Hello everyone!
Okay, so I absolutely love Batman. But most of you know that little fact since you've likely seen my Batman purse, T-shirt, posters, or you may be familiar with my obsession with the 90s series and the new movies. So, in honor of the new Batman movie that came out recently, this post is all about taking apart and analyzing the Dark Knight and comparing him with the concept of the Byronic hero. This will also be an attempt to answer the question of why these characters are so popular.
For those that aren't familiar with literary history, the Byronic hero was created by Lord Byron who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century. This poet was basically the rock star of his time with widespread fame and devoted fans. Even today, his poetry is still widely read and influential. The Byronic Hero is a style of character that Lord Byron created. This character is dark, moody, brooding, and has the outlook of a condemned soul. Many of Lord Byron's characters had these qualities and even Lord Byron himself was known for being rather dark and brooding. This concept of a dark, melancholy protagonist took the world by storm and we see elements of the Byronic hero throughout the evolution of English literature and popular media. Some examples include Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, and various characters in modern media today, particularly the stereotyped "misunderstood bad boy." The Byronic hero may have even been the creation of the saying "tall, dark and handsome." Eventually, the Byronic hero finds its way to the superheroes, most notably with Batman.
Let's take a look at Batman. He has no superpowers and is trained in a fighting ninja style, including the ability to blend in with shadows and become "unseen". As his alter-ego, billionaire Bruce Wayne, he has unlimited access to technology ahead of its time, as well as billions of dollars to finance his cause. His motivation is shaped by his parents' death and his training. His personality is truly that of the Byronic hero: mysterious, brooding, and full of emotional scars from tragic events. Along with his fighting style, Batman resorts to more brutal actions and scare tactics to get his information, a characteristic that would be controversial. He also relies on darkness itself as a tool for his efforts. In fact, Batman's whole persona and existence is darkness, which is very characteristic of the Byronic Hero. Particularly in the last movie, Bruce Wayne's personality took on a more tragic nature, in that giving up his life became the only solution he could see. This tragic is another notable characteristic of the Byronic Hero.
Batman was the next big superhero after Superman introduced us to the concept of the superheroes. His creation likely stemmed from the desire to create something different. The world now had Superman, the invincible superhero. Now, there needed to be a hero that didn't have the appearance of the classic hero, but still had enough awe-inspiring power/abilities to create the sense of a superhero. They needed a dark hero, a Byronic hero. So Batman was created. In reality, Batman resembles more those detectives from those old detective movies rather than a superhero. You know what I'm talking about: those black and white movies with the melodramatic dames and the cold mysterious private eye who always had something hidden up his sleeve. Again, we see more influence of the Byronic hero in these detectives. Batman then could be seen as a mixture of such a detective and a superhero. So, the Dark Knight is made from the combination of the clever minds and Byronic personalities of the great detectives with the combat skills and vigilante style of a superhero.
But why do people like these characters, and why was there such a craze over the Byronic hero in the 18th-19th centuries in the first place? From what I've studied and read, I think people were looking for a more complex protagonist. In 18th century literature, the protagonist generally was the one with good qualities, or at least with good intentions (whether things worked out well for the protagonist or not is a different matter. Authors do love a good tragedy). But soon, authors such as Lord Byron were looking to expand the protagonist into someone whose qualities may not be society's idea of a good hero/protagonist. With the Byronic hero, people could delve into the darkness of the hero and explore new elements in the protagonist. It's notable to say that at the same time as Lord Byron, American writers Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne were also exploring the darker side of humanity and fantasy with their haunting short stories and poems. For them as authors and for us as the audience, darkness and dark heroes are an endless source of fascination because it creates a new complexity in the character. It may also have a bit of that forbidden fruit factor; we aren't supposed to like it, but we do. Of course, there were people who didn't care for this type of hero, preferring the classic hero. But regardless, the concept of the Byronic Hero remained a great influence in literature and modern media.
Now to the question: why is Batman so popular? What draws people to this dark character? We have the same reasons that people were drawn to the Byronic Hero. Just as there were mixed reactions to the Byronic Hero, there were mixed reactions to Batman. There were those who rejected him on the grounds of him not being a "real" superhero since he didn't have any super powers. There were also others who didn't care for his personality and found him too dark to be a good superhero. On the other hand, some received Batman gladly as a new and refreshing character from the usual superhero diet. People liked Batman because he was a dark hero that wasn't afraid to immerse himself in the dark underworld of crime to get the information he needed.
But there is so much more to the concept of Batman than the novelty of a dark superhero. For there were those that could relate to Batman. Batman, though incredibly talented and rich, was still human. To some people, that humanness is what really drew them to Batman. Because Batman was imperfect, he could be more real. He had his own problems and his own demons to sort out. For those people, like me, half of the fun of watching and reading Batman was not only figuring out the crime or seeing how he'd defeat the villain, but also figuring out the Batman himself. Batman became more than a superhero. He became a puzzle, a real human being. Perhaps those very human qualities are the deepest and most frightening reasons for our love of the dark heroes such as Batman; we see a little of ourselves in that darkness. We see someone who isn't perfect and is a little more like us. While he may be powerful and charismatic, Batman isn't untouchable. And through his imperfections, he becomes more real to me as a character and as the Dark Knight.
So why is Batman my favorite superhero? Besides some of my obvious and shallow reasons (he's buff, has awesome ninja skills and has that sexy mysterious air), something about him just draws me to him. Maybe it's those Byronic qualities; maybe it's his human nature. Regardless of the reason, I love Batman as a superhero and as a character and I probably always will. So go watch the new Batman movie because it's pretty awesome! Or don't. I can't make you do anything. But you'll be missing out. Until next time, folks!
