Batman: A Childhood Hero

Batman has always been an icon to me, despite being a fictional character. I was never into comic books or graphic novels, but I’ve always loved the film and TV adaptations of his story. The Caped Crusader and his crime-fighting methods have always intrigued me, as have the stories of his mild-mannered alter ego, Bruce Wayne. Even the canonical villains, from The Joker to Two-Face, are all fun to watch.

This year (2019) is Batman’s 80^th anniversary – I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around that concept. A comic book writer named Bob Kane created the iconic character in 1939. After Superman was such a successful series for them, DC Comics ordered its writers to come up with more superheroes. I think America needed more heroes around as they came out of The Great Depression. So, in honor of this milestone anniversary, let’s chat about everyone’s favorite Batsy.

My first introduction to Batman was the Tim Burton classic, Batman (1989). I was five years old at the time, and what little boy doesn’t love Batman?! From all the action to the scene-stealing Jack Nicholson as The Joker, Batman proved to be a cinematic delight.

I believe this was also my introduction to Michael Keaton. I didn’t know him as a comedic actor at the time, so I wasn’t sure why so many people protested his casting (then again, how many five-year-olds care about casting choices?). Years later, though, when I watched Mr. Mom (1983) and Beetlejuice (1988), I began to understand. I think many who objected at first were pleased with his performance.

I remember going into Batman Returns (1992) with indescribable excitement. So excited that my Batman action figure came along for the ride to the theater. I was pleased with the film. Danny DeVito’s portrayal as the Penguin is my favorite performance of his. However, I found the story to be more far-fetched than in the first film. Penguin is a deformed child abandoned by his parents and cast into the sewer, and raised by a group of penguins (okay, typing that sentence makes the “far-fetched” bit fit better…but still). I can understand his villainy in the film, after many years of repressed feelings from his abandonment. But how exactly was he raised that way? The beginning of the film provided some backstory to the Penguin, but I think I wanted more.

Also, Catwoman’s (Michelle Pfeiffer) involvement in the film was difficult to comprehend. Selina Kyle (Catwoman’s alter ego) was pushed out a window by her boss, Max Schreck (Christopher Walken). Selina survives the fall and a bunch of cats wakes her up. She then becomes a vigilante with a different agenda. Rather than just exposing Schreck’s secret plan to control Gotham City, she decides to join forces with Penguin to stop Batman. She knows Batman helps the common citizen since he rescued Selina from a circus thug at the beginning of the movie. This movie was far from perfect, but it was enough to keep Batman fever going strong.

Sometime after Batman Returns, I became captivated by the endless airings of the sixties TV show, Batman. It was a different universe than I was used to, but I loved it anyway. I enjoyed getting to see Robin fighting crime alongside Batman. I developed a fondness for Adam West, especially once I discovered he is from my hometown of Walla Walla, Washington. After his death, I voted for a statue on Change.com to be built in his memory –modeled after West wearing the Bat Suit, of course.

I have so many fun memories of watching the show with my brother. We just loved the comedic fights with the “BAM!”, “KAPOW!”, and “CRRAACK!” texts onscreen. I think we covered the whole series over the course of a summer.

Batman: The Animated Series started around that time, too (this was – and still is – my wife’s Batman of choice). It was fun watching more of Batman at home on the small screen, in animated form. This way, I could watch him every week. Batman seemed to be able to do a lot more in the show, given that anything is possible with animation. He could swing between buildings and do more stunts with the Batmobile. The animated series also introduced me to more villains, such as Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and Bane. It was exciting to see more of what the heroes and villains could do here, in their native element.

When I learned that Michael Keaton wouldn’t be returning for Batman Forever (1995), I was disappointed. I didn’t know who else could possibly do it justice. And Val Kilmer? To me, he was Madmartigan from Willow (1988) and couldn’t see him playing anything else. I was even more puzzled when I learned that Tim Burton wouldn’t return to direct the film.

When I learned that Jim Carrey was cast as The Riddler and that we would finally see Robin, though, I started to get excited. I didn’t get the opportunity to see the film in the theater, but my mom ordered it from Columbia House when it was available (oh, the nostalgia). I remember wanting the school day to end quickly so I could go home and watch it (after my homework, of course). It was a fun and exciting movie, but not as much as the previous two. Kilmer did make a good Batman, though.

Next came…shudder… Batman and Robin (1997). I was thirteen when this came out, and I guarantee that any positivity or excitement I expressed was due entirely to my age at the time. Call it being young and stupid. I was sold when I learned George Clooney was going to play Batman. That was probably because I was watching From Dusk ‘Til Dawn (1996) non-stop around that time, though, so I was a little obsessed with Clooney. Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze was an intriguing casting choice to me because I never thought he would play a villain again after The Terminator (1984).

I made sure to see this one in the theater, but I didn’t go during the opening weekend. I saw it the weekend after and was surprised to see only a handful of people in the room. It didn’t occur to me at the time that the movie had poor word-of-mouth. However, I enjoyed the movie when I first saw it (there, I said it – can we move on?).

