Batman —An American Mr. Hyde?

Author(s): Andreas Reichstein

Source: Amerikastudien / American Studies, Vol. 43, No. 2 (1998), pp. 329-350
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Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde?

Andreas Reichstein

ABSTRACT

Overthepastyears, comic-book characters

as partofpopularculture haveincreasingly
drawn
theattentionoftheacademic world.Throughoutthecomplex historyofcomicbooks,onefigure
hassurvivedfornearly yearsandhasachieved
sixty a specialcultstatus:
Batman.Thisarticle
not
onlytriesto analyzethiscreation
byBob KaneandBillFinger butalsocompares Batmanto a
literary
figureof prominence:RobertLouisStevenson's Dr. Jekyll/Mr.
Hyde.Thiscomparison
goes beyondtheobvioussimilarity thatthetwofictionalcharacters- BruceWayneand Dr.
Jekyll-bothleada doublelifeandchangeintoan alteregobynight. On thevarious
levelsoflit-
erarycriticism,
history, andreligion,
psychoanalysis, thisarticle
triestoprobeintothebasictraits
ofthesetwofigures andtofindouthowmuchmorethetwohaveincommon.

In 1886,RobertLouis Stevensonwrotehis story"The StrangeCase of Dr. Jekyll

and Mr. Hyde," and in 1939,Robert (Bob) Kane and William(Bill) Fingercreated
the comicfigureBatman.Thus,1996 markedthe 110thbirthdayof the infamousEd-
ward Hyde,and in 1999,Batman will celebratehis 60thbirthday. These dates alone
would hardlysufficefor a comparisonof these two characters-the firsta literary
figureand the second a comic-bookcharacter.The questionis whattheyreallyhave
in common.There are at least two things:theyare both fictionalcharactersand are
both figureswithalteregos whichtheychange into more or less deliberately-Dr.
Jekyllinto Edward Hyde and Bruce Wayneinto Batman.As unique as theymight
be in theirrespectivegenres,theywere not reallyoriginals;Batman,at least,had
definiteforerunners.
The comic-stripscene changedcompletelyin 1929 whenthe firstadventurecomics
appearedin the newspapers. Thoughthe genrehad thusfarbeen "simply"funny, the
economiccrisisin the UnitedStatescalled forcharactersotherthanthefunnyanimal
characters,daydreamersand happy-go-lucky figures that populated the comic
strips-or "funnies"-in thenewspapers. The GreatDepressioncalled forheroeswho
could set an exampleby showinghow to solve the biggestproblemsin timesof crisis
and,thus,demonstrate how to cope withindividualdifficult situations.On 7 January
1929,the firstTarzancomic appeared,created by Harold Foster(1892-1982)afterthe
novelsof Edgar Rice Burroughs. On the verysame day,thefirstscience-fiction comic
was published:Buck Rogers,createdby RichardCalkins (1895-1962),JohnF. Dille
(1887-1957),and PhilipFrancisNowlan (1888-1940)afterthe latteťs novelArmagge-
don-2419 A. D. Many adventure-and eventuallydetective-comics were to follow.
The electionof FranklinD. Rooseveltas the 32nd Presidentof the United Statesin
1933 did not changethe economicproblemsof the United States overnight. Unem-
ploymentin 1933 was as highas 25 percent.It was stilla timeforheroes.And it also
was a timeof escapism.Most of the comicstripsof thattimetransported the reader

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330 AndreasReichstein

to farawayplaces: exoticlocationslike whitebeaches on a blue ocean or thejungle,

distanthistoryand even outer space.1This appealed to a growingnumberof adult
readersas well as to theyoungerones.
At the age of sixteen,two high school friends,JerrySiegel (1915-1996)and Joe
Shuster(1914-1992),went beyond the adventurestorieswith human figuresand
pushed the frontierof escapismfurtherby creatingthe firstsuperhero:Superman.
Theydid not finda publisherforthiscreationrightaway,though.It was not untilsix
yearslater,in June1938,thatthe firstthirteen-page Supermanstoryappeared in a
new comicmagazinecalled ActionComics.2The Americanpublic,stilltroubledby a
low grossnationalproductand highunemployment, made thisnew figurean instant
success;especiallythe youngergenerationfellforSuperman.He was an originalfig-
ure withouta predecessorin any othercomicstrip,the movies,or literature.3
To cash
in on thissuccess,VincentSullivan,the editorof Action Comics,commissionedthe
youngcomicartistBob Kane (1916-*)to drawup anothersuperhero.4 The 21-year-old
Kane, who did not want simplyto copy Superman,createdanothersuperheroover
theweekend:Batman.The firststoryfeaturing Batmanappearedin DetectiveComics
27, in May 1939,and was an instantsuccessas well.The differences betweenSuper-
man and Batmanare striking, though.Althoughbothhave a dual identity, Superman,
forexample,is nothuman.
As a baby,Kal-El, the son of scientistJor-Elon the planetKrypton,is sent away
fromhishomeplaneton a spaceshipto escape Krypton'sfinaldestruction. The space-

1 See WilliamH.
Young,Jr.,"The SeriousFunnies:AdventureComicsduringtheDepression,
1929-1938," Journalof PopularCulture3.3 (Winter1969):404-27.
2A
veryimportant changeforthe comicstripwhichin a way paved the way forthe super-
heroeswas the appearanceof the firstcomicmagazinein 1933:DetectiveDan, SecretOperation
48,publishedby theHumorPublishingCompanyin Chicago.Up to then,thefunnies, or comics,
had been publishedas stripsin thenewspapers. thenewspapersissuedcompilations
Occasionally,
of one of theirseries,like Harry"Bud" Fisher'sMuttand Jeff in 1911.In 1929,theDell Publish-
ingCompanypublishedthefirstcomicbooksin theclassiccomic-bookformaton a regularbasis,
butthesewerereprints of comicstripsthathad appearedbeforeonlyin newspapers. For thehis-
toryof the first"real" comicbooks withoriginalcartoonsand theireconomicinfluenceon the
comic-strip productionsee Roger Sabin,AdultComics(London:Routledge,1993) 139-43;Jerry
Robinson,The Comics:An Illustrated Historyof ComicStripArt(New York:G. P.Putnam'sSons,
1974) 109-60;Roger Sabin,Comics,Comix& GraphicNovels:A Historyof ComicArt(London:
PhaidonPress,1996) 11-44;and GünterMetken,Comics(Frankfurt/Main: Fischer,1970)64.
3
StephenBeckerremembers: "The thirties
werea periodof trial,and manyof us lostour old
faithin the traditional virtues.
The gangsterwas an Americaninstitution, a salientfigurein fact
and fiction.Warwas imminent in Europe;Hitlerseemedthepersonification of absoluteevilwith
unlimitedpower.Supermanmay have been partlya wishfulfillment: hesitantto acceptbattle
withthe evil loose in the world,parentsquietlyapprovedthe presenceof thisfictionalstrong
manwho could have been sucha comfort had he existed"(StephenBecker,ComicArtinAmer-
ica [NewYork:Simonand Schuster, 1959]241).
4 See Mike Benton,
SuperheroComicsof theGoldenAge (Dallas: Taylor,1992) 23. Bentonis
referring to theinterview withBob Kane himself: ThomasAndrae,"Originsof theDark Knight:
A ConversationwithBatmanArtistsBob Kane and JerryRobinson,"Overstreet Comic Book
Price Guide 19 (Cleveland,TN: OverstreetPublications, 1989) 25-28.A different storyis toldin
Franco Fossati,"Kane, Bob," Dos Grosse Illustrierte Ehapa Comic Lexikon (Stuttgart: Ehapa
Verlag,1993).Accordingto thatbook,WhitEllsworthfromDC ComicsapproachedBob Kane
and Bill Fingerto drawup a newfigurethatcouldcompetewithSuperman'ssuccess.

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 Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde? 331

shiplandson Earth,and Kal-El is foundby thechildlesscouple Marthaand Jonathan

Kent of Smallville.Theyraisetheboy,who discoversthaton Earthhe has superpow-
ers because of the different sunlight.As an adult,he keeps his superpowersa secret
and leads a double lifeas thejournalistClarkKent,who worksfortheDaily Planet,a
newspaperof thecityof Metropolis.If someoneis in dangeror ifa catastrophelooms
on thehorizon,ClarkKent turnsintoSupermanto save thosein danger.At thesame
time,Supermanpersonifiesthe absolutecrime-fighter. He is the embodimentof the
phrase "crime does not a
pay"- phrase,by the way, which is obviouslyinapplicableto
the publishers.5 Though the character of Superman was born in a clearlydefinedpo-
liticalcontextand out of a socio-political need, he has adaptedto thevariouspolitical
situationsof theUnitedStates.DuringWorldWar II, he foughtthe Nazis,and during
the Cold War he stood up againstcommunists. He was not alone in his struggle
against the enemies of democracy, of the American way of life and of the United
Statesin general.In thewake of Supermanand Batman,a wholearmyof superheroes
populatedtheAmericancomic-bookmarketin the 1940sand 50s.
In contrastto Superman,Batman is human.The only child of the millionaire
ThomasWayneand his wifeMartha,as a youngboy Bruce is witnessto themurderof
his parentsby a streetrobber.Swearingrevenge,he dedicateshis lifeto crime-fight-
ing.Like Superman,he has a dual identity: by day,he is themillionaireplayboyBruce
Wayne;by night, he turns into Batman. Even his appearanceis striking, in contrastto
Superman. While Superman is dressed in bright colors- basically blue with a red
cape- Batman wears a dark costume in black and gray, with a hood and cape. Super-
man's adventurestake place in broad daylight, whereasBatman appears mainlyby
night.The fictionalcityMetropolis, whereClark Kent/Superman lives and works,has
a strikingresemblance to Manhattan. Gotham City, the hometown of Bruce
Wayne/Batman, darkplace.One of themanyBatmaneditorsof DC, Den-
is a sinister,
nis O'Neil, put it thisway:"Gothamis Manhattanbelow FourteenthStreetat 3 a.m.,
November28 in a cold year.Metropolisis ManhattanbetweenFourteenthand One
Hundredand TenthStreetson thebrightest, sunniestJulyday of theyear."6Although
thereare manymoreoutward,easilyrecognizabledifferences betweenthetwocomic-
book characters, the biggestdissimilarity is the changethe Batmanfigurehas under-
gone throughout the decades,whilethe Supermancharacterhas stayedthe same.He
is not onlyspecialin the long line of superheroesbecause of his success- which,in a
way,is comparableonlyto thatof Superman-but also because of the manyinterpre-
tations, modifications, and even alterationsthedarkcrusaderhas experienced.
The firstchange,as a matterof fact,came verysoon afterhis creation.In thebegin-
ning,Batmanwas not onlyas threatening as the villainshe pursued,he was also as
brutalas theywere:"In the firstyear,Batman had been a grimvigilantewho oper-
ated outsidethe law.In severalearlyissues of Detectivehe even carrieda gun."7He

