Batman in the Age of the Police State. Christopher Nolan's The DarkKnight

               Like most enduring works Batman is both transmutable and constant. His origins, ideology, and methodology have stayed relatively consistent considering over the past seventy years. The Batman’s epic tale of one man’s war on crime has been told by dozens of creative teams in a myriad of mediums.  In an era where technology has progressed to the potential of being omnipresent how does a vigilante who also happens to be the owner of a large multinational corporation fit in to our society? Batman swinging from rooftop to rooftop maintaining vigilance over Gotham City’s many dimly lit alleys may fill us with pride and admiration as one man dedicates his life to protecting the innocent and making sure no child of Gotham endures the trauma he has endured. But what if the Batman is no longer a lone vigilant light house in a sea of chaos and crime but the spider atop a net of omnipresent surveillance?

          The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) does not directly adapt one specific Batman comic book or story line. Story elements from various comic books and graphic novels that span the characters history are referenced in the film’s plot. The Joker’s plot to kill important Gotham citizens is also his plot in Batman #1 (1940) and screen writer David Goyer has cited The Long Halloween (1996-1997) as inspiration for his depiction of Harvey Dent; however in Goyer’s version it’s the Joker who gets to light the mob’s money on fire changing the meaning of the scene. In Goyer’s version of events the Joker is setting the mob’s money ablaze because he is above money he is a “better” class of criminal. In the source material Harvey Dent sets the mob’s money ablaze to further cripple organize crime and help clean up Gotham city. Clearly the obstacles and moral quandaries the Caped Crusader must overcome in The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) are not new ones. What is a 21^st century problem is Batman’s solution to his obstacles in this film. Wayne Industries, similar to a modern day telecommunications giant, can tap into the cell phones and devices of the citizens of a large American city. Because Bruce Wayne is a benevolent oligarch he knows this is too much power for him to wield and places a check on his power, namely Lucius Fox.

          In a post 9/11 America how we respond to depictions of the Joker’s terrorist acts take on a different meaning. In the story line A Death in the Family (1988-1989) the Joker literally blows up the second Robin Jason Todd. The aftermath of that story line often centers on Batman being driven closer to the edge, losing control, and becoming more ruthless in his tactics. In The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) both the citizens of Gotham and Batman himself begin unraveling as a result of the Joker’s terrorist acts. A question that is posed often in modern American politics is where do we strike the balance between safety and liberty? Batman must face the same question in The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA). The Joker is such an outlier that this is the one time Batman must usurp the privacy and rights of Gotham’s citizens. Batman doesn’t go as far as declaring martial law but he does recognize the precarious nature of one man holding so much power. He shares this power with the man he trusts to shepherd his large multinational corporation Wayne Industries. In both cases Wayne depends on Lucius Fox to be the check on over reaching power that can be potentially destructive.

           The two modern American problems of capitalism and surveillance are examined in The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA).Wayne Industries has the power to run amok and ruin lives or uplift the citizens of a city with projects like mass transit. Despite his formidable intellect Bruce Wayne cannot maintain his one man war on crime and makes sure that the corporation that operates with his family’s name maintains ethical practices while filling its coffers to satisfy its board members. Lucius Fox is the man Bruce entrusts with the company that bears his family name. Mr. Fox is a benevolent industrialist like Bruce Wayne and serves both as Q and M to Bruce’s James Bond. Batman later extends this trust in Lucius when he wire taps the entire city. Like Gandalf Batman knows despite his best intentions this power may corrupt him and he needs a mortal to both to wield and later destroy this extraordinary power. Both Lucius and Batman are rewarded for their faith in each other.

          When can civil liberties be suspended? The Joker’s thesis is anyone can be like him given the right circumstances. Perhaps this is why accusations of insanity are one of the few accusations Christopher Nolan’s depiction of the Joker takes umbrage with. He’s not crazy he’s just a guy who has had a bad day. Even though virtually everyone would agree the Joker’s alignment is chaotic evil, I wonder if Nolan’s Joker (played masterfully by the late Heath Ledger) might argue that he is in fact chaotic neutral? After examining The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) I begin to feel more ambiguous on whether or not the Joker was successful in his plans to push Batman over the edge. During my first screening of the film I felt confident that despite the Joker’s rampage he did not defeat The Batman because Bruce would not violate his moral code and snap the neck of the Crown Prince of Crime despite the Joker murdering one of Bruce’s loved ones and committing wanton death and destruction throughout the city. He proved the joker wrong as did the citizens on the two ferries wired with explosives. However my creeping feeling of ambiguity comes from my realization that the joker did force Batman to spy and violate the rights of the citizens of Gotham City. The Joker forces Batman to choose safety and order over liberty and chaos.

          Batman is the hope that good people given the opportunity would do what is right. Batman is single minded in his goal; he foresakes his own happiness and desires to stand up for those who cannot help themselves. Bruce Wayne was once helpless to protect those closest in his life. Batman strives to never feel as impotent as that little boy crying in terror in crime alley all those years ago. Batman has replaced young Bruce’s inability to protect his parents with Batman’s need to protect the city of Gotham. FDR believed his place in society came with a responsibility to help those around him especially the disenfranchised. Batman takes this ethos and adds the psychology of a traumatized young boy who refuses to ever feel powerless again. Every fiber of his body is dedicated to protecting Gotham City and sometimes even Batman must puts checks in place to protect him from himself and who better to check the power of Batman then the voice of god himself Morgan Freeman who portrays Lucius Fox in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.