Looking back at it now, I can’t believe I actually liked it. The acting was horrible (save for the always-fabulous Clooney), the plot was mundane, and it just looked like a two-hour toy commercial. I think I just liked it at first because it was a Batman movie. It seemed like the filmmakers wanted the sixties TV show to be hidden somewhere in the film, with slapstick comedy thrown in willy-nilly. It just didn’t work. I remember writing a positive review of Batman and Robin in the monthly school newspaper. I wish I could go back now and write a retraction. Knowing that this was the last Batman film released in Bob Kane’s lifetime just about breaks my heart.

I forgive Joel Schumacher for what happened with this film, though. He even released an apology video that seemed very sincere. I can’t bring myself to watch the film again, though, knowing how much higher caliber the films that preceded and followed this one were.

Batman and Robin just about killed the Batman franchise. The Caped Crusader went into hiding for eight years after that debacle. Gotham is only safe today because Christopher Nolan coaxed Batman back out of the shadows. His directorial credits up to that point include Memento (2000) and Insomnia (2002). Both are great crime films with interesting characters, which are essential elements for any Batman film. When Christian Bale was cast, my excitement shot through the roof. He is an incredibly talented actor and I knew he could be both a convincing Batman and a charming Bruce Wayne. The anticipation got higher when I learned that Michael Caine was cast as Alfred.

After seeing Batman Begins (2005), I was thrilled to know that a new set of films with the same feel would follow. I loved the film noir aspects of it. Nolan even screened Blade Runner (1982) for the crew to give them a sense of his vision for the film. Blade Runner was the most modern example of film noir at that point, even though it came out twenty-three years beforehand.

Batman Begins left the ending open for The Joker to be his next nemesis. I immediately thought of Adrien Brody for the role, so I was slightly disappointed when I learned that Heath Ledger was cast. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of the kid from 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) singing on the stands…as The Joker. When I saw the image of Ledger’s face in full Joker makeup, though, I was convinced and excited. Unfortunately, Ledger passed away before the film was released. I still find it sad that he never got to see the final film. He earned the posthumous Oscar he won for the role.

In my opinion, The Dark Knight (2008) will forever be the best Batman film. It has non-stop thrills and suspense, and the performances are phenomenal. I even loved Aaron Eckhart’s role as Harvey Dent (who would go on to become Two-Face later in the film). It wasn’t over-the-top like Tommy Lee Jones’s performance in Batman Forever.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) was a good ending to The Dark Knight trilogy. Note that I said “good,” as in not “great.” I thought it ran a little too long and the plot was a little jumbled – they tried to fit too much into one movie. That being said, it was great to see Tom Hardy as Bane. He was exactly what fans deserved to see on the big screen. Bane in Batman and Robin was just terrible (no disrespect to Jeep Swenson, who played him in that film). Anne Hathaway as Catwoman was another good addition. The film provided good closure to the trilogy and I think Batman fans will be forever grateful to Christopher Nolan.

At this point, Bale passed the cape to Ben Affleck. I know I’m not in the minority when I say I was truly mortified when that news broke. I had just gotten over Affleck’s performance in Daredevil (2003), which I liked at first…but it didn’t age well. After a little while, though, I accepted the casting choice and figured that director Zack Snyder knew what he was doing. Snyder had already made impressive adaptions to graphic novels, such as 300 (2007) and Watchmen (2009).

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) is more a continuation of Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013), a reboot of Superman, than a Batman movie in its own right. The combination of Batman and Superman was something I have wanted to see for many years, so that raised my excitement for the movie. Once I saw the film, I was impressed by Affleck’s take on Batman, but it still didn’t compare to Bale’s.

Suicide Squad (2016) was more of an okay film to me. Seeing villains like Deadshot for the first time on the big screen was fun. I wanted more of Jared Leto as The Joker, but he didn’t have much screen-time. I loved the quick scenes with Batman, though. He still had to be there, even if the movie was primarily about the villains he helped put away.

Justice League (2017) was a huge disappointment for me. This was another long-anticipated movie because it was The Avengers (2012) in the DC universe. However, the film didn’t try hard enough to live up to the expectations set by The Avengers. I don’t think the filmmakers took the time to develop a decent plot. It almost seemed like they had two hours to use, and decided to throw in the best parts of the scenes they should have filmed, rather than developing a storyline. It was just too rushed – I wanted more out of it.

I thought a new Batman film with Affleck running solo would help ease my pain from Justice League, but that’s not going to happen. After many months of slow development and disagreements, Affleck has decided to move on. Now DC is looking for a younger actor since the next film will involve a young Bruce Wayne transitioning to Batman. But why? Batman Begins already covered that story. I want Affleck to remain because I like the idea of an older Batman near the end of his rope.

Now for the real question: Who will be the next Batman? I honestly have no inkling of who will (or should) be chosen. We’ll just wait and see. Until then, I will keep immersing myself in Batman movies. Someday I’ll even finish playing Arkham Knight (I didn’t have an Xbox One when it was first released, but got one for my last birthday).

Okay, so our chat turned into more of a life story. Sorry about that. I love being a Batman fan. It’s right up there with being a fan of Star Wars and Mission: Impossible. The character will forever be an icon to me and I hope DC and Warner Brothers continue to make great Batman films.

Happy watching!