5 See R. С
Reitbergerand WolfgangFuchs,Comics:AnatomieeinesMassenmediums (Mün-
chen:dtv,1971) 134.
6 Dennis O'Neil, as
qtd. in Bill Boichel,"Batman:Commodityas Myth,"The Many Lives of
theBatman,ed. RobertaE. Pearsonand WilliamUricchio(New York:Routledge,Chapmanand
Hall, 1991)4-17;9.
7 Bob Kane,Batman& Me
Eclipse Books,1989) 45.
(Forestville:

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332 AndreasReichstein

did notonlycarrya gun;in thefirstissue of hismagazine,Batmanevenkilleda crimi-

nal withit.This sinisterbeginningactuallyhas to be creditedto Kane's co-creatorof
Batman,Bill Finger(1914-1974).The two men had met at a partyin 1938 and,sub-
sequently, collaboratedon severaladventurecomics.The firstBatmansketchesKane
createdhad the bat-wingedman wearingonlya mask along withhis red suit.It was
Finger'sidea to add a cowl,bat-ears,and gauntlets;to make theeye slitstinyand mys-
teriousand to make the suitblue-gray. Fingeralso wrote thefirsttwostories.In addi-
tion,it was Fingerwho gave Batman his other Bruce
identity, Wayne,and namedBat-
man'shome-townGothamCity.In thespringof 1940,it was evidentthatBatmanwas
a growingsuccess,and DC Comics gave him his own magazine.At thattime,Bob
Kane hiredthe youngartistJerry Robinson(1923-*)who soon provedto be invalu-
able. Some say it was his idea to add a youthfulsidekickin orderto make thecomic
more appealingto youngerchildren.Withthe creationof Robin,the Boy Wonder,
a.k.a.Dick Grayson,supporting characterslike Alfred,thebutler,and Police Commis-
sionerGordon,and the indispensablearrayof villainslike the Joker,the Penguin,
Catwomanand Two-Face,the cast of characterswas complete.In Juneof 1948,Bill
Fingerfinallygave Batmanhispast bywriting themilestonestory"The OriginofBat-
man"in Batman47.
The firstchangein Batmanoccurredwiththe additionof Robin,givingthethusfar
sinistervigilantesome responsibility,as he was now a mentorand protector. He also
startedcooperatingwiththepolice,who wouldcall himwhenneeded withtheBatsig-
nal-spotlight.Because of the huge successof thiscomiccharacter, ColumbiaPictures
produceda 15-partfilmserialin 1943,starring Lewis Wilsonas Batmanand Douglas
Croftas Robin.Payingtheirtributeto thewar effort, Batmanand Robin had to fight
againsttheJapanesevillainDr. Daka, portrayedbyJ.CarrollNaish.Thisscreendebut
of Batman,however,was a failure.Bob Kane remembered: "I anticipatedseeingBat-
man broughtto the screenforthefirsttime,but myenthusiasm soon turnedto disap-
pointment. My frustrationbeganwiththecasting, or shouldI saymiscasting,ofBatman
and Robin.The actorplayingBatmanwas an overweight chap named Lewis Wilson,
who shouldhave been forcedto go on dietbeforetakingtherole."8AlthoughColum-
bia issued anotherfilmserialBatman& Robin in 1949,starringRobertLoweryand
JohnDuncan,itwas notuntil1966thatthecaped crusaderroseto screenprominence.
By that time,the comic industryhad faced criticaltimes.In his crusade against
crimeand sexualperversionduringthe 1940sand 1950s,thepsychiatrist FredericWer-
thamattackedthe comic-bookindustry forcontributingto the delinquencyof juve-
niles.The same yearin whichhe publishedhisbook Seductionof theInnocent?thein-
dustryreactedwithestablishinga self-policing Comics Code Authority to tame the

8 Kane 125,127.
OnlytheactorplayingtheevilDr. Daka, J.CarrolNaish,rose to somepromi-
nencewhenhe was twicenominatedforan AcademyAward(in 1943and 1945).WilliamSchoell
seemsto have likedtheserials,althoughhe admits:"Batmanand Robinis an engagingserial,but
it has littleof the atmosphereof the earlycomicstories.Everything
seemsto happenin broad
daylight, withBatman rarelyif ever engagingin nocturnalactivity.Batman and Robin them-
selves are grim,humorless, and businesslikein theirvariousguises,but thisjust makes them
moredull than'dark'" (WilliamSchoell,Comic Book Heroes of theScreen[New York:Citadel
Press,1991]73).
9
(1954;PortWashington, NY: KennikatPress,1972).

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 Batman-AnAmerican
Mr.Hyde? 333

contentsof comics.10 Batmandid not remainunaffected by thischangeof attitudein

Americansociety.BruceWayne'srelationship to Dick Grayson,whomhe had adopted
and who livedwithhimat his mansion,was denouncedas homosexual.Werthamsaw
themas thehomosexual'sdreamof twomen livingtogether.11 The producersreacted,
and slowlyRobin disappeareduntilhe was leftout of the Batmancomicsaltogether.
The explanationwas thathe had gone to college.The figureof Batmanchangeddra-
matically,too,though.Fromthe Dark Knight,he turnedinto some benignscoutmas-
ter.Insteadof chasingcriminalsin darkalleys,he began fighting robotsas well as ali-
ens and receivedhelp fromadditionalpettycharacterssuchas Bathound,Bat-Mite(a
gnomefromanotherdimension),Batwomanand Batgirl.Therefore, it seemed only
naturalthatWilliamDozier protestedheavilywhen he was approachedby the head
of televisionproductionat TwentiethCenturyFox, WilliamFox, to produce an ani-
matedBatmanseriesforthetelevisionchannelABC in 1965.
WilliamDozier protestedbecause he could notenvisionsuccessforan animatedse-
riesbased on a ratherridiculouscartoonairedon prime-time: "I feltlike an idiot.So I
read all thesethings[theBatmancomicbooks] and thoughttheymustbe out of their
minds.It was all so juvenile.Then a verysimple idea struckme and that was to
overdoit.If you overdidit,I thoughtit would be funnyto adultsand yetit would be
stimulating to kids."12
As a result,thistelevisionseries,whichstartedbroadcastingon
12 January1966 at 7:30 p.m.,became a cult series.Between 1966 and 1968,120 epi-
sodes were shownand gaineda wide audience.Adam Westas Bruce Wayne/Batman
and BurtWardas Dick Grayson/Robin became famousmorefortheirhilariousdia-
logue thanforthe action.Havingbeen informedby his publisherin 1965 thatunless
sales of the comicbooks pickedup the nextyear,Batmanwould be dead, Bob Kane
enjoyedthegreatpopularity of theTV show,althoughhe admitted:"My own opinion
is thatit was a marvelousspoof,and greatforwhatit was,but it certainlywasn'tthe
definiteBatman."13Despite its highratings,thisTV series markedthe decline and
even anti-climax of Batman.The once frightening avengerand creatureof the night
had become a funny, even ridiculousparodyof an actionhero.This mightwell have
been theend of Batman.
Only a fewof the superheroeswere leftanyway.Theirgolden age had been over
sincethe 1950s.Afterhopelessnessduringthe Depressionand the enemiesof Amer-
ica duringWorldWarII, theirlastbattleground had been thedangersof thenewlyin-
ventedatomicbomb.Comicbooks sold less and less duringthe 1950sand 1960s.More
and more,the Americankids turnedfromthe paintedimage of the comics to the
movingimageof thenewestmedium:television.In 1947,14,000familiesin theUnited
Statesowneda TV; tenyearslater,thisfigurehad risento 35 million.In the 1960s,the

10Werthamwas not alone in his battle

againstthe evil influencecomicswere supposed to
have.See, forinstance,Ron Goulart,TheAssaulton Childhood(London:Gollancz,1970);Hilde
Mosse,Die Bedeutungder Massenmediafürdie Entstehung kindlicherNeurosen(Köln-Kletten-
berg:Volkswartbund, 1954); and once again FredericWertham, A Sign for Cain (New York:
Macmillan,1966).
11Wertham, Seductionof theInnocent190.
11WilliamDozier is
qtd.in Bob Garcia,"PlayingtheCaped CrusaderTongue-in-Cheek forthe
24-25(February1994):8-63;17.
'60s,"Cinefantastique
10Kane 135.

