Batman —An American Mr. Hyde?
Author(s): Andreas Reichstein
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Amerikastudien / American Studies, Vol. 43, No. 2 (1998), pp. 329-350
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Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde?
Andreas Reichstein
ABSTRACT
Overthepastyears,
comic-book
characters
as partofpopularculture
haveincreasingly
drawn
theattention
oftheacademic
world.
thecomplex
ofcomicbooks,onefigure
Throughout
history
hassurvived
fornearly
a specialcultstatus:
Batman.
Thisarticle
not
sixty
yearsandhasachieved
butalsocompares
Batmanto a
onlytriesto analyzethiscreation
byBob KaneandBillFinger
of prominence:
RobertLouisStevenson's
Dr. Jekyll/Mr.
literary
figure
Hyde.Thiscomparison
thatthetwofictional
charactersBruceWayneand Dr.
goes beyondtheobvioussimilarity
bothleada doublelifeandchangeintoan alteregobynight.
On thevarious
levelsoflitJekyllandreligion,
thisarticle
triestoprobeintothebasictraits
erarycriticism,
history,
psychoanalysis,
ofthesetwofigures
andtofindouthowmuchmorethetwohaveincommon.
In 1886,RobertLouis Stevensonwrotehis story"The StrangeCase of Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde," and in 1939,Robert (Bob) Kane and William(Bill) Fingercreated
the comicfigureBatman.Thus,1996 markedthe 110thbirthdayof the infamousEdward Hyde,and in 1999,Batman will celebratehis 60thbirthday.
These dates alone
would hardlysufficefor a comparisonof these two characters-the firsta literary
figureand the second a comic-bookcharacter.The questionis whattheyreallyhave
in common.There are at least two things:theyare both fictionalcharactersand are
both figureswithalteregos whichtheychange into more or less deliberately-Dr.
Jekyllinto Edward Hyde and Bruce Wayneinto Batman.As unique as theymight
be in theirrespectivegenres,theywere not reallyoriginals;Batman,at least,had
definiteforerunners.
The comic-strip
scene changedcompletelyin 1929 whenthe firstadventurecomics
the
appearedin the newspapers.
Thoughthe genrehad thusfarbeen "simply"funny,
economiccrisisin the UnitedStatescalled forcharactersotherthanthefunnyanimal
characters,daydreamersand happy-go-lucky
figures that populated the comic
The GreatDepressioncalled forheroeswho
strips-or "funnies"-in thenewspapers.
could set an exampleby showinghow to solve the biggestproblemsin timesof crisis
how to cope withindividualdifficult
situations.On 7 January
and,thus,demonstrate
the
first
comic
created
Harold
Foster
Tarzan
1929,
appeared,
by
(1892-1982)afterthe
novelsof Edgar Rice Burroughs.
On the verysame day,thefirstscience-fiction
comic
was published:Buck Rogers,createdby RichardCalkins (1895-1962),JohnF. Dille
(1887-1957),and PhilipFrancisNowlan (1888-1940)afterthe latteťs novelArmaggedon-2419 A. D. Many adventure-and eventuallydetective-comics
were to follow.
The electionof FranklinD. Rooseveltas the 32nd Presidentof the United Statesin
1933 did not changethe economicproblemsof the United States overnight.
Unemploymentin 1933 was as highas 25 percent.It was stilla timeforheroes.And it also
was a timeof escapism.Most of the comicstripsof thattimetransported
the reader
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330
AndreasReichstein
to farawayplaces: exoticlocationslike whitebeaches on a blue ocean or thejungle,
distanthistoryand even outer space.1This appealed to a growingnumberof adult
readersas well as to theyoungerones.
At the age of sixteen,two high school friends,
JerrySiegel (1915-1996)and Joe
Shuster(1914-1992),went beyond the adventurestorieswith human figuresand
pushed the frontierof escapismfurtherby creatingthe firstsuperhero:Superman.
Theydid not finda publisherforthiscreationrightaway,though.It was not untilsix
yearslater,in June1938,thatthe firstthirteen-page
Supermanstoryappeared in a
new comicmagazinecalled ActionComics.2The Americanpublic,stilltroubledby a
low grossnationalproductand highunemployment,
made thisnew figurean instant
success;especiallythe youngergenerationfellforSuperman.He was an originalfigure withouta predecessorin any othercomicstrip,the movies,or literature.3
To cash
in on thissuccess,VincentSullivan,the editorof Action Comics,commissionedthe
The 21-year-old
youngcomicartistBob Kane (1916-*)to drawup anothersuperhero.4
Kane, who did not want simplyto copy Superman,createdanothersuperheroover
theweekend:Batman.The firststoryfeaturing
Batmanappearedin DetectiveComics
betweenSuper27, in May 1939,and was an instantsuccessas well.The differences
man and Batmanare striking,
though.Althoughbothhave a dual identity,
Superman,
forexample,is nothuman.
As a baby,Kal-El, the son of scientistJor-Elon the planetKrypton,is sent away
fromhishomeplaneton a spaceshipto escape Krypton'sfinaldestruction.
The space1 See WilliamH.
Young,Jr.,"The SeriousFunnies:AdventureComicsduringtheDepression,
Journalof PopularCulture3.3 (Winter1969):404-27.
1929-1938,"
2A
veryimportant
changeforthe comicstripwhichin a way paved the way forthe superheroeswas the appearanceof the firstcomicmagazinein 1933:DetectiveDan, SecretOperation
or comics,
48,publishedby theHumorPublishingCompanyin Chicago.Up to then,thefunnies,
had been publishedas stripsin thenewspapers.
thenewspapersissuedcompilations
Occasionally,
of one of theirseries,like Harry"Bud" Fisher'sMuttand Jeff
in 1911.In 1929,theDell PublishingCompanypublishedthefirstcomicbooksin theclassiccomic-bookformaton a regularbasis,
butthesewerereprints
of comicstripsthathad appearedbeforeonlyin newspapers.
For thehistoryof the first"real" comicbooks withoriginalcartoonsand theireconomicinfluenceon the
comic-strip
productionsee Roger Sabin,AdultComics(London:Routledge,1993) 139-43;Jerry
Robinson,The Comics:An Illustrated
Historyof ComicStripArt(New York:G. P.Putnam'sSons,
1974) 109-60;Roger Sabin,Comics,Comix& GraphicNovels:A Historyof ComicArt(London:
PhaidonPress,1996) 11-44;and GünterMetken,Comics(Frankfurt/Main:
Fischer,1970)64.
3
"The thirties
werea periodof trial,and manyof us lostour old
StephenBeckerremembers:
faithin the traditional
virtues.
The gangsterwas an Americaninstitution,
a salientfigurein fact
and fiction.
Warwas imminent
in Europe;Hitlerseemedthepersonification
of absoluteevilwith
unlimitedpower.Supermanmay have been partlya wishfulfillment:
hesitantto acceptbattle
withthe evil loose in the world,parentsquietlyapprovedthe presenceof thisfictionalstrong
manwho could have been sucha comfort
had he existed"(StephenBecker,ComicArtinAmerica [NewYork:Simonand Schuster,
1959]241).
4 See Mike Benton,
SuperheroComicsof theGoldenAge (Dallas: Taylor,1992) 23. Bentonis
to theinterview
withBob Kane himself:
ThomasAndrae,"Originsof theDark Knight:
referring
A ConversationwithBatmanArtistsBob Kane and JerryRobinson,"Overstreet
Comic Book
Price Guide 19 (Cleveland,TN: OverstreetPublications,
1989) 25-28.A different
storyis toldin
Franco Fossati,"Kane, Bob," Dos Grosse Illustrierte
Ehapa Comic Lexikon (Stuttgart:
Ehapa
Verlag,1993).Accordingto thatbook,WhitEllsworthfromDC ComicsapproachedBob Kane
and Bill Fingerto drawup a newfigurethatcouldcompetewithSuperman'ssuccess.
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Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde?
331
shiplandson Earth,and Kal-El is foundby thechildlesscouple Marthaand Jonathan
Kent of Smallville.Theyraisetheboy,who discoversthaton Earthhe has superpowAs an adult,he keeps his superpowersa secret
ers because of the different
sunlight.
and leads a double lifeas thejournalistClarkKent,who worksfortheDaily Planet,a
newspaperof thecityof Metropolis.If someoneis in dangeror ifa catastrophelooms
on thehorizon,ClarkKent turnsintoSupermanto save thosein danger.At thesame
He is the embodimentof the
time,Supermanpersonifiesthe absolutecrime-fighter.
which
the
is obviouslyinapplicableto
"crime
does
not
a
way,
phrase
pay"- phrase,by
was
born
in a clearlydefinedpothe
character
of
the publishers.5
Though
Superman
he
has
liticalcontextand out of a socio-political
need,
adaptedto thevariouspolitical
situationsof theUnitedStates.DuringWorldWar II, he foughtthe Nazis,and during
He was not alone in his struggle
the Cold War he stood up againstcommunists.
of
the
American
the
enemies
of
way of life and of the United
democracy,
against
Statesin general.In thewake of Supermanand Batman,a wholearmyof superheroes
populatedtheAmericancomic-bookmarketin the 1940sand 50s.
In contrastto Superman,Batman is human.The only child of the millionaire
ThomasWayneand his wifeMartha,as a youngboy Bruce is witnessto themurderof
his parentsby a streetrobber.Swearingrevenge,he dedicateshis lifeto crime-fightby day,he is themillionaireplayboyBruce
ing.Like Superman,he has a dual identity:
in contrastto
his appearanceis striking,
into
Batman.
Even
he
turns
Wayne;by night,
blue
with a red
in
colorsWhile
is
dressed
basically
bright
Superman
Superman.
and
with
a
hood
and
costume
in
black
Batman
wears
a
dark
cape.
