INTRODUCTION This paper involves discovering how the morality of Batman and Superman has, or has not, changed throughout the happenings in The Dark Knight Returns compared to their previous depictions. The goal of this paper is to show that the morality of Batman and Superman have altered due to the extension of their personalities. The paper is claiming that Batman and Superman act as extensions of their formerly depicted selves by overindulging in their personal beliefs and ideologies as each of them struggle to with their morality by trying to do the “right” thing in a world gone wrong. This claim was created by examining and analyzing the primary text of The Dark Knight Rises by Frank Miller and by using various credible online sources and interpretations of the graphic novel. Upon examination of the sources used, morality plays a key role in the character development of two main characters of Batman and Superman. Through showing that the extension of personality has an impact on the perception of a character, this paper and research highlight the differences and similarities of Batman and Superman in terms of morality and character development.
BACKGROUND
The Dark Knight Returns is a graphic novel by Frank Miller that focuses on the fictional superhero Batman, who is also known as Bruce Wayne. The story takes place ten years after an aging Batman has retired and his once overly protected Gotham City, has sunk deeper into lawlessness, criminal activity, and
Frank Miller’s Batman in The Dark Knight Returns presents the struggles of living a double life in both mental and physical states. Bruce Wayne, an elderly recluse, appears to have retired as Batman at the beginning of the novel. Most evenings, he stayed in the comfort of his home drinking large portions of alcohol while watching television as the world wrecked into chaos. That's until an elemental power within him haunts the Batcave while sleepwalking. That is when his rebirth as Batman begins.
Throughout “The Dark Knight” by Christopher Nolan crime and deviance is seen throughout the film. Crime and deviance in The Dark Knight has two faces as society accepts crime for those whose are helping them and at the same time punishes those who are punished. Society in Gotham accepts crime when the Batman commits it to help for the betterment of society; however, crime is not accepted when it is committed by mob bosses, gangs, criminal cops, and most importantly through the joker. The forms of deviancy/crime which are seen throughout the film is the Labeling Approach, Human Rights Approach, and Human Diversity Approach.
Having artfully explored the origins of the caped crusader in Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan puts Gotham City under a completely new perspective in The Dark Knight, the thrilling second instalment of his superb reinvention of the superhero franchise.
In a movie where good and evil are divided by a very thin line, the Dark Knight rises up to fight against injustice and corruption in Gotham City. An action sequel to the original Batman Begins, this installment is a lot darker filled with more explosion, twists, and suspense. For the first time, a comic has been integrated into the issues of the real world. With the help of District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant Gordon, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining mob members and clean the streets of Gotham for good. Their success is only short-lived when they encounter the Joker, a mysterious mastermind who is out to prove that nobility cannot hold in a world of anarchy.
The artistic representation of the Batman myth is an important cultural artifact of our time because it represents modern society's thirst for heroic ideals in popular entertainment. Since his creation, readers and viewers have admired Batman's unique ability to battle villainy, transcend the law and administer justice. As cultivators of the noir genre in film as well as in literature, Americans have always identified with this enigmatic hero, who exists on the margins of society and yet represents one of the largest corporations in the world. The evolution of Batman in particular and the superhero genre in general (from comic book to television to film and back again) has seen in the latest adaptation from Christopher Nolan's Batman revamp a veritable tilting point for the character once known as the World's Greatest Detective. This paper will analyze why Batman is an important cultural artifact of our day, how he came into being, what he means for society, and how he will be treated in the future.
In our everyday lives we don't usually think about our ethical responsibility or moral desires, It is through adversity that we stop and consider these. These situations could be a difficult course to make or a situation that forces you to think and act fast. This can lead to a change in the relationship between a person's moral desires and ethical responsibility through the outcome of the adversity. This idea is explored in the Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan. Initially the relationship between Batman's ethical responsibility and moral desires one of conflict. Consequently, through the adversity caused by this conflict, his moral desires and ethical responsibility are united and strengthened. Accordingly, Batman is able to focus on what is right and ethically responsible rather than his own personal desires. In Christopher Nolan’s the Dark Knight, Batman represents how having moral desires and ethical responsibility in conflict leads to adversity and can also be unified by the same adversity, strengthening their resolve.
The Dark Knight Rises demonstrates this blurred line that exists between a hero and villain through the visual design of the film, which the troubles of
The Dark Knight includes scenes that directly correlate to stages in Campbell’s Monomyth. The first class of stages entitled “Departure” includes The Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Supernatural Aid, Crossing the Threshold, and Belly of the Whale. Batman experiences the Call to Adventure when the Joker, Batman’s enemy, begins terrorizing the citizens of Gotham. Batman refuses his call to action by choosing to focus on bringing down the mob rather than defeating the Joker. He receives the equivalent of Campbell’s Supernatural Aid from Lucious Fox and Lau who provide him with physical and emotional aid. Batman crosses the threshold by uniting with Harvey Dent to seize Lau. Batman enters the Belly of the Beast on his journey to Hong Kong
The main conflicts in the world of The Dark Knight Returns revolve around escalating crime in Gotham city and forces of the authority attempting to control it. The authority should be a moral force and represent justice. The figures that represent the authority should be selfless and work only to promote the integrity of law and order. Authority proves to be contradictory in Miller’s novel as the authoritative figures express qualities of vigilantism and overall moral ambiguity.