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334 AndreasReichstein

averageincomeof familiesin the UnitedStatesrose about 85 percent.The 1950sand

60s werea timeof economicgrowthand risingwealthin the UnitedStates;therewas
no need for superheroesanymore.There were growingsocial problems,and the
comic-bookartiststriedtheirbest to fitthe charactersinto thischangedsocietyby
makingtheremaining heroessolve thedevelopingsocial and ecologicalproblems.But
thiswas no more than the last quiver of a dyingspecies.The figureof Superman
summedit up bestin 1984 whileflying in the stratosphere:
"I'm called themostpow-
erfulman on earth,and I maybe- but ifI STILL am,I won'tbe forlong.Today,the
SUPERPOWERS of earthare powersof greatnations-of presidentsand premiers!
Theirpowersare greaterthanthatof anyman- even a SUPERMAN!"14Thiskindof
swan song mighthave held true for Batman,too, if a dramaticand fundamental
changehad notbeen broughtaboutby a youngcomicartist:FrankMiller(1957-*).
Millerhad alreadyachievedcultstatuswhenhe createdthe graphicnovelBatman:
The Dark KnightReturnsin 1986. It was the firstcomic of its kind,and it set new
standards.It was publishedin book form,not as a magazine.Throughits lengthand
complexity, it came close to beingnovelisticas well.Milleralso introducedinnovative
graphicelementsthatcame fromthetechniquesof storyboards formovieproductions;
his cutsfromscene to scene,his choiceof variousperspectives and different anglesas
well as the compositionof the variouspages remindthe reader more of an action
moviethanthe flatworldof the comics.It was not theseformalaspectsalone,how-
ever,whichcreateda sensationin the comic world;it was also the contentsof his
work.For thefirsttimein thehistoryof comics,Millerintroducedtheelementof time
in the sense of characterdevelopment:his Batman was aging.Bruce Wayne,in his
is bitteraftera ten-yearretirement
mid-fifties, fromhis Batmanidentity; he is suicidal
and an alcoholic.Bruce Waynenow livesin a modernmass-mediasociety, "in a world
thathas renderedhim obsolete."15He is not drivenby self-doubts, though.Miller's
Batmanis a fanatic,undemocratic and brutalfighter againstevil as he sees it.He also
meetsan unaged,unalteredSupermanwho seemsto have changedintoAmerica'slast
defenseweapon underthe commandof U. S. PresidentReagan. At the end of the
novel,Supermanand Batmanfighteach otherin mortalcombat.It is notjust a fight
betweentwo superheroesalone- Supermanrepresentsthe obedient,submissiveser-
vant of mainstreamAmerica and Batman the nonconformist, independent,anti-
authoritarian individualwho livesand acts by his own rules,his own moralstandards.
This comicnovel not onlyset new standardsin the worldof comics,but also in the
further developmentof theBatmanfigure.Manygraphicnovelsand comicbooks fol-
lowed Miller's The Dark KnightReturns,and some achieved nearlythe same cult
statusas Batman:YearOne byMillerand David Mazzucchelliin 1987,and TheKilling
JokebyAlan Moore and BrianBolland one yearlater.Thus,thegroundwas prepared
fora newfilmadaptationof thiscomic-bookcharacter.
Afterthe greatsuccess of the true-to-the-comic-book adaptationof Supermanin
1978 by RichardDonner,withChristopher Reeves as the superhero, the Hollywood

14
SupermanNo. 395 (1984):23.
15
ChristopherSharrett,"Batman and the IWilightof the Idols: An InterviewwithFrank
Miller,"The Many Lives of theBatman,ed. Roberta E. Pearson and WilliamUricchio(New
York:Routledge,Chapmanand Hall, 1991) 33-46;33.

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 Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde? 335

studioWarnerBrothersboughtthe rightsto the caped crusaderfromDC Comics.It

was not untilMiller'srecreationof Batman,though,thatthe conceptforthe Batman
movietook shape.In 1989,then,twenty-nine-year-old Tim BurtonbroughtBatmanto
thescreenwithMichaelKeaton in thetitlerole.Fromthebeginning, it had been clear
to the producersthatonlyJackNicholsoncould be Batman'sopponent:the Joker.It
took quite a whilelongerto findthe rightactorforthe maincharacter, and whenthe
choice was announced,WarnerBrotherswas floodedwithmore thanfifty thousand
protest letters
fromBatman fansall around the world.Even Bob Kane was shocked:
"I, too,was stunnedby Tim'schoice.I had envisionedthe movieBatman to be similar
to mycomicbook character. Whereasmyherowas a muscularsix-foot-two and gran-
ite jawed, Keaton was a mere five-ten, had a slightbuild,and lacked chiseledfea-
tures."16 Tim Burtonhad not pickedKeaton just forfun,though.He had developed
his ownvisionof Batman,whichfollowedtheMillerinterpretation in a certainway:
I had considereda lot of people forthe role,but I just could not see themputtingon a
batsuit.The idea of someonelike Michaeldressingup as a bat made a lot moresense to
me thansomeonewiththeclassiccomicbook image.If theguyis handsomeand big and
strong,it is almostmoreof a joke to have himput on the costume.The characterhad to
have some kindofpsychological foundationfordoingit,and Michaelwas perfectbecause
all youhave to do is look at himand yougetthefeelingthathe is a littleschizophrenic.17
Burton'sBatmanis even moresinisterin appearancethanMiller'scomicversion.In
thismovie,as in the two subsequentones,Batman Returnsby Tim Burtonin 1992
and Batman Foreverby Joel Schumacherin 1995,Batman is no longerwearinga
gray suit with dark blue hood, cape, gloves and boots,but is clad completelyin
black.This rubbersuit gives the impressionof armor,more than a simpledisguise.
Batmanhad changedonce again and had trulybecome the Dark Knight.In addition
to the visual changes,Batmanin all threemoviestriesto analyzehis own personal-
ityand expressesthoughtsof self-distrust. Assessinghis double life,he is criticalto-
wardshimselfand even shows signsof insecurity in a few weak moments.Despite
the heavycriticism Burton'sfirstBatmanmoviemetwithdue to the castingof Kea-
ton and his interpretation of thiscomicfigure,it neverthelessstarteda new Batman
hysteria.18Because of thisnewlyinflamedpopularity, WarnerBrothersproducedan
animatedtelevisionseriesand,subsequently, even an animatedmovie:Batman:Mask
of the Phantom(1993). In 1997,anotherBatman movie hit the screen:Batman &
Robin by Joel Schumacher.With actor George Clooney as the masked superhero,
Schumacherdepartedfromthe firsttwo Batman movies even more than withhis
firstmovieBatmanForever.In tryingto make it as colorful,noisyand action-packed
as the early comic books,he abandoned all logic and psychologicalinterpretation:
"Not thatthat'sa problemforthisnew film,Batman and Robin,whichappears to
have lost all interestin Bruce Wayne- the notionof a double lifebeingtoo muchof

16Kane 145.
17Tim Burtonas
qtd. in JodyDuncan Shannon,"A Dark and StormyKnight,"Cinefex41
(February1990):4-33;8.
18For thereactionof fansto theBatmanmoviesee,forinstance,
CamilleBacon-Smithand Ty-
roneYarbrough, "Batman:The Ethnography," The Many Lives of theBatman,ed. Pearsonand
Uricchio90-116.

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336 AndreasReichstein

a brainachefor a scriptthatdoesn't bothergivingits charactersany sortof life in

the firstplace."19Both movieand animatedseriesfollowedneitherMiller'snor Bur-
ton's new conceptof the masked crusader,but ratherresembledthe styleof Bob
Kane, thusclosingthe circle.
Withtheseunparalleledchangesof a comic-bookcharacterand in viewof a popu-
laritythatspansnearlysix decades,it maynotbe surprising thatacademicseventually
have turnedtheirattentionto thispopularculturephenomenon.On thefiftieth anni-
of
versary Batman, teachersof Mass Communication at PennsylvaniaStateUniversity
set out to exploreBatmanand to "providea multifaceted perspectiveon one of the
longestlived of Americanpopular heroes" because "the synchronie and diachronic
richnessof the characterdemandsthe applicationof a numberof different and com-
plementary theoreticalparadigmswhich the
togetherrepresent wide-ranging analyti-
cal perspectivesof contemporary culturalstudies."20Theypublishedtheirresearchas
essays in a volume withthe significant title:The Many Lives of theBatman (New
York:Routledge,Chapmanand Hall, 1991).Those authorsdealingwiththeanalysisof
Batman'scomplexcharacterdescribehimas a supercitizen,a supercop,a supporter
of the statusquo, and a crimefighter like SherlockHolmes,JamesBond, and Philip
Marlowe.21 FrankMillersees Batmanas a "dionysianfigure, a forceforanarchythat
imposesan individualorder."He describeshim as "borderlinepathological,he's ob-
sessive Batman is an extremely violentcharacter."22When tryingto analyzethe
characterand personalityof Batman/Bruce Wayne,manygo back to the creatorsof
Batman and look at what inspiredthemand what theyhad in mindwhen theyin-
ventedthecaped crusader.
Bob Kane always said that he was basicallyinfluencedby Leonardo da Vinci's
drawingof a bat-likeflying machine;by Fred Niblo's movie,The Mark of Zorro,with
Douglas Fairbanks(1920); and by Roland West'smovie,TheBat Whispers(1930).23As

19Tom Shone,in his reviewof the new Batmanmovie,"What a Lot of

Drips,"The Sunday
Times29 June1997:sec. 11,4.
20WilliamUricchioand RobertaE. Pearson,"Introduction," The Many Lives of theBatman,
ed. Pearsonand Uricchio1-3;2-3.
21WilliamUricchioand RobertaE. Pearson,"I'm Not Fooled
By That Cheap Disguise,"The
ManyLives of theBatman,ed. Pearsonand Uricchio182-213;202,203,185.
22Sharrett44,38.
23Fred Niblo's classic silentmovie The Mark of Zorro was the firstscreen
adaptationof
Johnston McCulley's(1883-1958)serializednovel The Curse of the Capistrano.McCulleyhad
createdZorro fora pulp-fiction storywhichappearedin All-Story Weeklyon 9 August1919.It
was the firstof seventy-seven highlypopularnovels and storiesin whichthe romantichero
foughtagainstinjusticeand tyranny. of thisfictionalcharacteris unabated.After
The popularity
manymoviesand TV series,a Zorro stageplayby David Richmondand Drew Fracheropened
in Cincinnatiin May,1993,and in February,1995,a musicalversionby Ken Hill opened in Lon-
don to ravereviews.
TheBat Whispers was Roland West'sremakeof his silentmovieTheBat (1926) afterthestage
play The Bat (1917-1920)by Mary RobertsRinehart(1876-1958).Rinehart,the mostpopular
and highest-paid Americanauthorof her time,had writtenThe Bat togetherwithAveryHop-
wood,adaptingher own novel The CircularStaircase(1907). She had collaboratedbeforewith
Hopwood,the writerof popularBroadwaycomedies.The Bat introducedsome new plot com-
plexitiessuchas a mastercriminalknownas The Bat. She also includedplotelementsof herfirst
storyforthe SaturdayEveningPost,"The BorrowedHouse" (1909). For moreinformation on