Supergray,
capewhereasBatman appears mainlyby
man's adventurestake place in broad daylight,
lives and works,has
whereClark Kent/Superman
night.The fictionalcityMetropolis,
a strikingresemblance to Manhattan. Gotham City, the hometown of Bruce
darkplace.One of themanyBatmaneditorsof DC, Denis a sinister,
Wayne/Batman,
nis O'Neil, put it thisway:"Gothamis Manhattanbelow FourteenthStreetat 3 a.m.,
November28 in a cold year.Metropolisis ManhattanbetweenFourteenthand One
sunniestJulyday of theyear."6Although
Hundredand TenthStreetson thebrightest,
betweenthetwocomicthereare manymoreoutward,easilyrecognizabledifferences
is the changethe Batmanfigurehas underthe biggestdissimilarity
book characters,
the decades,whilethe Supermancharacterhas stayedthe same.He
gone throughout
is not onlyspecialin the long line of superheroesbecause of his success- which,in a
way,is comparableonlyto thatof Superman-but also because of the manyinterpreand even alterationsthedarkcrusaderhas experienced.
tations,
modifications,
The firstchange,as a matterof fact,came verysoon afterhis creation.In thebeginas the villainshe pursued,he was also as
ning,Batmanwas not onlyas threatening
brutalas theywere:"In the firstyear,Batman had been a grimvigilantewho operated outsidethe law.In severalearlyissues of Detectivehe even carrieda gun."7He
5 See R. С
(MünReitbergerand WolfgangFuchs,Comics:AnatomieeinesMassenmediums
chen:dtv,1971) 134.
6 Dennis O'Neil, as
qtd. in Bill Boichel,"Batman:Commodityas Myth,"The Many Lives of
theBatman,ed. RobertaE. Pearsonand WilliamUricchio(New York:Routledge,Chapmanand
Hall, 1991)4-17;9.
7 Bob Kane,Batman& Me
(Forestville:
Eclipse Books,1989) 45.
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332
AndreasReichstein
did notonlycarrya gun;in thefirstissue of hismagazine,Batmanevenkilleda criminal withit.This sinisterbeginningactuallyhas to be creditedto Kane's co-creatorof
Batman,Bill Finger(1914-1974).The two men had met at a partyin 1938 and,subcollaboratedon severaladventurecomics.The firstBatmansketchesKane
sequently,
createdhad the bat-wingedman wearingonlya mask along withhis red suit.It was
to make theeye slitstinyand mysFinger'sidea to add a cowl,bat-ears,and gauntlets;
teriousand to make the suitblue-gray.
also
wrote
thefirsttwostories.In addiFinger
it
was
who
Batman
his
other
Bruce
tion,
Finger
gave
identity,
Wayne,and namedBatman'shome-townGothamCity.In thespringof 1940,it was evidentthatBatmanwas
a growingsuccess,and DC Comics gave him his own magazine.At thattime,Bob
Kane hiredthe youngartistJerry
Robinson(1923-*)who soon provedto be invaluable. Some say it was his idea to add a youthful
sidekickin orderto make thecomic
more appealingto youngerchildren.Withthe creationof Robin,the Boy Wonder,
a.k.a.Dick Grayson,supporting
characterslike Alfred,thebutler,and Police CommissionerGordon,and the indispensablearrayof villainslike the Joker,the Penguin,
Catwomanand Two-Face,the cast of characterswas complete.In Juneof 1948,Bill
themilestonestory"The OriginofBatFingerfinallygave Batmanhispast bywriting
man"in Batman47.
The firstchangein Batmanoccurredwiththe additionof Robin,givingthethusfar
sinistervigilantesome responsibility,
as he was now a mentorand protector.
He also
startedcooperatingwiththepolice,who wouldcall himwhenneeded withtheBatsigBecause of the huge successof thiscomiccharacter,
ColumbiaPictures
nal-spotlight.
Lewis Wilsonas Batmanand Douglas
produceda 15-partfilmserialin 1943,starring
Croftas Robin.Payingtheirtributeto thewar effort,
Batmanand Robin had to fight
againsttheJapanesevillainDr. Daka, portrayedbyJ.CarrollNaish.Thisscreendebut
of Batman,however,was a failure.Bob Kane remembered:
"I anticipatedseeingBatman broughtto the screenforthefirsttime,but myenthusiasm
soon turnedto disapor shouldI saymiscasting,
ofBatman
My frustration
pointment.
beganwiththecasting,
and Robin.The actorplayingBatmanwas an overweight
chap named Lewis Wilson,
who shouldhave been forcedto go on dietbeforetakingtherole."8AlthoughColumbia issued anotherfilmserialBatman& Robin in 1949,starringRobertLoweryand
JohnDuncan,itwas notuntil1966thatthecaped crusaderroseto screenprominence.
By that time,the comic industryhad faced criticaltimes.In his crusade against
crimeand sexualperversionduringthe 1940sand 1950s,thepsychiatrist
FredericWerthamattackedthe comic-bookindustry
forcontributing
to the delinquencyof juveniles.The same yearin whichhe publishedhisbook Seductionof theInnocent?theinComics Code Authority
to tame the
dustryreactedwithestablishinga self-policing
8 Kane 125,127.
OnlytheactorplayingtheevilDr. Daka, J.CarrolNaish,rose to someprominencewhenhe was twicenominatedforan AcademyAward(in 1943and 1945).WilliamSchoell
seemsto have likedtheserials,althoughhe admits:"Batmanand Robinis an engagingserial,but
it has littleof the atmosphereof the earlycomicstories.Everything
seemsto happenin broad
withBatman rarelyif ever engagingin nocturnalactivity.
Batman and Robin themdaylight,
selves are grim,humorless,
and businesslikein theirvariousguises,but thisjust makes them
moredull than'dark'" (WilliamSchoell,Comic Book Heroes of theScreen[New York:Citadel
Press,1991]73).
9
NY: KennikatPress,1972).
(1954;PortWashington,
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Batman-AnAmerican
Mr.Hyde?
333
contentsof comics.10
Batmandid not remainunaffected
by thischangeof attitudein
Americansociety.BruceWayne'srelationship
to Dick Grayson,whomhe had adopted
and who livedwithhimat his mansion,was denouncedas homosexual.Werthamsaw
themas thehomosexual'sdreamof twomen livingtogether.11
The producersreacted,
and slowlyRobin disappeareduntilhe was leftout of the Batmancomicsaltogether.
The explanationwas thathe had gone to college.The figureof Batmanchangeddratoo,though.Fromthe Dark Knight,he turnedinto some benignscoutmasmatically,
ter.Insteadof chasingcriminalsin darkalleys,he began fighting
robotsas well as aliens and receivedhelp fromadditionalpettycharacterssuchas Bathound,Bat-Mite(a
it seemed only
gnomefromanotherdimension),Batwomanand Batgirl.Therefore,
naturalthatWilliamDozier protestedheavilywhen he was approachedby the head
of televisionproductionat TwentiethCenturyFox, WilliamFox, to produce an animatedBatmanseriesforthetelevisionchannelABC in 1965.
WilliamDozier protestedbecause he could notenvisionsuccessforan animatedseriesbased on a ratherridiculouscartoonairedon prime-time:
"I feltlike an idiot.So I
read all thesethings[theBatmancomicbooks] and thoughttheymustbe out of their
minds.It was all so juvenile.Then a verysimple idea struckme and that was to
overdoit.If you overdidit,I thoughtit would be funnyto adultsand yetit would be
to kids."12
As a result,thistelevisionseries,whichstartedbroadcastingon
stimulating
12 January1966 at 7:30 p.m.,became a cult series.Between 1966 and 1968,120 episodes were shownand gaineda wide audience.Adam Westas Bruce Wayne/Batman
and BurtWardas Dick Grayson/Robin
became famousmorefortheirhilariousdialogue thanforthe action.Havingbeen informedby his publisherin 1965 thatunless
sales of the comicbooks pickedup the nextyear,Batmanwould be dead, Bob Kane
of theTV show,althoughhe admitted:"My own opinion
enjoyedthegreatpopularity
is thatit was a marvelousspoof,and greatforwhatit was,but it certainlywasn'tthe
definiteBatman."13Despite its highratings,thisTV series markedthe decline and
even anti-climax
of Batman.The once frightening
avengerand creatureof the night
had become a funny,
even ridiculousparodyof an actionhero.This mightwell have
been theend of Batman.
Only a fewof the superheroeswere leftanyway.Theirgolden age had been over
sincethe 1950s.Afterhopelessnessduringthe Depressionand the enemiesof America duringWorldWarII, theirlastbattleground
had been thedangersof thenewlyinventedatomicbomb.Comicbooks sold less and less duringthe 1950sand 1960s.More
and more,the Americankids turnedfromthe paintedimage of the comics to the
movingimageof thenewestmedium:television.In 1947,14,000familiesin theUnited
Statesowneda TV; tenyearslater,thisfigurehad risento 35 million.In the 1960s,the
10Werthamwas not alone in his battle
againstthe evil influencecomicswere supposed to
have.See, forinstance,
Ron Goulart,TheAssaulton Childhood(London:Gollancz,1970);Hilde
kindlicher
Neurosen(Köln-KlettenMosse,Die Bedeutungder Massenmediafürdie Entstehung
A Sign for Cain (New York:
berg:Volkswartbund,
1954); and once again FredericWertham,
Macmillan,1966).
11Wertham,
Seductionof theInnocent190.
11WilliamDozier is
forthe
qtd.in Bob Garcia,"PlayingtheCaped CrusaderTongue-in-Cheek
24-25(February1994):8-63;17.
'60s,"Cinefantastique
10Kane 135.
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334
AndreasReichstein
averageincomeof familiesin the UnitedStatesrose about 85 percent.The 1950sand
60s werea timeof economicgrowthand risingwealthin the UnitedStates;therewas
no need for superheroesanymore.There were growingsocial problems,and the
comic-bookartiststriedtheirbest to fitthe charactersinto thischangedsocietyby
heroessolve thedevelopingsocial and ecologicalproblems.But
makingtheremaining
thiswas no more than the last quiver of a dyingspecies.The figureof Superman
in the stratosphere:
"I'm called themostpowsummedit up bestin 1984 whileflying
erfulman on earth,and I maybe- but ifI STILL am,I won'tbe forlong.Today,the
SUPERPOWERS of earthare powersof greatnations-of presidentsand premiers!
Theirpowersare greaterthanthatof anyman- even a SUPERMAN!"14Thiskindof
swan song mighthave held true for Batman,too, if a dramaticand fundamental
changehad notbeen broughtaboutby a youngcomicartist:FrankMiller(1957-*).
