Carmen Coraima Lozano Coronado

José Díaz-Cuesta Galián

Facultad de Letras y de la Educación

Grado en Estudios Ingleses

2015-2016

Título

Director/es

Facultad

Titulación

Departamento

TRABAJO FIN DE GRADO

Curso Académico

Characterization of heroes and villains in the dark nighttrilogy

Autor/es

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Trabajo de Fin de Grado

CHARACTERIZATION OF HEROES

AND VILLAINS IN THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY

Autor:

CARMEN CORAIMA LOZANO CORONADO

Tutor/es: JOSÉ DÍAZ CUESTA

Fdo.

Titulación:

Grado en Estudios Ingleses [601G]

Facultad de Letras y de la Educación

AÑO ACADÉMICO: 2015/2016

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Abstract:

The present dissertation intends to explore the figures of the hero and the villain

extracting their most characteristic traits from the analysis of Batman Begins (Nolan,

2005), The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan, 2012).

Through an inductive-deductive method focused on characterization, we discover how

Christopher Nolan blurs the line between Good and Evil using realistic characters that

come to life from comics to the screen adapting them to the 21st century. Complexity

and ambiguity are two key words to understand this filmmaker’s work.

Resumen:

El presente estudio pretende explorar las figuras del héroe y el villano extrayendo los

rasgos más característicos de ambas a través del análisis de Batman Begins (Nolan,

2005), El Caballero Oscuro (Nolan, 2008) y El Caballero Oscuro: la leyenda renace

(Nolan, 2012). Siguiendo el método inductivo-deductivo centrado en la caracterización,

descubrimos que Christopher Nolan difumina la línea entre el Bien y el Mal usando

personajes realistas que vuelven a la vida desde los cómics a la pantalla, adaptándolos al

siglo XXI. Complejidad y ambigüedad son dos palabras claves para entender la obra de

este cineasta.

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CHARACTERIZATION OF HEROES AND VILLAINS

IN THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 7

1.1 Introduction and justification ................................................................................. 7

1.2 About Christopher Nolan ....................................................................................... 7

2. Aims ......................................................................................................................... 9

3. Theorical aproach and methodology .................................................................... 11

4. Textual analysis ..................................................................................................... 13

4.1. Batman Begins (2005) ......................................................................................... 13

4.1.1 Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) in Batman Begins ........................................ 13

4.1.2 Ducard/Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) ......................................................................... 20

4.1.3 Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) ..................................................... 23

4.1.4 Conclusions: From Zero to Hero ............................................................................... 26

4.2. The Dark Knight (2008) ...................................................................................... 27

4.2.1 Bruce Wayne/ Batman (Christian Bale) in The Dark Knight .................................... 27

4.2.2. The Joker (Heath Ledger) ......................................................................................... 30

4.2.3 Harvey Dent/Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart) ................................................................... 34

4.2.4. Conclusions: Good versus Evil ................................................................................. 38

4.3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) ............................................................................ 39

4.3.1 Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) in The Dark Knight Rises ............................ 39

4.3.2 Bane (Thomas Hardy) ................................................................................................ 43

4.3.3 Miranda Tate/Talia as Ghul (Marion Cotillard) ....................................................... 46

4.3.4 Conclusions: Farewell ............................................................................................... 49

5. Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 51

6. References .......................................................................................................... 55

7. Annex ................................................................................................................. 59

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1. Introduction

1.1 Introduction and justification The topic of this dissertation was developed before starting my university degree. Since

I discovered that I had the opportunity of working on two of my favorite hobbies,

reading comics and cinema, I could not stop thinking about Batman. After realizing that

a complete analysis of the characters in both forms was beyond the scope of a final

dissertation, I decided to narrow the topic of my study.

I have chosen the cinematographic adaptations directed by Christopher Nolan:

The Dark Knight Trilogy. The realism of these movies made me think about the flesh

and bone heroes and villains, their characteristic traits and how those traits would be

presented nowadays. That is why I have chosen a methodology focused on

characterization.

Why Batman and not any other hero? Because “Batman has […] entered the realm

of the icon, sharing […] a cultural existence which has to a large extent been freed from

its roots in an original text, circulating as common knowledge, common property”

(Brooker, 1999: 185). This means that, somehow or the other, everybody knows this

“infinitely adaptable” figure who has survived for decades and will continue to do so for

a long time.

1.2 About Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan (London, 1970) is considered to be one of the greatest directors of

recent times (Casas Delgado, 2013: 86). The narrative freedom of his films,

characterized by leaps in time, “invita al espectador a adentrarse en un mundo

enrevesado, con luces y sombras, donde nada es lo que parece y tampoco existen las

verdades absolutas” (Casas Delgado, 2013: 88). This innovative personal style is also

reflected in the creation of ambigous and imperfect characters who usually suffer from

psychological disorders, a field of study which seems to fascinate this director. His

“continuo afán por adentrarse en la mente humana” (Casas Delgado, 2013: 89) helps

him to perfect even more human and complex characters who contribute to the

confusion of the plots.

It is impressive how this filmmaker has achieved to integrate all these aspects into

one of the most well-known fictional universes: Batman’s universe. It is his trilogy

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about this masked hero and his opponents which has made his name world-famous

(Casas Delgado, 2013: 91). The most outstanding feature in this adaptation is the

realism the director gives to this story and that he “refleja las dificultades de la época

actual y las semillas revolucionarias que están germinando en nuestra sociedad ante

tantas injusticias (Cruz, 2012). This means that Nolan revives Batman in the 21st

century and, without forgetting the darkness of the DC Comic Universe, introduces

humanized characters that are close to the spectator and, at the same time, far from

reality.

It is important to mention the “excellent casting” (motta80-2, 2005) formed by

actors who have already worked with Nolan before like Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne),

Cillian Murphy (The Scarecrow) or Sir Michael Caine (Alfred) (Casas Delgado, 2013:

90). This cast provides plausibility to some characters that originally belong to the

comic books.

Christian Bale, main actor of the trilogy, was “escogido para este papel por su

intensidad y total entrega a la hora de representar un personaje” (Casas Delgado, 2013:

93). Character and actor have generated benefit to each other and Bale, just like Wayne,

has become a part of an iconic universe along with almost legendary figures like

Michael Keaton or Adam West.

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2. Aims

The aim of this dissertation is to get to explore the figure of the hero and the figure of

the villain extracting their traits from the analysis of Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005), The

Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan, 2012). These traits

should be applicable to other characters in other fictions.

For this purpose, we are going to reduce our field of study to the characterization

of the main heroic figure, Batman, and two villainous subjects from each film. In order

to facilitate the analysis of the characters, the document is divided into three parts; each

one corresponds to one of the movies following their release dates.

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3. Theorical aproach and methodology

Regarding the methodology used for the analysis of the characters, we have opted for an

inductive-deductive method based on the audiovisual data or, as we can call these films,

the primary source, together with some opinions from some film critics to support our

conclusions.

On the other hand, with respect to the theoretical approach, we have chosen to

remit to two structuralist authors and their theories on characterization: Algirdas Julius

Greimas and Shlomith Rimmon-Kenan. Greimas reduces the character to action while

Rimmon-Kenan’s approach allows us to talk about more visual aspects (like the

appearance), very important in our analysis.

Greimas gives a twist to the theory of the Russian author, Vladimir Propp, and

creates the actantial model (Greimas, 1966: 263). He takes Propp’s spheres of action

(Propp, 1972: 121) and reduces them to six actants because, according to the author, “un

número restringido de términos actanciales bastan para dar cuenta de la organización de

un microuniverso” (Greimas, 1966: 270).

TABLE 1

We find three pairs of actantial categories which conform that scheme (table 1):

subject versus object (a subject always leans towards an object); this pair implies a

search or a wish; sender (dispenser of the good) versus receiver (the one who obtains

that good); and finally, helper (which also includes Propp’s idea of donor) versus

opponent (characters opposed to the realization of the wish) (Greimas, 1966: 270-273).

Several actors can belong to the same actant.

Finally, to complete our analysis of the characters, their traits and how they are

represented in the films, we have chosen Rimmon-Kenan and his complete theory about

characterization. This author establishes (basing his ideas in Ewen (1971)) “two basic

types of textual indicators of character: direct definition and indirect presentation (1999,

60).”

