William Jackson’s Essay Year 3 -The Superhero and The Supervillain: A Study

Investigating The Origins and Development of Character Types in Comic-book

Narratives -illustration Grap 6020
Introduction

“This guy you saw lurking the shadows near the bank – It wasn’t the Batman, not unless you
have a humdinger of an imagination.” (Farago and McIntyre, 2019). This essay is about the
superhero and the arch-villain. I’ve chosen to write about are two characters from DC comics
(Detective comics).

“Criminals are by nature, a group of cowardly and superstitious lot.” (Loeb, 2002/3). The
superhero has been a benevolent character with superhuman powers, super-strength, flight
and speed like Superman, powers that are beyond those of any than an ordinary human being.
Those who use these powers to help the world become a better place are dedicated to
protecting the public and stopping evil. A superhero who does these heroic deeds uses
abilities way beyond the capability of a normal person. In order to become a superhero, you
need to have a superpower that is more exceptional than any other power a human being
could possess.

What is the difference between a villain and supervillain? The difference is that the
supervillain, is a fantasy criminal/evil doer, with supernatural powers or equipment. The
popularity of these architypes in children’s and fantasy literature demonstrates who can
present an incredible challenge for a superhero whereas a villain is a vile-wicked person. The
characteristics of the supervillain are interconnected with those of the good guy as they
represent the superhero’s antithesis. The arch-villain has similar abilities to the superhero but
they are misdirected making them the sort of character we love to hate. The need to be a
worthy enough for an opponent to make everyone believe they are almost as attractive as the
hero. They think they are clever and accomplished enough that people will give respect in
return, instead of occasionally the supervillain is kind, only for show but are merciless, even
to innocents like an abusive husband to his wife. The supervillain is very persuasive, proud,
deceitful and vengeful, because of their jealousy to the superhero and everyone knows it. But
they can’t be fooled, a supervillain will stop at nothing to get what he/she wants. In role of
the supervillain serving as an obstacle, the superhero would have struggled to overcome this
outcome. The characteristics are opposed to the superhero, creating a contrast by
distinguishing heroic traits from villainous ones.

Using primary and secondary resources, books, comic books and exploring action on the
pages of comic books, the aim is to research the history and background of the superhero and
the supervillain in order to explain their enduring appeal to the comic reader. I am to define
the characters and show how, their skills and abilities place them apart from ordinary
policeman, the attributes, characteristics and comparisons they represent, the costumes and
identities of a superhero/villain. The most important questions in this essay, why do we need
superheroes and villains and why are they so popular?

Chapter 1: Defining the Superhero (The Batman)

“My disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts! I must be a creature of the night,
black, terrible. A bat! That’s it! I shall become a bat!” The Batman is the secret identity of
Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American, billionaire playboy philanthropist, and owner of Wayne
Enterprises. How did Bruce Wayne get to become Batman was from a tragic incident when
he’s just a child, “his life transformed by the murder of his parents” (Farago and McIntyre,
2019). That is how the Batman came to be, after losing his parents, Bruce Wayne has spent
his whole life training to become the greatest crime-fighter in Gotham City. But he doesn’t
have any super strength, super-speed or flight like Superman, because he is just a man in a
cape, with a belt full of gadgets, Batmobile and a grim determination to avenge the murder of
his parents which give him the advantage when fighting crime. In order to be a successful
knight crusader Bruce Wayne must keep his identity a secret from the outside world,
including anyone he knows in Gotham City.