Millerhad alreadyachievedcultstatuswhenhe createdthe graphicnovelBatman:
The Dark KnightReturnsin 1986. It was the firstcomic of its kind,and it set new
standards.It was publishedin book form,not as a magazine.Throughits lengthand
it came close to beingnovelisticas well.Milleralso introducedinnovative
complexity,
formovieproductions;
graphicelementsthatcame fromthetechniquesof storyboards
his cutsfromscene to scene,his choiceof variousperspectives
and different
anglesas
well as the compositionof the variouspages remindthe reader more of an action
moviethanthe flatworldof the comics.It was not theseformalaspectsalone,however,whichcreateda sensationin the comic world;it was also the contentsof his
work.For thefirsttimein thehistoryof comics,Millerintroducedtheelementof time
in the sense of characterdevelopment:his Batman was aging.Bruce Wayne,in his
is bitteraftera ten-yearretirement
fromhis Batmanidentity;
he is suicidal
mid-fifties,
and an alcoholic.Bruce Waynenow livesin a modernmass-mediasociety,
"in a world
thathas renderedhim obsolete."15He is not drivenby self-doubts,
though.Miller's
Batmanis a fanatic,undemocratic
and brutalfighter
againstevil as he sees it.He also
meetsan unaged,unalteredSupermanwho seemsto have changedintoAmerica'slast
defenseweapon underthe commandof U. S. PresidentReagan. At the end of the
novel,Supermanand Batmanfighteach otherin mortalcombat.It is notjust a fight
betweentwo superheroesalone- Supermanrepresentsthe obedient,submissiveservant of mainstreamAmerica and Batman the nonconformist,
independent,antiauthoritarian
individualwho livesand acts by his own rules,his own moralstandards.
This comicnovel not onlyset new standardsin the worldof comics,but also in the
further
developmentof theBatmanfigure.Manygraphicnovelsand comicbooks followed Miller's The Dark KnightReturns,and some achieved nearlythe same cult
statusas Batman:YearOne byMillerand David Mazzucchelliin 1987,and TheKilling
JokebyAlan Moore and BrianBolland one yearlater.Thus,thegroundwas prepared
fora newfilmadaptationof thiscomic-bookcharacter.
Afterthe greatsuccess of the true-to-the-comic-book
adaptationof Supermanin
1978 by RichardDonner,withChristopher
Reeves as the superhero,
the Hollywood
14
SupermanNo. 395 (1984):23.
15
ChristopherSharrett,"Batman and the IWilightof the Idols: An InterviewwithFrank
Miller,"The Many Lives of theBatman,ed. Roberta E. Pearson and WilliamUricchio(New
York:Routledge,Chapmanand Hall, 1991) 33-46;33.
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Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde?
335
studioWarnerBrothersboughtthe rightsto the caped crusaderfromDC Comics.It
was not untilMiller'srecreationof Batman,though,thatthe conceptforthe Batman
Tim BurtonbroughtBatmanto
movietook shape.In 1989,then,twenty-nine-year-old
thescreenwithMichaelKeaton in thetitlerole.Fromthebeginning,
it had been clear
to the producersthatonlyJackNicholsoncould be Batman'sopponent:the Joker.It
took quite a whilelongerto findthe rightactorforthe maincharacter,
and whenthe
thousand
choice was announced,WarnerBrotherswas floodedwithmore thanfifty
Even
Kane
was
shocked:
letters
from
Batman
fans
all
around
the
world.
Bob
protest
Tim's
I
had
envisioned
the
movie
Batman
to
be
similar
was
stunned
choice.
"I, too,
by
Whereasmyherowas a muscularsix-foot-two
and granto mycomicbook character.
ite jawed, Keaton was a mere five-ten,
had a slightbuild,and lacked chiseledfeatures."16
Tim Burtonhad not pickedKeaton just forfun,though.He had developed
in a certainway:
his ownvisionof Batman,whichfollowedtheMillerinterpretation
I had considereda lot of people forthe role,but I just could not see themputtingon a
batsuit.The idea of someonelike Michaeldressingup as a bat made a lot moresense to
me thansomeonewiththeclassiccomicbook image.If theguyis handsomeand big and
it is almostmoreof a joke to have himput on the costume.The characterhad to
strong,
foundation
fordoingit,and Michaelwas perfectbecause
have some kindofpsychological
all youhave to do is look at himand yougetthefeelingthathe is a littleschizophrenic.17
Burton'sBatmanis even moresinisterin appearancethanMiller'scomicversion.In
thismovie,as in the two subsequentones,Batman Returnsby Tim Burtonin 1992
and Batman Foreverby Joel Schumacherin 1995,Batman is no longerwearinga
gray suit with dark blue hood, cape, gloves and boots,but is clad completelyin
black.This rubbersuit gives the impressionof armor,more than a simpledisguise.
Batmanhad changedonce again and had trulybecome the Dark Knight.In addition
to the visual changes,Batmanin all threemoviestriesto analyzehis own personalAssessinghis double life,he is criticaltoityand expressesthoughtsof self-distrust.
in a few weak moments.Despite
wardshimselfand even shows signsof insecurity
the heavycriticism
Burton'sfirstBatmanmoviemetwithdue to the castingof Keaton and his interpretation
of thiscomicfigure,it neverthelessstarteda new Batman
Because
of
this
WarnerBrothersproducedan
hysteria.18
newlyinflamedpopularity,
even an animatedmovie:Batman:Mask
animatedtelevisionseriesand,subsequently,
of the Phantom(1993). In 1997,anotherBatman movie hit the screen:Batman &
Robin by Joel Schumacher.With actor George Clooney as the masked superhero,
Schumacherdepartedfromthe firsttwo Batman movies even more than withhis
firstmovieBatmanForever.In tryingto make it as colorful,noisyand action-packed
as the early comic books,he abandoned all logic and psychologicalinterpretation:
"Not thatthat'sa problemforthisnew film,Batman and Robin,whichappears to
have lost all interestin Bruce Wayne- the notionof a double lifebeingtoo muchof
16Kane 145.
17Tim Burtonas
qtd. in JodyDuncan Shannon,"A Dark and StormyKnight,"Cinefex41
(February1990):4-33;8.
18For thereactionof fansto theBatmanmoviesee,forinstance,
CamilleBacon-Smithand TyroneYarbrough,
"Batman:The Ethnography,"
The Many Lives of theBatman,ed. Pearsonand
Uricchio90-116.
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336
AndreasReichstein
a brainachefor a scriptthatdoesn't bothergivingits charactersany sortof life in
the firstplace."19Both movieand animatedseriesfollowedneitherMiller'snor Burton's new conceptof the masked crusader,but ratherresembledthe styleof Bob
Kane, thusclosingthe circle.
Withtheseunparalleledchangesof a comic-bookcharacterand in viewof a poputhatacademicseventually
laritythatspansnearlysix decades,it maynotbe surprising
annihave turnedtheirattentionto thispopularculturephenomenon.On thefiftieth
of
Mass
at
State
of
teachers
Communication
University
Pennsylvania
versary Batman,
set out to exploreBatmanand to "providea multifaceted
perspectiveon one of the
and diachronic
longestlived of Americanpopular heroes" because "the synchronie
and comrichnessof the characterdemandsthe applicationof a numberof different
theoretical
which
the
analytiparadigms
togetherrepresent wide-ranging
plementary
culturalstudies."20
cal perspectivesof contemporary
Theypublishedtheirresearchas
title:The Many Lives of theBatman (New
essays in a volume withthe significant
York:Routledge,Chapmanand Hall, 1991).Those authorsdealingwiththeanalysisof
Batman'scomplexcharacterdescribehimas a supercitizen,a supercop,a supporter
of the statusquo, and a crimefighter
like SherlockHolmes,JamesBond, and Philip
a forceforanarchythat
FrankMillersees Batmanas a "dionysianfigure,
Marlowe.21
imposesan individualorder."He describeshim as "borderlinepathological,he's obBatman is an extremely
violentcharacter."22
When tryingto analyzethe
sessive
characterand personalityof Batman/Bruce
Wayne,manygo back to the creatorsof
Batman and look at what inspiredthemand what theyhad in mindwhen theyinventedthecaped crusader.
Bob Kane always said that he was basicallyinfluencedby Leonardo da Vinci's
machine;by Fred Niblo's movie,The Mark of Zorro,with
drawingof a bat-likeflying
Douglas Fairbanks(1920); and by Roland West'smovie,TheBat Whispers(1930).23As
19Tom Shone,in his reviewof the new Batmanmovie,"What a Lot of
Drips,"The Sunday
Times29 June1997:sec. 11,4.
20WilliamUricchioand RobertaE. Pearson,"Introduction,"
The Many Lives of theBatman,
ed. Pearsonand Uricchio1-3;2-3.
21WilliamUricchioand RobertaE. Pearson,"I'm Not Fooled
By That Cheap Disguise,"The
ManyLives of theBatman,ed. Pearsonand Uricchio182-213;202,203,185.
22Sharrett
44,38.
23Fred Niblo's classic silentmovie The Mark of Zorro was the firstscreen
adaptationof
Johnston
McCulley's(1883-1958)serializednovel The Curse of the Capistrano.McCulleyhad
createdZorro fora pulp-fiction
Weeklyon 9 August1919.It
storywhichappearedin All-Story
was the firstof seventy-seven
highlypopularnovels and storiesin whichthe romantichero
The popularity
of thisfictionalcharacteris unabated.After
foughtagainstinjusticeand tyranny.
manymoviesand TV series,a Zorro stageplayby David Richmondand Drew Fracheropened
in Cincinnatiin May,1993,and in February,
1995,a musicalversionby Ken Hill opened in London to ravereviews.
TheBat Whispers
was Roland West'sremakeof his silentmovieTheBat (1926) afterthestage
play The Bat (1917-1920)by Mary RobertsRinehart(1876-1958).Rinehart,the mostpopular
Americanauthorof her time,had writtenThe Bat togetherwithAveryHopand highest-paid
wood,adaptingher own novel The CircularStaircase(1907). She had collaboratedbeforewith
Hopwood,the writerof popularBroadwaycomedies.The Bat introducedsome new plot complexitiessuchas a mastercriminalknownas The Bat. She also includedplotelementsof herfirst
on
storyforthe SaturdayEveningPost,"The BorrowedHouse" (1909). For moreinformation
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Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde?
