This general topic came to mind again the other day when I was discussing the common fear of clowns and the "trickster" archetype in literature and folklore. (We were discussing Native American oral traditions, where the trickster is particularly prevalent, but we see the figure in almost all cultures.) It occurred to me, more or less talking my thoughts out in class, that Bugs Bunny represents a pretty good American trickster character (teaching and revealing foolishness through his deceit), as does the Joker in Batman. The Joker, like the figure of the Jester, can be said to be connected to both the trickster archetype and to the scary-clown trope. The Joker is particularly "uncanny" in that he is not just a misshapen or disfigured person (as all clowns are), but is also a disfigured clown. Although the Joker is mostly just an evil bad guy with selfish motives, he also likes to draw out the conflict in spectacular ways and to be deceitful even when it's not necessary -- just as a way of exposing the weaknesses of Batman and others.
Maybe the shooter in Colorado considered himself a kind of trickster figure, although it is doubtful. He more likely saw himself in the vengeful role. There's a rather sad irony that Batman himself represents the lonely outsider, mysterious and cut off from society, a man who has been driven to sadness by violent crime and channels that sadness into trying to rid society of the crime that has burdened his own life and turned him into an aloof and solitary figure. In this sense, Batman represents all of us (city dwellers) in modern society, in that he is weighed down by the existential loneliness and puzzled by the rise of violent crime in his once-loved urban home. Of course, he turns this loneliness and detached sadness into something positive, by fighting on the right side of the law, instead of exploding outward. The Joker is the "bizarro" version of Batman, his projected alter ego as well as his archenemy.
The whole thing has made me think about the appeal of Batman in our modern age, why he sometimes seems more interesting, with his human frailties and brooding personality, than the hip Spiderman or the paragon of squaredom, Superman, When I was younger, I loved Batman and Robin in the old campy TV series. Of course, I never thought of the series as campy, and I'm sure that never occurred to other kids, either, although maybe the Marvel fans thought it was all a little goofy. I thought it was just good, colorful adventure with a cool car and interesting female characters in strange costumes that stirred something deep inside my 8-year-old male self.
Weirdly, as much as I liked Batman and his car, I was especially fascinated by Commissioner Gordon, the older guy who was officially in charge at the police station, yet also enjoyed an almost mystical connection to Batman. He was one of the few outside people who could reach Batman if he wanted. The commissioner as played by Neil Hamilton on the 1960s TV series (an actor who originally worked as a model and was known for being "strikingly handsome" as a younger man) was a neat-looking guy with silver hair and nice suits. He had an interesting, more obscure title. He was older, but didn't look like a grandfather type. He had a telephone and a wood-paneled office. That's bad-ass. To me, he seemed like Batman's boss. That's better than being Batman, right?
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| J.K. Simmons as Comm. Gordon in those Justice League movies I haven't seen. Photo from IMDB. |
In the more recent Batman remakes and reboots, Commissioner Gordon has been played by the incredible actor Gary Oldman and, in his pre-commissioner days, by the interesting younger actor Ben McKenzie, who manages to keep a low public profile even as he has enjoyed starring roles on three major TV series. (The older version and appearance of Commissioner Gordon is so iconic that McKenzie once apparently dressed as his character's older self for Halloween.) It's telling that Oldman in particular would take on this character. He doesn't do boring roles, and he doesn't do one-dimensional characters. He understands that the Commissioner isn't just a police official; he's the boss and a guy with almost as much angst and dark memories as the Batman himself.
Addition: I remembered that Commissioner Gordon is also the father/uncle of Batgirl, or at least the most popular version of that character (not the character in the ill-fated George Clooney movie). How cool is that?
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| Batgirl (Image by FotoToad. Used under permission of Creative Commons license. No changes made.) |
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