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 Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde? 337

a result,Kane firstcreatedan ordinaryhumanbeingwhomhe gave thephysicalpow-

ers of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.,and a smalldominomasklike Zorro's. Kane's reference
to thefigureof Zorro seemsto be convincing onlyat firstglance,though.Set in Span-
ish Californiain the 1820s,youngDon Diego de la Vega is returning home fromhis
educationin Spain only to learn that the regionhis father'sestate is located in is
ruledby the dictatorialcaptainEnrique Sanches Monastarioand his army.The peas-
ants are oppressed,and the nobilityhas succumbedto the harshmilitary rule of the
Spanish officer.Realizing that he cannot this
fight oppressor in the open,Don Diego
instantly assumesa dual identity: outwardly, he acts like a weak coward,and secretly
he dons a black disguisewitha mask to fightCaptain Monastarioand help the op-
pressedas El Zorro,the fox.Like Robin Hood, Don Diego does not fightagainst
criminalsbut againstan illegitimate ruler.He fightsthe authoritiesto help the op-
his
pressed; quest is to establish law in an unlawfulsociety.
Batman, on the other hand, lives in a democracy. He does not have to fightagainst
the authorities,but ratherhelpsthe police forceto crackdown on crime.Thereis no
need forBatmanto establishlaw,sincelaw enforcement, accordingto theConstitution
of the United States,is the dutyof the authorities. An individualmightassist the
authorities whenwitnessing a crime,but self-imposed law enforcement of the individ-
ual citizenin generalis illegal.In addition,Batmandoes notfightfortheoppressedbut
againstcrime.As he does notfightagainsttheauthorities, one mightask whyhe uses a
maskto hide his identity. In a democracy, he could fightcrimewithouta disguise.One
answermightbe thathe has to hidehisrealidentity because hisactionsare,at theleast,
outsidethecommoncode of law enforcement. He mightalso wear a disguisein order
to be safefromtherevengeof thosecriminalshe pursues.RetellingthestoryBill Fin-
gerhad once invented, FrankMiller,in Batman,Year One (DC Comics404,February
1987) has Bruce Waynehimselfexplainhis choice of costume:"What do I use ... to
makethemafraid?... Withoutwarning, it comescrashingthroughthewindowofyour
study... and mine.. .1have seen it before...somewhere...it frightened me...as a boy...
frightened me...yes,father. I shallbecomea bat." BruceWaynenotonlywantsto fight
crime,butalso to frighten thecriminals. His costume,thus,is muchmorethana simple
disguiselikeZorro's blackcape and mask.
Thereis anothermajordifference betweenZorro and Batman,however.One major
themeof the Zorro storyis his love of the fairlady Lolita,whomhe courtsas Don
Diego butwinsas Zorro.Followingtheminnesinger traditionof praisingand courting
a fairlady of nobility, Zorro woos Lolita just as Robin Hood singshis songsof love
forLady Marian.Batman/Bruce Wayne, on the other hand,neithercourtsa woman,
nordedicateshis crusadeto a ladyhe loves.Livingwithhis butlerAlfredand theboy
Dick Grayson/Robin elicitedthe accusationof Batman'shomosexuality by Wertham.
The threemoviesand the animatedseries,as well as the animatedmovie,Mask of the
Phantom,portrayedthe masked crusaderas a man who loves womenbut findsno
timeto establisha lastingrelationship, althoughhe fallsin love witha girlin every
one of thesemovies.FrankMillersumsit up: "Batmanisn'tgay.His sexual urgesare

MaryRobertsRinehart,see JanCohn,ImprobableFiction:The Life of MaryRobertsRinehart

U ofPittsburgh
(Pittsburgh: P,1980).

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338 AndreasReichstein

so drasticallysublimatedintocrime-fighting thatthere'sno roomforanyotheremo-

tional activity."
Mark Cotta Vaz goes even furtherby claimingthat,in fact,Bruce
Wayne"regularly squiredthe mostbeautifulwomenin GothamCityand presumably
had a healthysex life."24
In anycase,thereis no romanticlove themein thebasic Bat-
manstorysimilarto thatexperiencedbytheZorrocharacter.
This comparisonshows that the explanationsby the creatorsof Batman only
scratchthe surfaceand do not lead to a conclusiveinterpretation of thisfictional
character.Kane, who was influencedby moviesand serials,mayhave jumped at cer-
tain featureshe saw withoutrealizingthe fullscope and subconscioustraitsof the
characterhe inventedtogetherwithBill Finger.Afterall, it had been Fingerwho
turnedthisnew creatureinto an ominous,threatening, grimvigilanteoperatingout-
side thelaw in thefirstplace.Finger,who had been inspiredby othermaskedfictional
characterslike The Shadow and The Phantom,gave creditto theseradio serials,too,
but neverrealizedthatBatman'ssimilarity to all the otherfiguresof pulp fictionbe-
gins and ends with a
wearing disguise.
In general,no authoris everfullyaware of all the subconsciousundercurrents that
influencehis work.RobertLouis Stevensonsaw that,too,as he wrotein 1891:"Un-
consciousthought, thereis the only method:macerateyoursubject,let it boil slow,
thentake the lid offand look in- and thereyourstuffis,good or bad." Whathe had
once written aboutEdgar Allan Poe's workholdstrueforhisownwork:"The precipi-
tate readermaystumbleunawaresupon some nightmare not easilyto be forgotten."
To his wifehe announced,afterhavingwritten"The StrangeCase of Dr. Jekylland
Mr.Hyde" in threedays:"I have been dreaminga finebogeytale."25Havingwritten
thistale formoney,afterhis firstreal successTreasureIsland (1883) onlysaw limited
monetaryreturnsbecause of itsjuvenilemarket,Stevensonrewrotethe firstversion
of thestoryafterhiswifeFannycriticizedthesimplethriller plot.As she suggested, he
turnedit intoan allegoricalthrillerexposingthedualityof man'snature.
The storyis told in ten chaptersthroughthe eyes of the lawyerJ.G. Utterson,
whosefriendDr. HenryJekyllhas made up his willbequeathingnearlyeverything to
a strange,unknownMr.Hyde.UttersonmeetsthisHyde and is shockedbyhisevilap-
pearance.At the same time,Jekyllis actingmore and more strangely. Sir Danvers
Carew is murderedby EdwardHyde,who disappearsafterthisghastlycrime;and Ut-
terson'sas well as Jekyll'sfriendand colleague Dr. Hastie Lanyon dies,leavinga
strangeletter.Finally,Jekyll'sbutlerPoole calls Uttersonto his master'shouse since
the doctorseems to have vanishedand Hyde obviouslyrampagesthroughthe doc-
tor'sstudy.The last lettersof his friendsLanyonand Jekyllrevealthe truthto Utter-

24FrankMiller,as
qtd.in Sharrett
44; MarkCottaVaz, Talesof theDark Knight:Batman'sFirst
FiftyYears(London:FuturaPress,1989),chaps.5 and 6, as quotedin AndyMedhurst, "Batman,
Deviance and Camp,"TheManyLives of theBatman,ed. Pearsonand Uricchio149-63;152.
a The first
quotationis froma letterStevensonwroteto W. Craibe Angusin November1891
(Letters[London:Heinemann,1924] 115,vol. 34 of The Worksof RobertLouis Stevenson, T'isi-
tala Edition),as qtd. in Tom Hubbard,SeekingMr. Hyde: Studiesin RobertLouis Stevenson,
Symbolism, Mythand thePre-Modern(Frankfurt/Main: PeterLang,1995) 23,note26; thesecond
is fromRobertLouis Stevenson,"The Worksof Edgar Allan Poe," Essays Literaryand Critical
(London:Heinemann,1924) 184,vol. 28 of The Worksof RobertLouis Stevenson, TusitalaEdi-
tion,as qtd.in Hubbard23. The statement Stevensonmade to hiswifeis quotedin Hubbard23.

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 Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde? 339

son:Jekyllhad compoundeda drugwithwhichhe could splitthe "primitive dualityof

man." Drinkingthatpotion in a self-experiment, Dr. Jekyllthus transforms himself
intoEdwardHyde,the evil side of his personality. Unable to controlthistransforma-
tion process in the long run,Jekyllturnsinto Hyde uncontrollably and more and
morefrequently. Unable to compoundtheremedythatturnshimintoDr. Jekyllagain
one day,Jekyll/Hyde killshimself.
Withall the elementsof horrorand suspensein it,thisstorycapturedtheimagina-
tion of Hollywoodrightfromthe start.Of the manysilentversionsof thistale,the
one JohnS. Robertsondirectedin 1920 was outstanding, JohnВ anymoreas
starring
the curiousdoctor.The mostprominentmovie adaptationof Stevenson'sstorywas
producedin 1932 withFredericMarchin the titlerole,who won an Oscar forhis in-
tense performance underthe directionof Rouben Mamoulian.Many more were to
follow.In 1959,JeanRenoir directedan impressiveFrenchversion:Le Testament du
DocteurCordelier, withJean-LouisBarraultgivinga mostimpressiveperformance of
thisdual personality.Withouta mask,Barraultgiveslifeto Opale, the alterego ofDr.
Cordelier,by means of acting.In such a pure form,a resemblanceto Bruce
Wayne/Batman seemsless and less convincing. The actualstoryby Stevenson,though,
showsmanyparallelsto the comic-bookfigure, ifone just comparesseeminglysuper-
ficialcharacteristics.
Both men,HenryJekylland Bruce Wayne,are richby means of inheritance. La-
conic Stevensonletshis Dr. Jekyllsay at the beginningof his confession:"I was born
in theyear18- to a largefortune."26 BruceWayne,we have learnedalreadyfromthe
pen of Bill Finger(writing in 1948),is the heirto "Wayneenterprises" and has inher-
ited millions.Both fictionalcharacterslive alone as bachelorswithjust theirbutlers;
as Dr. Jekyllhas hisPoole,BruceWayneis servedby theloyalAlfred-theonlyfigure
(besidesRobin) who knowsthetrueidentity of Batmanand helpshis masterin keep-
ingup thesecretof his dual identity. Both butlersare older,formalpersons.Stevenson
describesPoole as "a well-dressed, elderlyperson,"whichalso exactlycharacterizes
Alfred.In the case of Bruce Wayne,thereis anotherfigure,however,who,duringa
certainperiod of the existenceof this comic character,lives with the millionaire:
youngDick Grayson.Despite Wertham'saccusation,all criticsso farhave deniedthe
idea thathomosexuality lies behindthisrelationship.Werthammostlyrestshis accusa-
tionson the statementsof younghomosexualswho came to his psychotherapy, and
even quoteshis clients:"I foundmyliking,mysexual desires,in comicbooks.I thinkI
putmyselfin thepositionof Robin.I did wantto have relationswithBatman The
thought of Batman and Robin livingtogether and possiblyhaving sex relationscame
to mymind."27 As mentionedbefore,Batmanis drawnto theothersex despitehis in-
abilityto establisha lastingrelationship. In the animatedseriesof 1992,thereare epi-
sodes whereBatmanfallsin love withwomenand even kissesthem,as in The De-
mon's Quest (part 2), directedby Kevin Altieriand firstbroadcaston 5 April 1993.
The animatedmovieBatman:Mask of thePhantomgoes even further by tellingthe