337
a result,Kane firstcreatedan ordinaryhumanbeingwhomhe gave thephysicalpowers of Douglas Fairbanks,
Sr.,and a smalldominomasklike Zorro's. Kane's reference
to thefigureof Zorro seemsto be convincing
onlyat firstglance,though.Set in Spanhome fromhis
ish Californiain the 1820s,youngDon Diego de la Vega is returning
educationin Spain only to learn that the regionhis father'sestate is located in is
ruledby the dictatorialcaptainEnrique Sanches Monastarioand his army.The peasrule of the
ants are oppressed,and the nobilityhas succumbedto the harshmilitary
in
the
Don
that
he
cannot
this
officer.
open,
Diego
Realizing
fight oppressor
Spanish
he acts like a weak coward,and secretly
assumesa dual identity:
outwardly,
instantly
he dons a black disguisewitha mask to fightCaptain Monastarioand help the oppressedas El Zorro,the fox.Like Robin Hood, Don Diego does not fightagainst
ruler.He fightsthe authoritiesto help the opcriminalsbut againstan illegitimate
law
in
an unlawfulsociety.
his
is
to
establish
pressed; quest
in
lives
a
He does not have to fightagainst
on
the
other
Batman,
hand,
democracy.
the authorities,
but ratherhelpsthe police forceto crackdown on crime.Thereis no
need forBatmanto establishlaw,sincelaw enforcement,
accordingto theConstitution
An individualmightassist the
of the United States,is the dutyof the authorities.
law enforcement
of the individa crime,but self-imposed
authorities
whenwitnessing
ual citizenin generalis illegal.In addition,Batmandoes notfightfortheoppressedbut
one mightask whyhe uses a
againstcrime.As he does notfightagainsttheauthorities,
In a democracy,
he could fightcrimewithouta disguise.One
maskto hide his identity.
because hisactionsare,at theleast,
answermightbe thathe has to hidehisrealidentity
He mightalso wear a disguisein order
outsidethecommoncode of law enforcement.
to be safefromtherevengeof thosecriminalshe pursues.RetellingthestoryBill FinFrankMiller,in Batman,Year One (DC Comics404,February
gerhad once invented,
1987) has Bruce Waynehimselfexplainhis choice of costume:"What do I use ... to
it comescrashingthroughthewindowofyour
makethemafraid?... Withoutwarning,
me...as a boy...
study... and mine.. .1have seen it before...somewhere...it frightened
I shallbecomea bat." BruceWaynenotonlywantsto fight
me...yes,father.
frightened
His costume,thus,is muchmorethana simple
thecriminals.
crime,butalso to frighten
disguiselikeZorro's blackcape and mask.
betweenZorro and Batman,however.One major
Thereis anothermajordifference
themeof the Zorro storyis his love of the fairlady Lolita,whomhe courtsas Don
traditionof praisingand courting
Diego butwinsas Zorro.Followingtheminnesinger
as
Robin
Hood singshis songsof love
Zorro
woos
Lolita
a fairlady of nobility,
just
on
the
other
forLady Marian.Batman/Bruce
hand,neithercourtsa woman,
Wayne,
nordedicateshis crusadeto a ladyhe loves.Livingwithhis butlerAlfredand theboy
elicitedthe accusationof Batman'shomosexuality
Dick Grayson/Robin
by Wertham.
The threemoviesand the animatedseries,as well as the animatedmovie,Mask of the
Phantom,portrayedthe masked crusaderas a man who loves womenbut findsno
timeto establisha lastingrelationship,
althoughhe fallsin love witha girlin every
one of thesemovies.FrankMillersumsit up: "Batmanisn'tgay.His sexual urgesare
MaryRobertsRinehart,see JanCohn,ImprobableFiction:The Life of MaryRobertsRinehart
U ofPittsburgh
P,1980).
(Pittsburgh:
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338
AndreasReichstein
so drastically
sublimatedintocrime-fighting
thatthere'sno roomforanyotheremotional activity."
Mark Cotta Vaz goes even furtherby claimingthat,in fact,Bruce
Wayne"regularly
squiredthe mostbeautifulwomenin GothamCityand presumably
had a healthysex life."24
In anycase,thereis no romanticlove themein thebasic Batmanstorysimilarto thatexperiencedbytheZorrocharacter.
This comparisonshows that the explanationsby the creatorsof Batman only
scratchthe surfaceand do not lead to a conclusiveinterpretation
of thisfictional
character.Kane, who was influencedby moviesand serials,mayhave jumped at certain featureshe saw withoutrealizingthe fullscope and subconscioustraitsof the
characterhe inventedtogetherwithBill Finger.Afterall, it had been Fingerwho
turnedthisnew creatureinto an ominous,threatening,
grimvigilanteoperatingoutside thelaw in thefirstplace.Finger,who had been inspiredby othermaskedfictional
characterslike The Shadow and The Phantom,gave creditto theseradio serials,too,
but neverrealizedthatBatman'ssimilarity
to all the otherfiguresof pulp fictionbeand
ends
with
a
gins
wearing disguise.
In general,no authoris everfullyaware of all the subconsciousundercurrents
that
influencehis work.RobertLouis Stevensonsaw that,too,as he wrotein 1891:"Unconsciousthought,
thereis the only method:macerateyoursubject,let it boil slow,
thentake the lid offand look in- and thereyourstuffis,good or bad." Whathe had
once written
aboutEdgar Allan Poe's workholdstrueforhisownwork:"The precipitate readermaystumbleunawaresupon some nightmare
not easilyto be forgotten."
To his wifehe announced,afterhavingwritten"The StrangeCase of Dr. Jekylland
Mr.Hyde" in threedays:"I have been dreaminga finebogeytale."25Havingwritten
thistale formoney,afterhis firstreal successTreasureIsland (1883) onlysaw limited
monetaryreturnsbecause of itsjuvenilemarket,Stevensonrewrotethe firstversion
of thestoryafterhiswifeFannycriticizedthesimplethriller
he
plot.As she suggested,
turnedit intoan allegoricalthriller
exposingthedualityof man'snature.
The storyis told in ten chaptersthroughthe eyes of the lawyerJ.G. Utterson,
whosefriendDr. HenryJekyllhas made up his willbequeathingnearlyeverything
to
a strange,
unknownMr.Hyde.UttersonmeetsthisHyde and is shockedbyhisevilapSir Danvers
pearance.At the same time,Jekyllis actingmore and more strangely.
Carew is murderedby EdwardHyde,who disappearsafterthisghastlycrime;and Utterson'sas well as Jekyll'sfriendand colleague Dr. Hastie Lanyon dies,leavinga
strangeletter.Finally,Jekyll'sbutlerPoole calls Uttersonto his master'shouse since
the doctorseems to have vanishedand Hyde obviouslyrampagesthroughthe doctor'sstudy.The last lettersof his friendsLanyonand Jekyllrevealthe truthto Utter24FrankMiller,as
44; MarkCottaVaz, Talesof theDark Knight:Batman'sFirst
qtd.in Sharrett
"Batman,
FiftyYears(London:FuturaPress,1989),chaps.5 and 6, as quotedin AndyMedhurst,
Deviance and Camp,"TheManyLives of theBatman,ed. Pearsonand Uricchio149-63;152.
a The first
quotationis froma letterStevensonwroteto W. Craibe Angusin November1891
T'isi(Letters[London:Heinemann,1924] 115,vol. 34 of The Worksof RobertLouis Stevenson,
tala Edition),as qtd. in Tom Hubbard,SeekingMr. Hyde: Studiesin RobertLouis Stevenson,
PeterLang,1995) 23,note26; thesecond
Symbolism,
Mythand thePre-Modern(Frankfurt/Main:
is fromRobertLouis Stevenson,"The Worksof Edgar Allan Poe," Essays Literaryand Critical
TusitalaEdi(London:Heinemann,1924) 184,vol. 28 of The Worksof RobertLouis Stevenson,
Stevensonmade to hiswifeis quotedin Hubbard23.
tion,as qtd.in Hubbard23. The statement
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Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde?
339
son:Jekyllhad compoundeda drugwithwhichhe could splitthe "primitive
dualityof
Dr. Jekyllthus transforms
himself
man." Drinkingthatpotion in a self-experiment,
intoEdwardHyde,the evil side of his personality.
Unable to controlthistransformaand more and
tion process in the long run,Jekyllturnsinto Hyde uncontrollably
morefrequently.
Unable to compoundtheremedythatturnshimintoDr. Jekyllagain
one day,Jekyll/Hyde
killshimself.
Withall the elementsof horrorand suspensein it,thisstorycapturedtheimagination of Hollywoodrightfromthe start.Of the manysilentversionsof thistale,the
JohnВ anymoreas
one JohnS. Robertsondirectedin 1920 was outstanding,
starring
the curiousdoctor.The mostprominentmovie adaptationof Stevenson'sstorywas
producedin 1932 withFredericMarchin the titlerole,who won an Oscar forhis inunderthe directionof Rouben Mamoulian.Many more were to
tense performance
du
follow.In 1959,JeanRenoir directedan impressiveFrenchversion:Le Testament
of
withJean-LouisBarraultgivinga mostimpressiveperformance
DocteurCordelier,
Withouta mask,Barraultgiveslifeto Opale, the alterego ofDr.
thisdual personality.
Cordelier,by means of acting.In such a pure form,a resemblanceto Bruce
The actualstoryby Stevenson,though,
seemsless and less convincing.
Wayne/Batman
ifone just comparesseeminglysupershowsmanyparallelsto the comic-bookfigure,
ficialcharacteristics.
