The Accelerationist Philosophy of Batman’s League of Shadows

Bruce Wayne’s anarchic rivals seek “harmony” — but only through violent societal collapse

“No one can save Gotham. When a forest grows too wild, a purging fire is inevitable and natural. Tomorrow the world will watch in horror as its greatest city tears itself apart, through fear. The movement back to harmony will be unstoppable this time.”

Henri Ducard, Batman Begins

Christopher Nolan’s Batman films are considered some of the best comic-based films ever produced. They are visually stunning, action-packed, and boast excellent soundtracks. But the Batman films also carry a unique philosophical message that increasingly appears today.

Bruce Wayne’s enemies, the League of Shadows, attempt to correct the problems they see in Gotham City. To do this, they advance an accelerationist political agenda. In order to restore balance to a corrupt city, they will let it burn.

What is Accelerationism?

Accelerationism is a philosophy adopted by both left and right factions that argues society must get worse before it gets better.

In Marxist terms, this meant capitalism. Marx believed the widening contradictions between labor and capital would inevitably come to a head and lead to unavoidable revolution. Capitalists would concentrate almost all of society’s wealth amongst themselves and the lower classes would have essentially no economic or political power. At this point, the working class would have to rise up and establish a socialist state.

In achieving lasting change, there were two philosophies: reform and revolution. In the 19th century, many socialists preferred nonviolent reform, but revolutionaries insisted liberal capitalist democracy would never let this happen. Any reforms would threaten the ruling class’s interests.

The only solution, they argued, was to allow a revolution to happen. And if this meant “accelerating” the intensification of capitalism and inequality to foment a revolution, it would be a worthy cause.

From a right-wing perspective, accelerationism embodied an ethnic form. Right-wing extremists seeking to establish a whites-only or Aryan ethnostate used the same philosophy to justify starting a race war. They would commit hate-crimes to degrade race relations and inevitably push society to segregate itself.

On either side, the method of accelerationism is using suffering and increasing chaos to force change upon society. And this is exactly what Batman’s League of Shadows plans to do.

Let Society Burn

The League of Shadows, a philosophically accelerationist band of assassins, is originally Bruce Wayne’s ally. They take him in after his parents’ murder and offer him the fighting skills he needs to avenge their deaths. But he quickly breaks ties as soon as he learns League’s true motives.

Henri Ducard, Bruce’s sensei, states their intention to save Gotham City by destroying it. Gotham, he explains, had become corrupt, decadent, and crime-ridden. The poorest residents could scarcely call their existence “lives” in this state. When Bruce’s philanthropic parents tried to save the city with public assistance, they were killed by the very problem they had tried to solve: crime spurred by the city’s poverty.

Much like historical accelerationist Marxists, the League rejects the efficacy of reform. A few good actors cannot make a meaningful difference and restore balance to society. Rather, a single, unquestionably powerful reckoning had to occur. Gotham had to tear itself apart so that the survivors could rebuild a more dignified state.

This is why Ducard and the League of Shadows liberate Arkham Asylum and attempt to spread poison gas throughout the city; they believe temporary anarchy will promote future prosperity.

A Problematic Philosophy

In terms of the Batman series, the League’s views can be logically problematic. We don’t know what the League of Shadows’ ideal society looks like — only that they see Gotham as the opposite of whatever that is. Ducard never defines his idea of “harmony” — granted, its not essential to Batman’s plot.

But in a broader sense, accelerationism is very logically problematic and rests on shaky pillars.

Firstly, its reliance on chaos. If one wants to achieve a political goal through accelerating chaos, how can one be certain that goal is the direct result of chaos? A good test of this came with the emergence of fascism. In 1930s Germany, one could argue that the extreme contradictions in capitalism might precipitate a communist revolution. Instead, disaffected Germans rallied behind fascism. When the means are chaos, one should expect the ends to be chaotic.

Secondly, accelerationism is short-sighted and potentially disregards inherent human behaviors. If Gotham City tore itself apart and a certain number of people remained, who’s to say they wouldn’t recreate the same dismal conditions? The Soviet Union similarly purged itself of a parasitic upper class, only to find a new oligarchic class emerge in the bureaucracy and later in the modern Russian Federation.

Accelerationism certainly sounds satisfying. Drain the swamp, burn it down, start anew. But the moral hazard associated with ripping a society apart can undermine its future aspirational ideals.

It might be an appealing idea to just wipe the slate clean and start over. But as long as you’re drawing the same picture, you’ve changed nothing.

Sources:

Ambler, C. (2015). Is Consuming Like Crazy the Best Way to End Capitalism? Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gq87mw/is-consuming-like-crazy-the-best-way-to-end-capitalism-050

Beauchamp, Z. (2019, November 11). Accelerationism: The obscure idea inspiring white supremacist killers around the world. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/11/11/20882005/accelerationism-white-supremacy-christchurch

Nolan, C. (Director). (n.d.). Batman begins [Video file].