26RobertLouis Stevenson,"The
StrangeCase of Dr. Jekylland Mr.Hyde,"The StrangeCase
of Dr. Jekylland Mr.Hyde and OtherStories(Ware,Hertfordshire:WordsworthClassics,1993)
41.
27
Wertham,Seduction of the Innocent 192.

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340 AndreasReichstein

storyof BruceWayne'sonlyand trulydeep love to AndreaBeaumont,whomhe even

wantsto marry. Gangstersforceherto withdraw and leave BruceWaynedesperate.
Batman'srelationship to youngDick Graysontherefore mustbe seen in a different
light.Taking on the youngorphanboy does not make Bruce Waynea homosexual, but
rathera father.That becominga fatheris a handicapforan unmarried man is clearly
expressedin thecomicbook The UntoldLegendof theBat Man,in whichauthorLen
Weintellsthestoryof Robin.Appearingin frontof thejudge,BruceWaynehas to lis-
tento thewords:"I can'tlet you adoptthatboy,Mr.Wayne- because you'rea bache-
lor! But since you've obtainedthe consentof his nearestrelatives,I herebyappoint
you Dick Grayson'slegal guardian!"28 Thus,BruceWaynetakescare of theboy'sedu-
cationand teacheshimwhathe knows.This father-and-son motif,exposedso directly
in thecomiccharacters, existsin Jekylland Hyde as well.Accordingto TomHubbard,
"there is the modulationbetween Hyde-as-victim and Hyde-as-son,and between
and
Jekyll-as-fellow-victimJekyll-as-father. In his narrative,Jekyllconfesseshow he
had a father'sconcernforHyde; Hyde had a son's indifference."29 Hyde showseven
morethana son's indifference. In burningJekyll'slettersand the portraitof Jekyll's
father,and by "scrawlingin my own hand blasphemieson the pages of mybook,"
Hyde rebelsagainstJekylllike an adolescentagainsthis father.Hyde feelsunwanted
and unloved and at the same time loathes Jekyll'sdespondencyand, thus,rebels
againstJekylljust like an unwantedchildprovokinghis parentsto get the love and
care he wants.Jekyllfeels like a fatherbecause he has created,has fatheredHyde;
and Hyde sees his dependencyon Jekyllas thatof a childupon his parents.This fa-
ther-sonrelationship ends tragically in Dr. Jekylland Mr. Hyde but is resolvedposi-
tivelyin thecharactersof BruceWayneand Dick Grayson.Thisis an important differ-
ence.The denial of homosexuality in the figureof Bruce Wayne,on the otherhand,
does notdiminishtheimportance of sexualityin thischaracter.
An important elementin the Batmanuniverseis his secrethideout,his laboratory,
the Batcave. Retreatingto thiscave in timesof need and dashingout of it on his
quest to fightcrimeis reminiscent of the psychoanalytical dreamsymbolof the cave
forthemother'swombas used by Carl GustavJung, forinstance.The imageof a cave
in dreamscan resemblea mother'swombin psychoanalytical interpretation,
suggest-
ing thatthe individuallongsforthe securityof his/her prenatallifebecause thisper-
son is afraidof facinglifeand its problems.An anonymouspoem on the Internetre-
flectsjustthisinterpretation:
Womb

Climbintomywomb
If youwant
Somewhereto hide
It's quietthereinside
Like thesea
Not likea tomb

28DC Comics,The Untold

Legendof theBat Man 1.2 (August1980):7.
29Hubbard18.

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 Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde? 341

But it'sdark
And I hope youdon'tmindblood
And I liketheoccasionalsmoke
And I don'twantno
Graffition thewalls!30

Crawlingback intothe cave is lookingforsecurityand dashingout is facing,and

way fighting, life.Using a cave as his secrethideoutsuggeststhatthe Bruce Wi
figurerepresentssomeonewho is afraidof life.The Batcave is situatedunderВ
Wayne'shouse.Lookingat Wayne'shabitat,formalsimilarities to Jekylland Hyde
obviousonce again.Jekylland Wayneboth live in splendidhomes.Jekyll'shoui
situatedin a by-streetwithancient,handsomeand now mostlydecayedhousesarc
it,rentedout to shadyfigures:"... one house,however,second fromthe corner,
stilloccupied entire;and at the door of this,whichwore a greatair of wealth
comfort "31Wayne'smanoris situatedoutsideof GothamCityon an obvio
vastestateand is alwaysdepictedas a huge and impressivemansionin theneo-cl
cal style.Much moreimportant as a parallelbetweenthesetwo charactersis the
scriptionof theirspecial study,theirlaboratory, the place where theyboth chi
theiridentity.
Hidden staircasesand elevatorsget Bruce Wayne as well as Alfred and 1
Graysondownintothevastand darkBatcave underthemansion.This cave is ah
depictedas a dome,be it in the comic-bookstoriesor the movies.It is nevera
flatcave like a tunnelbut an enormous,dimlylit dome.Neitherin the comicsnc
the moviesor the animatedseriesis it possibleanywhereto get a completeimag
all cornersand walls of thiscave. The backgrounddetailsare mostlyhiddenand
in darkness.Thus thecave also resemblesa labyrinth. Once more,thesimilarity to
Jekylland Mr.Hyde becomesobvious.Both figures, Jekylland Wayne,have a lab
torywheretheyworkand conductscientific experiments,mainlychemicalones.Jí
does all thisin orderto finda potionwithwhichhe can illustratethe dualityof i
Wayneaccomplisheshis criminological researchto findmoreand betterwaysto 1
crimeas well as to improvehis armorand fighting equipment.Both men use
need theirlaboratoryto changefromone identity intotheother.Jekyll'slaborato
a separatewindowlessbuildingbehind the house,whichwas once built by a <
bratedsurgeonwho taughtand conductedoperationsthere.The descriptionb
faintreminiscences of empty, ghastlycaves: "He eyed the dingywindowlessstruc
withcuriosity, and gazed roundwitha distasteful sense of strangenessas he ero
the theater,once crowdedwitheager studentsand now lyinggauntand silent,th<
bles laden withchemicalapparatus,the floor strewnwithcrates and littered
packingstraw,and the lightfallingdimlythroughthe foggycupola."32As Tom I
bardsees it:
the two wordsare so close,the moreso whenthe firstis givenits
labyrinth:
Laboratory,
Americanpronunciation. laboratoryleads into "wider labyrinths"
Jekyll/Hyde's than

30Anon.,"The Womb," 1997 The InternetBook Shop,http://www.bookshop.co.uk/

Copyright
36699123/SAK/HOMEPAGE/womb.htm.
31Stevenson, and Mr.Hyde" 12.
"Dr. Jekyll
32Stevenson, and Mr.Hyde" 19.
"Dr. Jekyll

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342 AndreasReichstein

thoseof one "lamp-lighted be it Londonor Edinburgh.

city", Sincethelatenineteenth
centurythelabyrinth
(withitsrelatedimages)hasproveda potent
metaphorformodern
man'slossofdirection.
Thecollapseofcommon spiritual
bearings,
accompaniedbyrapid
scientific, andcommercial
technological hasreincarnated
advances, theminotaurbutleft
uswithouttheconvenience
ofAriadne's thread.33
These associationsare also valid forthe Batmanmyth.His cave is also a laboratory
and a labyrinth, withone strikingdifference, though:he cannotonly enterhis cave
fromhis house,buthe can also leave his cave in his Batmobilethrougha straight tun-
nel whichresemblesthe birth/exit canal out of a mother'swomb.At the same time,
"womb"rhymeswith"tomb";the Batcave is like a tombin whichthe dark side of
BruceWayneis buried.
AfterFrankMillerunleashedthe darksides of Batman,Tim Burtongave the Bat-
cave various appearances to express this laboratory/labyrinth, womb/tomb image.
"The 1989 Batcave was styledby AntonFürstin a Phantomof theOpera style,with
skyscraper foundationsprotruding throughthe cave walls.The new Batcave [forthe
movie Batman Returns,1992] would featuresheer shale walls and precipicesover-
hangingbottomlessdrops."As Matte World artistBill Mather remembered:"Tim
wanteda shale look to the cave; and therewere two precipicesthathe wantedto
meetat a point,witha littlegap betweenthem.He wantedit weird."34 It is not only
just a weirdimage;it also reflectsthe stylein whichGothamCitywas recreatedfor
themovies.Givingthe skylineof GothamCitythe appearanceof Manhattan, produc-
tion designerAnton Fürst at the same time created a timeless,dark,moderncity
whichevokesthesame feelingsof inhospitability and dangeras thefuturistic Los An-
geles in Blade Runner by Ridley Scott(1982). One main center of the action in both
of the Burtonmoviesis Gotham'scathedral.Here, Fürstwas influencedby Antoni
Gaudi, and at the same timesaid: "There is a Gothicfeelingto it,and yet it is not
Gothic."35 AlthoughnotpureGothicin style,theBatcave as well as GothamCitywith
all theirspires,theirdark depths,theirbuildingscantilevering towardsthe streetsdo
very much resemble a modern Gothic style.The name itselfis a play on words:
Gotham- Gothic.As Bill Fingercreatedthe name Bruce Wayneto rhymewithBob
Kane, he also recalledfindingthe name forBatman'scityby pure accident:"Origi-
nally,I was goingto call Gotham City 'Civic City.'Then I triedCapital City,then
Coast City.Then,I flippedthroughthe phone book and spottedthe name Gotham
Jewelersand said, 'That's it,' Gotham City.We didn'tcall it New York because we
wantedanybodyin anycityto identify withit.Of course,Gothamis anothernamefor
New York."36Withouthavingbeen aware of it at thattime,Fingerpickedthe name