LaBoth men,HenryJekylland Bruce Wayne,are richby means of inheritance.
conic Stevensonletshis Dr. Jekyllsay at the beginningof his confession:"I was born
BruceWayne,we have learnedalreadyfromthe
in theyear18- to a largefortune."26
and has inherin 1948),is the heirto "Wayneenterprises"
pen of Bill Finger(writing
ited millions.Both fictionalcharacterslive alone as bachelorswithjust theirbutlers;
as Dr. Jekyllhas hisPoole,BruceWayneis servedby theloyalAlfred-theonlyfigure
of Batmanand helpshis masterin keep(besidesRobin) who knowsthetrueidentity
Both butlersare older,formalpersons.Stevenson
ingup thesecretof his dual identity.
describesPoole as "a well-dressed,
elderlyperson,"whichalso exactlycharacterizes
Alfred.In the case of Bruce Wayne,thereis anotherfigure,however,who,duringa
certainperiod of the existenceof this comic character,lives with the millionaire:
youngDick Grayson.Despite Wertham'saccusation,all criticsso farhave deniedthe
Werthammostlyrestshis accusalies behindthisrelationship.
idea thathomosexuality
and
tionson the statementsof younghomosexualswho came to his psychotherapy,
even quoteshis clients:"I foundmyliking,mysexual desires,in comicbooks.I thinkI
The
putmyselfin thepositionof Robin.I did wantto have relationswithBatman
came
of
Batman
and
Robin
and
sex
relations
livingtogether
possiblyhaving
thought
As mentionedbefore,Batmanis drawnto theothersex despitehis into mymind."27
In the animatedseriesof 1992,thereare epiabilityto establisha lastingrelationship.
sodes whereBatmanfallsin love withwomenand even kissesthem,as in The Demon's Quest (part 2), directedby Kevin Altieriand firstbroadcaston 5 April 1993.
The animatedmovieBatman:Mask of thePhantomgoes even further
by tellingthe
26RobertLouis Stevenson,"The
StrangeCase of Dr. Jekylland Mr.Hyde,"The StrangeCase
Wordsworth
Classics,1993)
of Dr. Jekylland Mr.Hyde and OtherStories(Ware,Hertfordshire:
41.
27
Wertham,Seduction of the Innocent 192.
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340
AndreasReichstein
storyof BruceWayne'sonlyand trulydeep love to AndreaBeaumont,whomhe even
wantsto marry.
and leave BruceWaynedesperate.
Gangstersforceherto withdraw
Batman'srelationship
to youngDick Graysontherefore
mustbe seen in a different
on
the
does
not
make
Bruce
but
light.Taking
youngorphanboy
Waynea homosexual,
rathera father.That becominga fatheris a handicapforan unmarried
man is clearly
expressedin thecomicbook The UntoldLegendof theBat Man,in whichauthorLen
Weintellsthestoryof Robin.Appearingin frontof thejudge,BruceWaynehas to listento thewords:"I can'tlet you adoptthatboy,Mr.Wayne- because you'rea bachelor! But since you've obtainedthe consentof his nearestrelatives,I herebyappoint
Thus,BruceWaynetakescare of theboy'seduyou Dick Grayson'slegal guardian!"28
cationand teacheshimwhathe knows.This father-and-son
motif,
exposedso directly
in thecomiccharacters,
existsin Jekylland Hyde as well.Accordingto TomHubbard,
"there is the modulationbetween Hyde-as-victim
and Hyde-as-son,and between
and
In
his
narrative,
Jekyll-as-fellow-victimJekyll-as-father.
Jekyllconfesseshow he
had a father'sconcernforHyde; Hyde had a son's indifference."29
Hyde showseven
In burningJekyll'slettersand the portraitof Jekyll's
morethana son's indifference.
father,and by "scrawlingin my own hand blasphemieson the pages of mybook,"
Hyde rebelsagainstJekylllike an adolescentagainsthis father.Hyde feelsunwanted
and unloved and at the same time loathes Jekyll'sdespondencyand, thus,rebels
againstJekylljust like an unwantedchildprovokinghis parentsto get the love and
care he wants.Jekyllfeels like a fatherbecause he has created,has fatheredHyde;
and Hyde sees his dependencyon Jekyllas thatof a childupon his parents.This father-sonrelationship
ends tragically
in Dr. Jekylland Mr. Hyde but is resolvedposidiffertivelyin thecharactersof BruceWayneand Dick Grayson.Thisis an important
ence.The denial of homosexuality
in the figureof Bruce Wayne,on the otherhand,
does notdiminishtheimportance
of sexualityin thischaracter.
An important
elementin the Batmanuniverseis his secrethideout,his laboratory,
the Batcave. Retreatingto thiscave in timesof need and dashingout of it on his
of the psychoanalytical
dreamsymbolof the cave
quest to fightcrimeis reminiscent
forthemother'swombas used by Carl GustavJung,
forinstance.The imageof a cave
in dreamscan resemblea mother'swombin psychoanalytical
interpretation,
suggesting thatthe individuallongsforthe securityof his/her
prenatallifebecause thisperson is afraidof facinglifeand its problems.An anonymouspoem on the Internetreflectsjustthisinterpretation:
Womb
Climbintomywomb
If youwant
Somewhereto hide
It's quietthereinside
Like thesea
Not likea tomb
28DC Comics,The Untold
Legendof theBat Man 1.2 (August1980):7.
29Hubbard18.
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Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde?
341
But it'sdark
And I hope youdon'tmindblood
And I liketheoccasionalsmoke
And I don'twantno
on thewalls!30
Graffiti
Crawlingback intothe cave is lookingforsecurityand dashingout is facing,and
life.Using a cave as his secrethideoutsuggeststhatthe Bruce Wi
way fighting,
figurerepresentssomeonewho is afraidof life.The Batcave is situatedunderВ
to Jekylland Hyde
Wayne'shouse.Lookingat Wayne'shabitat,formalsimilarities
obviousonce again.Jekylland Wayneboth live in splendidhomes.Jekyll'shoui
withancient,handsomeand now mostlydecayedhousesarc
situatedin a by-street
it,rentedout to shadyfigures:"... one house,however,second fromthe corner,
stilloccupied entire;and at the door of this,whichwore a greatair of wealth
comfort "31Wayne'smanoris situatedoutsideof GothamCityon an obvio
vastestateand is alwaysdepictedas a huge and impressivemansionin theneo-cl
as a parallelbetweenthesetwo charactersis the
cal style.Much moreimportant
the place where theyboth chi
scriptionof theirspecial study,theirlaboratory,
theiridentity.
Hidden staircasesand elevatorsget Bruce Wayne as well as Alfred and 1
Graysondownintothevastand darkBatcave underthemansion.This cave is ah
depictedas a dome,be it in the comic-bookstoriesor the movies.It is nevera
flatcave like a tunnelbut an enormous,dimlylit dome.Neitherin the comicsnc
the moviesor the animatedseriesis it possibleanywhereto get a completeimag
all cornersand walls of thiscave. The backgrounddetailsare mostlyhiddenand
to
Once more,thesimilarity
in darkness.Thus thecave also resemblesa labyrinth.
Jekylland Wayne,have a lab
Jekylland Mr.Hyde becomesobvious.Both figures,
mainlychemicalones.Jí
experiments,
torywheretheyworkand conductscientific
does all thisin orderto finda potionwithwhichhe can illustratethe dualityof i
researchto findmoreand betterwaysto 1
Wayneaccomplisheshis criminological
crimeas well as to improvehis armorand fighting
equipment.Both men use
intotheother.Jekyll'slaborato
need theirlaboratoryto changefromone identity
a separatewindowlessbuildingbehind the house,whichwas once built by a <
bratedsurgeonwho taughtand conductedoperationsthere.The descriptionb
faintreminiscences
of empty,
ghastlycaves: "He eyed the dingywindowlessstruc
sense of strangenessas he ero
withcuriosity,
and gazed roundwitha distasteful
the theater,once crowdedwitheager studentsand now lyinggauntand silent,th<
bles laden withchemicalapparatus,the floor strewnwithcrates and littered
packingstraw,and the lightfallingdimlythroughthe foggycupola."32As Tom I
bardsees it:
the two wordsare so close,the moreso whenthe firstis givenits
labyrinth:
Laboratory,
than
Americanpronunciation.
laboratoryleads into "wider labyrinths"
Jekyll/Hyde's
30Anon.,"The Womb,"
1997 The InternetBook Shop,http://www.bookshop.co.uk/
Copyright
36699123/SAK/HOMEPAGE/womb.htm.
31Stevenson,
"Dr. Jekyll
and Mr.Hyde" 12.
32Stevenson,
"Dr. Jekyll
and Mr.Hyde" 19.
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342
AndreasReichstein
thoseof one "lamp-lighted
be it Londonor Edinburgh.
Sincethelatenineteenth
city",
thelabyrinth
formodern
century
(withitsrelatedimages)hasproveda potent
metaphor
man'slossofdirection.
Thecollapseofcommon
spiritual
bearings,
accompanied
byrapid
andcommercial
hasreincarnated
theminotaur
butleft
scientific,
advances,
technological
uswithout
theconvenience
ofAriadne's
thread.33
These associationsare also valid forthe Batmanmyth.His cave is also a laboratory
and a labyrinth,
withone strikingdifference,
though:he cannotonly enterhis cave
fromhis house,buthe can also leave his cave in his Batmobilethrougha straight
tunnel whichresemblesthe birth/exit
canal out of a mother'swomb.At the same time,
"womb"rhymeswith"tomb";the Batcave is like a tombin whichthe dark side of
BruceWayneis buried.
AfterFrankMillerunleashedthe darksides of Batman,Tim Burtongave the Batcave various appearances to express this laboratory/labyrinth,
womb/tomb
image.
"The 1989 Batcave was styledby AntonFürstin a Phantomof theOpera style,with
foundationsprotruding
skyscraper
throughthe cave walls.The new Batcave [forthe
movie Batman Returns,1992] would featuresheer shale walls and precipicesoverhangingbottomlessdrops."As Matte World artistBill Mather remembered:"Tim
wanteda shale look to the cave; and therewere two precipicesthathe wantedto
meetat a point,witha littlegap betweenthem.He wantedit weird."34
It is not only
just a weirdimage;it also reflectsthe stylein whichGothamCitywas recreatedfor
themovies.Givingthe skylineof GothamCitythe appearanceof Manhattan,
production designerAnton Fürst at the same time created a timeless,dark,moderncity
whichevokesthesame feelingsof inhospitability
and dangeras thefuturistic
Los Anin
Blade
Runner
Scott
One
main
center
of
the
action
in both
geles
by Ridley
(1982).
of the Burtonmoviesis Gotham'scathedral.Here, Fürstwas influencedby Antoni
Gaudi, and at the same timesaid: "There is a Gothicfeelingto it,and yet it is not
Gothic."35
AlthoughnotpureGothicin style,theBatcave as well as GothamCitywith
all theirspires,theirdark depths,theirbuildingscantilevering
towardsthe streetsdo
much
resemble
a
modern
The
is a play on words:
Gothic
name
itself
very
style.
