To outsiders, Batman is known as one of the greatest comic book characters of all time. We read the comic from a fan’s perspective, so we see a man dedicated to fighting injustice and providing a safe place for Gothamites. The best Batman movies are iconic, but several are hit or miss. However, when the movies hit, they hit big time. The Dark Knight has been praised as one of the greatest comic book movies of all time, with the new film The Batman quickly catching up.
Viewing the character as fans, we understand why he does what he does, and we love seeing him do it. Fans understand that there is no other way to save Gotham. Looking at the exploits of Bruce Wayne through the lens of one of Gotham’s average citizens, however, paints an entirely different picture.
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The Dystopian Inequality of Gotham City
If readers were to pretend Batman is real, and that they are the ones he is fighting to protect, he doesn’t seem like as big of a hero. In fact, Gotham City suddenly feels like a parasite that feeds on the misfortune of its citizens. Bruce Wayne is the richest superhero, a billionaire who uses his family’s wealth to fund his nightly adventures by purchasing and building various gadgets, vehicles, and a number of different suits. While taking to the streets and striking fear into the hearts of criminals might certainly seem helpful, Bruce Wayne is in a position to help Gotham City in a more impactful way.
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No matter how Gotham City has changed throughout the Batman franchise, it is very obviously split between the classes. In Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, Gotham as seen by the wealthy is a bustling metropolis with beautiful high rises and shiny streets. The other side, known as The Narrows, is dingy and beat down. Crime is the norm and only the most despicable come out on top.
The issue here is, those in the lower-class areas are often criminals out of desperation (or psychopathy caused by the city, criminals, or Batman himself). They must steal and deal drugs just to be able to eat. The more posh area is also filled with crime. This crime, however, is much more despicable. The crimes of Gotham’s elite are all to gain more power. Gotham City rewards power, just as many people fear the real world does, and once someone has the power, they aren’t too keen on losing it.
The truth is, Gotham City is so corrupt that it’s practically dystopian to the lower classes. Those in power see Gotham as a wonderland filled with nothing but opportunities. In a certain way, this also applies to Wayne. He may not be as power-hungry as others such as the Falcone family, but he still views Gotham in a privileged way. In Bruce Wayne’s eyes, Gotham City is a battleground. Bruce sees his fight for justice as his own personal war. As the new Batman, Robert Pattinson, tells GQ, “The people of Gotham think that he’s just another symptom of how sh*t everything is.”
Gotham City Doesn’t Belong to Batman
This is one of the core issues: the fight for Gotham City’s wellbeing is far from Bruce’s alone. There are thousands of residents in Gotham City, and they want a safe Gotham just as much as Bruce. During the day, Bruce Wayne is able to go home to his literal mansion and brood in his own tech-filled cave. Most of the citizens don’t get this privilege. They have to retreat to homes that could be just as dangerous as roaming the streets. Bruce needs to understand, he needs to recruit others into his “war,” Not by training orphans like Robin in the ways of martial arts, but by funding these underprivileged communities.
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By giving grants to build schools, fix run-down buildings, or even repair roads, Bruce Wayne could be helping these communities in a way Batman never could. He could still show up in a cape and cowl to pummel criminals to the ground, or he could work to take away the desperation that creates people such as Joe Chill, the man who murdered his parents. This is even touched on a bit in Batman Begins. After returning to Gotham to see Joe Chill’s trial, Rachel shows Bruce just how bad things have gotten in the city. She mentions that those in power claim the depression plaguing the city is long gone. In reality, things are just as bad if not worse. The problem is, those higher-ups are not looking past their own noses. One such man who chose to look at Gotham at its core and try to fix it from within was Thomas Wayne.
Thomas Wayne, or How to Help Gotham City
Before Thomas’ death that fateful night, he used the Wayne fortune in a way that it should have been used. He funded countless hospitals, schools, and in the case of Batman Begins, a monorail system to offer a cheap method of transport. On top of all that, he also worked full time as a surgeon, offering even more hands-on help as opposed to throwing money around and kicking his feet up in Wayne Manor.