33Hubbard106.The
importanceof sceneryin the Gothicnovelwithitsbright,imposing"up-
per" worldappearanceand the dark,hiddenlabyrinthine passagewaysas an "under-world" is
also emphasizedby Coral Ann Howells,Love, Mystery, and Misery:Feelingin GothicFiction
(London:The AthlonePress,1978)26.
" Both
quotationsare iromMarkCottaVaz: "A Knightat theZoo," Cinefex51 (August1992):
22-69;45.
35AntonFürst,as
qtd. in Shannon11. For the architecture
of the Batmanmovies,see also
DietrichNeumann,"Batman,"Filmarchitektur von Metropolisbis Blade Runner,ed. Dietrich
Neumann(München:Prestei,1996) 160-69.
36Bill
Finger,as qtd.in Kane 44.

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 Batman-AnAmerican
Mr.Hyde? 343

thatresembledGothic.Involuntarily, he thusestablishedanotherlinkto the modern

Gothicnarratives suchas "Dr. Jekylland Mr.Hyde."
The Gothic traitin Batman becomes evidenttoo in the comic Gothamby Gas-
whichsets the storyof an earlyBatmanfighting
light,37 Jackthe Ripperin a Gotham
City 100 yearsago. Although there is reference to a shipvoyagefromEurope and the
criminalrefersto London and Gotham City,the place we see as Gotham City is
clearlyLondon,theLondon of Dr. Jekyll.
Besides all these formalsimilarities betweenWayneand Jekyll, the essentiallink
betweenthese characterslies in theirbasic trait:theirdouble identity, theirdouble
personality.At firstglance,their motives forhaving chosen or triedout the otheriden-
tityseem to be very different.Jekyllgives birth to his evil selfto demonstrate the du-
alityof man; Wayne wants to become a of
symbol crime-fighting. yet And there is
muchmore to it. "I can't become a policemanas I'd intendedto- they'retoo often
hamstrung by the verylaw they'reswornto uphold,"Waynesays in one comicbook
at his parents'grave.38 This is the point again whichshows the difference between
other fictionalcharacterslike Zorro or famous detectives,on the one hand, and
Wayne/Batman, on the other.He has chosento operateoutsidethe law,to imposehis
own laws. This becomes evidentin the dialogue betweenthe psychiatrist Dr. Mer-
ridianand Batmanin the movieBatmanForever,whentheytalk about the criminal
Two-Facein thebeginning:
Batman: "Atrauma powerful enough tocreateanalternatepersonalityleavesthevictim..."
Dr.Merridian:"... ina worldwerenormal rulesofrightorwrong nolongerapply."
Batman: "Exactly!"
Dr.Merridian:"Likeyou."

The traumaall authorsof Batmanstoriesreferto is the shootingof Bruce Wayne's

parentshe had to witnessas a boy.This crimenot onlycaused a shock- the normal
reaction-but wentdeeper intoWayne'spsycheby creatinga trauma.Bruce Wayne's
never-ending mourningforhis parentsand his powerfulurge to fightcrimehimself
mightstemfroma deep and hiddendeath-wish towardshis parents.It mayhave been
onlya desireforhis father'sdeath,the resultof a death-wishconcerninghis father, a
suppressedoedipal complexas describedby SigmundFreud.39When his death-wish
(whichis onlyhintedat in some comicsas well as in the movies)came true,he could
not cope withhis feelingsof guiltand escaped to the imageof the bat and his under-
world,the batcave.Here the rhyming pair "womb/tomb" receivesanotherconnota-
tion.The Batcave as a tombdoes not onlyreflectthe tombforBruce Wayne'sdark
side,but also the tombforhis parents,forhis memoriesand feelingsforhis parents.
This refersto the analyticalpsychologyof С G. Jungagain where,forinstance,the
case of a Mme.Sechehaye,witha fixationon a libraryas a symbolof unconsciousas-

37BrianAugustyn,A Taleof theBatman:GothambyGaslight, DC Comics(NewYork:DC

Comics,
1989).
™The Untold
Legendof theBat Man,DC Comics1 (July1980):12.
39See,forinstance,
Sigmund Freud:"Hemmung, Symptom undAngst(1926),"Hysterie
und
Angst, 4,3rd.ed.(Frankfurt/Main:
Studienausgabe S.Fischer, 246.
1971)233-94;

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344 AndreasReichstein

sociations,is discussedas a case of traumatic neurosis.40 The interpretation ofWayne's

traumaas a traumaticneurosisis further enhancedby consideringthathe would be
able to fightcrimedifferently in a modern,democraticsociety, forexample,byjoining
the police or usinghis moneyto establisha police trainingcenteror a criminological
researchcenter.Instead,he wantsto striketerrorand fightcrimehimselfoutsidethe
law.His basic motive,withwhichhe hideshisneurotictrauma,is revenge,as he comes
to confessin themovieBatmanForever, explainingto Dick Grayson:"Untilone terri-
ble morningyou wake up and realizethatrevengehas become yourwholelife."This
is Wayne'struemotiveforlivinga doublelife:revengeto compensateforhistrauma.
BruceWayne'srelationship to hisfatheralso refersto thefather-son relationship dis-
cussedearlier.Anotheraspectofthisrelationship is BruceWayne'seffort to be a father
forDick Grayson,afterhavinglosthis ownfatherundersimilarcircumstances through
a brutalmurder.In all comics,Bruce Wayne'sfather, throughthe eyes of his son,is a
towering figure, an authority,a giant.In hisbook TheSiblingSociety,RobertBlyintro-
ducestheimageofthegiantwhichhe definesas a mixtureofFreud's"id,"theMuslim
expression"nafs"(soul) and thetwooldestpartsof our brain:the archicortex and the
mesocortex.41 If one picksup Bly'shypothesis, Bruce'sfatherwas thegiant,notonlyan
authority demandingrespectbut,at thesame time,representing our archaic,brutalun-
derpinning, in a wayidentifying masculinity as an evil forcein ourselves.Beingfather-
less makesit difficult forBruceWayneto fightthe"giant"directly (in accordancewith
Freud'stheoryof the oedipal complex)and correspondsindirectly to his feelingsof
guiltbecause of his subconsciousdeath-wish. Growingup withoutparents-and the
butleris no substitute in the Batmancomics- Bruce Waynein a way alwaysremains
thechildthatcannotgrowup. "Whenmothersand fathersare bothdismembered, we
willhave a societyoforphans, or,moreexactly, a cultureofadolescentorphans."42 With
these words,Robert Bly describesthe Americansocietyof today.In a way,Bruce
Wayne/Batman thusrepresentsa decisivephenomenonof today'ssocietyand,at the
same time,reveals a counter-Peter-Pan syndrome:the boy who cannotgrowup al-
though he wants to. Not being able to fightthe outergiant,represented by his father,
BruceWayneis leftto fighthis innergiant."The giant,fromthehumanpointof view,
meansisolationand deprivation."43 As Batman,BruceWayneis isolatedand deprived
ofnormalhumanrelationships, especiallywithwomen.
In the movie BatmanForever,Waynetellsthe psychiatrist: "I guess,we're all two
people- one in daylight and one we keep in shadow." Here he meetsJekyll. At the
end of thismovie,he tellsthecriminalRiddler:"You see- I'm bothBruceWayneand
Batman- not because I have to be- no, because I choose to be." In the beginning,
thisgoes forJekyll, too,untilhe cannotcontrolthechangeof hispersonality anymore.
Yet,as we have seen,Wayneis obsessed,too,and cannotgiveup hisdeliberatechange

40See Paul K. Poetics,"New LiteraryHistory15.3 (1983-1984):491-501;

Kugler,"Involuntary
and,fortheSechehayecase,see ArthurBurton,"The CurativeFunctionof Symbolsin a Case of
TraumaticNeurosiswithPsychoticReactions,"Psychotherapy of thePsychoses(Huntington,NY:
R. E. Krieger,1961) 124-51.
41RobertBly,TheSiblingSociety(Reading,MA: Addison- Wesley,1996) 18-28.
42 230.
Bly
43 43.
Bly

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 В atman- An AmericanMr.Hyde? 345

of personalities.It is notonlythathe wantsto striketerrorin theheartsof thevillains

he pursuesand that he even uses firearmsagainstthem in the beginning,killing
them- his appearancein thecomicsas well as themoviesdiffers littlefromthefright-
eningappearance of the He
criminals. is as threatening as the evil he fights.
To achieve
this,Bruce Wayne has chosenthe bat as his costume.Bats do not have to be frighten-
ing,though.In choosingthisanimal,Kane and Fingersubconsciously use thefrighten-
ing side,the mysticside,of the bat,whichis also apparentin the vampiretales,espe-
ciallyin anotherGothicnovel:Bram Stoker'sDracula (1897). Stokerbased his novel
on the historicDracula, Vlad Tzepes (147-1477),son of the WallachianrulerVlad
Dracul. Because of Tzepes's well-knowncruelties,legend made him a blood-thirsty,
blood-drinking villain.Since the end of the eighteenthcentury, tales of the blood-
drinking bat in combination with humans as vampires have playedan important part
in European literature, fromLord Byron to Charles Baudelaire.The mythological
connectionbetweenthe bat and the devil is well established.Bat and devil are often
used synonymously. Those associatedwiththe devil are said to become vampires, and
theappearanceof a vampireis thebat.44The connection"evil- devil- vampire-bat"
is an old motifwhichrangesfromold mythsand fairytales up to presenthorrorsto-
ries and movies.It is Satan who approachesmen and women in various disguises,
preferably as a beast,to turnpeople intobeaststhemselves, intoundead persons,and
thusdrawsthemoverto theevil side,to himself, the devil.Anotherinteresting aspect
of the vampiretales is the Doppelgaengermotif.Authorshave emphasizedthatthe
threatof the vampirelies in a self-subjugationto whichonlythose succumbwho do
not dare to acceptthe darkside of theirpersonality. The vampirethusis theDoppel-
gaengerof the victim,as Maupassanthad anticipated.Like a mirror,the vampire
showshis victimstheirevil desires,whichtheyonlydare to live out at night.Those
kissedby thevampiremightlive theirordinary, bourgeoislivesin daylightonlyto be-
come vampiresthemselvesby night.The resemblanceto Wayne/Batman is striking:
living as the millionaire Wayneby day, he haunts the streetsof Gotham Cityas a hu-
manbat bynight.45