Gotham- Gothic.As Bill Fingercreatedthe name Bruce Wayneto rhymewithBob
Kane, he also recalledfindingthe name forBatman'scityby pure accident:"Originally,I was goingto call Gotham City 'Civic City.'Then I triedCapital City,then
Coast City.Then,I flippedthroughthe phone book and spottedthe name Gotham
Jewelersand said, 'That's it,' Gotham City.We didn'tcall it New York because we
wantedanybodyin anycityto identify
withit.Of course,Gothamis anothernamefor
New York."36Withouthavingbeen aware of it at thattime,Fingerpickedthe name
33Hubbard106.The
importanceof sceneryin the Gothicnovelwithitsbright,
imposing"upis
per" worldappearanceand the dark,hiddenlabyrinthine
passagewaysas an "under-world"
also emphasizedby Coral Ann Howells,Love, Mystery,
and Misery:Feelingin GothicFiction
(London:The AthlonePress,1978)26.
" Both
quotationsare iromMarkCottaVaz: "A Knightat theZoo," Cinefex51 (August1992):
22-69;45.
35AntonFürst,as
of the Batmanmovies,see also
qtd. in Shannon11. For the architecture
DietrichNeumann,"Batman,"Filmarchitektur
von Metropolisbis Blade Runner,ed. Dietrich
Neumann(München:Prestei,1996) 160-69.
36Bill
Finger,as qtd.in Kane 44.
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Batman-AnAmerican
Mr.Hyde?
343
he thusestablishedanotherlinkto the modern
thatresembledGothic.Involuntarily,
suchas "Dr. Jekylland Mr.Hyde."
Gothicnarratives
The Gothic traitin Batman becomes evidenttoo in the comic Gothamby Gaswhichsets the storyof an earlyBatmanfighting
Jackthe Ripperin a Gotham
light,37
there
is
reference
to
a
100
yearsago. Although
shipvoyagefromEurope and the
City
criminalrefersto London and Gotham City,the place we see as Gotham City is
clearlyLondon,theLondon of Dr. Jekyll.
Besides all these formalsimilarities
betweenWayneand Jekyll,
the essentiallink
betweenthese characterslies in theirbasic trait:theirdouble identity,
theirdouble
motives
for
chosen
or
tried
out
the
otheridenAt
first
their
having
personality.
glance,
different.
birth
to
his
evil
self
to
demonstrate
the duseem
to
be
tity
very
Jekyllgives
of
there
is
of
wants
to
become
a
And
man;
symbol crime-fighting. yet
ality
Wayne
muchmore to it. "I can't become a policemanas I'd intendedto- they'retoo often
by the verylaw they'reswornto uphold,"Waynesays in one comicbook
hamstrung
between
at his parents'grave.38
This is the point again whichshows the difference
other fictionalcharacterslike Zorro or famous detectives,on the one hand, and
on the other.He has chosento operateoutsidethe law,to imposehis
Wayne/Batman,
Dr. Merown laws. This becomes evidentin the dialogue betweenthe psychiatrist
ridianand Batmanin the movieBatmanForever,whentheytalk about the criminal
Two-Facein thebeginning:
..."
"Atrauma
tocreateanalternate
leavesthevictim
Batman:
enough
personality
powerful
nolongerapply."
Dr.Merridian:
"... ina worldwerenormal
rulesofright
orwrong
Batman:
"Exactly!"
Dr.Merridian:
"Likeyou."
The traumaall authorsof Batmanstoriesreferto is the shootingof Bruce Wayne's
parentshe had to witnessas a boy.This crimenot onlycaused a shock- the normal
reaction-but wentdeeper intoWayne'spsycheby creatinga trauma.Bruce Wayne's
never-ending
mourningforhis parentsand his powerfulurge to fightcrimehimself
towardshis parents.It mayhave been
mightstemfroma deep and hiddendeath-wish
a
onlya desireforhis father'sdeath,the resultof a death-wishconcerninghis father,
suppressedoedipal complexas describedby SigmundFreud.39When his death-wish
(whichis onlyhintedat in some comicsas well as in the movies)came true,he could
not cope withhis feelingsof guiltand escaped to the imageof the bat and his underreceivesanotherconnotaworld,the batcave.Here the rhyming
pair "womb/tomb"
tion.The Batcave as a tombdoes not onlyreflectthe tombforBruce Wayne'sdark
side,but also the tombforhis parents,forhis memoriesand feelingsforhis parents.
This refersto the analyticalpsychologyof С G. Jungagain where,forinstance,the
case of a Mme.Sechehaye,witha fixationon a libraryas a symbolof unconsciousas-
37BrianAugustyn,
A Taleof theBatman:GothambyGaslight,
DC Comics(NewYork:DC
Comics,
1989).
™The Untold
Legendof theBat Man,DC Comics1 (July1980):12.
39See,forinstance,
Freud:"Hemmung,
undAngst(1926),"Hysterie
und
Sigmund
Symptom
S.Fischer,
246.
4,3rd.ed.(Frankfurt/Main:
Angst,
1971)233-94;
Studienausgabe
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344
AndreasReichstein
is discussedas a case of traumatic
The interpretation
neurosis.40
ofWayne's
sociations,
traumaas a traumaticneurosisis further
enhancedby consideringthathe would be
able to fightcrimedifferently
in a modern,democraticsociety,
forexample,byjoining
the police or usinghis moneyto establisha police trainingcenteror a criminological
researchcenter.Instead,he wantsto striketerrorand fightcrimehimselfoutsidethe
law.His basic motive,withwhichhe hideshisneurotictrauma,is revenge,as he comes
to confessin themovieBatmanForever,
explainingto Dick Grayson:"Untilone terrible morningyou wake up and realizethatrevengehas become yourwholelife."This
is Wayne'struemotiveforlivinga doublelife:revengeto compensateforhistrauma.
BruceWayne'srelationship
to hisfatheralso refersto thefather-son
disrelationship
cussedearlier.Anotheraspectofthisrelationship
is BruceWayne'seffort
to be a father
forDick Grayson,afterhavinglosthis ownfatherundersimilarcircumstances
through
a brutalmurder.In all comics,Bruce Wayne'sfather,
throughthe eyes of his son,is a
an authority,
a giant.In hisbook TheSiblingSociety,RobertBlyintrotowering
figure,
ducestheimageofthegiantwhichhe definesas a mixtureofFreud's"id,"theMuslim
and the
expression"nafs"(soul) and thetwooldestpartsof our brain:the archicortex
If one picksup Bly'shypothesis,
mesocortex.41
Bruce'sfatherwas thegiant,notonlyan
our archaic,brutalunauthority
demandingrespectbut,at thesame time,representing
in a wayidentifying
as an evil forcein ourselves.Beingfatherderpinning,
masculinity
less makesit difficult
forBruceWayneto fightthe"giant"directly
(in accordancewith
Freud'stheoryof the oedipal complex)and correspondsindirectly
to his feelingsof
guiltbecause of his subconsciousdeath-wish.
Growingup withoutparents-and the
butleris no substitute
in the Batmancomics- Bruce Waynein a way alwaysremains
thechildthatcannotgrowup. "Whenmothersand fathersare bothdismembered,
we
willhave a societyoforphans,
a cultureofadolescentorphans."42
With
or,moreexactly,
these words,Robert Bly describesthe Americansocietyof today.In a way,Bruce
thusrepresentsa decisivephenomenonof today'ssocietyand,at the
Wayne/Batman
same time,reveals a counter-Peter-Pan
syndrome:the boy who cannotgrowup alhe
wants
to.
Not
able
to
though
being
fightthe outergiant,represented
by his father,
BruceWayneis leftto fighthis innergiant."The giant,fromthehumanpointof view,
meansisolationand deprivation."43
As Batman,BruceWayneis isolatedand deprived
ofnormalhumanrelationships,
especiallywithwomen.
In the movie BatmanForever,Waynetellsthe psychiatrist:
"I guess,we're all two
in
in
Here
At the
one
and
one
we
shadow."
he
meetsJekyll.
peopledaylight
keep
end of thismovie,he tellsthecriminalRiddler:"You see- I'm bothBruceWayneand
Batman- not because I have to be- no, because I choose to be." In the beginning,
thisgoes forJekyll,
too,untilhe cannotcontrolthechangeof hispersonality
anymore.
Yet,as we have seen,Wayneis obsessed,too,and cannotgiveup hisdeliberatechange
40See Paul K.
Poetics,"New LiteraryHistory15.3 (1983-1984):491-501;
Kugler,"Involuntary
and,fortheSechehayecase,see ArthurBurton,"The CurativeFunctionof Symbolsin a Case of
NY:
TraumaticNeurosiswithPsychoticReactions,"Psychotherapy
of thePsychoses(Huntington,
R. E. Krieger,1961) 124-51.
41RobertBly,TheSiblingSociety(Reading,MA: AddisonWesley,1996) 18-28.
42 230.
Bly
43 43.
Bly
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В atman- An AmericanMr.Hyde?
345
of personalities.
It is notonlythathe wantsto striketerrorin theheartsof thevillains
he pursuesand that he even uses firearmsagainstthem in the beginning,killing
littlefromthefrightthem- his appearancein thecomicsas well as themoviesdiffers
He
is
as
as
the
evil
he fights.
To achieve
of
the
criminals.
threatening
eningappearance
Bruce
has
chosen
the
bat
as
his
costume.
Bats
do
not
have
to
be
this,
Wayne
frightenuse thefrightening,though.In choosingthisanimal,Kane and Fingersubconsciously
ing side,the mysticside,of the bat,whichis also apparentin the vampiretales,especiallyin anotherGothicnovel:Bram Stoker'sDracula (1897). Stokerbased his novel
on the historicDracula, Vlad Tzepes (147-1477),son of the WallachianrulerVlad
Dracul. Because of Tzepes's well-knowncruelties,legend made him a blood-thirsty,
tales of the bloodvillain.Since the end of the eighteenthcentury,
blood-drinking
in
with
humans
as
have
bat
combination
part
vampires
playedan important
drinking
in European literature,
fromLord Byron to Charles Baudelaire.The mythological
connectionbetweenthe bat and the devil is well established.Bat and devil are often
and
used synonymously.
