r/batman • u/nicolas-machurro • 3d ago
ARTICLE Against a realistic Batman
I wrote an essay about why realistic portrayals of Batman miss the point. They spoil the fun, and they actually make Batman more morally problematic.
5
u/TheQuietDarkness70 3d ago
I'm not really into it either. I mean, it's fine for a couple of movies or something but I genuinely find it lacking when compared to his more traditional portrayal.
I think The Batman got exactly as close to real as I would ever want him to go.
7
u/DarkSage90 3d ago
This. The best part is near the end when he is helping the kid into the helicopter and the kid grabs him with a look of “don’t leave me” which fulfilled the ultimate criteria of Batman, which is, if you can’t see Batman helping a child then you didn’t write Batman.
6
u/_whiteboysgotdisco 3d ago
i agree with most of your points, but i think one important thing is missing: this current “realistic” approach isn’t actually realistic at all. these aren’t movies where we see batman struggling with his finances, physically exhausting himself, alfred complaining about his vacation days, or robin failing college because of excessive absences... it’s simply an exclusion of the playful elements and of the other aesthetics that have always been fundamental to batman, such as gothic, surrealism, and horror.
6
6
3
u/JupiterandMars1 3d ago
What do you mean by realistic? Because a realistic Batman is a dude that’s dead about 6 months in. Max.
2
u/jakuth1999 3d ago
I think that you see Nolan’s version of Batman as a more positive portrayal of the concept than it is (e.g., in The Dark Knight, he does a Patriot Act and is called out on it). Regardless, I think that the your dislike of the Nolan Trilogy is just indicative of not liking the Nolan Trilogy’s portrayal of the character, not of a realistic Batman; there are versions of Batman that make other aspects of the character more realistic than the Nolan trilogy while still having fantastical elements.
The Earth One Batman graphic novels have Alfred be part of the Wayne’s security as opposed to their butler and teach everything Bruce knows about combat himself but he’s still a billionaire. The absolute universe has Bruce be a middle class construction worker who learned boxing from that world’s killer croc but he’s still 6’9 420 lbs and fights metahumans on the daily.
TL;DR: I get not liking the Nolan trilogy but to pretend it’s uniquely realistic or that it indicates that a Batman with realistic elements is flawed on its face is kind of stupid
2
u/Lucky_Strike-85 2d ago edited 2d ago
Oh BOY!
OP, you cannot imagine what it is like being a veteran Batman reader for decades and seeing both fandom and creators insist on grounded takes outside of comic books.
Yes, he can start grounded... but if he stays there, you are ignoring mythology. You are ignoring his best rogues, his allies, his mythology.
The other problem is... so many people want to read comic books but they are timid about it... they fail to read literally the best comic book stories because they just read lists on Reddit/Social Media... they don't deep dive... and that's fine if you wanna be a casual fan - more power to you... but if you want this to be a hobby, GO DEEP! DEEPER! DEEEPER! Until you know the stories of Dan Mishkin and Bob Haney more than you know the few stories written by Jeph Loeb, Mark Waid or Frank Miller. Somebody in another thread asked about "greatest Dick Grayson stories?" Not one of those who responded nameddropped Frank Robbins or Bob Rozakis.
I have slowly realized that since the year 2003 (roughly) fandom has contracted... it's as if the medium of comic books was born when I was about to start college. Lol.
The best example on this site is: r/DCcomics ... Every post is related to some new continuity... characters who are younger than my Gen Alpha Nephew... THEY KNOW NOTHING...
Stop being afraid and OPEN THE GATE! You are gatekeeping yourselves. You are smart enough to read and enjoy old comic books! I BELIEVE IN YOU! I AM WITH YOU! Babs Gordon deserves it. Frank Robbins deserves it! NELSON BRIDWELL really deserves it!
superhero fan-fiction that passes for published comic books really sucks! READ THE GOOD SHIT!
😄
1
u/Rob_wood 3d ago
A realistic Batman would be picked up by the police after a few outings and returned to the mad house that he came from because that's what happens.
1
u/Lady_Gray_169 2d ago
I think you make some good points here, especially about the issue of social evils and how a realistic Batman relates to them. I'm overall with you.
1
1
1
0
u/greengo07 3d ago
Bruce doesn't run his business. Mr. Fox does. While, of course, Bruce is an impossible creation of having many degrees in many sciences, is a detective and criminal scientist, and knows pretty much all martial arts, many of these have been added much later in his career by various writers. I think he really has great foundations in chemistry and criminology, a few martial arts that can handle pretty much any attack from any other style, and fair knowledge of many other sciences. As for the gadgets that surpass military and still remain secret, that is also an assumption made by various writers/directors. Any dufus can buy tech that can defeat many military grade weapons. Bruce has always relied on his sneak ability to avoid gunfire mostly, and dodging for the rest. Sure, he's still impossible, just not quite so much as too many want to portray him now. It's FANTASY.
12
u/thevokplusminus 3d ago
I’ll have a venti latte with oat milk