IIRC, the idea is that many of the people Batman beats up are just desperate, and not evil, so instead using all that Bruce Wayne money on healthcare, rehabilitation, housing, and other services that benefit the poor would decrease the amount of crime way more than going around punching people ever would.
Batman is a fictional character made specifically to glorify rich people. Even the most ‘nice’ or ‘generous’ millionaires+ are leagues and leagues beneath Batman.
Which by the way is not to say we cannot enjoy Batman or any ither fiction. Just pointing out broader context.
This is actually why they had the idea to reinvent the character without wealth. The comics “Absolute Batman” are really good. Bruce grew up as a construction worker. The Joker is a billionaire.
I was a fan of the 60s Batman (no, I’m not that old, I was just introduced to the classics at a young age). Adam West and Burt Ward were my Batman and Robin.
He was a millionaire in the 60s.
Here’s the really funny part. In the 1960s Batman Movie, Julie Newmar plays the Catwoman (she’s one of my favorite Catwomen because of this role, but Eartha Kitt will always hold a special place in my heart.) In this edition, Catwoman decides to go undercover as a journalist for the Moscow Bugle. Her legend for the mission is that she is a Russian Communist, during the height of the USSR’s economic and military threat level against the US.
Bruce Wayne falls madly in love with her. Catwoman, being a consummate espionage artist, snaps the trap and kidnaps Bruce Wayne. Bruce, as Batman, later finds out this woman who stole his heart was one of his sworn enemies. Literally as he’s chasing her, trying to find Miss Kitka, because he thinks she hurt her. Only for her mask to fall off, to find out that he got, well… catfished. Adam West deserved an Academy Award for those tears of shock and grief.
The subtext at the time was that the US was starting to try to repair its bad relationship with the USSR, and push forward with nuclear disarmament. It was a reflection of the betrayal of the first failed nuclear negotiations that were hanging so heavily in the public mind.
Batman has always been complex regarding the role of the rich in politics. Really, it depends entirely on who’s writing the story how that context is approached and how Bruce uses it. It isn’t consistent because the writers have changed as much as the world has. I’m glad to see Absolute Batman subverting the traditional Batman mythos by making him a working class hero and putting the Joker in front of the bank vault this time.
Imagine saying that to Batman 😂
That’s actually a thing!
IIRC, the idea is that many of the people Batman beats up are just desperate, and not evil, so instead using all that Bruce Wayne money on healthcare, rehabilitation, housing, and other services that benefit the poor would decrease the amount of crime way more than going around punching people ever would.
As far as I know Bruce has tons of charities and uses a lot of his money to help improve lifes. But gotham is cursed
And for anyone not familiar, Gotham is literally cursed. Like, dark wizards and demons cursed.
Bruce spends billions on healthcare, charities, homeless programs, food banks, and endless and countless other things to help
That’s literally the entire point of the Bruce Wayne persona. He’s a rich playboy that gives away endless money for good deeds.
Batman is a fictional character made specifically to glorify rich people. Even the most ‘nice’ or ‘generous’ millionaires+ are leagues and leagues beneath Batman.
Which by the way is not to say we cannot enjoy Batman or any ither fiction. Just pointing out broader context.
This is actually why they had the idea to reinvent the character without wealth. The comics “Absolute Batman” are really good. Bruce grew up as a construction worker. The Joker is a billionaire.
I was a fan of the 60s Batman (no, I’m not that old, I was just introduced to the classics at a young age). Adam West and Burt Ward were my Batman and Robin.
He was a millionaire in the 60s.
Here’s the really funny part. In the 1960s Batman Movie, Julie Newmar plays the Catwoman (she’s one of my favorite Catwomen because of this role, but Eartha Kitt will always hold a special place in my heart.) In this edition, Catwoman decides to go undercover as a journalist for the Moscow Bugle. Her legend for the mission is that she is a Russian Communist, during the height of the USSR’s economic and military threat level against the US.
Bruce Wayne falls madly in love with her. Catwoman, being a consummate espionage artist, snaps the trap and kidnaps Bruce Wayne. Bruce, as Batman, later finds out this woman who stole his heart was one of his sworn enemies. Literally as he’s chasing her, trying to find Miss Kitka, because he thinks she hurt her. Only for her mask to fall off, to find out that he got, well… catfished. Adam West deserved an Academy Award for those tears of shock and grief.
The subtext at the time was that the US was starting to try to repair its bad relationship with the USSR, and push forward with nuclear disarmament. It was a reflection of the betrayal of the first failed nuclear negotiations that were hanging so heavily in the public mind.
Batman has always been complex regarding the role of the rich in politics. Really, it depends entirely on who’s writing the story how that context is approached and how Bruce uses it. It isn’t consistent because the writers have changed as much as the world has. I’m glad to see Absolute Batman subverting the traditional Batman mythos by making him a working class hero and putting the Joker in front of the bank vault this time.
This is the wildest take I’ve seen all day