Scenes of Batman descending from the shadows to save the day are common across the franchise’s comics, films, and cartoons. But because there are no civilians to rescue, no living Gotham to protect, when Batman swoops down into a crowd of Arkham City’s goons it isn’t to save anything. It’s just to bust some skulls. To stop someone from shit talking him. To have a little fun.
I take a bit of umbrage at the phrase " to save the day." Superheroes never save the day. They best a superhero can ever hope to do is keep the status quo. It's up to the people in these cities, real or fictional, to actually make a change for the better. Think about it, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, or any other superhero couldn't pass marriage equality laws by themselves. They can influence people, but it takes the people to actually make something better, to raise the bar of the status quo.
Great article though. I just wanted to add my inane thoughts on superheroes.
Well, they do save the day in a way but you're right in the end they're only maintaining status quo, more so they're actively supporting it. I think AK did a good job highlighting that aspect of it (Dark Knight tried it as well). A lot of the shit that happens in Gotham at the point AK is at happens because of Batman. It's a cycle and it's hard to tell who is responsible for what because it always reinforces itself.
Batman knows the guys he puts away will get out eventually, he knows the consequences his presence can have on the people surrounding him, or the city he's trying to protect but he still does what he does because he doesn't see another way. Going from Arkham Asylum to Arkham Knight it feels like he's less and less the hero in the story. AK really shows what a crazy person he is and there are a few moments where he is completely powerless despite his physical and mental strength.
I just wished Rocksteady would have gone all the way with it (the presence of civilians would have probably helped too) but overall it's a nifty way to frame the story and the reason why I enjoyed Arkham Knight as much as I did despite some of the glaring faults.
Edit: It's also why I really liked how they fit Joker into the narrative because he often acts as a mirror that reflects on Batman's actions and despite the fact that he exaggerates and twists words, he brings up valid points more often than not. The best interactions between them are those were you can see yourself siding with what Joker says because it shows how flawed the idea of Batman really is.
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