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Through direct definition (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 60), we can know a character’s

trait directly. This kind of description must proceed “from the most authoritative voice

in the text” according to Rimmon-Kenan. Normally in written texts, that voice is that of

the narrator, but what we have in a film (close to that figure) is a director. Their aim is

also telling a story. The main difference is that they tell it without using their own

words, but images. They can introduce the characters through their clothes, the

background and even through their speech, because those are the elements of their

choice; those are the elements they decide to show to us. Nevertheless, that kind of

“description” belongs to the indirect presentation (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 61). “A

presentation is indirect when rather than mentioning a trait, it displays and exemplifies it

in various ways” (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 61), which is exactly what happens in cinema.

Those traits can be exemplified, as the author suggests, through the character’s actions

(or the absence of them) and their frequency (61); through his/her speech (63), not only

taking into account the form or content, but also the voice tone because the audio of the

film allows us to analyse that; through their external appearance, very visual and

important in cinema; and finally, through the social and/or physical environment of the

character “used as a trait-connoting metonymies” (66). This author includes also

analogy “as a reinforcement of characterization” (67). It “may emphasize either the

similarity or the contrast between two elements compared” (68); between the character

and his/ her name, the landscape and even between other characters.

All these instruments help to show the characterological richness of these well-

known comic figures and the effort the director has put in bringing them to live.

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4. Textual analysis

4.1. Batman Begins (2005)

The first film we are analyzing is Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005). As its name indicates,

this movie is the hero’s origin story in which the audience attends to the creation of a

hero. However, the director does not miss the chance of trying to confuse the spectator

trying to mix the opponent’s personality with the hero’s. The spectator goes together

with Bruce Wayne in his evolution and does not know more or less than him. This is a

very good technique to keep the audience thrilled and immersed in the film.

4.1.1 Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) in Batman Begins

Christopher Nolan starts this trilogy with the famous scene in which an innocent and

fragile Bruce Wayne falls into a well and discovers his fear of bats; this apparently

childish fear will be crucial to create that persona later known as Batman. The child is

characterized as a scared, shy and overprotected boy who talks only to ask questions

(F001).

F001

F002

His curiosity is satisfied by his father, Thomas Wayne (F002) who, as the adult he

is, is opposed to the figure of his son. This man is nothing less than Bruce’s hero and

that’s why he is going to absorb most of his father’s traits: the sense of justice, the

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humility, the courage and, especially, the devotion to their city (all these traits seem to

run in the family as the spectator may get to know through Thomas Wayne’s and

Alfred’s speech).

His father is going to be helper and sender at the same time, because he provides

his son with the basics of an ideology which will be developed later in the film.

Christopher Nolan shows this parent-child relationship through flashbacks in the

form of dreams or memories, something that reflects the narrative freedom mentioned at

the beginning.

The evolution of our protagonist seems to stop when his parents are murdered in

the street in another famous scene that, according to some admirers of the hero, stays

true-to-the-comic (tenten76, 2005). The director focuses his attention on the child and

the thief that seem to be equally scared (F003 and F004).

F003

F004

There are numerous close ups and details like the gun, the wallet and Martha

Wayne’s necklace which could remind us of comic vignettes and a final frame in which

the camera zooms out, showing a defenseless Bruce. His figure seems little in contrast

with the alley, but that run-down set could act as a reflection of the child’s inner world

at the same time it reinforces the idea of desolation the character is living1 (F005).

1 Reinforcement by analogous landscape (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 69).

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F005

Time passes and the spectator finds a young-adult Bruce (Christian Bale) who

“behaves with the purity of a child” (DiPaolo, 2009: 201). His immaturity is reflected in

his failure to forgive his parents’ murderer when he has the chance (F006) (act of

omission2) and his selfishness in wanting to kill him in order to feel better with himself

(F007) (a contemplated act).

F006

F007

It is thanks to his childhood friend, Rachel Dawes, that Bruce’s personality starts

working again. Rachel, helper and sender just like Thomas Wayne, reveals the hero the

truth about justice playing the role of a mother, and the creation of the hero can go on.

In F008 we can see how the director depicts the hero as a big child being scolded by an

adult reinforcing his immaturity.

2 Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 61

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F008

This secondary character, as many others in the film, “seems solely created to

move the story along” (Grobler, 2012). This reinforces the fact that the story has a clear

focus on the hero.

After that conversation with Rachel, Bruce Wayne decides to abandon the role of

the victim and starts thinking that maybe he can do something to end injustice. This act

starts with the decision of not using guns to fight criminality in the scene presented in

the following images (F009 and F010).

F009

F010

The director uses flashbacks in order to reinforce the reason why Bruce hates fire

weapons. This trait, something characteristic of this superhero, not only in the films but

also in the comics, is labelled as another “mark of innocence” because “the memory of

the gun that killed his parents is too painful (DiPaolo, 2009: 201).

The novelty of this film comes from the fact that the director shows the spectator

the hero’s training and where Batman comes from. Thanks to Ducard, a mysterious

character who will act as a trainer and sometimes as a father (helper and sender), Bruce

acquires the tools he will use later to perform his will as a hero. Christopher Nolan

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shows this process trough brief sketches in which the spectator listens to Ducard’s voice

working on Wayne’s mental strength while we see hints that may remind us of the

Batman3 who is starting to grow inside Bruce: agility and stealth, a well-built body

(F011), theatricality and even the armour (F012).

F011

F012

What we have seen so far is an easily influenced Bruce Wayne whose personality

is moulded by his social environment (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 66). This is not

something negative for the character though; without them, our hero would be just a

criminal. He is a noble and (somehow) naïve child who is looking for some adult figures

to learn from, maybe trying to overcome his parent’s death. This is shown along the

trilogy through numerous noddy shots in which Wayne listens carefully what the other

has to say. However, this does not mean that he is manipulated by anyone.

As the hero he is supposed to be, Bruce is going to be tested several times during

his training period. He has to prove his courage and strength as well as his wit,

intelligence and personality. The director decides to show the latter when Bruce is asked

to kill in the name of justice and disobeys Ducard because he is “not executioner”

(F013). Here we have the second most famous trait of this heroic icon: not to kill.

3 In the film, secondary characters call him “The Batman,” but Bruce Wayne and Alfred refer to this

persona simply as “Batman.” Putting “the” in front of the name distances the heroic figure and gives Batman a superior position in contrast with common citizens. Bruce does not use it because his humility trait cancels any superiority complex.

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F013

DUCARD: Your compassion is a weakness that your enemies will not share.

WAYNE: It separates us (the good) from them (the evil).

Therefore, according to Bruce Wayne, compassion is a distinctive heroic trait not

shared by evil. Their opposing ideologies about justice separate these characters and

Ducard becomes Wayne’s arch-nemesis (DiPaolo, 2009: 198). Ironically, Bruce’s

compassion act towards Ducard ends up being something negative for him but useful

for the continuity of the plot.

Once the hero arrives to Gotham the pantomime begins. Bruce Wayne starts to

exteriorize all he has learnt and creates a persona, Batman, who will act as the medium

to fight criminality (sender). The spectator follows the process of creation of this

menacing figure at the same time Bruce Wayne introduces himself again into public

life.

Therefore, this character is going to have two different appearances (and voices)

and is going to behave differently.

F014

F015

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On the one hand, we have the vigilante and city protector (F014). Batman uses an

armour which allows him to glide and a mask all in black. His appearance pretends to

resemble that of a bat in order to create a basic, incorruptible and frightening symbol.

On the other hand, we have Bruce Wayne, millionaire and prince of Gotham (F015). He

has a charitable soul but behaves in an eccentric way and seems to be against Batman.

The idea is not to raise suspicion. For this, Bruce Wayne counts on the assistance of

Alfred (Michael Caine) and Julius Fox (Morgan Freeman), two unconditional helpers

who will help them along the trilogy.

Nevertheless, this double identity raises some questions like, who is Bruce

Wayne? Is he disguised as Batman, or is it Batman who wears “el disfraz de

multimillonario” (Pontes Velasco, 2013, 471)? Christopher Nolan shows all the faces of

this character so the spectator knows perfectly that the complex psychology of this

character is more Batman-like than self-centered-Prince Wayne. He behaves like a hero

even without the suit and this gives realism to the character.

