Batman As A Symbol

One of the key themes in Batman Begins when it came to setting up Batman is the idea of him as a symbol, that he is someone that can inspire people, people they can look up to and believe they can be a better person because of it. Honestly, even though I love the movie and a lot of adaptations have taken up this stance with Batman (Both before and after Begins) it’s not Batman…at all. When you talk about a superhero, specifically a DC Superhero that is a symbol of hope, someone to look up to and believe you can be better…that’s not Batman, that’s Superman. Superman is the symbol of hope and inspiration that people can be better, that’s why he doesn’t wear a mask and freely interacts with the public. Batman is a legend, a myth, he doesn’t inspire hope in the public, he injects fear into criminals to dissuade them from becoming criminals in the first place. Bruce Wayne has seen and experienced tragedy first hand, his parents gunned down in an alleyway right in front of him, that night, Bruce Wayne died and in the ashes Batman was born, and that’s why Batman exists, to make sure no other eight-year-old boy will ever have to go through the same type of trauma. That’s why he took in Dick Grayson, because he was a reminder of his own failure, a boy who went through the exact thing that inspired Batman to become Batman. And it was so important that Dick didn’t end up like Batman, he still has a sense of humour, a life outside of crime fighting, an optimistic attitude. It’s why I dislike the idea of John Blake or Terry McGuiness becoming Batman after Bruce Wayne, because that destroys the entire concept of why Batman exists. He is Batman, so no one else will ever have to be Batman.