Those associatedwiththe devil are said to become vampires,
theappearanceof a vampireis thebat.44The connection"evil- devil- vampire-bat"
is an old motifwhichrangesfromold mythsand fairytales up to presenthorrorstories and movies.It is Satan who approachesmen and women in various disguises,
intoundead persons,and
as a beast,to turnpeople intobeaststhemselves,
preferably
the devil.Anotherinteresting
thusdrawsthemoverto theevil side,to himself,
aspect
of the vampiretales is the Doppelgaengermotif.Authorshave emphasizedthatthe
threatof the vampirelies in a self-subjugationto whichonlythose succumbwho do
The vampirethusis theDoppelnot dare to acceptthe darkside of theirpersonality.
gaengerof the victim,as Maupassanthad anticipated.Like a mirror,the vampire
showshis victimstheirevil desires,whichtheyonlydare to live out at night.Those
kissedby thevampiremightlive theirordinary,
bourgeoislivesin daylightonlyto beis striking:
come vampiresthemselvesby night.The resemblanceto Wayne/Batman
he
haunts
the
streets
of
as
the
millionaire
Gotham
Cityas a huWayneby day,
living
manbat bynight.45
44For the
linkbetweenthedeviland thebat as wellas thehistory
of Dracula see
mythological
Dieter Harmening,
Der Anfangvon Dracula (Würzburg:Königshausen& Neumann,1983) 76,
13;and Basil Copper,The Vampirein Legend,Factand Art(London:RobertHale, 1973).A very
Le Vampiredans la littéragood analysisof thevariousvampirenovelsis givenbyJeanMarigny,
tureanglo-saxonne
(Paris:DidierÉrudition,1985);and bySusannePütz,VampireundihreOpfer:
Der Blutsaugerals literarische
Figur(Bielefeld:Aisthesis,1992).For a psychoanalytical
interpretationof Bram Stoker'sDracula,see RobertPhillipsand BranimirRieger,"The Agonyand the
Ecstasy:A Jungian
Analysisof Two VampireNovels:MeredithAnn Pierce'sThe Darkangeland
BramStoker'sDracula" WestVirginiaUniversity
PhilologicalPapers31 (1986): 10-19.
45For an introduction
to the scholarshipon legends,fairytales,and "Märchen,"see Lutz
heute(Freiburg:Herder,1976); Hans Findeisen,
Röhrich,Sage und Märchen:Erzählforschung
Das Tierals Gott,Dämon undAhne(Stuttgart:
Klett,1956);fortheDoppelgaengermotifin vamsee Hans RichardBrittnacher,
Ästhetik
des
authors,
piretalesfromMaupassantto contemporary
Horrors:Gespenster,
Menschenin derphantastischen
LiMonster,
Vampire,
Teufelund künstliche
teratur(Frankfurt/Main:
also emphasizesthe connectionof
Suhrkamp,1994) 140. Brittnacher
modernhorrorstoriesto legendsand fairytales (13-15).The bat and especiallybat wingsas an
attribute
of the devilthroughout
the ages is well documentedby Isabel Grübel,Die Hierarchie
der Teufel(München:tuduv,1991) 106,126,187.For the vampireas a personification
of evil in
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346
AndreasReichstein
To use an animalas a meansof showingthedual side of man'snaturewas a prominentmotifin the 'decadentGothic'novelsof the 1890s,like H. G. Wells'sThe Island
and man turningintobeast
of Dr. Moreau (1896). The image of the splitpersonality
to
four
famous
"Dr.
Mr.
narratives:
and
belongs
Jekyll
Hyde," The Island of Dr.
Dracula
and
Wilde's
The
Picture
Dorian
Oscar
Moreau,
of
Gray(1891). Withthe exof
the
novels
all
create
a
world
ception Dracula,
substantially
composedof leisured
thus
the
sexual
morals
of
the
Victorianage. Their
bachelors,
representing repressive
with
a
in
the
of
man
into
a
beast
has
to
be
seen
the contextof the
dealing
change
shockCharlesDarwincaused withhis theoryof evolution.These novels,as well as the
Batmanmyth,exemplify
the fearDarwinismgenerated.Theyshow "the reversionof
the species,the ever-present
threatthat,ifevolutionis a ladder,it maybe possibleto
startmovingdown it."46Bruce Wayne,Dorian Gray,Dr. Jekyll,
and Dr. Moreau blur
theline betweenman and beast.BruceWaynedoes notjust becomea bat,though;his
name giveshim away.He is the Bat-Man,a mixtureof man and beast,of good and
evil.The image of the bat linksBatmanto Dracula, and the dual personality
to the
othermodernGothicnovels.
However,in orderto drawa clear line betweenBatmanand theother,the evil,the
criminalside,the artistshave createda certainrangeof supervillains
who are clearly
insaneand have obviouslycrossedover the thinline separatingpossessivefanaticism
and absoluteevil.In the famouscomicbook Batman- The KillingJoke(DC Comics,
1988) authorAlan Moore tellsthe storyof the Joker,the archenemyof Batman.At
the end,when Batman has defeatedthe Joker,the latterasks to be killed.Batman,
however,not onlyrefusesto do thatbut even offershelp:"It doesn'thave to end like
that.- I knowwhatit was thatbent yourlifeout of shape,but who knows?Maybe
I've been theretoo. Maybe I can help.We could worktogether.I could rehabilitate
you.You needn'tbe out thereon the edge anymore.You needn'tbe alone.We don't
have to killeach other."47
The Jokerrefuses,
though,sinceit is too late forhim.In a
bizarreoutburstof his thusfarsuppressedand channeledevil side,Batmanbecomes
similarto the Jokerand pushes him into a toxic waste,killingthe madman.Batis thusdepictedas theone who can,mostof thetime,controlhisevilside,
man/Wayne
whereasthe criminalcannot.The mostlybizarrearrayof villainsin the Batmancomics,like the Joker,the Penguin,the Catwoman,Poison Ivy,the Scarecrow,and Mr.
or mirrors
Frost,do notonlyreflectthepurelybad side of Batman- like counterparts,
modernart- literature
and movies- see Pütz 152-66;FrancisFord Coppola and JamesV. Hart,
Bram Stoker'sDracula (London:NewmarketPress,1992);and KarstenPrüßmann,
Die DraculaFilme (München:Heyne,1993). For a postmoderninterpretation
of evil in filmsee Frederic
Postmodernismy
or,theCulturalLogic of Late Capitalism(London:Verso,1991)289-96.
Jameson,
w David Punter,The ModernGothic,2nd ed.
(New York:AddisonWesleyLongman,1996) 5,
vol. 2 of The Literature
"Die zweiteGeneration
of Terror.See also Hans RichardBrittnacher,
der Monstren:BiochemischeWissenschaft
und literarischer
und KommunikaHorror,"Ästhetik
tion18.69(1988): 105-12.The elementof fearin the Gothicnovelsis also rootedin thechanges
whichcaused anxietyand fearamong
broughtaboutbytheindustrial
(and technical)revolution,
manypeople who did not knowwhatfuturehad in storeforthem.See ManfredSchumacher,
Das GroteskeundseineGestaltung
in der GothicNovel (Frankfurt/Main:
PeterLang,1990) 101103.
47Batman- The
KillingJoke,DC Comics(1988):46.
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В atman- An AmericanMr.Hyde?
347
showinghimwhatwouldhappento himifhe lostcontrol-but,at thesame time,representthe "Gothicvillain"in the Gothicnovels.The Gothicvillain"acknowledgesthe
moralcodes of societyand his own wickednessin violatingthosecodes,and he thereforeneverengagesour sympathy
withhis rebellion."48
the
of
the
ladder,Batmanis able to climbup and down.
Using
image
evolutionary
The Victoriancharactersin themodernGothicnovelscould onlyclimbdown.The evil
side alwaysgot the betterof them.In theirtime,thatwas not onlythe expressionof
dangerand fear,but also a warningas to whatcould become of men.When Batman
was created,itwas alreadyknownwhatcould becomeofmen.Wayne/Batman
was created 53 yearsafterJekyll/Hyde.
These were not onlya decisive53 yearsin historical
terms.He was also createdin theUnitedStatesby Americansand notby Britons.Alhas as richa traditionin Gothicnarrativeas theliterature
thoughAmericanliterature
of GreatBritain,thesymbolsare different
because fearstemsfromanothersource:the
AmericanGothicfictionsees theland and itshistoryas a specificlocus of terrorand is
primarilyconcernedwith exploringthe individuals'identitiesthroughtheir roles
in contrastto thelate EnglishGothicnovels
playedin bothfamilyand nationalhistory,
withtheirconfinement
to the innerselfand an isolated,symboliclocation,reflecting
thisinnerstruggle.
Theirbasic commontraitis thedefinition
that"Gothicliterature
is
theOther."49
The linkagebeobsessivelyconcernedwithsearchingforand confronting
tweenBatman and the Gothicnovelsis obvious.Batman- althoughAmerican-is a
Gothicfigure,
rootedin theEnglishtraditionof thelate "decadent"Gothicnovels,but
he has cometo termswiththedangersoftheVictorianGothicstyle.BruceWaynecontrolsthebeastwithinhim.He can alwaysbecome a man again.Whiletheprotagonists
in themodernGothicnovelsare doomed,Wayne/Batman
can live thisDoppelgaenger
lifeunharmed.50
Usinghis darkside to fightthedark,he can alwayschangeback from
bat to man. He is the Americananswer to the Victorianfear of losing control.
is control.BruceWaynecan controlhis evil side.He can turnthelight
Wayne/Batman
offand becometheshadow,buthe can also turnthelightback on again.The combinain Jung's
tionofthebat as a symbolofthedevil,ofevil,and theshadowas an archetype
whose condemnationappears to be universal
schema,carrying"thosecharacteristics
of individualculture,"51
also demonstrates
and beyondthefrontier
theambivalenceof
48PeterL. Thorslev,
The ByronicHero: Typesand Prototypes
(Minneapolis:U of MinnesotaP,
1962) 53. The villaincannotchoose anymoreto change."His choices... are made forhimbyhis
daemon"(Angus Fletcher,Allegory:The Theoryof a SymbolicMode [Ithaca,NY: CornellUP,
1964]67).
49Louis S. Gross,
theAmericanGothic(Ann Arbor,MI: UMI ResearchPress,1989)
Redefining
90.
