The Energon Pub

Cyberstrike wrote:Batman is a borderline psycho.
Miller just didn't bother to hide it, that's why I think a lot of fans hate All-Star Batman and Robin (what I didn't like was using the old Robin costume that is the one of the worse superhero costumes of all time. No artist, no matter how talented can make it cool, practical, or even relevant).
because Miller was just stating the obvious and wasn't hiding it under the pretense of a "noble hero" or the epitome of human ability, he's simply calling Batman what he was, what he is, and what he will always be: a borderline psycho.

Well a psychopath is incapable of doing what Batman does for a single good reason: Psychopaths are sociopaths. They don't possess the ability to empathize with others. They don't care about others. Psychopaths are focused on self gratification.

Psychopaths are also goal oriented. They reach a climax when they attain their goals but satisfaction is short lived and that's why psychopaths are caught in a cycle of repetition. Batman doesn't get satisfaction from the every day achievements of his work. He knows that he's fighting a war that he won't win in his lifetime but trudges on because he knows that if he doesn't do it, no one will.

Psychopaths are also driven by impulse. The can only plan if it is for the purpose of achieving one of their goals. Batman, in more than one incarnation, has been shown to implement long term plans, normally in the event he dies prematurely and also for his inevitable passing. This is because his war on crime will go on and he wants to make sure the criminal element has someone to keep it in check to guard society. That kind of concern is not something psychopaths are capable of.

Batman has shown empathy and mercy. Despite the tragic circumstance of his parents' murder, he has taken the higher road and not succumbed to a life of vengeance. Psychopaths lack the capacity for moral consideration and would kill in revenge rather than overcome the desire and seek justice instead.

Batman is also someone who has chosen to take on the burden of a one man war against crime. He has taken on immense responsibility and has shown time and again that he doesn't shirk accountability. Psychopaths are have no desire for accountibility.

Miller made his mark in comic history by bringing Batman back to the darkness but his and anyone else's assertion that Batman has to be a "psycho" in order to do what he does is creatively weak. People who are borderline psycho or anything else that is mentally and emotionally unstable are not functional people. They can sometimes lie and hide enough to fool people temporarily but they eventually have a breakdown. Batman couldn't do what he does on an ongoing basis if he was anything near unstable.

Ultimately, Batman has chosen to sacrifice his own life to protect others. He gave up a "normal" life so that others could afford to have what most people yearn. A borderline psycho would not be able to consider that kind of decision.

I won't even get into the relationships Batman has with Alfred, Robin, Superman, and the others in the DCU beyond saying that psychopaths aren't capable of establishing long lasting and significant relationships with other people.

Christopher Nolan and David Goyer did a good job of rationalizing why Bruce Wayne chose to act out as Batman and how he goes about it. His decisions are pragmatic and based upon psychological tactics. He's not perfect as seen in his miss steps like falling asleep during a meeting and ignoring his own well being in his pursuit of justice but it all stems from his self imposed duty to bring Gotham out of the darkness.