44For the linkbetweenthedeviland thebat as wellas thehistory of Dracula see

mythological
Dieter Harmening, Der Anfangvon Dracula (Würzburg:Königshausen& Neumann,1983) 76,
13;and Basil Copper,The Vampirein Legend,Factand Art(London:RobertHale, 1973).A very
good analysisof thevariousvampirenovelsis givenbyJeanMarigny, Le Vampiredans la littéra-
tureanglo-saxonne (Paris:DidierÉrudition,1985);and bySusannePütz,VampireundihreOpfer:
Der Blutsaugerals literarische
Figur(Bielefeld:Aisthesis,1992).For a psychoanalyticalinterpre-
tationof Bram Stoker'sDracula,see RobertPhillipsand BranimirRieger,"The Agonyand the
Ecstasy:A Jungian Analysisof Two VampireNovels:MeredithAnn Pierce'sThe Darkangeland
BramStoker'sDracula" WestVirginiaUniversity PhilologicalPapers31 (1986): 10-19.
45For an introduction to the scholarshipon legends,fairytales,and "Märchen,"see Lutz
Röhrich,Sage und Märchen:Erzählforschung heute(Freiburg:Herder,1976); Hans Findeisen,
Das Tierals Gott,Dämon undAhne(Stuttgart: Klett,1956);fortheDoppelgaengermotifin vam-
piretalesfromMaupassantto contemporary authors,see Hans RichardBrittnacher,Ästhetik des
Horrors:Gespenster, Vampire, Monster,Teufelund künstliche Menschenin derphantastischen Li-
teratur(Frankfurt/Main: Suhrkamp,1994) 140. Brittnacher also emphasizesthe connectionof
modernhorrorstoriesto legendsand fairytales (13-15).The bat and especiallybat wingsas an
attributeof the devilthroughout the ages is well documentedby Isabel Grübel,Die Hierarchie
der Teufel(München:tuduv,1991) 106,126,187.For the vampireas a personification of evil in

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346 AndreasReichstein

To use an animalas a meansof showingthedual side of man'snaturewas a promi-

nentmotifin the 'decadentGothic'novelsof the 1890s,like H. G. Wells'sThe Island
of Dr. Moreau (1896). The image of the splitpersonality and man turningintobeast
belongs to four famous narratives: "Dr. Jekylland Mr. Hyde," The Island of Dr.
Moreau, Dracula and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray(1891). Withthe ex-
of
ception Dracula, the novels all create a world substantiallycomposedof leisured
bachelors, thus the
representing repressive sexual morals of the Victorianage. Their
dealing with the change of a man into a beast has to be seen in the contextof the
shockCharlesDarwincaused withhis theoryof evolution.These novels,as well as the
Batmanmyth,exemplify the fearDarwinismgenerated.Theyshow "the reversionof
the species,the ever-present threatthat,ifevolutionis a ladder,it maybe possibleto
startmovingdown it."46Bruce Wayne,Dorian Gray,Dr. Jekyll, and Dr. Moreau blur
theline betweenman and beast.BruceWaynedoes notjust becomea bat,though;his
name giveshim away.He is the Bat-Man,a mixtureof man and beast,of good and
evil.The image of the bat linksBatmanto Dracula, and the dual personality to the
othermodernGothicnovels.
However,in orderto drawa clear line betweenBatmanand theother,the evil,the
criminalside,the artistshave createda certainrangeof supervillains who are clearly
insaneand have obviouslycrossedover the thinline separatingpossessivefanaticism
and absoluteevil.In the famouscomicbook Batman- The KillingJoke(DC Comics,
1988) authorAlan Moore tellsthe storyof the Joker,the archenemyof Batman.At
the end,when Batman has defeatedthe Joker,the latterasks to be killed.Batman,
however,not onlyrefusesto do thatbut even offershelp:"It doesn'thave to end like
that.- I knowwhatit was thatbent yourlifeout of shape,but who knows?Maybe
I've been theretoo. Maybe I can help.We could worktogether.I could rehabilitate
you.You needn'tbe out thereon the edge anymore.You needn'tbe alone.We don't
have to killeach other."47The Jokerrefuses, though,sinceit is too late forhim.In a
bizarreoutburstof his thusfarsuppressedand channeledevil side,Batmanbecomes
similarto the Jokerand pushes him into a toxic waste,killingthe madman.Bat-
man/Wayne is thusdepictedas theone who can,mostof thetime,controlhisevilside,
whereasthe criminalcannot.The mostlybizarrearrayof villainsin the Batmancom-
ics,like the Joker,the Penguin,the Catwoman,Poison Ivy,the Scarecrow,and Mr.
Frost,do notonlyreflectthepurelybad side of Batman- like counterparts, or mirrors

modernart- literature and movies- see Pütz 152-66;FrancisFord Coppola and JamesV. Hart,
Bram Stoker'sDracula (London:NewmarketPress,1992);and KarstenPrüßmann, Die Dracula-
Filme (München:Heyne,1993). For a postmoderninterpretation of evil in filmsee Frederic
Jameson, Postmodernismy or,theCulturalLogic of Late Capitalism(London:Verso,1991)289-96.
w David Punter,The ModernGothic,2nd ed.
(New York:AddisonWesleyLongman,1996) 5,
vol. 2 of The Literatureof Terror.See also Hans RichardBrittnacher, "Die zweiteGeneration
der Monstren:BiochemischeWissenschaft und literarischer
Horror,"Ästhetik und Kommunika-
tion18.69(1988): 105-12.The elementof fearin the Gothicnovelsis also rootedin thechanges
broughtaboutbytheindustrial whichcaused anxietyand fearamong
(and technical)revolution,
manypeople who did not knowwhatfuturehad in storeforthem.See ManfredSchumacher,
Das GroteskeundseineGestaltung in der GothicNovel (Frankfurt/Main: PeterLang,1990) 101-
103.
47Batman- The
KillingJoke,DC Comics(1988):46.

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 В atman- An AmericanMr.Hyde? 347

showinghimwhatwouldhappento himifhe lostcontrol-but,at thesame time,rep-

resentthe "Gothicvillain"in the Gothicnovels.The Gothicvillain"acknowledgesthe
moralcodes of societyand his own wickednessin violatingthosecodes,and he there-
foreneverengagesour sympathy withhis rebellion."48
Using the image of the evolutionary ladder,Batmanis able to climbup and down.
The Victoriancharactersin themodernGothicnovelscould onlyclimbdown.The evil
side alwaysgot the betterof them.In theirtime,thatwas not onlythe expressionof
dangerand fear,but also a warningas to whatcould become of men.When Batman
was created,itwas alreadyknownwhatcould becomeofmen.Wayne/Batman was cre-
ated 53 yearsafterJekyll/Hyde. These were not onlya decisive53 yearsin historical
terms.He was also createdin theUnitedStatesby Americansand notby Britons.Al-
thoughAmericanliterature has as richa traditionin Gothicnarrativeas theliterature
of GreatBritain,thesymbolsare different because fearstemsfromanothersource:the
AmericanGothicfictionsees theland and itshistoryas a specificlocus of terrorand is
primarilyconcernedwith exploringthe individuals'identitiesthroughtheir roles
playedin bothfamilyand nationalhistory, in contrastto thelate EnglishGothicnovels
withtheirconfinement to the innerselfand an isolated,symboliclocation,reflecting
thisinnerstruggle. Theirbasic commontraitis thedefinition that"Gothicliterature is
obsessivelyconcernedwithsearchingforand confronting theOther."49 The linkagebe-
tweenBatman and the Gothicnovelsis obvious.Batman- althoughAmerican-is a
Gothicfigure, rootedin theEnglishtraditionof thelate "decadent"Gothicnovels,but
he has cometo termswiththedangersoftheVictorianGothicstyle.BruceWaynecon-
trolsthebeastwithinhim.He can alwaysbecome a man again.Whiletheprotagonists
in themodernGothicnovelsare doomed,Wayne/Batman can live thisDoppelgaenger
lifeunharmed.50 Usinghis darkside to fightthedark,he can alwayschangeback from
bat to man. He is the Americananswer to the Victorianfear of losing control.
Wayne/Batman is control.BruceWaynecan controlhis evil side.He can turnthelight
offand becometheshadow,buthe can also turnthelightback on again.The combina-
tionofthebat as a symbolofthedevil,ofevil,and theshadowas an archetype in Jung's
schema,carrying"thosecharacteristics whose condemnationappears to be universal
and beyondthefrontier of individualculture,"51also demonstrates theambivalenceof

48PeterL. Thorslev, The ByronicHero: Typesand Prototypes (Minneapolis:U of MinnesotaP,

1962) 53. The villaincannotchoose anymoreto change."His choices... are made forhimbyhis
daemon"(Angus Fletcher,Allegory:The Theoryof a SymbolicMode [Ithaca,NY: CornellUP,
1964]67).
49Louis S. Gross, theAmericanGothic(Ann Arbor,MI: UMI ResearchPress,1989)
Redefining
90.
50For a medicaland
approachof the Doppelgaengermotifin narratives
psychoanalytical like
"Dr. Jekylland Mr.Hyde,"see Dirk Arenz,"Psychiatrische und psychodynamische Aspekteder
Doppelgänger-Thematik in derWeltliteratur,"
Diss. Bonn,1992,28-32.
51R. Gordon,"Book Review:Rivkah
Kluger,Satan in theOld Testament" Journalof Analyti-
cal Psychology'Ъ2 (1968): 173.For thediscussionof the shadowas an archetypeintroducedby
C. G. Jung,see,forinstance, JohnTalley,"Discussionof AlfredPlaut's 'An UndividedWorldIn-
cludesthe Shadow,'"TheArchetype of Shadowin a SplitWorld,ed. MaryAnn Mattoon(Zürich:
Daimon, 1987) 18-21;Uwe Langendort"WhereThere Is Danger,SalvationIs also on the In-
crease,"The Archetype of Shadow,ed. Mattoon30-35;and Annis Pratt,Archetypal Patternsin
Women'sFiction(Brighton: HarvesterPress,1982) 141-43.