The Dark Knight is an action hero film from 2008 directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan. It is Christopher Nolan’s second film based on the comic hero Batman, and it’s the second movie to the 2005 Batman Begins. As Roger Ebert explains, “It creates characters we come to care about. That’s because of the performances, because of the direction, because of the writing, and because of the superlative technical quality of the entire production.” The stars include Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman. This is the second film to Batman Begins Batman is out to hunt down a crime mafia in Gotham City, until a criminal named The Joker wants to make Batman fall victim to his schemes, The Joker puts Gotham City into terror and obligates Batman to choose between being a hero or a vigilante.
Bruce Wayne the protagonist, along with district attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant Jim Gordon are fighting a sadistic villein, the joker. Throughout the movie the joker tests their boundaries and force them to make extremely difficult and ethical decisions. The movie begins with Batman’s realization that he can no longer put him
Batman: The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan is non-stop action thriller that continually did the unexpected. The film is based off of the original Batman comic book but additionally changes the perception of the everyday world as good to naturally bad. Throughout the movie, Batman stands for honesty and goodness while the Joker is a symbolism of chaos and evil. Both sides are forced to make quick-witted decisions in order to stop the opposing vigilante from doing his desired work. The citizens of Gotham are put in the heart of this circumstance and feel obligated to go against their values to stop the chaos. Numerous people habitually pursue their dreams and values but often become blinded from their
When comics were first coming out, they were not all that popular but in todays’ world, they have become very popular and well known. Several of these comics have been turned into films, which is one of the many reasons why the popularity has been rising over the years. One of the most well known comics is Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. This comic was composed and released in 1986 by Frank Miller. With the usage of Frank Miller’s powerful, intense lines and the artwork done by Klaus Janson’s and Lynn Varley’s it has elevated this comic up to the very top of mainstream comics. In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the skillful illustrations on the pages successfully create the thought that there are underlying meanings, which makes the atmosphere a very intense one throughout the comic. The work of art that is presented on the pages in this comic are embedded in such a way that the pages become the continuum for the meaning. One of the main themes that are imbedded on the pages through the artwork in this book is the ideological struggle between Bruce Wayne and Batman.
The Dark Knight (2008), directed by Christopher Nolan, demonstrates the idea of good versus evil. Batman is known as the protagonist, and Joker is known as the ultimate villain. The representation of crime in the film is seen from the actions of both characters. The film essentially depicts the act of deviance meaning, “behaviour that violates social norms, including laws”. In normality the government would have the greatest amount of power, but in the Gotham city, power is complex. There is minimal structure of law and order in Gotham city due to powerful people like Batman and the Joker. Citizens of Gotham city can no longer fight for themselves in a world filled with supernatural powers. Therefore, the only hope that citizens have rest in the hands of Batman. Although Batman attempts to save Gotham city from Joker’s criminal intentions. Batman, however, also plays a role in deviant activity while attempting to catch the Joker. Realistically, Batman violates the moral code due to destructive behaviour, and putting the lives of citizens at harm. He does not care for social norms, nor whether his acts are of legality. He is devoted to combat organized crime with Harvey Dent, a district attorney in Gotham city. Batman is in fact, the definition of crime, he understands but does not abide to individual rights and social contracts which make up the rule of law. In addition, the man behind Batman, Bruce Wayne also portrays a form of deviance by disguising himself as Batman.
Batman is one of the many fictional superheroes which appears in the “American comic books” that is published by the DC comics. The character is a secret identity for Bruce Wayne, the only heir to Wayne Enterprises. Bruce Wayne swore an oath of vengeance when he witnessed the death of his parents;Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne (Diamond, 2015). Bat man combats criminals in Gotham: a fictional city, with assistance from various characters, for example, his butler Alfred and Gordon; Gotham city police commissioner. Unlike many of the superheroes characters, Batman possesses no powers .Bruce Wayne trained himself intellectually and physically .it is from dedication to training he possessed the useful traits of physical prowess, martial arts skills, detective skills and indomitable will to fight for justice. Though his motive is to combat crime and protect people of Gotham city from criminals, the justice system in most of the times views Batman as a villain and vigilante. He can inflict fear to Gotham city criminals thereby bringing calmness to the city. I identify myself with the Batman character through his selfless will for justice, his strong determination to do good