Clown Prince of Gay

Because it’s so frustrating to me that this horribly misunderstanding of Batman and Bruce Wayne and everything that exists in Batman comics is so prominent in mainstream pop culture. It’s the go-to adaption for Batman. The ironic part being it’s not even about Batman. It’s about a selfish, self-centered man who puts on a Bat-suit for revenge purposes, who beats up mentally ill people without thought or remorse, and feels he’s owed the affections of his childhood sweetheart and has so little interest in the well being of his city of its people it’s laughable. 

The best characters in Nolan movies have always been the side characters: Gordon, Catwoman, and the Joker. I don’t count Ras Al Ghul, Tialia Al Ghul, and Bane remotely good representations of their comic book counterparts. Mainly because they’re whitewashed. Nolan is so stuck on only including one character of color (Fox who exists only to help Bruce) he wouldn’t even hire Zoe K because he didn’t want the movie to seem “urban”. She could have been Tam Fox! But that would mean Nolan would have to actually care about his source material. 

Batman is suppose to be one of the greatest detectives ever. Nolan didn’t even have him use Google. He didn’t so much as interrogate criminals as torture them for information. I never felt that Batman or Bruce Wayne cared about their city. Not when he could so easily give it up twice in one movie. Excuse me, three times (once in Dark Knight, twice in Dark Knight Rises). 

The Nolan films emphasize, for me, all the worst aspects of a Batman story. A man who’s angry, lacks any sort of emotion, uses his strength, wealth and power to terrorize criminals and doesn’t do anything for the people of Gotham. An utterly self-centered man with to much power and anger with no one keeping him in check. Don’t get me started on the insult that was “Robin” in DKR. 

This is why I’m surprised people praise Nolan’s Batman over Synder’s. Batfleck is Batman. He’s traumatized, he’s angry but not without consequences. He actually appears to care about people. During the movie he’s bitter, and cynicism has infected him like a disease (like Alfred said) but by the end of the film he’s a little closer to being healed, he saw that he was wrong, and wants to do better by people. He also showcased that he actually cared about his city and its people. He showed more emotion in that one scene where he helps a man from out of the rubble of Metropolis and holds that little girl than BaleBats ever did. He sets up victim funds for his employees who survived the Metropolis attacks, he gazes at the Robin suit with regret and longing. He researches his little heart out and yells things like, “I love those shoes!” and “Sorry pretty girl, don’t quote me” and “My company has already donated in favor of…books”. He has Alfred breathing down his neck about children and basically has a sign behind him at all times that reads “Chill the fuck out Bruce we’re both to old for this!” 

I detest what Nolan did to Bruce Wayne/Batman. He just ain’t Bruce Wayne/Batman!

While I’m still waiting for my Bruce Wayne is David Mazouz, I agree 100% that Ben Affleck is a much better Bruce Wayne/Batman than Christian Bale.

What I find truly interesting is that all of the above are women. Women, who are accused of pretending to like comics to get boyfriends, but in fact like comics because of their stories and fully understand Bruce Wayne/Batman. Meanwhile, the men who disdain women who are into comics, you know, for they only want to get into some guy’s pants, defend Nolan’s movies as the ultimate representation of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Now, who is the poser?

1. He loves the man who raised him, his butler, like a father.

2. He adopts orphan children and is a loving, nurturing father to them and to his biological son.

3. He cares deeply about his mentees, loving them pretty much like he does his own children.

4. He developed a rather brother-and-sister relationship with Barbara Gordon, caring for and loving her not like a protégée, but like his equal.

5. He is compassionate towards all…

6. … including villains.

These traces are not commonly associated with archetypes of manhood; they are usually seen as feminine characteristics. Being emotionally complex, compassionate and nurturing isn’t manly; it’s being a “pussy”. Therefore, the macho fandom prefers a Bruce Wayne who craves revenge instead of a Bruce Wayne who wants justice and that understands the complexity of criminality, choosing compassion over mercilessness. The macho fandom wants a playboy womanizer, not a family man who loves and nurtures family and friends (yes, Bruce Wayne pretends to be a playboy womanizer in public, but that is his alter ego, not his inner nature). 

Bruce Wayne is not the archetype of toxic masculinity, a dominant, aggressive, unemotional and sexually aggressive man. He can have his moments of toxic masculinity, after all he is far from perfect, but he is not the embodiment of toxic masculinity.

Someone got some new toys…