The director emphasizes the paradox of this character. Batman is “un héroe que

surge de la ira y la venganza por la muerte de sus padres” (Casas Delgado, 2013: 92)

which are not heroic reasons to start fighting for justice. In fact, it could be taken as an

unhealthy obsession of a lunatic. This is reinforced in the film with the character of Ra’s

al Ghul4. Bruce Wayne has been trained by a crazy villain obsessed with a false ideal of

justice and has been using most of this ideology to create Batman. Batman is close to

becoming a villain; however, traits like compassion, humility, humanitarianism and

nobility (DiPaolo, 2009: 215) distance Bruce from insanity.

To sum up, “Christian Bale, […] portrayed Wayne as a benevolent American

prince who grows from a self-involved, vengeful Young man into a mature “feudal

prince” dedicated to helping the people of Gotham,” (DiPaolo, 2009: 204) which

probably gives him the title of Knight in the following films. However, he asks for

nothing in return for his actions, not even recognition, and that reinforces his humility

trait, so important in this character who is willing to give his life to protect Gotham’s

citizens.

4 Analogy between characters (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 70)

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4.1.2 Ducard/Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson)

Ra’s Al Ghul, Batman’s main opponent, is presented firstly to the audience as a helper

and sender. He does not only deceive the character but everyone with his manners. He

introduces himself as Ducard, a mere member of the league and conveniently emerges

from the shadows of the cell where Bruce is locked (F016). The mystery that surrounds

this figure is a reinforcement of his abilities as the leader of the League of Shadows.

Opposite to Bruce, Ducard is more a talker than a listener. That is why we mostly see

medium close ups and close ups of his face, because what matters is his facial

expression and his cold eyes looking warmly at Bruce. His voice is calm, mild and his

speech is kind of authoritative. He has total control over his emotions and body, and that

highlights his traits of wisdom and power (F017).

F016

F017

As has been mentioned above, Ducard teaches Bruce everything he knows about

fighting, stealth and theatricality. The villain teaching the future hero is something

unthinkable, but the director plays with this idea for the whole movie. We hear Bruce

quoting Ducard and putting into action every lesson he has taught him in order to

become the Batman. Both of them have a double identity and apparently share the same

ideal of fighting evil, which is quite ironic because Ra’s Al Ghul means “the Demon’s

head.”

However, Christopher Nolan highlights those parts on which Batman and his

arch-nemesis differ the most ending them with a fire (F018 and F019).

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F018

F019

The moment in which Ra’s al Ghul’s intentions towards Gotham and human life

are totally opposed to Bruce’s is when the personality of the characters clash and the

spectator can tell apart the hero and the villain. “Ra’s al Ghul is a lunatic, too driven by

“righteous” fury and ideology to be reasoned with” (DiPaolo, 2009: 199).

The factor of theatricality in Batman, mentioned several times along the trilogy, is

a very important one when we speak about characterization. We hear about it for the

first time thanks to this villain. Most of the characters have a double life and/or disguise

themselves to exteriorize what is in their minds, and this tells us a lot about their

personalities. The cast playing these characters are actors playing the role of actors. This

theatricality is closely linked to the psychology of the characters. In Christopher

Nolan’s films, we must not forget about this fact, sometimes the frame looks like a stage

(F020).

In the case of Ra’s al Ghul, theatricality is used to become immortal. This

character has a play going on from the very beginning. He uses other people to play his

role and he is audience and director at the same time.

F020 F021

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F022 F023

The actors have oriental features and clothes. The foreign background, name, and

the language they speak reinforce the pantomime. This external appearance contrasts

with Ducard’s, who is an occidental man with blue eyes and always smartly dressed

(when he is not teaching). However, all of them have the same moustache, and that is

the hint the director gives to the audience: that mysterious gentleman can be something

else than Ra’s Al Ghul’s spokesperson (F021- F023).

When Ra’s is in Wayne Manor, Christopher Nolan reinforces the idea of final act

burning the background, the stage, in which the characters stand face to face, without

masks for the last time. Here Ra’s shows his true colours: he is a smart and heartless

murderer, leader of a gang of trained criminals who takes justice by their own hand. He

thinks of himself as a saviour, but he is an executioner. His will of act and his self-

confidence in a false ideal makes him a mad and dangerous man. He is “the ultimate

terrorist,” who “forces batman to fight a literal “war of terror” (DiPaolo, 2009: 198). He

is obviously superior to the other villains of the film and the only one defeated by

Batman himself. When his life ends, he embraces death and closes his eyes as if they

were the curtain (F024).

F024

Nevertheless, the story of this character does not end here. His ideology will

survive and the League of Shadows will come back in The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan,

2012) shedding light on his origins as a mercenary and vengeful man.

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4.1.3 Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy)

Doctor Jonathan Crane appears for the first time as a psychiatric consultant in a trial. He

is a young man with dark, combed hair, big blue eyes and glasses (F026). He wears a

black suit with a red tie, and a brown jumper which does not match with the rest of the

outfit (F025). The actor’s mild and rounded features make a strong contrast with his

cold piercing look. His slow and tense movements show us that he is hiding something

from us. Rachel and her hostility towards him warn the spectator about this mysterious

man.

F025

F026

The evolution of this character in the screen is quick. He starts as an apparently

inoffensive psychologist, with a weak body and any power of intimidation; and ends up

being one of the masters in mind control through fear. He also has a double identity.

The spectators see the change from one personality to the other in the second encounter

with Falcone. With that calmed attitude of his, Crane faces Falcone’s accusations of

unethical and amoral experiments with the patients of the asylum. The camera gets

closer to him, focusing on his face (F027). The music starts to change. It seems that he

is going to explode any minute but he does not. Just like Ra’s Al Ghul, Crane has a

strong power over his feelings.

F027

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F028

Finally, he takes a deep breath and asks, “Would you like to see my mask?”

(F028) Then he lies to Falcone and tries to present the mask like something harmless. It

is pure theatre. When he puts on the mask he is not Doctor Crane anymore, he is the

Scarecrow.

F029

The appearance of the scarecrow consists only of a burlap bag as a mask but the

man’s attitude has completely changed (F029). The mask distorts his voice and makes it

deep and somewhat terrifying at the same time that the gas distorts the victims’ minds.

His movements are faster and he looks bigger than he is. The scarecrow is intimidating.

This intimidation can be felt by the viewer thanks to the point-of-view shots used by the

director, in which the image is blurred like in a nightmare. Crane uses this persona in

order to feel superior to others. But that is not the first time.

Doctor Crane does not go crazy or screams when Batman sprays him with the fear

toxin because he is already a lunatic before the times presented in the film. The director

highlights that trait with the environments and some details.

F030

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F031

The white background of the latter scene (F027) reminds the viewer of a rubber

room found in psychiatric hospitals. Also in the first encounter between Batman and the

Scarecrow, we can see a dark and abandoned room that could be a reflection of Crane’s

state of mind (F030). As a detail, Crane uses brown, stuffed rabbits that may remind us

of The March Hare from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll, 1865),

characterized by its madness, to hide his drugs (F031).

The last time the spectator sees him as the Scarecrow is in the Narrows, a

nightmarish place where there is gas everywhere (F032 and F033).

F032 F033

RACHEL: No one’s gonna hurt you.

SCARECROW: Of course they are.

RACHEL: Crane?

SCARECROW: No, Scarecrow.

This means that he has always been the Scarecrow and he used Doctor Crane as a

disguise to pretend sanity. This could remind us of Bruce Wayne and his costume of

multimillionaire. But these characters are not so close in the plot and finally Crane

escapes. That is why we can see the Scarecrow make a cameo in the following films

(F034 and F035). His appearance changes: the actor seems to get older and he seems to

lose his mask although the essence of a scarecrow is there. This character stands for

madness and is always a reminder of fear and craziness in other characters. In the last

film he even plays the role of a judge; ironically, we find him in the same place we saw

him for the first time.

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F034

F0355

4.1.4 Conclusions: From Zero to Hero

In Batman Begins, “Nolan keeps the emphasis on (the) character” (Travers, 2005) of the

hero opposing him to the villainous figures of the terrorist Ra’s al Ghul and the lunatic

Scarecrow.

