Batman/Superman

For my final essay, I would love to explore the famous dichotomy of Batman and Superman. In the class, we are presented to the pair in the form of former allies, now starkly divided by their respective upholding and distain of an unjust law, in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.

            In the Dark Knight Returns, Batman and Superman are represented as polar opposite in terms of where they stand in the modern day. Bruce Wayne is an old man now, not quite what he used to be, on the outside. He has given up his acts of vigilantism, because of a truce the superhumans of yesteryear came to with the United States government. Meanwhile, Clark Kent is still as young and vibrant as he had ever been. Inside, however, Clark has become pacifistic towards the ways of man; instead of being a hero to the people, he is a puppet of the government. Clark’s values as an individual sway him to avoid conflict and take orders from whoever is wearing the badge. Even as civilians, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent stand as opposites.

            The difference between the two is exacerbated, if not defined by, when they are in costume. Clark Kent’s Superman, stands tall, colorful, all-powerful, and is unafraid of opposition. He doesn’t even wear a mask! Superman is a stark contrast to Bruce Wayns’s Batman: clad in black, residing in the shadows, essentially powerless is you look past his fighting skills and awesome gadgets.

            On a baser level, Batman stands for vengeance, whilst Superman stands for authority. Interestingly both vengeance and authority can be interpreted as a symbol for justice. Batman’s is a more personal struggle against crime as his very origins are steeped in it. Superman, however, is the child of fortune. Raised by country folk, Superman was taught a healthy respect for law and order above all things.

            One can begin to see oppositions in Batman and Superman that parallel political ideologies. Superman, the Man of Tomorrow, is an immigrant from the planet Krypton, raised in the heartland of America. He learns to use his seemingly infinite powers for the good of the people who brought him in. Superman is in a way the embodiment of the American Dream; he is an immigrant, who came to America and made a place for himself in the world. One could go on to note, that he, as with the American dream, is twisted in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Whenever the government has become biased, authoritarian and overpowered, so too has Superman.

            For Batman, after his parent’s tragic demise, he lived a life of financial comfort with the billions he inherited. But Bruce Wayne was so distraught by his parents’ death that he vowed to solemnly avenge them by pouring every ounce of his being into his crusade against crime. Where Superman is the embodiment of the American dream, Batman is the embodiment of the human condition; he is stubborn, resourceful, seemingly powerless, but in possession of a willpower that is second to none. He is an embodiment of what every person can be whenever they give themselves over to a cause bigger than themselves. For Batman, in The Dark Knight Returns, he has become old and frail and in need of a legacy; just as the human spirit is impermanent, and in need of remembrance.