“The Batman, a mysterious and adventurous figure, fighting for the righteousness and
apprehending the wrong door in his Lowe battle against the evil force of society… His
“identity,” remains unknown,” from what (Finger and Kane, 1939) are saying, this was how
Bruce Wayne a.k.a. the Batman, was first known when he first appeared in Detective Comics.
From Batman: Hush (Loeb, 2002/3), an introduction was made by his trusted butler and
friend Alfred Pennyworth, “I have told this story to no one. Until now.” Watching over the
man for what he will become, seeing the boy’s parents, as the good people in Gotham City.
They would do anything for their only son, but then everything changed, “had his childhood
not been ripped from him at gunpoint. Suddenly orphaned and alone, a chilling event took
place. There would be no grieving for this child. No time would be lost wishing he could
change these events. There is only the promise. That very night, on the street stained with his
mother and father’s blood, he sworn a vow to rid the city of the evil that has taken their
lives,” by making a difference from what happened that night. For years, he has been away
from the Gotham City and into the world training, “Using his family’s wealth, Master Bruce
sought out the world’s greatest minds in criminology, martial arts, and the craft of detecting.
In turn, he donned a cape and cowl and became a creature of the night. Preying on those who
broke the law.” something only criminals fear in the darkest of nights, “They now call him,
“The Batman.” “But”, to his butler, “I will always see him as that little boy, struggling to find
a way to make up for not being able to save his parents lives,” a real struggle to get over in
life. “The Batman, fights crime and thus serves as an agent of political domination,
safeguarding property relations and enforcing the law,” from what (Duncan and Smith, 2017)
believe, is said to all superheroes. “The Batman, offers another trajectory, watching over
Gotham City, that descends into the deeper levels of chaos,” it is almost like he thinks
“Gotham is a city defined more by its underworld,” according to (Gilmore and Stork, 2014),
it is like there is no escape from that city.

“Expensive toys to wield against “malignant scum that ravage this city.” (Winick. J, 2005/6),
people have always been wondering about what is the Batman’s, superpower? In a movie,
Justice League (2017) he was asked about that question. His answer was, “I’m rich.” But
there are other skills and abilities than just being rich. The Batman is the only character who
has not inherited any kind of superpowers but has developed Mixed Martial Arts. With his
intelligence of knowledge and hard work, added with his ability of inventory, disappearance
and elegant moves, this is making the Batman, a more mysterious character in DC comics.
Through this the Batman, also uses a utility belt with gadgets of the latest technology and
equipment, giving him an advantage to fighting crime against criminals and villain, like the
Batarangs, grappling hooks, etc…

“They talk about a Man of Steel. Amazon Princess. But they never talk about the mean one.”
(Miller, 1986), suggesting the Batman is clearly different from other superheroes, pointing
out that critics focus on those with supernatural powers but “they never talk about the mean
one. One who can’t fly or bend steel with his bare hands” (Miller 1986). since the Batman,
first appeared in the first issue in 1939, he has now become the most popular character in DC
comics for over 80 years. But not just in comics, he is also popular in T.V. shows and
blockbuster movies. The Batman is also popular for his skills, when fighting crime, but not
just for beating-up criminals and villains but has found a way of beating-up superheroes,
including Superman. In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the batman was in full body
armour and a big fight happen at crime alley in Gotham City (where it all started) between
him and Superman and the Batman nearly defeated him with heavy equipment, weapons and
a little synthetic kryptonite, this scene was repeated in a similar way from a movie, Batman
vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

Chapter 2: Defining the Supervillain (The Joker)

“You managed to find a way to win, and everybody still loses!!” The idea of the supervillain
from (Winick, 2005/6), who/what is “The Joker”? A supervillain in Gotham City and is the
Batman’s most archnemesis who first appeared in Detective Comics, No. 69, 1940. No one
knows exactly who he is or what’s his name. It’s possible that his real name is Jack Napier,
but it hasn’t been confirmed, because he has always been keeping his identity a secret. Even
as the gang’s leader, the Red Hood he’s in charge of a number of red hood members, who
they too have been keeping their identities a secret in Gotham City. In a failure escape
attempt at A.C.E. chemicals from the Batman, they both get into a fight saying, “this is only
the beginning,” (Snyder, 2015) before accidently falling into a chemical tank of acid, and he
has somehow survived becoming mentally insane, from laughing and dressing up like a
clown, giving people his new name, “The Joker.”

