Has the Batman character collapsed under his own legacy?

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Ok, this is going to be difficult trying to get my thoughts out coherently but,

Being 70 next year, has Batman (and in extension Superman) collapsed under their own defining legacy?

The character has been interpreted in so many different ways, form serials, television shows, two movie franchises, a multitude of different animated shows and of course his varying approaches in the comics.

As a result, do the general public see him as a mythical archetype now, as a symbol, with whom they can not connect with on any real level. Compare the success of Batman Begins to Iron Man (money-making wise).

It would appear that people respect the character and understand his importance, but are they as crazy about him as they used to be?


Is he more of a symbol now and less of a character to them?

Hope i got my very confusing point across in some manner!

 

[BlueLightning]

Look. Batman is and always will be one of the greatest icons of the American culture. And be sure that in any representation of him, there will be fans like us spending money in it because we know and love him and all related characters. It's just that Batman has been in a lot of media representations that people just know the character pretty well.

On the other side of the coin there are interesting characters like Iron Man that people are so unrelated that they will come to the theater to see if they like it. And if they do it turns to be a profitable franchise. It just like and old toy and a new toy. A new toy is interesting because its new, but if the toy is not as fun as the old toy, then it grows old adn people turn back to the old one.

And of course Batman is a symbol. A symbol is representation of an idea, a concept. That big Batman is.

 

[Man Who Laughed]

^^

Exactly. People know who Bats is. They've seen it before. Iron Man is shiny and new to a lot of people. And in no way do I want this comment to sound as fanboy fueled as it does, but at the end of the day when people ask themselves who the real hero is, I'd like to think Bats will be on top.

He represents the best and worst in all of us.
The best being that insatiable urge to selflessly fight for what you believe to be what's good and right. No matter the odds of you coming out on top.
The worst being that side of us that wants to do everything alone, constantly puts ourselves at fault for things that are beyond our control, and doesn't want help from anyone, regardless of their ability to get the job done.

In Iron Man, Tony Stark doesn't decide to do the "right" thing, until he's seen the error of his ways. How much death and destruction he's caused. He becomes a victim of his own creation, THEN decides to fight back.

Bruce Wayne, on the other hand, is more selfless in his mission, as he is a victim of circumstance. Only after dealing with his parents' death for years and blaming himself, does he decide to become something more. To fight injustice. To fight back. And this is the key difference between the two (I'm speaking of course referring only to their recent origin movies).

It takes Tony Stark becoming a victim of his own creation to decide to take action. And once Bruce becomes Batman, he becomes a victim of his own creation.

Back to the point. Batman will have a hard time collapsing under his own legacy because that's exactly what he has. A legacy. Batman is woven into the very fabric of society, like Superman, or maybe even Spider-man. Iron Man, X-Men, FF, DD, Hulk, Punisher, not so much. Mention Frank Castle to someone. Sue Storm. Tony Stark. Before the movie Tony Stark was a nobody as far as the public was concerned.

But Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent? Jimmy Olson, etc. etc. Hell, even Alfred. These are the heroes that brought comics back, and made them into what they are today.

 

[tomstoyz2]

I love all the many different variations of Batman ( except that Clooney movie, ha ) & I think that because he has been around so long, & stayed extremely popular, that he will always be around. Maybe even 500 years from now! He's an icon. He's woven so much into American Culture that he will never die. He's even popular in third-world countries & all over the globe. I think when they do all these different variations ( cartoons, TV, movies, etc...) that it just adds to the legend. Because, in some way, he always remains the same.