Batman VS The Joker
philosophy at the movies
Batman
- Feels he would never be safe so takes matters into his own hands
- protects innocent people from criminal acts
- fear - an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.
- Bruce Wayne is based around Teddy Roosevelt
- Doesn't want to get close to anyone because he feels he will lose them like he lost his parents
- Has an alter ego where he can help people
- The Symbol of a Bat embodies one of his greatest fears
- struggle between the socially acceptable and shadow side
- Bats are symbols of evil but batman's morals are good
- batman's true personality is still a debate
- Acts like a criminal but his actions are good
- what he does is outside the law. however he doesn't have a choice because of corruption
- Will not take a life - self control
- Can not have a loving relationship over fear of what will happen to his loved one
- If something bad happens to him he wants to make sure it never happens to anyone else
- HIs enemies use his strengths as his weaknesses
- The Scarecrow is a doctor enjoys watching peoples minds snap. He uses people fears to get what he wants.
- Eventually each batman villain ends up in Arkham Asylum (Gotham's prison)
- Villains are not insane because being insane is knowing what you are doing is wrong however the villains think what they are doing is alright
- One of the few superheroes who is a normal person - no super powers except for his extraordinary power of self discipline
- Like us we try to build on our strengths and minimise our weaknesses
- The appeal of batman's is that if something that tragic happened to me would i be able to shape my life like that
- Is the balance of all the insanity
The Joker
- The joker is the most unpredictable batman villain
- You can never be sure of what he is going to do
- Has no justification for what he does
- Most criminals are motivated by gaining greater wealth or greater power. Or sometimes to gain a form of revenge, however the joker has no motivation behind what he does.
- Has an agenda of chaos. Unique because he's not after money or power so hard to deal with because you can't bargain with him
- Dark reflection of each other:
-both operate outside of the law - The fact that innocence can be destroyed means there is no innocence at all
- philosophical fight between Batman and The Joker - The Joker is exactly what Batman is against
- Everyone has the capacity to do evil and to do good
- Wants to show everyone the ridiculousness of planning for the future
Key Characters
Two Face
Two Face has a split personality where his burned side is his evil side where as his normal side still believes in justice. To decide which side he listens to.
Alfred pennyworth
Alfred serves as a loyal, tireless butler who assists his employer's secret life as Batman. In modern interpretations, he is depicted as Bruce Wayne's legal guardian, aide-de-camp, and surrogate parent following the murders of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne
The Riddler
The riddler can't commit a crime without leaving a clue. Leaves these clues because he wants to be noticed. This kind of behaviour is Narcissism
Comparison
Batman and The Joker are similar characters in the way that they are not motivated by gaining wealth or power as they both know they can easily achieve that. However the Joker is also what Batman doesn't want to become. The epitome of Evil, commiting crimes without any reasoning and taking lives like Batman's parents lives were taken.
Batman Unmasked - The Psychology of the Dark Knight [Documentary]