The role of opponents and helpers is very clear in this film. Although the director

tries to build suspense around characters like Crane or Ducard, they have an aura of

evilness that betrays them since the very beginning; their attitude, faces, looks

(especially in Crane’s case), the environment, and even the soundtrack that accompanies

them are apparently isolated pieces the director uses to construct mystery around these

characters. This helps to highlight the protagonist’s heroic traits because, sometimes,

those evil signs are too obvious and the mystery disappears.

This film is a long introduction of the protagonist used to set his basic traits and main

helpers for futures movies.

5 The size of some frames in The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan, 2012) is different because the film is recorded almost entirely in IMAX format (Stasukevich, 2012).

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4.2. The Dark Knight (2008)

The second film we are going to analyse is The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008).

4.2.1 Bruce Wayne/ Batman (Christian Bale) in The Dark Knight

The figure of the hero in The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008) fades into the background.

The director plays the role of the villain and pushes the audience to think twice about

the heroism of Batman and his allies, Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent.

F036

The plot is against this triad of heroes (F036), and the spectator sees how they are

defamed and even corrupted (in the case of Dent) in the end.

This affects Batman the most because his ideal of justice and protection, somehow

based on an obsession, inspires people to become reckless helpers who also take law

into their own hands (F037).

F037

F038

The external appearance of these copycats is just a parody of the real thing. This

is reinforced by the fact that they carry guns and are willing to kill (F038). So, to some

extent, Wayne, as a sender, is creating more criminals. The Joker, in fact, is thought to

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be Batman’s creation (DiPaolo, 2009: 205) as some characters suggest; without him

there would not be a Joker (F039).

F039

BARBARA GORDON: You brought this craziness on us. You did! You brought

this on us!

Batman’s main opponent wants to unmask the hero/es in a literal and

metaphorical way. This challenge, together with Bruce Wayne’s desire of passing the

torch to Dent and killing the Batman when he is most needed, clashes with the hero’s

duty. Wayne takes everything as something personal and tries to protect his interests:

Rachel Dawes (the love of his childhood), and Dent. His inability to cope with his

double identity distracts him from capturing the Joker and allows the villain to go on

with his plan and killing people.

As a consequence of this anti-heroic behavior, Rachel Dawes (together with more

innocent people) dies. This unexpected death is part of the director’s signature; it is

what Inmaculada Casas Delgado calls “el fantasma femenino”: “[…] las parejas de casi

todos los protagonistas fallecen en trágicas circunstancias” (2013: 89). This ghost will

haunt Bruce Wayne until the next film.

With Rachel’s death, Wayne has lost everything he was fighting for: his love and

his substitute, Harvey Dent. That means that he has lost his opportunity to be just a

normal person. To transmit Bruce’s desolation, the director uses a parallelism between

scenes. He harks back to Wayne’s funeral in Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005), using

almost the same dialogue (F040- F047).

F040 F041

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ALFRED: I have prepared a little breakfast /supper.

F042 F043

F044 F045

ALFRED: Very well, then.

F046 F047

WAYNE: Alfred.

Here the hero is a child again, but this time his guilt is justified. This difference

could be reinforced by the blue filter which covers the scene and that may symbolize

sadness and nostalgia. Nevertheless, his mourning for Rachel is transformed into will

and determination to stop the Joker using an “unethical” and “dangerous” surveillance

system that, as the hero he is, he only uses for good. Nevertheless, Christopher Nolan

wants to ruin the hero’s reputation until the very end with the corruption of Harvey Dent

(F048 and F049).

F048

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F049

The last battle Batman has to fight is not a physical one. To fix the damage caused

by the Joker, Batman sacrifices his already doubtful reputation to restore people’s faith

in Dent. This way, our hero becomes the villain and is never recognized, but the

spectator knows the truth. The director’s game comes to an end and, after all, the

audience can trust the Batman again. The hero goes to the light, reinforcing the idea of

goodness in his acts (F050).

F050

He does what is necessary but the actual character does not evolve and we can

observe the same traits. “I just miss seeing a development of Batman/Bruce Wayne's

character” says critic Jerry Saravia (2012); something difficult considering that the

Joker eclipses everybody in the film.

4.2.2. The Joker (Heath Ledger)

The focus of this film is on the joker. “Este villano acapara la atención de los

espectadores, gracias a la brillante interpretación de Heath Ledger” (Casas Delgado,

2013: 94), who won an Oscar thanks to this role.

But also because Christopher Nolan’s Joker is a very complex and confusing

figure, “a noirish creation where good and evil don’t quite exist” (Saravia, 2012). The

director plays to his favor and pushes the spectator to think that Batman and his helpers

are not true heroes, starting by the fact that the appearance of Batman in Gotham has

contributed to the appearance of villains like the Joker.

Batman’s most famous nemesis has the external appearance of a clown (F051).

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F051

F052

The Joker’s perfect clothes contrast with his sloppy makeup and greasy, green hair

which may reinforce his instable state of mind (F052). His appearance, together with his

quick and sudden movements, his changing voice and his wide variety of facial

expressions (courtesy of the actor “who flares with his eyes and mouth to give him an

almost rabid portrayal” (Persson, 2008)), make this character a very picturesque and

unforgettable being. Clowns, like bats, are basic in the imaginary of people. They can be

funny but also scary, and that is what the Joker is looking for (F053 and F054).

F053

F054

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This character is nothing less than a showman; he is always ready to be on the

spotlight. As a loner, he is the director, the scriptwriter, cameraman and main actor of

his show.

F055

F056

He even interacts with the city through television (F055 and F056). The spectator

never sees the process or how he plans things, just the result. He simply appears and

chaos breaks out. This gives the Joker an air of a magician6 reinforced by the scene in

which he makes a pencil disappear (F057 and F058).

F057

F058

6 […] Nolan, quien como buen amante de la magia, prefiere no desvelar el truco hasta el final.” (Casas Delgado, 2013: 96). The director uses this character to include a biographical trait.

33

As we can see, the Joker’s figure is “shrouded in mystery”, something reflected in

his identity (or the lack of it) (DiPaolo, 2009: 206).

F059

GORDON: No matches on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing is custom, no labels.

Nothing is his pockets but knives and lint. No name. No other alias.

According to Gordon, the Joker does not exist as a human or citizen (F059). “This

man is so freakish, so nasty, so inhuman” (Saravia, 2012) that he seems to be a monster.

However, the Joker speaks about his scars and “alludes to a loveless, miserable

childhood” (DiPaolo, 2009: 206) which humanizes him somehow.

DiPaolo (2009: 205) suggests that the Joker’s “seemingly motiveless crimes are

essentially the angry cries of a deranged child who is frustrated by the hypocrisies and

compromises of the adult world.” We see and hear constant references to children which

reinforces this idea like the very appearance of the character linked to the circus; the

scholar buses as a mean of escape (F060); the fact that everything is a game to the

Joker; and his speech, full of useless repetitions.

F060

Following this theory, the Joker sees in Batman the ultimate adult figure, trying to

control everything and defending a world he hates. “Joker is motivated by a deathwish.

He tries to goad Batman into killing him” to prove “that Batman is a hypocrite who will

kill if pushed” (DiPaolo, 2009: 206) as we can see in picture F061.

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F061

For this, he uses “domestic terrorism” (Lindsay, 2016) attacking what Batman

appreciates most: his city.

With this opponent and his magical apparitions the films seems to lose

plausibility; nevertheless, it is his human part which makes us think that anybody could

become the Joker.

4.2.3 Harvey Dent/Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart)

Another new character is Harvey Dent. This District Attorney is a tall and well-built

man. He has blue eyes, blond hair and mild features; he looks like an angel and this

reinforces his goodness (F062).

F062

As the public figure he is, he is always well dressed and exudes self-confidence

and authority. He is considered to be a respectful figure of justice because of his actions

before his designation as a District Attorney; actions the spectator does not watch. Just

like what happens with the Joker, the audience sees the result; the hero he has become.

His external appearance (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 65) makes the audience trust him

immediately but also his human environment (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 66), formed by

Rachel Dawes, Jim Gordon and Batman; trustworthy characters.

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TABLE 2

As we can see on table 2, he pursues the same object as Batman/ Bruce Wayne but

he does not use the same mean to achieve it. Using the authority of laws makes him a

much more heroic man than Batman himself because Harvey Dent follows all the rules;

he does what is morally right. Also, his opponents are the same as Batman’s.