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348 AndreasReichstein

thenoble BruceWayneand themenacingBat-Man.Justas Dr. Jekyllbeginsto loathe

EdwardHyde,BruceWaynefeelsmoreand moreambivalentabouthisroleas Batman
afterthechangesin thischaracterbroughtaboutbyFrankMiller.
His costume,whichwas turnedinto an armorin the movies,not onlyprotectshim
againstattacksfromoutsidebut,at the same time,also protectsWaynefromBatman.
He can don the costume/armor wheneverhe wants and drop it again to become
Bruce Wayne.In thisrespect,Bruce Wayne/Batman is a moreadvancedfigure, forin-
stance,thanthe movie characterDarth Vader,createdmuchlaterforthe Star Wars
trilogyof George Lucas. In the second part,The EmpireStrikesBack (1980,directed
by IrvinKershner),we learn thatVader was once a good Jediknight, but turnedto
thedarkside,to evil,later.Since then,he has alwayswornblack armorwitha life-sus-
taininghelmet.Whenhe turnshis back on thedarkand evil side in thethirdpart,Re-
turnof theJedi(1983,directedby RichardMarquard),he symbolically takes offhis
helmetand thushas to die,just like Jekyll/Hyde. For Vader,thereis no wayback.He
cannotclimbup theladderagainas BruceWaynecan.
Batman's armor/costume harnessesthe evil inside and outsideof him,as well as
protectsagainstrepressedsexual desires.This way,Bruce Waynecontainshis dark
side.He becomesthepersonification of containment, one of themostimportant traits
in Americanhistory. "For fortyyearsour objectiveremainedclear:to containan ex-
pansionistSoviet Union," McNamara wrote in 1995.52This containment in foreign
policyduringthe Cold Warera correspondedto thecontainment of womenas a (sex-
ual) dangerto theworldof menbykeepingthemout ofjobs and at homeafterWorld
War II. The developmentof suburbia,among otherphenomena,was to containthe
dangerof spreadingsocialismwithinthe workingclass by keepingthemoccupiedin
theirnew homes and gardensand preventingthem fromgathering"conspiratori-
ously."Containment of theNativeAmericans, theAfricanAmericans, women,and the
Southin generalrunsthroughthehistoryof theUnitedStateslike a red thread.Thus
Batman,by containinghis evil impulses,representsan importantelementin United
Statespolitics.
As alreadymentionedbefore,the elementof evil as a partof Bruce Wayne'ssoul
whichhe wantsto fight, and theconnotationof thebat as thedevilare important un-
dercurrentsin the Batman figurewhichhintat hiddenreligiousmotifs.On the one
hand,thesexualimplications of thevampireas well as itsdiabolicside have been em-
phasizedby innumerable authors of thiscreature,linkingit to the devil as the fallen
archangel.As in Anatole France's novel La révoltedes anges(Paris,1913),one has to be
awareof thetempting sidesof evil.It is a devilgranting eternallifeand claimingto be
thetrueredeemer.Thismarksthefascination withtheevilnotionwhichBatmanshows,
too.On theotherhand,all mentionedanalyticalinterpretations, likeJung's,of thisevil
as partof one person'ssoul,referto thisimageof thedevilas theotherside of God's
creation."By rebellingagainstthegood Lord,Lucifercarriedout thefullnessof God's
plan,forhischallengeto God producesa deeperand higherwisdom."Jung'sintroduc-
tionof "theshadow"goes beyondtheChristiandevil,though."The shadowbelongsto

52RobertS. McNamara,In Retrospect:

The Tragedyand Lessonsof Vietnam(New York:Ran-
dom House,1995) 329.

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 Batman- An AmericanMr.Hyde? 349

the lightas the evil belongsto the good, and vice versa."53For Jung,the shadowis a
primitive psychological elementlackingmoralcontrol.As psychoanalysts emphasize,it
is highlydangerousto attemptto represstheenergyoftheshadow,theevilenergy. One
has to acceptand channelit intocreativepurposes.Otherwise-as Stevenson'sJekyll
says- "mydevilhad been longcaged,he came out roaring."54 The creatorsof Batman
have takenthisliterallyby makingit visibleand- in the case of themovies- audible.
WheneverBatmanleaves theBatcave,he does it eitherwithhisBatmobileor Batwing,
dashingout of his cave witha roaringsound.The fascination withThe Batmanthere-
forelies in his abilityto controlhis shadow.In beingable to do this,BruceWayne/Bat-
manis theembodiment of,as wellas- at thesame time- a ratherstrange"solution"to
the Manicheanfightbetweendarknessand brightness, betweengood and evil.Bruce
Wayne is theliving Manichean dualityofmen.55
At thesame time,BruceWaynelivesin theUnitedStates,in a capitalistic, predomi-
nantlyProtestant, Calvinisticsociety.In contrastto Luther,Calvin did not give the
devilmuchattention. In Calvin'stheology, "Satan is completelyregulatedby God and
cannot even conceive of any evil that God does not expresslyassign him."56Still,
Calvin acknowledgesthe existenceof evil as impersonatedby Satan who triesto
tempthumanity to individualsins.Being rathervague about the innerevil- because
of God's ultimateauthority and omnipotenceas well as men'spredestination-Calvin
nevertheless the
emphasizes never-ending fightagainstsin.The processof healingon
the way to redemptioncan onlybe achievedby constantmoralbehavior.According
to Calvin,we have to fightevilwithour positiveactions.Those chosenby God have a
highresponsibility in society.Bruce Waynecan considerhimselfto be a chosenone.
Rich throughinheritance, he neverthelessleads an idle lifeoutwardly.He fulfills
his
obligationstowardssocietyby servingit as The Batman,by fighting evil.Yet, Bruce
Wayneas Batmanalso enjoysthe powerhe exercises,and thusis alwaysin dangerof
givingin to evil temptation.57 By usinghis Manicheaninnerevil to fighttheouterevil
of theworld,thecriminalsof GothamCity,he makeshis darkside legitimate. The old
argumentthatmodernsuperherocomicshave a tendencytowardsfascismdoes not

53The first
quotationis fromJeffrey BurtonRussell,Mephistopheles: The Devil in theModern
World(Ithaca,NY: CornellUP,1986) 213;thesecondis fromCarl GustavJung, "ModernMan in
Searchof a Soul,"Memories, trans.Richardand Clara Win-
ed. Aniela Jaffé,
Dreams,Reflections,
ston(New York:PantheonBooks,1963)41.
54Stevenson, "Dr. Jekylland Mr.Hyde"49.
55For the
conceptof dualityin theManicheanreligion, see: Karl MatthäusWoschitz, Manfred
Hutter,and Karl Prenner,Das ManichäischeUrdramades Lichtes(Wien:Herder,1989) 47-51;
and Geo Widengren, ed., Der Manichäismus(Darmstadt:Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft,
1977).
56Russell47-48.For theinfluenceof Calvinismon the formation of the UnitedStates,see,for
example,JamesA. Henretta:"The ProtestantEthic and the Realityof Capitalismin Colonial
America,"Weber'sProtestantEthic: Origins,Evidence,Contexts,ed. HartmutLehmann and
GuentherRoth (Washington, DC: CambridgeUP, 1993) 327-46;as well as Douglas E Kelly,The
Emergenceof Libertyin theModernWorld(Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and ReformedPublishing
Company, 1992) 119-37.
57For the connectionof
power,evil and Calvinism,especiallyin the arts and in connection
withNietzsche'swritings, see, for example,Harvey Goldman,Politics,Death, and the Devil
(Berkeley:U of CaliforniaP,1992) 241-55.

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350 AndreasReichstein

hold trueforBatmanas he does notfighttheestablishment or establishedpowersbut

ratherthe evil insidehim,by pursuingthe criminalshe findsin the darkalleysof his
home town.Batmanis a modernGothic,a modernanswerto the Calvinistic, Scottish
threatof losingcontroloverone's darkand evil side.The connectionof BruceWayne
to Dr. Jekyllgoes beyondsuchvisiblesimilaritiesas lifestyle,
double identity and the
father-son Both
relationship. fictional
charactersrepresent the old fearof losingcon-
trolover men'sviciousand violentimpulsesby lettingthemout.Althoughhe stands
in the traditionof the Gothicnovel,Batmanhas moved onwardin the evolutionary
processby beingable to come to termswiththe sinisterforceswithinhim.He repre-
sentsan advancedMr. Hyde.Fightingcrime,he fightsagainsthimselfin a never-end-
ing Manichean struggle.As a comic figure,Wayne/Batman also representsthe di-
lemmawhichwritersof Gothicfictionfaced:"Problemsof personalmoralresponsibil-
ityand judgment, questioningsof restrictive
convention,and a troubledawarenessof
irrationalimpulseswhichthreatenedto subvertorthodoxnotionsof social and moral
propriety."58Claimsof Christianmoralityand the dynamicsof impulseand irrational-
ityhave to be broughtintoaccordancewitheach other.Followinghis destinyby pur-
suingthe criminalsand thuspayinghis debtsto society,Bruce Wayneis also a true
son of Calvinism.Thus,Batmanreallyis an AmericancousinofEdwardHyde.

58Howells7.

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