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The ideology of Nolan’s trilogy

Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy messed-up man behind , had has been critically acclaimed and a a number of consequences for the supposedly ‘fun’ franchise. Leaving the huge success at the box office. Pete out of much of the trilogy and Turner evaluates its exploration setting it in a City so highly of dark themes, and considers recognisable that it might as well have been called New York, the director seems to have accusations of a reactionary been inviting critics to make comparisons ideology. between the ’ events and their contemporary socio-political context. Nolan stated in a ‘You have to become an interview that ‘the films genuinely aren’t idea’ intended to be political’ but many have After ’s Batman and argued otherwise, enforcing their own was a day-glo disaster in 1997, interpretations on the ideas of the trilogy. anyone would think the director had killed Douthat (2012) even goes so far as to argue off icon Batman for good. But that only eight years later, British director ’s Batman trilogy is notable for being much more explicitly right-wing Christopher Nolan resurrected the dark than almost any Hollywood of , losing the sidekick, neon lights recent memory. and rubber nipples in favour of enhanced Are these accusations fair or are there realism and contemporary relevance. some alternative interpretations of Batman’s Nolan’s focus on , the most recent reincarnation?

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Some find the moral murkiness of the films to be more about criticising America’s behaviour than celebrating what was achieved through morally dubious tactics.

Vigilantism, and will of the people on their side in order to vengeance start more wars and assert more American dominance over the rest of the world. The Dark Knight trilogy has led to Comic book characters like Batman similarly continued debates that have long existed need an enemy to fight against. about Batman as a symbol of vigilantism, Without an enemy, the virtuous warrior will justice, vengeance and even fascism. He lose his virile strength; without an uprising, is a force for ‘good’ who fights criminals the repressive capacity of the state will grow by putting on a mask, attacking them in idle, and sterile. the dark and dishing out his own Bady, 2012 justice, uninhibited by the laws, restrictions Batman needs disorder, chaos and He is a force for ‘good’ who fights and corruption that the local police deal enemies to attack. He serves the status with. Bruce Wayne is a character who begins criminals by putting on a mask, quo, protecting the dominant hegemony by wanting to take vengeance on the of his society. Superheroes, particularly attacking them in the dark and murderer of his parents by attempting to Bruce Wayne with his abundant wealth, assassinate the criminal. He then joins what dishing out his own vigilante justice, benefit from maintaining social structures some critics have called a ‘terrorist training as they are, or as Meggs (2009, p.4) argues uninhibited by the laws, restrictions camp’ in the mountains, where he is trained of superheroes: to fight his enemies when he returns home. and corruption that the local police protecting the status quo gives them deal with. Some see Wayne’s Batman as a terrorist who countless opportunities to defend it from trains with a shadowy league, only to spurn attack. their harsher methods before they finally show up on his doorstep for a ‘blowback’ By any means necessary – that many have seen as reflecting America’s the tactics of Batman involvement with the Taliban before Considering the tactics of Batman over September 11th 2001. the whole trilogy also sheds light on some Others have argued that: cause for concern over this darkest of just as The Dark Knight was a touching tribute knights. While Batman is not a killer and to an embattled George W. Bush, who chose certainly not as cheerfully fascist as Judge to be seen as a villain in order to be the hero, Rises is a love letter to an imperfect America Dredd’s executioner, he is on the other that in the end always does the right thing. hand ‘forced’ into some pretty abhorrent Nolte, 2012 acts over the course of the trilogy. In The Dark Knight, his interrogation of the In this reading, because Batman takes becomes brutal, like the torture so eagerly responsibility for Two-’s murders at the justified by stopping acts of terrorism in real end of The Dark Knight, he is comparable life. Batman then uses a scarily sophisticated with George W. Bush, who was willing to and completely illegal surveillance do America’s dirty work in a time of war. America is that has to free itself of the shackles of international laws in order to fight evil wherever it finds it, Batman needs disorder, chaos and and mete out its own brand of justice and enemies to attack. He serves the revenge for the 9/11 attacks. There are many who believe that the status quo, protecting the dominant American political and military elite hoped hegemony of his society. for such an attack, as it would give them the

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english and media centre | April 2013 | MediaMagazine 39 MM Batman does not fight inequality or any of the other factors that might cause increases in criminality.

