The Case Against Batman

The current arc of Batman, "Cold Days," drew to a close last week. It is one of the best stories to emerge from Tom King's acclaimed run so far, applying the premise similar of the classic film 12 Angry Men to Gotham City as Bruce Wayne is left as the sole dissenting juror in a murder trial for Mr. Freeze. The twist? It was his alter-ego Batman that captured Mr. Freeze and collected evidence of his guilt. The journey has been a fascinating look into the psyche of one of the world's most popular superheroes. Bruce Wayne questions his own fallibility and methods, finding the flaws within Batman, and they are many.

While we as fans of Batman know the logic of these stories is that the world is ultimately better for having Batman in it, this is a concept that is regularly questioned within the comics, movies, and cartoons. With Bruce Wayne himself asking whether Batman should be part of the justice system in Gotham City, it's worth giving that question some serious consideration from the opposite side of the issue. That's why in the spirit of a good debate we're laying out the biggest points that form the case against Batman. This isn't to say that we aren't fans of the character, but perhaps there's something to this argument that exposes Batman as a less than perfect actor, just like the rest of us.

Batman's Justice Is Not Justice

Almost every superhero is some form of vigilante, but Batman takes his practice to the next level. He is effectively judge, jury, and executioner in Gotham City. Without any form of oversight or legal constraints, he collects the evidence used to try and imprison criminals, battles them on the streets, and often even drops them into cells at Arkham Asylum before they're even tried. While it's easy to justify this sort of behavior when a mass murderer like The Joker is on the loose, this standard is applied across the board from the lowliest drug dealer to the most deadly supervillain.

If we as a society believe in ideals like due process, then Batman cannot be made an acceptable part of society. Perhaps he is a necessary evil to save lives during mass terrorist action, but evidence he provides cannot be accepted in court and his destruction of human bodies cannot be endorsed. Embracing Batman's role in Gotham City is to cast off the essential elements of fair policing, the courts, and intrinsic rights. Batman has to be considered a wanted criminal as his actions regularly upset the very foundations of modern American society.

Batman Uses Torture

This is a point that builds on the inherent injustice of Batman's actions, but it deserves a special emphasis. Batman's brutality when handling criminals is standard, often revealed in monologues where he makes the debilitating effects of broken bones clear. This degree of brutality and general disdain for more effective means of suppression, especially for criminals not currently threatening any innocent lives, is unacceptable. Dangling criminals from the edge of buildings and beating villains who have already been effectively subdued all take his methods many steps too far. Batman often becomes the definition of "cruel and unusual punishment," and that is unacceptable.

Batman Misuses His Wealth

This is an issue that has been admirably addressed by recent Batman scribe Scott Snyder who made Bruce Wayne's philanthropy a central point of several big Batman stories. However, there's something to be said about results. While there are a number of charitable organizations that carry the Wayne name and are focused on providing better resources for Gotham's children, impoverished, and mentally ill, they seem to have no impact. Many of the schools and all of the criminal institutions still look like a bathroom stall and question the efficacy of the money being spent.

The case here isn't that Batman lacks a sense of charity, but that his efforts and use of that money is misapplied. While he has been very effective guiding his own vigilante organization, that competence has been absent from the redress of the problems that create crime and destroy Gotham City. Imagine if Bruce Wayne wasn't just a playboy facade and instead used all of Batman's cunning and leadership to guide the funding of effective charity that could ensure inmates in Arkham remained institutionalized and actually received help. It would lead to less exciting stories, but a much better future for Gotham City.

Batman Creates His Own Villains

In every form of media that Batman has occupied, the issue of escalation has been raised. It was a key point in The Dark Knight when Commissioner Gordon compares the addition of Batman to crime fighting as something that will just push criminals further, and that prophecy comes true. In every iteration of Batman's history in comics he begins as a caped crusader against mundane crime with greater threats only arriving in the wake of his arrival. There was no rogues gallery of villains who sought to commit mass murder on a weekly basis before Batman arrived, only organized crime which the officers and courts of a standard judicial system are capable of addressing.

Several of Batman's most dangerous foes are tied directly to his existence. The Joker exists because The Red Hood was tipped into a vat of chemicals during their battle. Two-Face exists because of an escalation created by Batman's involvement. It's hard to believe that even a Gotham City suffering under the threat of organized crimes isn't better off than one where The Joker is poisoning the water and slaughtering hundreds on an annual basis.

Batman Is A Threat to Children

This is likely the biggest strike against Batman, one that requires a far greater suspension of disbelief than any of Batman's gadgets or superpowered foes. Batman regularly brings children and adolescents on his adventures putting them directly in harm's way. While the teenage superhero and sidekick are a feature of the superhero genre, it doesn't justify the choice, especially following the death of Jason Todd. It doesn't matter what choices Jason made or that Batman feels tremendous guilt about his death; Batman is responsible for that death.

Continuing to bring future wards like Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne into his war on crime and risk their lives (with at least two more dying albeit temporarily) is unconscionable. If Batman's obsession with his war on crime is so great that he can't modify his behavior to protect children, then it's an obsession that has gone too far and needs to be stopped. That, along with all of these other issues, makes for a strong case against Batman.