Similarities between the main hero and Dent’s actantial model (Greimas, 1966: 263)

show that we are in front of another heroic figure.

Nevertheless, this does not last long. As the Joker’s plan of corrupting the good

starts working, the spectators attend to the fall of a hero and the birth of a villain. The

transition point can be found in a one-time action in which Dent threatens someone at

gunpoint (F063 and F064).

F063

F064

As we can see in the images, the director plays with chiaroscuro in order to show

the dark side of the so-called hero. The isolated alley reinforces that idea of fear and

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intimidation7; traits that he also shares with Batman but that he uses against a weak

subject, starting to show villainous intentions.

From this moment onwards, the spectator does not see Dent’s face fully just half

of it. We can see the evolution in the images below (F065-F067).

F065

F066

F067

The complete transformation of Dent as a villain comes with Rachel Dawes’s

death. Dent becomes Two-face a mentally unstable man who leaves to chance other

people’s lives.

TABLE 3 7 We are talking here about an analogous landscape based on similarity (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 69).

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Harvey Dent’s actant scheme changes drastically (table 3). The subject receives a

new name, Harvey Two-face, parallel to his new physical condition and his obsession

with chance8. Dent has made up his own meaning for justice equating it to chance and

using it to take revenge on the ones who left Rachel die. Ironically, those who he wants

to take revenge on are his former helpers, the ones that did not listen to him when he

expressed his distrust towards corruption. Their acts of omission lead him to become

what he is, which means that Dent’s human environment is a crucial part for his

characterization.

F068

F069

This physical change exteriorizes duality too (F068 and F069), something

characteristic of this figure. Apart from his disfigured face, Two-face wears the same

clothes he was wearing when Rachel Dawes died. This could mean that the character is

stuck in the past.

In contrast to Batman, Two-face kills in cold blood. His lack of compassion

together with his loss of faith in people does not allow him to be a hero anymore.

Because the spectator has seen this hero’s fall, his ending is especially tragic. The

last time we see this character, he has been swallowed by revenge and pain. The last

time he tosses his coin the director makes a close up to know if he lives or dies (F070).

8 Analogous names (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 68)

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F070

The damaged surface touches the floor indicating that the Evil has been defeated.

The bright side, on the other hand, could mean that Harvey Dent will be remembered as

a hero while his dark side remains hidden (F071 and F072).

F071 F072

That way, Harvey Dent rises as a false hero (Propp, 1972: 91) who takes

Batman’s recognition and glory.

4.2.4. Conclusions: Good versus Evil

Contrast and duality between characters is the key point in characterization in The Dark

Knight (Nolan, 2008). We see that the images, the colors and lighting are focused on

highlighting and reinforcing Batman and the Joker’s differences: strength versus wit;

day versus night; adult versus child; order versus chaos. One character completes the

other because they are natural opposites: Batman is the perfect hero for the perfect

villain, the Joker. But, as has been mentioned above, the director plays with the

spectators testing their faith in the hero trying to equate the latter to the villain.

F073

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F074

A clear example of this is shown in images F073 and F074, their last encounter.

Here villain and hero remind us of the yin and the yang, two complementary and

opposite concepts that express duality. However, F073 is short in time, and thereupon,

the camera focuses on the Joker and turns until the frame is not inverted anymore

(F074). Batman and the Joker stay at the same level.

On the other hand, the director uses Harvey Dent to show the thin line between

Good and Evil, how easy it is to cross it and the consequences. Of course, this is taken

to an extreme level because we are talking about fictional characters from comics, but

the psychological and social factor is still there.

4.3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

4.3.1 Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) in The Dark Knight Rises

In this film, the hero is the focus of attention again. Wayne/Batman carries the same

traits since the first movie. However, the important part of the story lays in the

exploration of Wayne’s “dependence on his secret identity” (Woolf, 2012) and the

immortality of the hero.

During eight years of self-imposed retirement, Bruce Wayne entrenches himself in

the rebuilt Wayne Manor. The protagonist lives in the past haunted by the ghosts (F075)

of Rachel Dawes and the people he left to die and “by the backlash of his alter-ego’s

vigilantism” (Woolf, 2012).

F075

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The enormous mansion contrasts with the insignificance and loneliness of a hero

who is presented with the appearance of an old man (F076 and F077).

F076

F077

Physically, there is nothing left of the hero he was. However, he does not need

many stimuli to start investigating Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) as the detective he is.

This character, together with Commissioner Gordon and John Blake (Joseph Gordon-

Levitt), has the role of sender; they bring to life not only Bruce Wayne, but Batman.

Social environment (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 66) is going to be a crucial part in this film

because those senders are also the hero’s main helpers who will act like heroes when

Batman is missing.

The spectator watches the resurgence of the hero labelled as a suicide by his loyal

butler, Alfred.

ALFRED: I won’t bury you.

WAYNE: You’ll leave me?

ALFRED: You see only one end to your journey.

In this film Alfred “acts as his conscience and questions whether the allure of

Batman and all of his army-issue toys is enough to cause Bruce to become lost in a

crazed, martial persona and lose all connection to reality” (DiPaolo, 2009: 199),

something this man has been trying to avoid since the beginning of the trilogy. The idea

of being his conscience is reinforced in F078.

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F078

He speaks directly in the ear of the hero (F078) but it is too late because, who

needs Batman more than Bruce Wayne? This way Alfred becomes a pacific opponent

who will not fight against his master, but will not help him either.

As spectators, we can think that Alfred does not accept his master’s new

personality but, as the paternal figure he is, he is showing worry. Anyway,

multimillionaire Bruce Wayne is Batman’s disguise, not the other way round.

SELINA KYLE: Who are you pretending to be?

WAYNE: Bruce Wayne, eccentric billionaire.

Regarding the immortality of the hero, and somehow linked to the previous idea,

Wayne left an heir at the end of the film in order to move on and live a normal life. John

“Robin” Blake is introduced little by little by the director as the new hero. His physical

appearance is similar to Wayne’s (F079) although the color blue of Blake’s clothes

(F080) indicates his relationship with another comic character, Nightwing, one of

Batman’s sidekicks.

F079

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F080

Moreover, this righteous policeman (promoted to the position of detective) has

already the basics to become the new city guard and gathers many traits already seen in

Bruce Wayne; even both of them are orphans. It is interesting how the scene of the no

guns and no killing policy happen at the same time with this character, after shooting

two thugs and killing them by accident (F081).

F081

The idea of the immortality of the heroic ideal is reinforced one last time at the

end with a parallelism between scenes from the first movie which correspond to the

discovering of the Batcave (F082 and F083).

F082

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F083

Christopher Nolan ends the trilogy with this open ending, allowing the possibility

of a continuation of this hero’s adventures as Gotham’s new symbol of hope.

4.3.2 Bane (Thomas Hardy)

Bane is “a cause of continuous trouble and unhappiness”9 for the hero and his helpers.

The spectator is able to link this character with Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005) just by

hearing him saying the word fear. Therefore, he stands for Bruce Wayne’s past as “the

League of Shadows’ resurgent.”

F084

F085

9 Definition of the word bane taken from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/. This name “parallels” the character-traits (Analogous names (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 68).

44

As we can see in F084 this villain is a big and strong man. His mouth, nose and

ears are covered so he does not have facial expressions (F085). However, Thomas

Hardy “manages to express a wide range of emotions for Bane, namely through his

eyes” (Zubrowski, 2012), his distorted and deep voice and his body movements. The

eyes are reinforced with close-ups of Bane’s face because, while the character wants to

look rude, he has the eyes of a victim “— a harbor for pain and rage” (Zubrowski, 2012)

(F086 and F087).

F086

F087

The director also tries the audience to focus on the villain’s body with low-angle

shots which make the character look bigger. This also represents that complex of

superiority Bane has over the rest of characters. The light also helps to reinforce that

complex and gives him a god-like look (F084); as if he is unbreakable. In frame F088

we can see that his muscles are not as defined as the hero’s in other instalments. He is

like a block which might represent his brute force.

F088

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This character is very self-confident and proud. This is reflected in his slow way

of moving and calmed attitude. He has everything under control and thinks of himself to

be invincible, although the spectator can see his weak spot (the mask) since the

beginning. That is why the character does not carry any visible gun with him.

