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              In a world where superheroes exist, there will always be darkness that follows. Our lives might be full of adventure and excitement, but at what cost? Tragedy will always follow and loss is unavoidable. We will still lose the ones we love if not by the hands of villains, then by the disasters, our heroes leave at their wake. Darkness and light are like two sides of the same coin. One could just not exist without the other. Thus, I had decided on a superhero that embraced the darkness and fear to find justice in the world. A hero who just because he does not have any superpowers, doesn’t mean he can’t save the people. He has cheated death more times than you can count on both hands and exceeded the capabilities of a mere mortal man. He also defies all odds even if it is against him, to overcome his enemies. He is called, Batman.

                Batman otherwise known as Bruce Wayne, was created by the brilliant minds of Bob Kane and Bill Finger in the 1930’s. When Bruce was just a child, he had witnessed the murder of both his parents right in front of him. After the traumatic event, Bruce had sworn to find justice for his parents and rid the evil that had infested Gotham like the plague. When he finally returned to Gotham after years of study and training, Bruce became the epitome of brilliant minds and physical perfection. Thus, Batman was born.

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               People wonder if Bob Kane had created Batman to balance out Superman’s presence. He made Batman the complete opposite of Superman and yet, his equal. Instead of a symbol of hope, Batman was fear. Even the two cities both character lives in, Gotham and Metropolis, both a complete contrast, as can be seen in the live-action or animated movies. Their other lives are also very different from each other. Bruce Wayne, a billionaire playboy while Clark Kent is just a nerdy journalist working in the Daily Planet. There will always be a debate on who is better, despite Batman being literally powerless, he could still defeat Superman and the rest of the League, as long as he is prepared that is. Batman can only be defeated when his guard is down. Batman is kind off an opposition to the stereotypes of all superheroes. His foreboding character is like a well-oiled engine that is on the verge of breaking down but could still go on for long time. Beaten and bruised, even brushes with death, he still goes on doing his job.

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           Batman, hero or vigilante? A thin line separates this two subject from one another. Even though he is someone who is constantly willing to risk his life protecting his city, facts cannot be ignored, since Batman does take the law into his own hands. Of course he is still a superhero, despite having no abilities, due to his genius level of intellect, as a man with many sciences and criminology, plus his brute strength and agility that rivals that of acrobats and gymnast, Batman could defeat the entire Justice League. Batman might be violent, but he has a strict rule against killing. Therefore, the answer is yes, Batman is a vigilante, but at the end of the day, his method of crime fighting works and it keeps the people of Gotham safe. The character Batman, tells us that with dedication and the will to fight we can overcome the impossible and achieve greatness. It is also very important that we try to not focus only on one skillset and to broaden our horizons.

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         Batman had sidekicks that had joined him in his crusade but at a certain point, all the male Robins were killed off and then some were brought back to life, in the comics. The purpose of Batman adopting a sidekick is to remind him of his mission and to anchor him to the side of the light, despite always teetering between light and dark. It seems that light can be seen easier in the darkness. So every time he loses them, a part of him dies with them and he moves a step closer to the dark. Even though Batman had embraced the darkness surrounding him, with the help of Robin, Batman will not be easily consumed by it.

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         The character Batman, was designed to replicate the traits of a bat. One of Bob Kane’s inspiration Leonardo Da Vinci’s flying machine called ‘Ornithopter’ and a few more other inspirations like Sherlock Holmes who is one of the greatest detective in literature history. How the idea came to Bruce was when a bat flew into the room and the idea of instilling fear into the minds of criminals, struck him. He thought, if he became the one thing he himself fears it would also scare the evildoers. All of his costumes are mostly black and hints of dark grey. In both the live action and animated movies, black was the main colour for the Batman costume, but in some of the comics, Batman’s suit was shown to be dark blue or grey and of course black. The choice of colour is to help Batman camouflage in the darkness of the shadows that constantly enshrouds the city of Gotham.

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          The design of the Batman’s bat symbol changed many times throughout the years and new technologies emerges the appearance of the logo undergoes transformation but still retains the motif of the bat. Basically, the Bat-suit is made to have all needed necessities to fight crime and help with Batman’s detective work as Bruce Wayne took advantage of his wealth and used his money to put everything into the crime fighting and detective work. Overall the Bat-suit is created to protect the man within but still packs a mean punch.

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             Most Batman films, had the essence of film noir or more specifically neo-noir. The Director of The Dark Knight Trilogy, Christopher Nolan, used the play of darkness and light in the trilogy.  The corruption and “underworld” theme presents itself, as Harvey Dent became Two-Face when half of his face was burnt by fire and Bruce’s character was corrupted by his other identity as Batman when he lost Rachel Dawes. Elements of noir can be seen in the fractured identity and criminal underworld. In comparison with the older comics, animations and movies design, the newer versions appear to have a darker, and even more serious tone to the design concept. The biggest emphasis, design wise, is the use of shadow which most designers love to play with, but at the same time, it could be difficult to tackle.

              The use of the Chiaroscuro art technique which is, the use of light and shade, to create more dramatical effects in film scenes, is evident in most Batman film and animation, especially in the older animated series. This art technique can be seen in scenes like when Batman is perched atop of a gargoyle or the roof of a building looking down his city and his figure can be seen dimly lit by the moonlight, which gives off an eerie feel making audiences ask themselves if Batman was here as a harbinger of vengeance or justice. All things considered, the creation and character design of Batman is near perfection. Batman had become an inspiration to a lot of people, especially the younger generation.

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                  Despite his crusade, it is evident that the system does not work due to the severe corruption that had been plaguing Gotham even before he was born. Batman had no choice but to work in the shadows to do his part. Batman is a symbol of a subliminal design, who operates within shadows. He had no choice but to work in the dark given that the people needed someone who could go against the system but still uphold to it, even as perverse as it might be. Batman is not into fame unlike his other identity Bruce Wayne. The creation of Batman deregulates from the norm of other superheroes, like Superman or Wonder Woman. You will find Batman in the dark while Bruce Wayne strives in the lime-light, all to avoid suspicion.

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                 In the end, even the Dark Knight cannot avoid the inevitable, time and cost of his mission. Undefeated as he might be, Bruce Wayne is still a man, age will catch up with him and it will be time to pass on his mantle, as the “Batman” is a symbol that will live on forever. If you shine a light in a dark room, you will see two things. The dirt and grime on the walls and the revelation of the truth within. Real heroes does good acts not for the glory but for the people they help and the lives they save. It is proven countless times that corruption is inescapable no matter in the fictional or the real world.

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