Batman Is Actually the Anti-Capitalist Commentary, Not Joker
Growing up as a comic book nerd, I, like so many others, eventually came across Batman. I’m in my mid 30’s so I came in during that “Golden” time of Batman comics. The Dark Knight books, Killing Joke, and so many others had already come out and made waves.
I was drawn to this dark, brooding character. Who was Batman? As a kid, of course, the first thing you think is “Well he looks cool as hell.”. I’m sure it’s a reaction that drives most readers at first. But as I started to read through issues I was struck at a character who was so much more. On the surface, he was beyond perfect. Handsome, rich, strong, quick, smart and witty. He was seemingly made to be a hero in an almost improbable manner.
“If Batman is so rich, then why doesn’t he just stop crime?”
That’s a line that has been thrown around for many years, but never more so than now. With the rise of callous billionaires and dispassionate state governments, it’s easy to understand why so many would be mad. Batman seems to be the rich man beating up poor people so he can call himself a hero.
“The Joker is about Anarchy and is against the system.”
Especially with the new Joker movie, this line has been added to it all. The way the Joker is often portrayed in the movies seems like he’s trying to teach a lesson. About how corruption is everywhere and how humans are all in it for themselves. The perfect foil for Batman’s faux justice.
Right?
In my opinion, it's wrong. And perhaps misses some of the greatest lessons to learn from a character like Batman. The fact that Batman is really about anti-capitalism at its core.
Before we get into this though, we do have to establish the fact that Batman, like other long-running comics, has a TON of issues. A ton of authors, and a ton of often conflicting plot points.
Whenever you discuss something like Batman you are always cherry-picking.
That includes this article.
Now let me unfold my multi-point Batplan as to why Batman is anti-capitalistic.
Point 1 — Giving Money Has Never Worked in Gotham.
The biggest thing to set right is the notion that Batman, or Bruce rather, doesn’t give money to Gotham. He does. In the comics, this is shown through the Wayne Foundation. A charity organization that Batman sets up in the memory of his parents. Or, in some issues, set up by his parents before their death. Or in the original ones a name change after Alfred almost died. (Like I said, comic continuity is…hard)
However, much like real life, the Foundation is often used for bad by the people within it. Or attacked from those outside.
Trying to help Gotham openly makes it a target for just about everyone.
But, it did create a clinic in the poorest parts of Gotham. As well as support the arts, schools and a couple of orphanages. Cause obviously Bruce is gonna feel a certain way about orphans.
There is also a great run called Batman Incorporated that delves into Bruce’s attempt to make Batman a franchise. A worldwide crime-fighting organization.
Across the years, Bruce has tried to use his money to help Gotham. But it’s a big problem and money is just a small part of it. He’s often shown trying to keep his corporation in the right direction and the right hands. Also, he basically gives the company to Lucious Fox. Which for obvious reasons, I’m all about.
Don’t forget, Thomas Wayne intended to save Gotham via money. And he either died randomly during the process, or it was a conspiracy to stop him from doing that.
Point 2 — Being Rich IS a Superpower. And He Uses It Responsibly.
Comics have a lot of rich people. DC, Marvel, Image, pick one and you can find some rich dude. But the thing that has always been consistent with Batman is that you have never seen him abuse his wealth. In fact, he’s shown to have more an aversion to it than anything else.
As a kid, this was something I picked up on instantly. When your that age, the thought of almost unlimited money sounds beyond epic. You imagine all the cool stuff you’d buy. Yet, Bruce never indulges in it. The constant troupe of it is Alfred reminding him that he is, in fact, rich and has responsibilities.
Think about that. He was born into money. Stupid amounts of money. And the only guard rails to that were his parents. Who died when he was young enough to ignore any lessons taught and go wild. Bruce’s definition of wild was hiking to some remote mountains to become a ninja.
Then when he comes back he basically has to be nagged by his butler to ACT RICH. And no matter how many times Alfred hounds him, Bruce never really takes it to heart. He clears it off his plate like it was broccoli.
For me, Batman was the earliest showing of someone shunning money for no other reason than the fact they didn’t care about it.
In a world where we have the rich like Jeff Bezos, I have a hard time imaging any of them acting like that. Do you? Cause I don’t. In fact, if Bezos or Elon disappeared for a decade to train with Ra’s Al Ghul we’d probably be better off for it.
Bruce Wayne has that deep, generational wealth that just simply won't disappear. Or rather, he did. As he spends what has to be VAST amounts on his crime-fighting toys. While some versions have him retooling equipment sold to the military, most of his iconic stuff is for Batman only.
Without Bruce’s money, Batman loses every toy that helps him be the World’s Greatest Detective.
The heart of capitalism is unlimited growth and capital. We never see that in Batman. In fact, we see the opposite. From what we know, Bruce is actually a pretty subpar CEO. And he’s always at odds with the Board about how the company isn’t making big money.
Point 3 — No Villians Arise Due to Poverty
This is a big one and one that gets glossed over far too often. All the major villains have motivates that have nothing to do with money. In fact, the only reason they rob is to fund something else.
Let’s go down the Rogue Gallery.