Bane’s speech may remind us of that of a political leader. He sends a

revolutionary message and introduces himself and his men as “liberators, not

conquerors”. Bane mixes authoritarianism, fear and social concerns (such like class and

corruption) to control people’s minds. He comes close to the majority with his

colloquial tone and false interest in people’s problems. Just like the Joker, Bane uses

audiovisual media (F089 and F090) to contact people and the aim is the same: play with

them giving the city false hope.

F089

F090

Regarding the relationship with the hero, the director plays with the shots,

showing a weaker and defenseless Batman before a gigantic Bane until the hero’s

resurgence; then the tables turn. Once the hero has risen, the villain is defeated and

Batman becomes the praised figure again. Like in pictures F091 and F092 when we see

the hero taking control of the situation and the villain is crying in pain.

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F091

F092

It is also in that moment in which the spectator gets to know about the other side

of Bane. A figure we thought to be pure evil turns out to be someone’s hero. For Talia

as Ghul, Bane is a savior and protector (F093).

F093

With this one-time action (Kenan, 1999: 61) Bane is humanized and his status as

the major villain falls; we realize that Talia as Ghul is using Bane and his obsession

with the League to take revenge on Bruce Wayne. So Bane is nothing but a mere villain

helper.

4.3.3 Miranda Tate/Talia as Ghul (Marion Cotillard)

Miranda Tate, another new character in the trilogy, is shown to the spectator under

the appearance of a heroine and helper who is concerned about the world welfare and

who has the (economic) means to change things. However, this character involves a

47

surprise which will be the great plot twist of the movie: she is Talia al Ghul, first female

villain of the trilogy and daughter of the dangerous terrorist Ra’s al Ghul.

F094

She is presented as a business woman, “smart,” “very persistent” and not easily

impressionable (F094). All these traits are sold to the spectator as something positive

and make us think about Miranda Tate as an ally. Nevertheless, there is something

strange about her speech and her voice tone. In addition she is not very expressive,

which makes us think that she is hiding something. Once the spectator knows her true

identity it is difficult not to see her as an opponent since the very beginning. Then

everything seems to be focused on the parallelism between her and her father: their use

of “theatricality and deception;” they have the same training and even speak in the same

way:

RA’S AL GHUL: You have to do what is necessary.

MIRANDA TATE: Do what is necessary.

The director also sends us hints through the physical environment (Rimmon-

Kenan, 1999: 66), her speech and close-ups shots which force the spectator to pay

attention to her face.

For example, the luxurious charity ball organized by her looks like a theatre. To

reinforce the theatricality trait, Tate appears with a mask (F095).

F095

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In the same scene, she meets Bruce Wayne and we can hear how she interacts

with him. She uses a seductive tone, maybe with the intention of distracting the hero.

Miranda Tate speaks like her father but the spectators do not notice anything because a)

she is expected to be a helper, b) Ra’s al Ghul never mentioned a daughter in the first

film, and c) we take for granted that, as female character in a male-predominant film,

she would have a minor role. That is why we think that the androgynous child of the

flashbacks (F096) is Bane and not her.

F096

Through these flashbacks we know about her past, not Bane’s. However, Bane is

the center of attention whose function is to distract everyone, which is part of the plan.

This reinforces the idea of Bane as Talia’s puppet; she is the sender. Talia as Ghul is an

omnipresent character who is developing along the whole movie.

Nolan introduces the real Talia as Ghul with a close up before the truth is revealed

(F097).

F097

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F098

She is unmasked and her appearance has changed: she does not look like a

hostage but a villain. She is watching, impassive, her own play taking place outside. She

has her hair tied up ready to fight and is wearing colorful ninja-like clothes (F098). The

absence of black in her outfit could be a reference to the Joker and therefore to her

mental health. This is later reinforced with the dialogue in which she mentions the

knife:

TALIA AS GHUL: Vengeance against the man who killed him (her father) is

simply a reward for my patience. You see, is the slow knife, the knife that takes

it time.

On the other hand, it could also made reference to the fact that her object is not

fighting for a mistaken ideal of justice like her father, but for vengeance. Talia’s

obsession with avenging Ra’s al Ghul (with whom she did not speak to) makes her a

crazy woman whose aim is somehow absurd.

4.3.4 Conclusions: Farewell

The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan, 2012) constantly refers to the other two parts, especially

to Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005). The whole movie feels like a farewell to those

characters who have accompanied not only the hero, but the spectator along eight years.

The director does not need flashback scenes; we, as viewers, are able to link concepts

(like fear) with the past adventures. Christopher Nolan is testing our memory. This is

reflected in the great amount of parallelisms like the pit resembling the well (F099 and

F100) or the similarity between the two As Ghuls’ deaths (F101 and F102). The final

message is that while the hero rises; the villains come back underground, to the shadows

they came from.

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F099 F100

F101 F102

Outside the fictional world, this movie has received numerous negative reviews

regarding characterization. According to these, there are a lot of interesting characters,

but they are underdeveloped and unexplored and are used to help the plot going on.

However, there is no need to develop every character in the story to achieve our aims as

we have seen, because a lot of things are implicit and each character complete each

other one way or the other.

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5. Conclusions

In spite of the director’s efforts for mixing up both figures, we have been able to extract

the following basic traits that every hero and villain has in this trilogy, which could be

applied to other films:

HERO VILLAIN

We must know his/her origins and

training – his/her past does not have to be

tragic.

Unknown origins or tragic past – victim of

society.

He/she is going to be tested (resistance,

determination, courage, strength…).

Fighting against him/her is the final test of

the hero.

Makes a journey (spiritual or physical) –

each adventure is a lesson.

His/her aim is to put an end to the hero’s

journey.

Is compassionate (even with the evil

beings).

Merciless. Has a mind designed for Evil.

Always protects the weak. Gets advantage from the weak and fearful.

Is nothing without his helpers. Has no helpers but servants. He/she gives

the orders.

Gets in trouble because of his/her excess

of self-confidence, stubbornness or loyalty

to the wrong people.

Deceiving and liar. Tries to mislead the

hero and his/her helpers

Seems to be perfect but he/she is not. Imperfect – his/her flaws are visible and

are usually his/her weak point.

Is always a symbol of hope. Is always a symbol of despair.

He/she is immortal – even if he/she dies,

what he represents lives forever.

Is defeated at the end (but he/she can

come back for another adventure if the

hero does not kill him/her).

Always sacrifices for others. Self-centred and proud.

Is recognized as a true hero. Is forgotten and/or exiled.

He/she keeps faith in Good (people). He/she does not trust anyone.

TABLE 5

Of course, there are some exceptions which depend especially on the genre and/or

context of the characters.

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As we have focused on a more or less realistic version of the hero, the one the

director has given, we have excluded aspects like magic powers, superpowers or

specific special abilities related to genetics (but not the fact that the hero needs training).

In Batman’s case “sus poderes no rebasan los límites del realismo y se explican

como el resultado de la auto exigencia de un hombre que, auxiliado por recursos

económicos y tecnológicos muy altos, perfecciona su mente y su cuerpo al máximo de

las posibilidades humanas” (Pontes Velasco, 2013: 470). But he is still a flesh and bone

man.

According to David Coughlan (2009: 238), it is the costume that makes a man

super because once he takes it off he cannot be a public hero. This makes sense

somehow, but the costume does not give the man power (not in all cases). In addition,

there are characters like Bruce Wayne who has proved to be a hero twenty-four hours a

day.

We have also excluded traits related to external appearance (Rimmon-Kenan,

1999: 65) although it is well-known, for instance, that villains are usually outrageously

dressed or have grotesque facial features which highlight their ugliness, causing fear.

On the other hand there are villains who have a suspicious beauty (especially women)

which is the source of their evilness. As we have seen in the analysis of the villains in

this dissertation, most of these traits can be seen, for example, in the grotesque

appearance of the Joker and Harvey Dent, opposed to Talia’s beauty.