Gothamites improving over the course of the three films, with less corruption, poverty and organised crime, they also lack any real suggestion that such fundamental inequalities in wealth are in any way wrong. Wayne may lose his fortune by Bane’s deeds, but his wealth and access to technology is never criticised, even as they talk of the army lacking funds to buy ’ , or the police not having the resources to catch criminals. Only Bruce Wayne can afford a batsuit, a technique in order to track down his and a . The army and nemesis. As Bady (2012) states: the police, funded by tax dollars, will have Bruce Wayne became the terrorist and to do without; but Bruce Wayne, vigilante Batman became both torturer and operator millionaire, can carry on being the saviour. of a mass surveillance system; it was exactly The films have no ‘notion of a structural the point that in fighting the villain, he crisis in capitalism’ (Bady, 2012). In The Dark became the villain. Knight Rises’ nuclear bomb, Some read this as an attack on the the movie allows Bruce Wayne to invent a behaviour of America while others, technological solution to poverty … and then Marcotte (2012) included, argued that discard it. The Dark Knight ‘ended with a seeming Bady, 2012 endorsement of authoritarianism’. Though the reactor could have been Interrogations that stray into brutality used as a source of unlimited cheap and violating privacy laws are justified in energy, in the wrong hands (i.e. anyone the by the semi-positive outcomes. not as wealthy, noble and wonderful as The Joker is captured, though there are Bruce Wayne) it is turned into a bomb and two major victims of his chaos, and good therefore must be destroyed. Bady goes so and evil become such murky concepts that far as to argue that it is no wonder so much of what occurs in this decision to not end poverty because The Dark Knight looms ominously over the you might release a weapon into the public events of . The truth sphere – demonstrates the real driving force of Harvey Dent’s turn to the dark side is a playboy millionaire who inherited his for the movie’s morality, sense of history, and eventually used against those who plotted wealth from his parents and who knows its understanding of civic virtue: the violence to deceive the masses. nothing of the poverty of the ordinary within, which must be contained. Marcotte even suggests that: people of Gotham until he willingly and Bady, 2012 by violating human rights to deal with crime, deliberately throws his wallet away to get Gotham opened the door for Bane’s extremist Batman is a comic book hero and his job a taste of what it is like to feel hunger. The reaction. is not to battle inequality but to fight evil people of Gotham are poor, struggling and This suggests a rather more progressive villains. The cause of crime is left to his alter- desperate. The first real contact with them argument than many have given these ego Bruce Wayne to occasionally tackle in that Wayne has is when a criminal robs, recent Batman films credit for. Some find charitable donations to orphanages and then kills his parents for their expensive the moral murkiness of the films to be more the like. Batman has a reactionary role, belongings. Douthat (2012) argues that: about criticising America’s behaviour than fighting the bad guys while ignoring the movies pretty consistently social ailments that cause criminality. In this celebrating what was achieved through portray Gotham as corrupt, chaotic, unequal way he can choose to ignore morally dubious tactics. Bady argues that and unjust. the films show that: more liberal, systemic changes that might Those at the top dupe, intimidate and have broader effects and challenge dominant America has become what it says it fights control the masses. It is no wonder that in the process of fighting it – and made it institutions and ideology. many join Bane’s army by the finale to fight impossible to distinguish good from evil. Meggs, 2009 against inequality in their society. Marcotte Throughout the trilogy, Nolan is showing Inequality in Gotham (2012) argues that: watching the super-rich be pulled out of their that Gotham is split along class divisions; Gotham, although much improved homes and murdered can be read as a slam and while he acknowledges the injustices of between and The Dark against the left, but it felt more like the ugly the ruling elite, he is also Knight Rises, simmers constantly with result of allowing the rich to gobble up too suggesting that both the revolutionary and class tension. Bruce Wayne is the notable much of the pie in the first place. anarchic alternatives would be much, much representative of upper class aristocracy, While the trilogy shows life for ordinary worse. Douthat, 2012

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Gotham’s people are seen as docile, useless and incapable of achieving anything worthwhile.