50For a medicaland
like
psychoanalytical
approachof the Doppelgaengermotifin narratives
"Dr. Jekylland Mr.Hyde,"see Dirk Arenz,"Psychiatrische
und psychodynamische
Aspekteder
in derWeltliteratur,"
Diss. Bonn,1992,28-32.
Doppelgänger-Thematik
51R. Gordon,"Book Review:Rivkah
Journalof AnalytiKluger,Satan in theOld Testament"
cal Psychology'Ъ2 (1968): 173.For thediscussionof the shadowas an archetypeintroducedby
C. G. Jung,
JohnTalley,"Discussionof AlfredPlaut's 'An UndividedWorldInsee,forinstance,
cludesthe Shadow,'"TheArchetype
of Shadowin a SplitWorld,ed. MaryAnn Mattoon(Zürich:
Daimon, 1987) 18-21;Uwe Langendort"WhereThere Is Danger,SalvationIs also on the InPatternsin
crease,"The Archetype
of Shadow,ed. Mattoon30-35;and Annis Pratt,Archetypal
Women'sFiction(Brighton:
HarvesterPress,1982) 141-43.
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348
AndreasReichstein
thenoble BruceWayneand themenacingBat-Man.Justas Dr. Jekyllbeginsto loathe
EdwardHyde,BruceWaynefeelsmoreand moreambivalentabouthisroleas Batman
afterthechangesin thischaracterbroughtaboutbyFrankMiller.
His costume,whichwas turnedinto an armorin the movies,not onlyprotectshim
againstattacksfromoutsidebut,at the same time,also protectsWaynefromBatman.
He can don the costume/armor
wheneverhe wants and drop it again to become
forinBruce Wayne.In thisrespect,Bruce Wayne/Batman
is a moreadvancedfigure,
stance,thanthe movie characterDarth Vader,createdmuchlaterforthe Star Wars
trilogyof George Lucas. In the second part,The EmpireStrikesBack (1980,directed
but turnedto
by IrvinKershner),we learn thatVader was once a good Jediknight,
thedarkside,to evil,later.Since then,he has alwayswornblack armorwitha life-sustaininghelmet.Whenhe turnshis back on thedarkand evil side in thethirdpart,Retakes offhis
turnof theJedi(1983,directedby RichardMarquard),he symbolically
helmetand thushas to die,just like Jekyll/Hyde.
For Vader,thereis no wayback.He
cannotclimbup theladderagainas BruceWaynecan.
Batman's armor/costume
harnessesthe evil inside and outsideof him,as well as
protectsagainstrepressedsexual desires.This way,Bruce Waynecontainshis dark
traits
side.He becomesthepersonification
of containment,
one of themostimportant
in Americanhistory.
"For fortyyearsour objectiveremainedclear:to containan exin foreign
pansionistSoviet Union," McNamara wrote in 1995.52This containment
of womenas a (sexpolicyduringthe Cold Warera correspondedto thecontainment
ual) dangerto theworldof menbykeepingthemout ofjobs and at homeafterWorld
War II. The developmentof suburbia,among otherphenomena,was to containthe
dangerof spreadingsocialismwithinthe workingclass by keepingthemoccupiedin
theirnew homes and gardensand preventingthem fromgathering"conspiratoriof theNativeAmericans,
theAfricanAmericans,
women,and the
ously."Containment
Southin generalrunsthroughthehistoryof theUnitedStateslike a red thread.Thus
Batman,by containinghis evil impulses,representsan importantelementin United
Statespolitics.
As alreadymentionedbefore,the elementof evil as a partof Bruce Wayne'ssoul
unand theconnotationof thebat as thedevilare important
whichhe wantsto fight,
dercurrents
in the Batman figurewhichhintat hiddenreligiousmotifs.On the one
of thevampireas well as itsdiabolicside have been emhand,thesexualimplications
of thiscreature,linkingit to the devil as the fallen
innumerable
authors
phasizedby
in
Anatole
France's
novel
La révoltedes anges(Paris,1913),one has to be
As
archangel.
eternallifeand claimingto be
awareof thetempting
sidesof evil.It is a devilgranting
withtheevilnotionwhichBatmanshows,
thetrueredeemer.Thismarksthefascination
likeJung's,
of thisevil
too.On theotherhand,all mentionedanalyticalinterpretations,
as partof one person'ssoul,referto thisimageof thedevilas theotherside of God's
creation."By rebellingagainstthegood Lord,Lucifercarriedout thefullnessof God's
plan,forhischallengeto God producesa deeperand higherwisdom."Jung'sintroductionof "theshadow"goes beyondtheChristiandevil,though."The shadowbelongsto
52RobertS. McNamara,In Retrospect:
The Tragedyand Lessonsof Vietnam(New York:Random House,1995) 329.
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Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde?
349
the lightas the evil belongsto the good, and vice versa."53For Jung,the shadowis a
elementlackingmoralcontrol.As psychoanalysts
primitive
psychological
emphasize,it
is highlydangerousto attemptto represstheenergyoftheshadow,theevilenergy.
One
has to acceptand channelit intocreativepurposes.Otherwise-as Stevenson'sJekyll
The creatorsof Batman
says- "mydevilhad been longcaged,he came out roaring."54
have takenthisliterallyby makingit visibleand- in the case of themovies- audible.
WheneverBatmanleaves theBatcave,he does it eitherwithhisBatmobileor Batwing,
withThe Batmantheredashingout of his cave witha roaringsound.The fascination
forelies in his abilityto controlhis shadow.In beingable to do this,BruceWayne/Batmanis theembodiment
of,as wellas- at thesame time- a ratherstrange"solution"to
betweengood and evil.Bruce
the Manicheanfightbetweendarknessand brightness,
of
is
the
Manichean
men.55
duality
Wayne
living
At thesame time,BruceWaynelivesin theUnitedStates,in a capitalistic,
predomiCalvinisticsociety.In contrastto Luther,Calvin did not give the
nantlyProtestant,
In Calvin'stheology,
"Satan is completelyregulatedby God and
devilmuchattention.
cannot even conceive of any evil that God does not expresslyassign him."56Still,
Calvin acknowledgesthe existenceof evil as impersonatedby Satan who triesto
to individualsins.Being rathervague about the innerevil- because
tempthumanity
of God's ultimateauthority
and omnipotenceas well as men'spredestination-Calvin
nevertheless
the
fightagainstsin.The processof healingon
emphasizes never-ending
the way to redemptioncan onlybe achievedby constantmoralbehavior.According
to Calvin,we have to fightevilwithour positiveactions.Those chosenby God have a
in society.Bruce Waynecan considerhimselfto be a chosenone.
highresponsibility
he neverthelessleads an idle lifeoutwardly.
He fulfills
his
Rich throughinheritance,
evil.Yet, Bruce
obligationstowardssocietyby servingit as The Batman,by fighting
Wayneas Batmanalso enjoysthe powerhe exercises,and thusis alwaysin dangerof
By usinghis Manicheaninnerevil to fighttheouterevil
givingin to evil temptation.57
of theworld,thecriminalsof GothamCity,he makeshis darkside legitimate.
The old
argumentthatmodernsuperherocomicshave a tendencytowardsfascismdoes not
53The first
BurtonRussell,Mephistopheles:
The Devil in theModern
quotationis fromJeffrey
World(Ithaca,NY: CornellUP,1986) 213;thesecondis fromCarl GustavJung,
"ModernMan in
Searchof a Soul,"Memories,
ed. Aniela Jaffé,
trans.Richardand Clara WinDreams,Reflections,
ston(New York:PantheonBooks,1963)41.
54Stevenson,
"Dr. Jekyll
and Mr.Hyde"49.
55For the
see: Karl MatthäusWoschitz,
Manfred
conceptof dualityin theManicheanreligion,
Hutter,and Karl Prenner,Das ManichäischeUrdramades Lichtes(Wien:Herder,1989) 47-51;
and Geo Widengren,
ed., Der Manichäismus(Darmstadt:Wissenschaftliche
Buchgesellschaft,
1977).
56Russell47-48.For theinfluenceof Calvinismon the formation
of the UnitedStates,see,for
example,JamesA. Henretta:"The ProtestantEthic and the Realityof Capitalismin Colonial
America,"Weber'sProtestantEthic: Origins,Evidence,Contexts,ed. HartmutLehmann and
GuentherRoth (Washington,
DC: CambridgeUP, 1993) 327-46;as well as Douglas E Kelly,The
and ReformedPublishing
Emergenceof Libertyin theModernWorld(Phillipsburg:
Presbyterian
1992) 119-37.
Company,
57For the connectionof
power,evil and Calvinism,especiallyin the arts and in connection
withNietzsche'swritings,
see, for example,Harvey Goldman,Politics,Death, and the Devil
(Berkeley:U of CaliforniaP,1992) 241-55.
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350
AndreasReichstein
hold trueforBatmanas he does notfighttheestablishment
or establishedpowersbut
ratherthe evil insidehim,by pursuingthe criminalshe findsin the darkalleysof his
home town.Batmanis a modernGothic,a modernanswerto the Calvinistic,
Scottish
threatof losingcontroloverone's darkand evil side.The connectionof BruceWayne
to Dr. Jekyllgoes beyondsuchvisiblesimilarities
as lifestyle,
double identity
and the
father-son
Both
fictional
characters
the
old
fear
of
relationship.
represent
losingcontrolover men'sviciousand violentimpulsesby lettingthemout.Althoughhe stands
in the traditionof the Gothicnovel,Batmanhas moved onwardin the evolutionary
processby beingable to come to termswiththe sinisterforceswithinhim.He representsan advancedMr. Hyde.Fightingcrime,he fightsagainsthimselfin a never-endalso representsthe diing Manichean struggle.As a comic figure,Wayne/Batman
lemmawhichwritersof Gothicfictionfaced:"Problemsof personalmoralresponsibiland a troubledawarenessof
convention,
ityand judgment,
questioningsof restrictive
irrationalimpulseswhichthreatenedto subvertorthodoxnotionsof social and moral
Claimsof Christianmoralityand the dynamicsof impulseand irrationalpropriety."58
ityhave to be broughtintoaccordancewitheach other.Followinghis destinyby pursuingthe criminalsand thuspayinghis debtsto society,Bruce Wayneis also a true
son of Calvinism.Thus,Batmanreallyis an AmericancousinofEdwardHyde.
58Howells7.
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