Just like Christopher Nolan highlights in The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008), the line

between Good and Evil is very thin. Any hero could follow Evil’s path (Harvey Dent or

Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III (Lucas, 2005)) and any opponent could

change for good (Selina Kyle). Moreover, this director applies his style, characterized

by confusion and ambiguity, where nothing is black or white, and disguises the hero as

a villain and the other way round, complementing them because “Batman’s villains are

connected to him in an even more visceral, symbolic way. The vast majority of them are

dark reflections of Batman himself and they frequently parody or pervert his intentions

and method of operation” (DiPaolo, 2009: 205). This way, he also makes them more

real.

It is important to mention that Christopher Nolan creates three completely

different adventures for this character without changing Bruce Wayne’s actantial

scheme (Greimas, 1966).

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TABLE 6

Here we see what can be considered as a summary of all Batman’s films and

comics. Helpers and opponents may change but the subject-object axis and sender-

receiver axis will stay the same. Ironically, the plots of these movies move around the

villains’ objects which coincide with the film topics: fear, chaos and terror/revenge are

opposed to the subject’s, reinforcing the fact that their enmity comes from their different

way of seeing the world.

To sum up, Nolan presents a debate between Good and Evil through the

characters and the last stage of the evolution of both terms. In former days, in cinema

and literature, the frontier between these two concepts was perfectly marked; the hero

was very good although he committed immoral acts (like killing) in the name of

goodness, and the villain was the worse. Nowadays, especially in cinema, villains have

gained certain appeal. The way this figure is presented, sometimes as an oppressed

victim willing to fight for his/her own justice against the stablished order, gives rise to

empathy among a diverse audience. Some examples of this are Maleficent from

Maleficent (Stromberg, 2014), Bucky Barnes from Captain America: The Winter

Soldier (Russo, 2014) or Magneto from X-men: First Class (Vaughn, 2011) among

others. Maleficent is a victim forced to be evil as a consequence of trusting and loving

the wrong person; The Winter Soldier, presented as a villain until the spectator

discovers that he is being brainwashed and does not know what he is doing, ends up

being Captain America’s sidekick in later films; and finally Magneto, a mutant who is

willing to fight the human race to protect his own race, which is being mistreated by

non-mutants. These directors (including Nolan) want the audience to be a part of the

movie, giving the spectator the chance to immerse himself/herself in the plot and think

about certain issues as if he/she were another character.

54

Lately, and related to the participation of the audience in films, we have seen

films like Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (Snyder, 2016) or Captain America:

Civil war (Russo, 2016), where classics heroes fight against each other behaving like

villains taking these figures to another level, and taking the battle out of screen.

Focusing on the character we have studied in this essay, I think that the figure of

Batman and his universe has suffered a setback in this last adaptation. Snyder shows a

basic and inexpressive Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and equals him to another basic and

underdeveloped hero: Superman. The latter character makes impossible the plausibility

of any other one due to his superpowers. Therefore, the realism we see in Nolan’s films

disappears completely. This new and not-impressive Batman looks, acts and speaks (in

short sentences with no deep meaning) like the one in the comics so there is no

evolution; nothing new is added. Nolan’s trilogy has raised this figure so high that any

other attempts to adapt Batman to the screen may seem useless and unoriginal.

As a conclusion, in this dissertation we have observed that, although the basic

traits survive, villains and heroes are influenced by the moral complexity of the world

we live in. These figures have evolved to the point that, sometimes, it is very difficult to

tell them apart if we do not take into account immoral acts and focus on the ideology

expressed through speech (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 63). That mixture of traits and the

proximity of the characters to a real human being is what makes Nolan’s Batman or the

Joker be a part of our collective imaginary and gets them out of the fiction.

55

6. References

BROOKER, Will. (1999). “Batman: One life, many faces.” In CARTMELL, Deborah

and WHELEHAN, Imelda. Adaptations: from text to screen, screen to text.

London and New York: Routledge. 185-198.

CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY <http://dictionary.cambridge.org/> (accessed 14 July

2016).

CARROLL, Lewis (1865). Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. London: Alma Books.

CASAS DELGADO, Inmaculada. (2013). “In Nolan we trust: La obsesión onírica y

psicológica que ha conquistado Hollywood”. Frame (9): 85-102.

COUGHLAN, David. (2009). “The Naked Hero and Model Man: Costumed Identity in

Comic Book Narratives.” In DETORA, Lisa. Heroes of film, comics and

American culture: essays on real and fictional defenders of home. Jefferson, N.C.:

McFarland & Co. 234-252.

CRUZ, Luis Miguel. (2012). “Joel Schumacher habla sobre el Batman de Christopher

Nolan.” Cine Premiere, December.

<http://www.cinepremiere.com.mx/25477-joel-schumacher-habla-sobre-el-

batman-de-christopher-nolan.html> (accessed 19 July 2016).

DIPAOLO, Marc Edward. (2009). “Terrorist, Technocrat, and Feudal Lord: Batman in

Comic Book and Film Adaptations”. In DETORA, Lisa M. Heroes of film, comics

and American culture: essays on real and fictional defenders of home. Jefferson,

N.C.: McFarland & Co. 194-217.

GREIMAS, Algirdas Julius (1966). Semántica estructural: investigación metodológica.

Madrid: Gredos. (Translation: Alfredo de La Fuente).

GROBLER, Craig. (2012) “We Take a Look at Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, It

Influences, Symbolism and the Highs and Lows of Batman Begins.” The

Establishing Shot, July.

<http://www.theestablishingshot.com/2012/07/the-establishing-shot-we-take-look-

as.html > (accessed 19 July 2016).

LINDSAY, Christopher J. (2016). “When Mass Surveillance is Necessary: The Dark

Knight (2008).” 21st Century Films, June.

<https://christopherjohnlindsay.wordpress.com/2016/06/01/the-dark-knight/ >

(accessed 14 July 2016).

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LUCAS, George (dir.). (2005). Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. USA:

Lucasfilm.

MOTTA80-2. (2005). “Everything I could have hoped for.” IMDB user review.

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372784/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_op_3> (accessed 18

July 2016).

NOLAN, Christopher (dir.). (2005). Batman Begins. UK and USA: Warner Bros.

Pictures, DC Comics, Syncopy and Legendary Pictures.

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Comics, Syncopy and Legendary Pictures.

NOLAN, Christopher (dir.). (2012). The Dark Knight Rises.UK/USA: Warner Bros.

Pictures, DC Comics, Syncopy and Legendary Pictures.

PERSSON, Rasmus. (2008). “Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.” IMDB user review.

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/reviews?filter=hate > (accessed 18 July

2016).

PONTES VELASCO, Rafael. (2013). “Operaciones encubiertas: Elementos del género

negro en los cómics de Batman.” In MARTÍN ESCRIBÁ, Àlex and SÁNCHEZ

ZAPATERO, Javier. Historia, memoria y sociedad en el género negro: literatura,

cine, televisión y cómic. Santiago de Compostela: Andavira. 469-477.

PROPP, Vladimir. (1972). Morfología del cuento. Buenos Aires: Juan Goyanarte-

editor. (Translation: Berta de Tabbush).

RIMMON-KENAN, Shlomith (1999). Narrative Fiction: Contemporary Poetics.

London and New York: Routledge.

RUSSO, Anthony and RUSSO, Joe (dir.). (2014). Captain America: The Winter

Soldier. USA: Marvel Studios, Marvel Entertainment and LLC.

RUSSO, Anthony and RUSSO, Joe (dir.). (2016). Captain America: Civil War. USA:

Marvel Studios.

SARABIA, Jerry. (2012). “The Dark Joker.” Jerry Saravia on Cinema (1970-present),

May. <http://jerrysaravia.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/dark-joker.html > (accessed 14

July 2016).

SNYDER, Zack (dir.). (2016). Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. USA: Warner

Bros., Syncopy, Dune Entertainment and DC Entertainment.

STASUKEVICH, Iain. (2012). “Batman to the Max.” American Cinematographer,

August.

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<https://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/August2012/DarkKnightRises/page3.php

> (accessed 19 July 2016).

STROMBERG, Robert (dir.). (2014). Maleficent. USA: Moving Picture Company

(MPC) and Roth Films.

TRAVERS, Peter. (2005). “Batman Begins.” Rolling Stone, June.

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(accessed 19 July 2016).

TENTEN76. (2005). “A darker, stormier knight.” IMDB user review.

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58

59

7. Annex

A pesar de los esfuerzos del director por combinar ambas figuras, hemos sido capaces

de extraer los siguientes rasgos básicos que todo héroe y villano posee en esta trilogía,

los cuales deberían ser aplicables a otras películas.

