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Updated May 31st, 2023 at 14:06 IST

Decoding Batman's flawed villains who rivalled the Caped Crusader's popularity

The Batman villains have a trajectory of transformation. They've become more layered with time, commanding more screen presence and attention.

Reported by: Nitish Vashishtha
batman
Some of the villains in the Batman universe, namely Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, Joker, The Riddler and Penguin (Image: Republic) | Image:self
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Batman is one of the most popular superheroes in the DC Universe. The character has been retained even in the new and revised DCU films, that are slated for release in the upcoming decade. This in itself is a testament to the popularity of the character. Over the course of the last 20 years, Batman, popularly known as The Dark Knight, has been part of 9 live-action films. Even Joker, the prime nemesis of the caped crusader, was portrayed with elan by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2019 eponymous film, directed by Todd Philips. Phillips is currently working on a sequel of Joker, a character battling mental illness. Meanwhile, there are two Batman films currently under development.The Batman 2 features Robert Pattinson in the title role, whileThe Brave and The Bold will focus on the dynamics of Bruce Wayne and his son, Damian Wayne. 

Batman, however, is not the only one in the films who shows character development and commands screentime. Over the years, the villains in Batman films have developed through their cinematic portrayal. Batman: The Movie, the first Batman film, was released in July 1966 and featured Adam West as the titular character. Since then, villains in Batman movies have become more and more layered, alongside Bruce Wayne. Let's take a look.

Villains in initial Batman films: Overshadowed by the ‘good guy’

Director Tim Burton, who had worked with Michael Keaton previously on Beetlejuice, made Batman in 1989. The film had a dark, brooding atmosphere, influenced by Alan Moore’s graphic novel The Killing Joke and Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. This was also the inception of the Joker, portrayed by The Shining star Jack Nicholson. 

The 1989 film offered a mix of action, intrigue, and most importantly, jokes, from the Joker. The intense undertone of Batman films was retained until Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever, featuring Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Several villains, such as The Riddler, Penguin, Shreck and Two-Face, were featured in subsequent films. However, their backstories were not given enough attention, making the characters seem shallow. The heroics of Batman overshadowed these villains - the characterisations did not evoke empathy for the ‘bad guy’, despite the fact that their troubled pasts were hinted at. Actors such as Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Tommy Lee Jones, and Uma Thurman have played villains in the Joel Schumacher films. However, the portrayals were, at best, comic in nature. 


Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy reinvents Batman villains

It was not until 2005 that director Christopher Nolan gave the Batman movies his own spin. Christian Bale played the role of Batman in Batman Begins (2005) and faced off Ra’s Al Ghul, played by Liam Neeson.  Ra’s Al Ghul was previously a mentor to Bruce Wayne. He had taught Bruce everything that he needed to be a force of change in Gotham. However, he returned to kill Bruce after the latter betrayed him. Ra’s Al Ghul was liked as a villain, as he mirrored the trauma of Batman’s past. However, it wasn’t until The Dark Knight (2008) that the Joker, the most fearsome Batman antagonist, was introduced. 

Ra's Al Ghul in Batman Begins

The late actor Heath Ledger played the role of the Joker. He introduced a yet-unparalleled disruption to the superhero genre. While Ledger’s Joker was already a stone-cold murderer, he also sought to debilitate the entirety of Gotham City, simply for the sake of spreading chaos. He questions Batman in the film, “What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?” It is also a question that forms the essence of Batman and Joker’s rivalry. Batman fights to keep justice alive in a city that lacks hope, while Joker fuels the flame as he watches everything burn down.

 The Dark Knight Rises featured Batman’s rival Bane, played by Tom Hardy. Bane enters Gotham and completely destroys Batman in order to establish his own rule in Gotham. If it wasn’t for Bruce Wayne’s indomitable spirit and urgency for justice, Bane would have ruled Gotham. Bane’s character development and his on-screen presence overpower even the presence of Batman - thus establishing the mortality of the superhero character.


Why Batman villains are serious 

Batman is a character born out of trauma. Bruce Wayne lost his parents in front of his eyes in a mindless shooting incident. With the support of his butler Alfred, and the inherited wealth of his parents, Bruce Wayne allows himself on a journey of growth and learning. He eventually becomes a trained martial artist, assassin, engineer and most importantly, a detective, who solves crimes to bring justice. 

Batman's villains are often a counterpart to the aspects of his persona. The Penguin, for instance, is corrupt and selfish and he exists solely in the criminal underbelly of Gotham.Two-Face is a villain who mirrors the same lack of faith in human goodness that Batman consistently fights to uphold. The Joker is one of Batman’s most fierce antagonists - while Batman follows a trajectory of self-affirmational discipline and perseverance, The Joker is deeply nihilistic and chaotic. 

Joaquin Phoenix in Joker

Moreover, Joker (2019) gave us a glimpse of the villain’s psychological makeup. The insight into his mind seems to justify the Joker's behaviour, albeit in his own perspective. Gotham, in and of itself, is portrayed as a sinister location where Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck grew up and lost all hope. It is a city so corrupt, that in his eyes, redemption is impossible. Joaquin Phoenix portrays the character’s pain, as he deals with rejection, apathy, ignorance and organisational mismanagement in the city.

This is the connective tissue in most Batman villains. They feature backstories that are as tragic (if not more), when compared to the vigilante superhero that they are fighting. This allows us to view Batman villaiuns in a more human light, which is in contrast to their seemingly ruthless nature. Even Robert Pattinson's The Batman featured Paul Dano as The Riddler. The character matched every bit of intensity that the neo-noir superhero film demanded. 

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Published May 30th, 2023 at 21:07 IST

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