- Joker: The definition of madness and chaos. His origins are either unknown or some dude who had one bad day and snapped. He wants nothing but destruction. Be it Gotham or Batman’s spirit.
- Riddler: The definition of envy and superiority complex. His obsession with puzzles is to show his intelligence. And Batman has become a symbol of Riddler's failure. He has to show he’s better than EVERYONE. No matter what.
- Penguin: The definition of insecurity and retaliation. He wants to be the kingpin so no one can look down on him. He can’t get past his own trauma and thinks he can make himself whole through opulence.
- Poison Ivy: The definition of extreme environmentalism. She feels the planet's pain and doesn’t believe humans will stop hurting it. She no longer sees humans as beings worth saving.
- Mr. Freeze: The definition of obsession and rumination. He can’t accept his wife’s inevitable death. He thinks he can save her and he’ll stop at nothing to do so.
- Killer Croc: The definition of ostracization and torment. Croc was made to feel like a beast when he wasn’t. Now that his form is really like one, he figures he may as well play the part for the humans how looked so down on him.
- Ra’s Al Ghul: The definition of decay and delusion. Ra’s lives for nothing but what he thinks is a balance. But its really just slowly taking down parts of the world around him in an effort to “save” it.
- Scarecrow: The definition of paranoia and unbridled fear. All he sees is fear and he can’t understand why others can’t see it. So he’ll MAKE everyone see the fear he thinks is there.
- Two-Face: The definition of duality and corruption. Two-Face thinks he sees justice for what it is, but he really doesn’t. He sees a distorted version of it and is bent on making others see it too.
- Bane: The definition of wrathful worship. Bane used to worship Batman, but now all he can see are the flaws. That what he thought was beyond human was just a man. Now he wants to break him to end what he once thought as an idol.
A lot of villains. But none are there because of poverty. Money would not have changed the course of any of the villains. In fact, ya know the real thing that binds the whole gallery? A lack of empathy toward them. Time and time again you see villains that once were people who needed help.
Some from the system, from the people around them, some from lifelong therapy and some friends. But either way, money directly wouldn’t have changed that. Certainly, nothing that Bruce’s direct wealth could change.
In fact, in the case of people like Mr.Freeze, we’ve seen Batman try to help. Either he finds that the means are beyond anything he knows of, or she’s simply dead and Freeze can’t move on.
Point 4 — All the Other Rich People In Gotham Suck
This point is pretty simple as I think just about every issue, episode and movie cover this one. There’s other rich people in Gotham.
They suck.
I remember as a kid thinking, “Bruce sure has no friends.”. That’s cause he doesn’t. The rest of the people in his social class are pretty garbage. So he basically hangs out with the opposite.
One of his best friends is always threatening to arrest him, and the other one is a cat burglar. He basically adopted an orphan from the circus.
In fact, there’s plenty of room to say that Bruce isn’t exempt from the Rich People in Gotham Suck, statement. Cause Batman is a good hero, but he’s a pretty basic friend and a terrible boyfriend. Money couldn’t buy him those qualities I guess.
But seriously, a lot of Gotham’s problems have been shown to be caused BY the rich and ruling class. They dump toxic waste in the Narrows and other poorer parts of town. They own companies that use them as guinea pigs so they can sell the results to others.
Considering how many times the villains have been sponsored by some random rich Gothamite, you could say they are the real villains of Gotham.
Final Point — Gotham’s System is Broken and THAT’s The Problem
Batman exists because the system itself is broken from the top down. People ask why isn’t Batman fixing Gotham. I ask, where’s the government? Where’s the state?
The answer is screwing Gotham. Commissioner Gordon is constantly talking about a slashed budget. With how many times he’s said it by now, they basically have two pennies to rub together. On top of that, they have a corruption problem of the highest order.
We know Gordon by name cause he’s one of the few we know to be good, through and through. Well, except for Cash. (Can we get the brother some more screentime please?) So the few times they’ve gotten the funding it’s always been for the wrong reasons and things go horribly wrong.
The few times we see the Mayor they’re either corrupt, lazy or inept. Effective Mayor’s get killed or drug down into the mud. By who?
Oh, yea. The Rich.
The whole reason Ra’s Al Ghul shows up in Batman is to cleanse Gotham of its corruption. Joker is always teasing Batman that the answer is to take out the elite and not the other villains.
Or think about it this way. Batman is a hero because he’s a traitor to the way he is supposed to act as part of the ruling class.
THAT’S why no one would believe Bruce is Batman. Because in Gotham the rich rule. And no one would imagine someone who should be ruling that class would be in a suit punching bad guys.
To me, Batman has always been a story about a man who could have sat out the fight but instead decided to double, triple down on fighting. He saw that the system was broken at a level so high that his own wealth couldn’t fix it. The only way he could see to fix things was to put on gloves and literally get his hands dirty.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a politician, cop, scientist, or rando criminal. He’s got a fist full of justice for anyone who does bad. To the point where there is only Batman, and Bruce is the alter ego.
The lesson to me is always, don’t BE Batman. Be INSPIRED by him. Use the tools you have for good. Use your advantage, your privilege to fight for those less fortunate.
Oh, and that Capitalism sucks. That too.
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