Is Batman A Terrible Superhero?

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selderane
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Batman exists to fill the gap the police and political system is supposed perform on behalf of the citizens of Gotham. His ultimate goal is to encourage the conditions to that will ensure he is no longer needed.

But they never come.

While he is effective in the small game, he's woefully inept in achieving his larger end as evidenced by the fact that, year after year, he feels he's still needed.

Discuss.
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Batman has always been an all time favorite DC super hero for me. I'm not sure what it is, but I just feel a connection going there, ya know?

As long as we're supposed to be duscussing, you guys do know how the DC universe works, right? There's more than ONE batman.

The one batman over here has a specific code of conduct: No killing. The batman over here in this alternate universe, has no problem with taking human life when he thinks he absolutely has to. Then there's the batman over here, who, in my opinion really deserves the name of "The Dark Knight" who just kills anyone and everyone who gets in his way. Sometimes it's a little confusing, and you just have to pick one to focus on.


I'm a very emotional person. Period. I read into emotion and psychie a ton. When watching good movies or shows, or even sometimes really good books, I get super invested when it gets psychologically involved. I absolutely love it. Shows like Criminal Minds, or The Walking Dead really get me going.

There's just something about the human emotions and psych that seems so beautiful and logical, and yet, so unpredictable and dangerous.

I think this is a lot of the reason why I like batman so much. His entire being is driven by a force of emotion: fear. He embodies his own worst fear, so that he can show the criminals of Gotham City, and even of the world, true terror.

Bruce Wayne knew that he couldn't invoke true terror to criminals as a regular human. This is why he became The Dark Knight, batman.
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Let's not dip our toe into the multiverse. That way lies madness.

Let's talk about the Batman who exists in the general consciousness. He exists because politicians and the GCPD isn't doing their job. They're mired in corruption and impotent to protect the citizens of Gotham. While he fights crime effectively in his own way, he still needs to system to function to make his efforts stick. His ultimate goal is the rehabilitate the system to serve the people once more.

Except it never happens.

You mention Batman is your favorite DC character. Superman is mine. Superman is the prototypical superhero because he inspires. He makes the average person want to be better than they are.

If Batman really wants to fix what's wrong with Gotham he has to be more like Superman.

Which is why I think that while Batman may be an effective crime fighter, he's a terrible superhero. It's not enough to make criminals fear you (tell me the villains of Superman don't fear him), but you have to inspire the average person if you want the heart of a city to change.

Inspiring isn't Batman's shtick. And that is ultimately why Gotham will never change.

Gotham needs Superman. It deserves Batman.
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It's kinda funny,
I mean in theory Batman should be one of the most inspiring Super Heroes, due to the fact he has no super powers.
I suppose he does tend to do everything in secret, so he just isn't really noticed by a lot.

Though I think it might be going a little to far to call him a terrible superhero,
I mean if inspiring was the key to being a good superhero, then Spiderman would be in the same boat as Batman.

Though how inspiring someone is can differ on the writer...
In the comics Spiderman is labeled as villain and most of the people believed it,
but Spiderman kept on doing what he could to help the people regardless.

However in his latest movie/s pretty much everyone loves him, and everyone seems to find him inspiring. :P
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I feel he is needed in Gotham as of now

I saw a show once on him and others hero's in beginning he would use machine-gun and even drop people off top of building before becoming a drunk after Rodin was killed They in the 80's or 90's brought him back as very law biding hero and slowly have made him a dark hero we I watch now
As to being needed in rl no but in comics, anime and such yes in a way as he can do what the law can't but often want to
I think he is a sort of vigilantly/judge/jury/law & badguy combination that works for the ultimate good as such he is needed in Gotham but I see in future a choice being made on how far over the law & order line he will cross
often I see in him many of the same qualities (for lack of better word) as in the villains the only difference being which side of the law they chose
sorry if this is hard to follow migraines make it hard to make sense sometimes Dark Hero's to me are the ones who walk on both sides of the line between good and bad and often find their personal lives being less than perfect and such so are they have depression sometimes and wander if they are doing any good or if anyone cares (short version) In short they are the most human and like us
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oregorn1997 wrote:Batman has always been an all time favorite DC super hero for me. I'm not sure what it is, but I just feel a connection going there, ya know?

As long as we're supposed to be duscussing, you guys do know how the DC universe works, right? There's more than ONE batman.

The one batman over here has a specific code of conduct: No killing. The batman over here in this alternate universe, has no problem with taking human life when he thinks he absolutely has to. Then there's the batman over here, who, in my opinion really deserves the name of "The Dark Knight" who just kills anyone and everyone who gets in his way. Sometimes it's a little confusing, and you just have to pick one to focus on.


I'm a very emotional person. Period. I read into emotion and psychie a ton. When watching good movies or shows, or even sometimes really good books, I get super invested when it gets psychologically involved. I absolutely love it. Shows like Criminal Minds, or The Walking Dead really get me going.

There's just something about the human emotions and psych that seems so beautiful and logical, and yet, so unpredictable and dangerous.

I think this is a lot of the reason why I like batman so much. His entire being is driven by a force of emotion: fear. He embodies his own worst fear, so that he can show the criminals of Gotham City, and even of the world, true terror.

Bruce Wayne knew that he couldn't invoke true terror to criminals as a regular human. This is why he became The Dark Knight, batman.
I like him too because I think he is the most like we are in RL and he is someone we could possibly and realistically become and thus most realistic super hero because he is most human
Bruce Wayne is the person (minus his wealth) that we are and Batman is who we often want to be
silly I know but I think it is why I love him
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16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV)
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” Greg King
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selderane wrote: Gotham needs Superman. It deserves Batman.
But it won't get fixed until The Punisher shows up.

*runs away*
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selderane
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Orodrist wrote:
selderane wrote: Gotham needs Superman. It deserves Batman.
But it won't get fixed until The Punisher shows up.

*runs away*
Man... you might be right!
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Batman is by no means a terrible superhero, but he is an overrated superhero.
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ArcticFox wrote:Batman is by no means a terrible superhero, but he is an overrated superhero.
i would agree on that too
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV)
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My short answer is no... but for the exact reasons you use to imply yes. Batman's role, his existence as the never ending defender of Gotham more accurately portrays evil than any other superhero comic. In Batman (at least the new versions) evil is not a cartoonish caricature, but is truly "evil". Evil is tangible, persistent, and not easily whisked away by slick superpowers. Batman isn't the superhero everyone wants (superman), but he's the superhero that makes the most sense for the world we live in.
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The thing is, Batman was never meant to be a superhero.

Batman was originally a sort of detective who used his brains and his gadgets to fight crime. He was more like an investigator in a costume. The only reason we think of him as a superhero at all is because he's now a member of the Justice League and often crosses over with actual superheroes like Superman and Green Lantern.
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Yes, I do not like him.
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selderane wrote: It's not enough to make criminals fear you (tell me the villains of Superman don't fear him), but you have to inspire the average person if you want the heart of a city to change.

Inspiring isn't Batman's shtick. And that is ultimately why Gotham will never change.

Gotham needs Superman. It deserves Batman.
Yep, yep, and yep. Batman's fear schtick can only help Gotham so much, because what happens when he runs across villains that only AREN'T afraid of him, but EMBRACE the darkness/chaos/culture of fear? Like say, oh I dunno, The Joker? Can't really instill fear into a guy has no fears, now can you? An inverse to Batman is probably the single most dangerous threat to a place like Gotham, and in reality there wouldn't be much he could do about it since HE was the one that cast that aura of feel around the city in order to deal with other criminals.

Messed up how that works out, huh?
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