“Do feel free to stick around,” for (Moore, 2008) has learned about, the Joker’s past revealing
he was a failed comedian with a pregnant wife living in a normal life. “Well? How did it go?
Did they like your act?” and it looks like they are struggling with it, “they said they might
give me a call. I dunno, got nervous and messed up a punchline.” With that struggle he thinks
no cares about him, “You think, I don’t care, that it is all a big joke to me or something” that
his life means nothing to anyone. “You’re suffering enough, being married to a loser,” and he
doesn’t want anybody else to suffer with him. But suddenly all of that changes, “I guess my
talents do not lie in that direction,” in one day. “If I just do this one big crime,” a new life
would begin, but sadly at the same time he lost his wife, “had an accident this morning,
testing a baby-bottle heater. There was an electrical short, and well she died. I’m sorry.”
Losing a wife, child and future all at once, will make anybody feel like there is nothing left to
loss, or even a future. But going for a crime this big, there is no turning back.

“The years have not been kind,” according to (Miller, 1986), the attributes of a supervillain
and how the Joker became to be. This was something shown from The Killing Joke and
Detective comics at the crime, at A.C.E chemicals dressing up as The Red Hood. But then
things go wrong, security spots him with the gang members and attacked them. “You guys
don’t want me. You want him. He’s the ringleader, he’s The Red Hood!” (Moore, 2008). The
cause of this crime reveals, the Joker, isn’t the real Red Hood, but a decoy instead. The real
Red Hood was one of the gang members, so hopes of making a quick getaway. “Watch out!
He’s pulling a gun!” dressed as the Red Hood, the Joker tries to escape security and police
while the gang members were either captured or killed, including the real Red Hood, “The
ringleader is taking off,” but when the Batman, arrives “I’ll take care of it my way.” trying to
stop him, he falls into a vat of chemical acid I his attempted escape. It should have killed him
then but somehow, he survived. “I’m stinging, itching, my face, my hands,” realising
something is wrong, so he removed his helmet, and emerged as “The Joker.” A villain cursed
with green hair, corpse-white skin, and unnerving-grin with continuous laughter. This is the
cause of the attribute of being a supervillain.
“BB… BBAT… Batman. Darling.” From what (Miller, 2008) is about, the characteristics of
the supervillain are convinced being the good guy than the superhero in their own way,
thinking to be clever and accomplished enough that people will give respect in return. The
characteristics of the Joker, hardly show any of these supervillain traits, (wanting what the
superhero has). Not since A.C.E chemicals fighting and escaping the Batman, and isn’t
confirmed by law, he thinks the Batman is a perfect test subject to try and make him break
the law, by killing someone or anyone. This is what the Joker is after, from the Batman, even
if he’s willing sacrifice himself for the this.
“To prove a point. Here’s to crime.” (Moore, 2008), in role from being the supervillain the
Joker, represents or symbolises the dark, the chaos, the evil – the wrong. It is as though the
Joker, is trying through his philosophy and mission to disrupt civilized society and bring
down Gotham City to its savage roots. All of this shows more of how “The Joker,” became to
be.

Chapter 3: Compare and contrast the characters

“Can you see it Joker? Feels to me like it’s written all over my face.” (Miller, 1986)

The Batman, and the Joker have started their lives out as the superhero and the supervillain
with similar paths, but in different perspectives. They both had a life, with families that both
have ended in a tragedy either by an accident or a crime. The Batman/Bruce Wayne, lost his
family in an alley street at gunpoint, leaving him orphaned, heartbroken and alone. He has
made a promise to not let anything like this happen ever again, so he spends years away out
of Gotham City and in the world, training. He seeks the help of the world’s greatest minds in
criminology, martial arts, and the craft of detecting. (Loeb, 2002/3). Whereas the Joker, lost
his family from an accident while at the same time going into business with some thugs. They
were planning a crime at A.C.E chemicals, but that went wrong when the Batman and the
police, arrived and foiled an attempted escape and the Joker fell into a tank of chemicals. Yet
somehow, he survived and emerged with green hair, white skin and an unnerving-grin with
continuous laughter. He uses this appearance as an advantage to create fear, chaos and
laughter at the expense of people in Gotham City, “To prove a point, here’s to crime.”
(Moore, 2008), both characters have something in common but in different for being the
superhero and the supervillain in Gotham City.

