do “research” on his unwilling victims. In the movie,

Batman Begins, Scarecrow is a some-what normal looking man who wears a beehive like sack

over his head. In comics and other media sources, Scarecrow is often portrayed as an actual

scarecrow, wearing a top hat and having a straw like appearance. Also having a PhD in

psychology, Scarecrow can use just words to manipulate his victims to do his bidding rather than

using actual force. In one instant, he even convinced two men to commit suicide just by talking

to them. Batman uses fear to his advantage as well, but not nearly as extreme as Scarecrow.

Batman uses fear more as a scare tactic to avoid hurting people while Scarecrow uses fear to

control his victims to do what he wants.

To conclude, Batman has serious mental disorders that need to be addressed. Although in

his head he is doing the people of Gotham a favor, he is really just causing them more distress in

reality. Back to the question of whether Batman is a superhero, a hero, or a villain, it is

ultimately a matter of personal opinion. Some may say that he is a superhero because of the

things that make him super. Although he lacks powers, he is still one of the strongest men on

earth physically and oddly enough, mentally. Although there is a ton wrong with him, any other

person with these mental disorders would have surely committed suicide unless helped by a

professional. Driven by his personal goal of vengeance, Batman refuses to quit on the people of

Gotham. On the other end of the spectrum, some may consider him a villain. His efforts to

“protect” Gotham are really keeping its criminals in business. To me personally, I see Batman as

more of a flawed hero than anything. You have to take pity on him, really. Losing his parents at

such a young age and living his entire life as an outcast, Batman tries his best to do good for

others. But no matter how hard he tries, he’ll never be accepted by anybody. As quoted in The

Dark Knight, “Batman is the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.” It can be

said that Batman is one of the most recognizable characters in American pop culture. Although

he obviously isn’t a real person, there’s a part of Batman that we can all relate to one way or

another. Whether it’s us not fitting in for some reason or trying to do good but being scrutinized

for it, Batman has characteristics that reflect all of us. Probably the most well-known character in

comic book history, Batman continues to grow ever popular. Despite his various mental flaws,

there’s something that separates him from other comic book protagonists: he’s just human.

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