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Bruce inherited his father’s sense of justice, but along the way it became warped. As anybody who has picked up a comic knows, Bruce Wayne’s life changed when his parents were gunned down in front of him. This is the moment when his sense of justice and right and wrong were warped. When suiting up every night, he truly believes he is doing the right thing. However, he is really making things worse, replaying his own trauma in a way that hurts others. Not only could Wayne be putting his fortune to better use, but the mere existence of Batman exacerbates the crime problem.
Batman and the Social Dynamics of Westerns
When watching western movies, a popular trope is outsiders traveling to a town just to challenge a gunman who claims to be the best. In the equally wild streets of Gotham, this is also the case. Every tough guy wants their chance to take on the Bat. Again, Gotham City rewards those in power. Taking out the Batman would ensure a common thug would shoot up the ranks and earn respect and power.
There is an episode of Batman: The Animated Series that shows what would happen when Batman is supposedly taken out. Gotham’s unquenchable lust for power was made worse when Batman arrived on the scene. The same applies when Batman is successful. When he takes out a high-level criminal such as Sal Maroni or The Penguin, everyone wants to take their spot as top dog, which leads to gang wars in the streets at best and innocents losing their lives at worst.
Gotham City Living: The Social Dynamics in the Batman Comics and Media by Erica McCrystal is a fantastic and in-depth look at the almost parasitic nature of Gotham City. In the book, McCrystal states:
What if Batman Wrote a Check?
One of Batman’s biggest criticisms in both the fictional and real world, is his refusal to kill. Bruce Wayne knows that he is dangling over the abyss, and taking a life will push him over the edge. A hero who refuses to kill is noble, no doubt. The example where this could do more harm than good is of course with Batman’s arch nemesis, The Joker. In a variety of great Joker performances, the villain exists purely to cause chaos, and many theorize this is the true reason Batman lets him live; Batman can only exist if crime does, as well.
“Gotham City is a breeding ground for criminality, which then spreads like a disease.”
As stated before, Gotham’s elite will do anything to remain in power. For Bruce Wayne, Batman is this power. Letting a madman live, knowing full and well he will just escape and do it again, is just as bad as just letting him go free. Bruce knows that The Joker will cause crime and chaos, and thus force Gotham to need Batman. This just adds to the never-ending circle of crime in Gotham, which could be addressed infinitely better by an actual system of social benefits rather than some ’law and order’ rich guy dressed as a bat. A quote from author and philosopher Peter Rollins states:
Gotham City forces residents to be poor, which forces crime, which forces people like The Joker to thrive, which of course forces Batman’s hand. Bruce Wayne may not be as corrupt, but he is certainly part of the problem.
“A city without the infrastructure to provide good education and work opportunities simply feeds Joker’s evil schemes by sustaining the conditions that lead to a large underclass unable to find representation in the city. Batman’s archvillains would have a difficult time carrying out their crimes if they did not have an unlimited number of poor and desperate people to prey upon, people who turn to crime in order to survive and find identity. If Batman spent his time and money supporting a life-giving infrastructure, the crime wave in Gotham might be broken”
Gotham City thrives on the hierarchy of the corrupt. The entire city is built upon the dishonest nature of the ones in power (which may be why the franchise has been so successful recently, as it reflects the world many people see). Criminal nature has practically become a requirement here. As stated before, crime is necessary for the underprivileged to survive. It is also necessary for the over-privileged to keep a grasp on the addictive power they have obtained.
Is Bruce Wayne wrong for his vigilantism? Not necessarily. He knows how absolutely broken Gotham City is. He is looking to fix it in the best way he knows how; he’s just too blinded by himself and his own trauma to know the actual best way. While his intentions are for the good of the city, the way he goes about it just feeds the parasitic city even more.
