Report - Superheroes, Politics and Terrorism

This essay will be focusing on the influence that the aftermath of the September 11^th attacks has had on superhero movies. As well as looking at the possible affects it has had, there will be focuses on discovering whether of not the genre has become more politically and socially accurate in the 21^st century, and it will also explore the possible changes in how the comic book genre is perceived.

When viewing potential sources that could be used to support and give evidence, the three that stood out as useful in both contexts are the three Batman films directed by Christopher Nolan; Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012). This trilogy has been chosen because it offers effective comparisons of the Nolan films of post 9/11 to those made pre 21^st century. Additionally, there are four key topics in the films that can be concentrated on; setting, which looks at how the directors perception of Gotham City has changed. Characters, which focuses on how the main protagonist has developed and how the villains are influenced by the idea of terror. Marketing, which looks at how the films posters have changed the way audiences perceive them and the films themselves. Finally, film analysis, which pinpoints how the films are presented and how audiences’ perceptions have changed.

In Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, Gotham City is seen to be much more classical and realistic in comparison to he impression of Gotham given in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989). This is because Nolan used real locations for the films instead of a studio set, which was the path Tim Burton followed. Burton also used a gothic painting to set the scene in his movie, which gave the impression of a traditional, gothic style, where as Nolan used a landscape shot of Chicago to set the scene in Batman Begins (2005). He did not just use Chicago, as he also used elements of New York and Tokyo for the elevated freeways and monorails. Hassler-Forest (2012, p.141) states that ‘The Dark Knight (2008) use of real locations… connects the films familiar superhero paradigm to a different form of visual realism’ which suggests that Nolan has really taken into consideration how society developed and he has attempted to avoid adding nostalgia and instead he is ‘…drawing on images and themes associated with 9/11 and its aftermath’ (p.87) Moreover, the use of real locations and drawing on such themes creates an environment that seems realistic, threatening and constantly plagued by civil unrest and terror.

The main protagonist in the trilogy is of course, that of Batman/Bruce Wayne. Since the 1960s, this character has transformed from a spandex wearing comic book hero to a heavy armoured hero. This transformation from man to machine does give the suggestion that a hero surrounded by weapons is a metaphor for a super power, USA, at war. However, Di Paolo (2011 p.56-57) states ‘the restraint with which Batman uses his weapons of war is striking, giving the suggestion that one day America might be able to do the same’. By this he is implying that the protagonist is not a metaphor of war, but that of a peacekeeper who is looking to protect, not fight.

In Batman Begins (2005), the villain placed as opposition to our protagonist is Ra’s al Ghul, noted to be Batman’s first arch nemesis. C, Collins (“30 Superhero Movies You Didn’t Realise Were Political”, 2013) proposes that the character of al Ghul has ‘an apocalyptic aim, supposedly similar to organisations such as Al Qaeda… and he echoes extremist views that western society has become corrupted.’ Di Paolo (2011, p.53) also views the character in a parallel way to Collins and he states that ‘Nolan chose to muddy the ethnic background of al Ghul to underscore potential similarities between Muslim and Christian fundamentalists.’

In The Dark Knight (2008) Heath Ledger gives an Academy Award winning performance as The Joker. Christopher Nolan has based his interpretation of The Joker on the foundations of torment, as well as terror. Every time torture is employed in the film, it fails, howbeit there are a number of times where The Joker looks to antagonise Batman into killing him. He does this not to just prove the protagonist is a hypocrite, but to also end his own torment. In The Dark Knight, The Joker himself says ‘Terrorism works only when we let it make monsters of us’, this clearly reiterates that his own torment and insanity has driven him to become a terrorist.

‘There is a key link between themes in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Batman Begins (2005)… that being once again a villain is introduced to terrorise Gotham, because Gotham is a metaphor for USA’. C, Collins (“30 Superhero Movies You Didn’t Realise Were Political”, 2013). The Villain introduced in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) is Bane, who is used by Christopher Nolan as a representation of class war. A key scene from the film is the attack on Wall Street, which gives the interpretation of how the American banking system is failing. In conjunction with that particular scene, the football stadium explosion scene is also key because it shows Bane as not just an enemy of Gotham City, but instead an enemy who looks to terrorise the whole country.

The posters used in marketing the films are key in showing audiences what to expect from a film. In the poster for Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, different elements have been used to describe and explain the movies. Firstly, the costume used in the posters is very dark in tone, which gives emphasis towards both physical and emotional characteristics of the protagonist. They emphasize the mysterious emotion of Batman and the muscular outline of his suit gives the suggestion of strength and superiority. Furthermore, the overall setting of the poster is very dark in tone and is based on destruction. The falling buildings in the background are used as a metaphor for breakdowns in society and attitudes. Also, the use of only one character, the protagonist proposes that he is a lone ranger fighting against a crumbling society.

Throughout the Nolan trilogy there is a recurring them of torment and struggle to stop the threat of terrorism. In Batman Begins (2005) the protagonist is tormented by his desire to rebuild Gotham City, in The Dark Knight (2008) he is tormented by the villain and the wrong choices that he makes and finally in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) he is tormented by the biggest terror threat he has faced and his struggle to eradicate the villain. It is quite clear that Nolan has attempted to show the protagonist as a character that the audience can easily sympathise with and relate to, as Di Paolo (2011, p.51) states ‘… obviously rooted firmly in the present and clearly reflects contemporary anxieties about the destruction of the World Trade Centre and the “war on terror”.’

In conclusion, the aftermath of the September 11^th attacks have caused innovations into how superhero films are made. As quoted by Johnson (2012, p.188) ‘Many stories from the first decade of the 21^st century mirrored the fear and isolation that flourished in American society’. Johnson’s statement gives the injunction that many superhero movies have been influenced by social events. He also goes on to say that ‘Superheroes have become a product of society… that present a mirror for all Americans to view themselves as heroes’ (p.188)

Audience perception has also transformed, Hassler-Forest (2012, p.87) states ‘The most popular post 9/11 superhero movies have tended to add psychological depth to their protagonists’. The addition of this psychological depth has bolstered the genre to become more accessible to different audiences. Hassler-Forest finally states that ‘The September 11^th attacks are metaphorically re-staged in superhero movies…’ (p.99) Which gives the unclouded perception that the comic book genre has become far more realistic and accurate in comparison to the more fantasy based superhero movies created pre 21^st century.