Suppose you are in danger, and suddenly there’s a superhero who shows up to rescue you. How would you feel? Relieved, right? Well, I don’t think you’d feel the same if that superhero were Batman. He’d probably scare the hell out of you; more scared than the danger you were facing in the first place. At least that’s what we can see at the beginning of The Batman movie. Batman saves a guy from a couple of thugs by beating the crap out of them. Do you remember the dialogue here?
– Who the hell are you supposed to be?
– I am vengeance.
And after being rescued from great danger, instead of feeling relieved, the victim felt terrified of Batman. He says, “Please, don’t hurt me.” That fear shows how the people of Gotham perceive Batman.
It proves that he terrorizes not only criminals but also literally everyone in the city. Yep, he is vengeful, ruthless, and brutal. But Batman was not portrayed as the vengeance-seeking dark character throughout the whole movie. Rather, he eventually became the symbol of hope from vengeance through his journey of fighting crime in Gotham City. And how did that happen?
If I were Batman and got “Please don’t hurt me” as feedback from the guy I just saved, I’d probably say, “How about some thanks for saving your ass?” But Mr. Vengeance seems to like it. According to him, “Fear is a tool.” In that movie, Batman uses that tool to fight against crimes and wishes to make a difference through it (didn’t get quite a success on that, you can say). The motivation behind this vengeful act is quite simple to understand: the murder of his parents.
However, after going through some events, Batman started to believe that ‘Hope’ is the key, not vengeance or fear. And I believe two of them are the most important events that brought about the change.
You inspired me
When Batman visits Arkham Asylum, Riddler informs that all the things he did, including murdering a bunch of people, were actually inspired by him (Batman). Riddler claims, just like Batman, he also used fear and vengeance as a way of doing the right thing. And thus, Batman and Riddler are not so different. That shocks Batman. He realizes that the way he used to validate his acts is the same way Riddler thinks what he does is justified. So, there must be something wrong with Batman’s philosophy because his way of being a vigilante and fighting crime is inspiring chaos and disasters in the city.
I am Vengeance
In the third act of the film, we see Batman beating the shit out of one of Riddler’s followers. Jim Gordon stops him from killing the poor goon. Jim unmasks the guy and asks him who he is. “I am vengeance,” he replies. If I were Batman, I’d punch his face a couple more times for copying my signature line. But this line hit Pattinson’s Batman differently. He realizes Riddler or his fellow goons and Batman himself are not so different in the sense that all of their actions are driven by vengeance.
He understands that to make an actual difference in Gotham City, there is no use of fear or being vengeful. Rather, people of Gotham City can use some hope at crucial moments. And we see the reflection of that thought later. After the disaster flashes away the whole city, Batman walks with a flare torch in his hand guiding the path to the people of Gotham City (feels like the Jesus of Gotham). Here, the burning flare torch symbolizes the light of hope. And holding that torch and rescuing the people, Batman becomes the symbol of hope. As he later says, “Vengeance won’t change the past, mine, or anyone else’s. I have to become more. People need hope. To know someone is out there for them.”
From saying “Please don’t hurt me.” to grabbing his hand while rescuing, Batman becomes the symbol of Hope from “Mr. Vengeance.”
