Batman is a hypermasculine icon of comic book movies. He is an aspirational figure for many men. First appearing on film in 1943, his characterization has changed to suit the era of film (Fargo and McIntyre 2022). One of the largest changes was his reinvention between Batman & Robin directed by Joel Schumacher starring George Clooney and Batman Begins directed by Christopher Nolan starring Christian Bale (Schumacher 1997), (Nolan 2005). Batman & Robin is the end of a lighter era of films, while Batman Begins is the beginning of a darker characterization (Feblowitz 2009), (Toh 2010).
The heroic character is Batman, superhero alter ego of Bruce Wanye, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist. After witnessing his parents murder, he swears vengeance on criminals and becomes a masked vigilante (Fargo and McIntyre 2022),(Nolan 2005). Batman symbolizes masculine success; as Wayne he is rich and famous, then he dons a cape and defeats villains in physical combat. This combination makes batman a hypermasculine ideal; representing justice through force, the strong using power to overcome fear and defeat their enemies (Horton 2016).
Batman is constructed as a hypermasculine figure; the pinnacle of what a man could achieve with generational wealth and extensive training. His attributes are the confluence of the hyper-masculine ideals of the tycoon and superhero; wealthy and with resources to do whatever he wants. Batman also fits the physical ideal of a western man of his era from Clooney’s suave portrayal and suit with sculpted muscles to Bale’s bodybuilder physique. He flirts with women but does not build meaningful relationships with those around him. Batman is the ideal American man, wealthy, powerful, sexy, strong, and violent (Toh 2010).
The hyper-masculine archetype of Batman fosters unreasonable and harmful expectations for real men. He has few if any close relationships and everything in his life is coloured by his revenge on the criminals who took his parents from him. It would be disastrous for real men to eschew relationships and embrace extreme violence in a quest for revenge as Batman has. The normalization of vigilante violence is dangerous for the behaviour of real men and especially police who identify with violent superheroes (Philips 2022). Batman may damage real men’s conception of themselves since he is the pinnacle of a non superpowered man, but he does exceptional unrealistic feats. Bales bodybuilder physique is not reasonable for a real man to achieve, potentially damaging and (Toh 2010).
Batman & Robin is the story of how Batman, Robin (Chris O’Donnell), and Batgirl (Alica Silverstone) defeat jewel thief Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), and ecoterrorist Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman). After several fights, the heroes come together to defeat the villains using teamwork; ending with a promise to be partners (Schumacher 1997). Batman Begins is the story of how Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City and becomes Batman to clean up the streets and fight Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow and Liam Neeson’s Ra’s Al Ghul (Nolan 2005). Batman Begins displays a violent and authoritarian character using brute strength to clean up the streets unconstrained by police rules and corruption (Horton 2016).
Both films are represented by a front shot of the hero. Clooney (top) is brightly lit in blue moonlight in the middle of a fight with Mr. Freeze. His costume shows off sculpted muscles and pointy nipples replicating the look of strongmen in rubber and latex (Schumacher 1997). Bale (bottom) is dimly lit in orange and brown as he takes the elevator out of the Batcave. He is wearing military body armour painted to suit his image as Batman (Nolan 2005). The difference in colour and costume captures the difference in characterization of Batman between these two movies (Horton 2016).
In Batman & Robin, Clooney’s is lightly sexualized, his roman armour based costume displays bulging muscles and prominent nipples (Perez 2022). Most obviously, a suit up scene shows shots of his butt through the costume (Schumacher 1997), (Feblowitz 2009). Bale is fetishized as an instrument of violence, with heroically shot shirtless scenes showing off his physique and the damage wrought on it when used for violence (Nolan 2005). This is caused by the shift in American culture after 9/11. Batman and other superheroes were used as a tool of propaganda in the war on terror, fighting degenerate criminals and terrorists in service of the state. He shifts from comical gadgets to military hardware; becoming aligned with the military masculinity of the 2000s; unleashing grotesque violence on his enemies (Toh 2010), (Martin and Steuter 2010).
Whatever his era, Batman is the ideal of American masculinity. Shifting and changing to suit the culture of his time. In the late nineties he is a quipping over action hero fighting with over-the-top villains. In the two-thousands he becomes an authoritarian figure using his body as an instrument of vengeance on crime for the good of the people. This shift was caused by post-9/11 American military fetishism and is part of a dangerous trend in people identifying with violent superheroes (Toh 2010), (Horton 2016), (Philips 2022).
Bibliography
Feblowitz, Joshua C. 2009. “The Hero We Create: 9/11 & The Reinvention of Batman.” Inquires 1.
Horton, Owen. 2016. “Origin Stories: Rebooting Masculinity in Superhero Films After 9/11.” The Human 73-85.
Martin, Geoff, and Erin Steuter. 2010. Pop Culture Goes to War Enlisting and Resisting Militarism in the War on Terror. Plymouth: Lexington Books.
2005. Batman Begins. Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Perez, Chris. 2022. The Real Reason Nipples Were Added To Batman’s Costume. June 9. Accessed February 23, 2024. https://www.looper.com/890623/the-real-reason-nipples-were-added-to-batmans-costume/#.
Philips, Menaka. 2022. “Violence in the American Imaginary: Gender, Race, and the Politics of Superheroes.” American Political Science Review 470-483.
1997. Batman & Robin. Directed by Joel Schumacher.
Toh, Justine. 2010. “The Tools and Toys of (the) War (on Terror): Consumer Desire, Military Fetish, and Regime Change in Batman Begins.” In Reframing 9/11 Film, Popular Culture and the “War on Terror”, by Jeff Birkenstein, Anna Froula and Karen Randell, 127-139. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.
Samuel Weir
This is a very well done critical analysis and breakdown of the character Batman and how the character was portrayed in Batman & Robin and in Batman Begins. I like how you connected the tonal shift of Batman’s funny sex oriented masculinity portrayal by George Clooney in Batman & Robin in the 1990s, to becoming a more serious violence oriented masculinity portrayal by Christian Bale in Batman Begins in the 2000s because of the ongoing war on terror at the time. Your main points were very clear and fleshed out about how Batman is thought to be the ideal man in western culture. His wealth, his strength and his sex appeal are all attributes enticing for a young man trying to find a source of inspiration in media. But as you’ve described, it can be very dangerous to idolize and model yourself after a vigilante that doesn’t answer to the law. I think you chose your two images perfectly, the image on the top shows Batman being depicted as a sex object with visible nipples and abs to be looked at by the audience, and the bottom image shows Batman appearing large in a full black military outfit ready to inflict violence on somebody corresponding with the cultural shift of American military fetishism after September 11th. The sources that you have cited are scholarly, interesting, and relevant to your essay that complement your points very well. I don’t believe you’ve missed anything important as this is a very well written essay about the evolution of Batman’s character over the years. I enjoyed reading and reviewing your essay.