2012), particularly in the final film. The and his villains: agents of chaos versus people of Gotham are nowhere to be seen an agent of order. Batman does not fight during the occupation of Gotham. It is inequality or any of the other factors that left for Batman to release the police force might cause increases in criminality. Bruce and for them to then fight the uprising of Wayne is a privileged playboy who can do and disgruntled poor young men as he pleases, but chooses not to change who joined Bane. Many see parallels with the system for the good of the people. At the Occupy movement but the end of the day, Bane has no peaceful or noble intentions of by not seeking to create a radically new fighting for the redistribution of wealth to system of government or social structure, he the 99%. Instead he is simply a puppet of a ensures that he will always be needed. criminal organisation that wants to watch Meggs, 2009 the world burn. Nolan has addressed the And with a expected in 2017, you similarities, arguing that he is not critical of can bet he always will be. but claiming if the populist movement is manipulated by Pete Turner is undertaking a PhD at Oxford Brookes somebody who is evil; that surely is a criticism University, writes a film blog at http://ilovethatfilm. of the evil person. You could also say the blogspot.com/ and is currently writing a book on The conditions the evil person is exploiting are Blair Witch Project. problematic and should be addressed. So though the masses only play a Follow it up very minor role in their own destiny, the Bady 2012. http://thenewinquiry.com/ films suggest that there is some inherent The masses blogs/zunguzungu/do-not-go-gentle- decency in the people of . Karl Marx believed the workers of the into-that-dark-knight/ world would unite and when they achieved Conclusion: order vs chaos Douthat. 2012. class consciousness, they would revolt against those who had exploited them The Dark Knight trilogy is many things to Marcotte. 2012. http://prospect.org/ for too long. However Nolan’s films have many people. It throws post-9/11 concerns article/masked-morality-batman-trilogy about terrorism, justice and retribution less faith in the masses. Aside from The Meggs. 2009. http://trace. into the decidedly less comic-book-like Dark Knight’s climax, Gotham’s people are tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent. setting of a very modern and recognisable seen as docile, useless and incapable of cgi?article=2296&context=utk_ Gotham City. Some consider it wilfully right- achieving anything worthwhile. The Dark chanhonoproj Knight is interesting in that wing, even more than the idea of a wealthy the film’s ideological conflict seems to center vigilante ever formerly suggested. Others Nolan. 2012. http://www.rollingstone. around the fundamental worth of humanity, consider it more balanced in its ideology, com/movies/news/christopher- whether it is truly as corruptible as the Joker arguing that its approaches to crime and nolan-dark-knight-rises-isn-t-political- thinks it is or if it has an essential nobility as capitalism are far from simplistic. Nolte 20120720#ixzz2JTw3XEDZ Bruce Wayne believes. (2012) praises the final film for being Nolte. 2012. http://www.breitbart.com/ Meggs, 2009 mostly about a rousing defence of an America Big-Hollywood/2012/07/21/Dark-Knight- under siege by a demagogue disguising his Fortunately at the end of the film, Wayne Rises-Review-Nolte nihilistic rage and thirst for revenge and is proved right: neither the prisoners nor the power as a noble quest for equality. ordinary people of Gotham choose to blow Marcotte (2012) argues that up each other’s bomb-laced ferries as The there are no easy dichotomies. By the end of Joker had hoped they would. the third film, a clear argument for balance However the masses are more often between authoritarianism in the name of portrayed as ‘a populace content to wait for order and an anarchist view of people power Batman to save it without doing anything emerges. – good or evil – on its own behalf’ (Bady, It all ultimately comes back to Batman

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