HÉROE VILLANO

Debemos conocer sus orígenes y

entrenamiento – su pasado no tiene por

qué ser trágico.

Origen desconocido o pasado trágico – es

una víctima de la sociedad.

Es sometido/a a una serie de pruebas

(Resistencia, determinación, valor,

fuerza…).

Luchar contra él/ella es la última prueba

del héroe/heroína.

Hace un viaje (spiritual o físico) – cada

aventura es una lección.

Su objetivo es poner un final al viaje del

héroe/heroína.

Es compasivo/a (incluso con seres

malvados).

Despiadado. Tiene una mente diseñada

para el Mal.

Siempre protege al débil. Se aprovecha de los débiles y miedosos.

No es nadie sin sus ayudantes. No tiene ayudantes sino sirvientes. Él/ella

da las órdenes.

Se mete en problemas debido al exceso de

confianza en sí mismo/a, terquedad o

lealtad a la gente equivocada.

Embaucador y mentiroso. Intenta engañar

al héroe/heroína y a sus ayudantes.

Parece perfecto/a pero no lo es. Imperfecto – sus defectos son visibles y

suelen ser su punto débil.

Es siempre un símbolo de esperanza. Es siempre un símbolo de desesperanza.

Es inmortal – incluso si muere, lo que

representa vive para siempre.

Es derrotado al final (pero puede volver

para otra aventura si el héroe/heroína le ha

perdonado la vida).

Siempre se sacrifica por los demás. Egocéntrico/a y orgulloso/a.

Es reconocido/a como un héroe/ heroína

verdadero/a.

Es olvidado y/o exiliado.

Mantiene la fe en el Bien. No confía en nadie.

TABLA 7

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Por supuesto, hay algunas excepciones que dependen especialmente de género

cinematográfico y/o del contexto de los personajes.

Al habernos centrado en una versión más o menos realista del héroe, aquella que

el director nos ha ofrecido, hemos excluido aspectos como poderes mágicos, súper

poderes o habilidades especiales específicas relacionadas con la genética (pero no el

hecho de que el héroe necesita un entrenamiento)

En el caso de Batman “sus poderes no rebasan los límites del realismo y se

explican como el resultado de la auto exigencia de un hombre que, auxiliado por

recursos económicos y tecnológicos muy altos, perfecciona su mente y su cuerpo al

máximo de las posibilidades humanas” (Pontes Velasco, 2013: 470). Pero sigue siendo

un hombre de carne y hueso.

De acuerdo con David Coughlan (2009: 238), es el traje el hace que un hombre

sea súper porque una vez que se lo quita, no puede ser un héroe en público. Esto tiene

sentido en cierto modo, pero el traje no le da a hombre poderes (no en todos los casos).

Además, existen personajes como Bruce Wayne que ha demostrado ser un héroe las

veinticuatro horas del día.

También hemos excluido rasgos relacionados con la apariencia externa

(Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 65) aunque es bien sabido, por ejemplo, que los villanos

normalmente visten de una forma extravagante o tienen rasgos faciales grotescos que

resaltan su fealdad causando terror. Por otro lado, hay villanos que poseen una belleza

sospechosa (especialmente las mujeres) que es la fuente de su maldad. Como hemos

visto en análisis de los villanos de este ensayo, la mayoría de estos rasgos pueden verse

en la grotesca apariencia del Joker y Harvey Dent opuesta a la belleza de Talia as Ghul.

Como Christopher Nolan destaca en El Caballero Oscuro (Nolan, 2008), la línea

que separa el Bien del mal es muy fina. Cualquier héroe podría seguir el camino del mal

(como Harvey Dent o Anakin Skywalker en Star Wars: Episodio III (Lucas, 2005)) y

cualquier oponente podría cambiar a mejor (Selina Kyle). Además, este director aplica

su estilo caracterizado por la confusión y la ambigüedad, donde nada es blanco o negro,

y disfraza al héroe de villano y viceversa, complementándolos porque “Batman’s

villains are connected to him in an even more visceral, symbolic way. The vast majority

of them are dark reflections of Batman himself and they frequently parody or pervert his

intentions and method of operation” (DiPaolo, 2009: 205). De este modo también los

hace más reales.

61

Es importante mencionar que Christopher Nolan crea tres aventuras para este

personaje completamente diferentes sin modificar el modelo actancial de Bruce Wayne

(Greimas, 1966).

TABLA 8

Aquí vemos lo que podría ser considerado como un resumen de todas las películas

y cómics de Batman. Ayudantes y oponentes pueden cambiar pero el eje sujeto-objeto y

el eje destinador-destinatario continuarán de la misma forma. Irónicamente, los

argumentos de estas películas giran en torno al objeto de los villanos que coinciden con

los temas de los filmes: miedo, caos y terror/venganza se oponen al objetivo del héroe

reforzando el hecho de que su enemistad reside en una forma diferente de ver el mundo.

Para resumir, este director presenta un debate entre el Bien y el Mal a través de los

personajes y el último estadio de la evolución de ambos términos. En el pasado, tanto en

cine como en literatura, la frontera entre estos dos conceptos estaba perfectamente

delineada; el héroe era muy bueno aunque cometiera actos inmorales (como matar) en el

nombre del Bien, y el villano era lo peor. Hoy en día, especialmente en cine, los villanos

han ganado cierto atractivo. La forma en la que esta figura es presentada, a veces como

una víctima oprimida dispuesta a luchar por lo que es justo para él/ella en contra del

orden establecido, despierta la empatía de un público cada vez más diverso. Algunos

ejemplos de este fenómeno son Maléfica de Maléfica (Stromberg, 2014), Bucky Barnes

de Capitán América: El Soldado de Invierno (Russo, 2014) o Magneto de X-Men:

Primera Generación (Vaugh, 2011) entre otros. Maléfica es una víctima empujada

hacia el mal como consecuencia de confiar y amar a la persona equivocada; el Soldado

de Invierno, presentado ante el espectador como un villano hasta que descubrimos que

le han estado lavando el cerebro, inconsciente de los actos que comete, termina

62

convirtiéndose en el compañero del Capitán América; y finalmente Magneto, un

mutante que está decidido a luchar contra la raza humana para proteger la suya propia,

la cual ha sido maltratada por los no-mutantes. Estos directores (incluyendo Christopher

Nolan) quieren que el público forme parte de la película dándole a los espectadores la

oportunidad de sumergirse en el argumento y pensar sobre ciertos aspectos como si

fuera un personaje más.

Recientemente, y relacionado con la participación del público en las películas,

hemos visto filmes como Batman v Superman: el amanecer de la justicia (Snyder,

2016) o Capitán América: Guerra Civil (Russo, 2016), donde los héroes clásicos luchan

los unos contra los otros comportándose como villanos, llevando estas figuras a otro

nivel, y sacando la lucha fuera de la pantalla.

Centrándonos en el personaje estudiado en este ensayo, creo que la figura de

Batman y su universo ha sufrido un retroceso en esta adaptación. Snyder muestra un

inexpresivo y simple Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) y lo iguala a otro héroe básico y

poco-desarrollado: Superman. Este último hace imposible la plausibilidad en otros

personajes debido a sus súper poderes. Por lo tanto, el realismo que vemos en las

películas de Nolan desaparece completamente. Este nuevo e indiferente Batman actúa,

habla (con frases cortas y sin ninguna profundidad en el significado) y luce como el de

los cómics, por lo tanto no hay evolución; no hay nada nuevo añadido. La trilogía de

Nolan ha dejado el listón tan alto que cualquier otro intento para adaptar esta figura

parece inútil y poco original.

Como conclusión, en este documento hemos observado que, aunque los rasgos

básicos se mantienen, villanos y héroe son influenciados por la complejidad moral del

mundo en el que vivimos. Estas figuras han evolucionado hasta un punto en el que a

veces es difícil separarlas si no tenemos en cuanta los actos inmorales sino la ideología

expresada a través del discurso directo (Rimmon-Kenan, 1999: 63). Es esa combinación

de rasgos y la proximidad de los personajes a los seres humanos reales lo que convierte

al Batman y al Joker de Nolan en una parte importante de nuestro imaginario colectivo

y los saca de la ficción.