“It’s all a big joke to me or something,” from what (Moore, 2008) is saying, in this struggle
of “The Batman,” and “The Joker,” becoming the superhero and the supervillain, the Batman,
fights crime, and thus serves as an agent of political domination, safeguarding property
relations and enforcing the law. But for dangerous, evil criminals and villains like the Joker,
who wants to destroy all of Gotham City flying in the face of the law. In the beginning
dressed as the Red Hood leader the Joker attempted an escape at A.C.E chemicals. But when
he sees what the Batman, is trying to do when they fought each other but he will always keep
reminding him, “you can’t win! Everything you stand for, this city,” will be for nothing.
When the Batman tries to stop him, believing “it’s over!” the Joker doesn’t believe that “HA!
Wouldn’t you like to think so? No, see. It’s only the beginning,” (Snyder, 2015) meaning in
the years to come they will be fighting each for a long time. Then he fell into a chemical tank
and emerged into something very dangerous and insane.

“HAHAHA. You know, it’s funny this situation. It reminds me of a joke. See, there were
these two guys in an asylum. And one night, they decide they didn’t like living asylum
anymore. They decide to escape! So, like, they get up onto the roof, and there, just across this
narrow gap, they see the rooftops of the town, stretching away in the moonlight. Stretching
away to freedom. Now, the first guy, he jumps right across with no problem. But his friend,
dare not make the leap. You see. He’s afraid of falling. So then, the first guy has an idea. He
says “Hey! I have my flashlight with me! I’ll shine it across the gap between the buildings.
You can walk along the beam and join me!” But the second guy just shakes his head. He
says, “What do you think I am? CRAZY? You’d just turn it off when I was halfway across!”
This is what (Moore, 2008), thinks of the Joker and the Batman, in this joke. Two lunatics at
Arkam asylum either protecting or destroying Gotham City. Being good friends but one day,
one of them is going to kill the other, which they both know is going to happen them one day.

