Batman — On Empathy, Superpowers and Fanboyism.

“I’ve put out a few fires, yes. But the war goes on, Alfred. On and on…”

~ Batman — ‘I am the Night’, Season 1 Episode 34, Batman: The Animated Series.

The extended DC universe, mainly the universe of the Justice League, is one filled with people who one way or another possess some super human ability or “superpower”. The great part about Batman is not that he posseses the most powerful or useful of these superpowers or that he posseses the most superpowers but the fact that he posseses none.

I am training to become a scientist. Successful people in my field often have a large amount of natural talent. Their innate intelligence and prodigious talents are their superpowers. Living in such a community, it is often easy to plunge into despair, especially if one is not endowed with the above mentioned talents. One feels like the only ordinary person in a world of meta-humans. In a situation like this, Batman becomes a symbol of inspiration. He represents more than justice or ‘the night’, he becomes a champion of the underdogs.

Batman also endears to me as a trainee scientist in another way. The very concept of Batman symbolises an implicit hope that our species has always had. We did not just create gods to forward our political agendas and legitimise our unjust regimes, we also created gods as a testament to our desires. We have always wanted super-human powers; immortality, the ability to fly or live in the clouds, the power to have absolute control over natural phenomenon and other humans, a prodigious amount of strength and endurance. A lot of the over-powered super-heroes in the DC-verse were, I feel, created for the same innate reason.

In this capacity, Batman represents the same hope that science, which has enabled humans to ‘live in the sky’ like the gods of antiquity, fly and extend lifespans, represents in real life. The hope called transhumanism. The hope that one day, through our ingenuity and determination, we humans too, like the gods of old, will have the powers we have always envied in our fictional deities and comic-book superheroes.

On the various Batman vs Superman threads on internet forums, it is not that Batman fans are not aware of the fact that, if he wants to, Superman can destroy Batman in a microsecond by sending a laser beam from space or slitting his throat. It’s not that they do not know that Superman is invincible. They root for Batman precisely because he is far inferior to Superman in terms of power. The fact that an ordinary human can even manage to stand-up to a god is inspiring. It gives us hope.

In terms of ideology, I feel that Batman profoundly trumps Superman. Batman is this silent vigilante, an ordinary human with no super-powers working to avenge the tragic death of his parents and create a world where people don’t have to live in fear and no one has to face the pain he faced. A world where no other child has to see his parents murdered before his or her eyes. He has flaws which he tries to overcome, struggles he has to face, demons he is haunted by.

One cannot talk about Batman without bringing his archenemy, the Joker, into the discussion. A considerable amount of people make the mistake of making the Joker out to be the villain of the epic. I feel that a simplistic “ying-yang” outlook to Batman and the Joker is not only inaccurate but also fails to explain the plot of a lot of canon and non-canon parts of the story including that of “The Killing Joke”. It is my personal opinion that the Joker is someone who Batman could easily have turned into, and Batman is aware of this fact. Analysing the stories in a more careful manner makes it evident that underlying Batman’s determination to prevent the Joker from wreaking havoc on Gotham, more than hatred there is sympathy. Sympathy both for the Joker and for himself, two people moulded by great tragedy.

As an ending note, the reason I love the Batman is because his greatest power is not super-speed or infinite strength, but empathy and humanity. His weaknes is not kryptonite but his self-imposed vow to never kill a fellow being, even if it’s the Joker. He is not invincible, he can die from every bullet that almost hits him and from every grappling-hook shot that almost misses, he faces death every single night, yet he keeps rising… again and again and again… showing the world that you don’t need super-powers to be a hero. You do not need to be super-human to save the world, you just need to be human.