Teaching on the Run

This represents the first in a two-part series I’m doing on heroes. Part 1 gives you my opening, my why, and The Batman (2022). It’s a bit of an indulgent post, I’ll admit. It has little to do with why I started this blog, but…when you run for 7-8 hours a week? You have a lot of time to think about things. This had been in my head since this summer and I can’t let it go.

If you got to pick a Mount Rushmore for superheroes, who would you put on it? I’ve been watching people argue over this for the past few weeks and the debate goes round and round. Is it two Marvel and two DC characters? Does comic history matter as much as box office success? The keyboard warriors rage on. But in all that chaos, I noticed something…There are two heroes I’ve seen everyone tacitly agree on. No one can make a convincing argument that they don’t belong. It’s 1A and 1B. Every time. Batman and Superman. Just as well everyone agrees on this for once, because it should be them.

Batman and Superman have it all. Each has left distinct marks on our public psyche, collectively spawning thousands of comics, games, t-shirts, toys, Youtube essays, movies, fan fictions, Halloween costumes, cosplays, and random blog posts. We love Batman and Superman, and the numbers back this up. They are two of the most valuable characters in media, and they consistently do numbers whenever they make a new appearance. 

Just this year, we got a new Superman. David Corenswet took to the silver screen as Big Blue for the first time, and I sat through my viewing with a big stupid grin on my face. It was a wonderful experience. I was equally thrilled in 2022 when I saw Robert Pattinson pull on the cape & cowl and tear through a rainy cityscape with Nirvana playing in the background.

These heroes are important. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Look around. Things are bleak. People are not hopeful about our future. We will need hope for the challenges to come. We need our heroes right now. Our heroes espouse and challenge our collective values, and we as Americans need to think on those values to give ourselves a better tomorrow for ourselves and our children. And while Batman and Superman have stories that appeal across cultures and countries, their stories almost always focus on the problems that are prescient in our country.

Each hero, in their most recent theatrical outing, has something to say about the challenges we are facing. We should pay attention to those messages, and learn. I’ve included sections from each script and scenes from each movie to highlight what the writers and directors were going for. I think that watching the movie clips is more effective at proving my point, but I also want to be respectful of your time so I’m offering both.

First I’ll talk about The Batman (2022). It’s been three years so I don’t feel too bad telling you massive spoilers for The Batman will follow from here on.

The Batman is an outwardly cynical movie that features an incredibly young and angry version of the titular hero. It’s a great Batman story for the modern world because he exists in a place struggling to find hope, and he aspires to be little more than a symbol of vengeance. The opening scene shows us this. The shots and the score here are so well crafted. The setting says it all – Batman has been at this awhile, and he still doesn’t know if he is making a difference.

This scene really drives home who Batman is at the start of the story. He is here to bring violent justice to the criminals of Gotham, and he doesn’t know how to be anything different.

Batman spends this movie contending against serial murders by the Riddler. The Riddler is brutally murdering people in positions of power whilst pointing out their moral weaknesses and failings. The mayor, the police chief, and Bruce Wayne himself are targeted as part of his plots. The Riddler also sees a kindred spirit in The Batman, and leaves messages for him at each crime.

What’s more, this Batman also has to contend with organized crime problems that permeate every level of society. One of the most interesting things about this movie is that the Riddler is mostly right about people in the Gotham government being immoral & corrupt. The mob has paid off people at every level (as well as the police). When the Riddler kills them, he offers proof of their guilt alongside their public execution. This does not make him correct in murdering these people, but it proves that the current system is broken. Batman can’t just punch these problems into submission. Violence isn’t enough.

The charges of corruption & wrongdoing even implicate Bruce’s father, Thomas Wayne. This shakes Bruce to his core because it threatens to unravel his purpose – the very reason he became Batman. He began seeking vengeance for the murders of his parents, but if the people he is taking vengeance for were no better than any other corrupt politician, then his entire crusade has been for nothing.

Suddenly? The Riddler is caught. Just chilling with his cute little coffee.

This, however, was all according to The Riddlers plan. Batman visits him in prison, and it becomes clear how much the Riddler admires the Batman, and sees him as an ally.

The Riddler talks about his plans, his motivations. I like this bit from the movie because it gets back to the fact that the Riddler has a point. The poor & disenfranchised of Gotham are suffering, and have been suffering for a long time. The people in power have forgotten them & left them behind. Those conditions created the Riddler. And while he represents the most radicalized part of this group, he is not alone. When he leaves and investigates the Riddler’s hideout, Batman realizes this as well.

The Riddler launches his coup de grace while behind bars. His bombs go off, the city floods, and his followers prepare to murder all of those who take shelter in one of the only safe places left in the city. Batman swoops in and stops them, in what amounts to nothing less than one of the best Batman fights ever put to film. All of the shooters are stopped, and then the last Riddler thug left delivers a bombshell.

In this moment, Batman realizes, and starts to become, who he needs to be.

No more vengeance. Batman literally becomes a light in the darkness and takes his first steps towards the light, with the people of Gotham at his back.

The final monologue really drives this point home. It’s something I watch probably once a week.

This scene, man. Above all, look at how the woman reaches out to him for help. She holds onto him, terrified of what comes next. In true Batman fashion, he says nothing. He just holds her hand… and looks at her. A slow nod, and they share a moment of understanding – she is going to be okay. The Batman is here.

I wish people had the same love for this as they have for the beatdowns, because this is the central message of the film. Strength, real strength, knows when & how to be gentle. This has been lost in our current political and social climate. This is the lesson I want my friends, my students, and my children to understand.

The struggle is not over. Gotham will remain a desperate place filled with desperate and hurting people. Bruce understands that this struggle will go on indefinitely and likely cost him all of his energy and, very possibly, his life. But it’s worth it. Batman can be more than just a symbol of vengeance. He can be a symbol of hope.

We too, have this potential. It is important to understand that some of our most worthwhile fights will not be won. We too will occupy places filled with people in need, who will sometimes disappoint despite our best efforts. That doesn’t give us an excuse to live in bitterness and stop trying. Nor does it give us license to do as we please do those we deem lesser. Justice does not require cruelty. It doesn’t give us an excuse to live in echo chambers, either. Those (mostly online) places will only multiply your anger, as it enables isolation from others. The work that needs done isn’t behind a screen – it’s out there, in the community where you live.

I’ve been there. I have experienced those letdowns that threaten to crush your spirit – in teaching, coaching, community, and in my family. Many of those letdowns fall at my own feet. But movies like The Batman, and heroes in general, remind us that the pursuit of good is not supposed to be perfect or graceful. Whenever you take a chance and put yourself out there, you will risk failure and heartache. But those risks are what make life worth living. When they pay off? It justifies every moment of struggle.

We have an obligation to the places we live in, and the people we live around, to do good and uphold trust & hope. I hope that you are inspired, as I am, to keep trying. We can become more than what we are, and the sacrifices we make for the good of others are never wasted.