“So happy to see you, that I’ve my frown upside down.” (Tomasi, 2013), for every
superhero/villain to wears a costume for what they can do, what they can be in future and the
world. Superheroes like, the Batman always wears his costume of black and grey tights with
a dark cape and a mask with two pointed spikes that appear to be bat ears. This makes his
appearance a half-bat, half-man a.k.a “The Batman.” In later comics (along with TV shows
and movies) the costume changes into a kind of armour, showing how tough he is when he’s
fighting crime. For some supervillains like the Joker, who doesn’t seem to wear a costume
instead he wears a kind of suit (a purple blazer, trousers and shoes, a green waistcoat and a
randomly coloured shirt with a little bow tie), this makes him appeared less like a clown, then
the ones you see perform at the circus. In the New 52 comics the Joker appeared wearing
garage overalls with a belt and tools around with him, and his face was skinned off and now
he wears it like a mask using hooks and wire to keep it attached to him. This makes the Joker
even more completely insane and dangerous than any other supervillain. “It was easy, Bats!
Just slice, pull, chill and serve! A thirty-minute recipe!” (Tomasi, 2013).
“To perfecting himself physically. To learning.” From what (Gaiman, 2009) was saying is,
for superheroes and supervillains wearing costumes, fighting crime or taking over the world,
there is a lot of them must be in good shape from all these events, including the Batman and
the Joker, everyone knows that the most attractive of them are the muscular ones. “Sought
out the world’s greatest minds in criminology, martial arts, and the craft of detecting”. (Loeb,
2002/3), in all the years of training the Batman is one of those comic characters when
training, fighting crime and protecting Gotham City. The Joker doesn’t seem to have kept
that, look from the suits he wears to cause chaos and the look on his face he is a little skinnier
than muscular “suffering enough, being married to a loser.” (Moore, 2008). This is what
superheroes and supervillains would have looked like in most comic books.
“A lighthouse helping you a storm of the soul.” (Tomasi, 2013). If you were a superhero with
incredible abilities like Superman, you would put up a well-informed message for standing up
for your peers and protecting others. Kids can learn more about courage, self-sacrifice, self-
control and willpower into being heroes themselves. Being the Batman, has made his cause to
fight crime, and thus serve as an agent of political domination, safeguarding property
relations and enforcing the law. But if you were a supervillain, you would try to take over the
world for yourself. The presence, of action and the actions of a supervillain can change the
rules of the story, raising the stakes and making the superhero adjust to the supervillain’s
way, instead of the other way around. The Joker represents his mission, by disrupting society
and bringing down Gotham City to its savage roots. Destroying anything and anyone he
wants to get at the Batman.
“I love being the goddamn Batman.” (Miller, 2008), every time we watch a superhero movie
or reading a comic, we are enchanted by its action and the superhero’s capability for saving
humanity, we all like superheroes for a reason. Forget about super-strength, laser-vision, or
any kind of superpower. The best superhero’s power might be the way they inspire and
motivate us. Superheroes are the most common genres of comic books. The genre rose in the
1930s and has continued to develop to this day, ever since, the reason for the superhero’s
popularity has been fairly clear, driven by external crises and social climates, the costumed
protectors that have emerged to save society. “Stop me if you’ve heard this before.” (Loeb,
2002/3), this same popularity for superheroes has been shown to supervillains, the difference
is they want society for themselves and would kill anyone that gets in their way. Wherever
there are superheroes, the supervillains are never too far away. Every story needs a
supervillain, because without any of the supervillains, the superhero can’t shine the light for
us to see how good he is, and we wouldn’t understand the dangers and conflict of a
community or person there facing. With that we wouldn’t have someone to hate and blame
for all the problems. This is how and why we need superheroes and villains like the Batman
and the Joker in DC Comics, protecting or destroying Gotham City.
Conclusion
“The first was frightening wasn’t it? Here it comes. Yes, Joker is here with you in the dark.
We’re watching it come for you, as I’m sure it did that first time. It wants you! Wants you
bad! There is no reasoning with it, the same for me, when I saw it coming. When I saw you
coming? So, you called out there in the dark! Even though you knew you were seeing it!
Your face, the real bone and tooth face beneath it all. You knew it in your soul, but still you
called out to someone, to pull you up from the darkness. Into the light.” (Tomasi, 2013), the
superhero and villain, I’ve chose to write about this essay are from DC comics, they are the
Batman, and the Joker. These characters have been fighting each other since late 1930s. “The
Batman,” is a dark guardian angel, possibly greatest detective in the world sworn to protect
his home, Gotham City against evil, dangerous criminals/supervillains. One of the most
dangerous and evil of all supervillains, is the Batman’s archnemesis. “The Joker.” The Joker
causes fear, chaos and laughter in Gotham City and for all that he doesn’t even care if
anybody (both innocent people or any of his gang members) get hurt or killed by his actions.
Using primary, secondary resources, reading books, comic books and observing the action on
the comic book pages. Researching the history and background of the superhero and the
supervillain (the Batman and the Joker) that are known in the late 1930s, to the 1980s and up
to the 2000s. The Batman and the Joker have been battling each other ever since, until today.
The comic books have helped show me what the 1930s were like and what has changed or
improved in all the years of culture, colour, storyboard and both characters. Using primary
and secondary resources, I have aimed to show what the superhero and the supervillain are,
answering questions, about how we define these roles are and what are their key skills and
abilities that make them so much more than any ordinary policeman or villain, including the
attributes, characteristics and contradictions they each represent and the costumes and
identities of a superhero/villain. Also going on to explore what the Superhero and villain
mean to each other and how their stories are still resonant to us the reader/viewer in 2021.
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