If DC Wants Batman to Thrive, Then Please - Let the Hero Break His Own Canon
In DC Comics, Batman is the steadfast guardian of Gotham City and has a strict set of rules and guidelines that he adheres to so that he doesn’t become just as bad as the superstitious and cowardly lot he puts behind bars nightly. But maybe it’s time for the Dark Knight to break a few rules, with the majority of Batman stories including the same canon events and character traits he’s well-known for, something that could stifle the character’s growth in the future.
Famously having a “no gun” and “no-kill” rule while on the job, Batman has more than a few elements in his comic canon that creators tend not to mess with — unless, of course, the tale in question is set in an alternate continuity — like in Elseworlds stories — on parallel Earths, or in different mediums outside of comics.
Zack Snyder: Yeah, that's cool. For me, if someone says in a hero's canon, he's not allowed to do blank, I immediately want him to do that thing because I feel like if a character can't withstand breaking his own canon, then he's not really worth anything, you know?
Frank Miller: Right. And then what defines him? I mean, at first, Zack, I approached this kind of thing almost like just a rebellious adolescent. I was told Batman could never fire a gun. I was told by the editor with absolute conviction. So, I came up with an excuse for him to fire a rifle, even though it was just a grappling hook into the side of a building, but it was just to get that picture of him holding it. I don't like these absolute dicta.
In a recent interview with Inverse, Justice League director Zack Snyder and The Dark Knight Returns creator Frank Miller talk about Batman and why he should be allowed to break his own canon, especially if DC wants the character to continue to thrive.
Talking about everything from how Miller influenced Snyder’s films to Miller’s thought process while creating Ronin, 300, and The Dark Knight Returns to why superheroes are the modern myths of storytelling, Snyder and Miller eventually circle around to Batman and why breaking his canon can be incredibly important for the character. Arguing that sometimes “…having a hero do wrong or take a wrong course is the best way to ultimately define what a hero is,” Miller continues, “It's again the deconstruction thing where you can get to a character's essence by having them wander far astray,” with Snyder wholeheartedly agreeing.
Batman has one important quality that distinguishes him from the heroes of the Marvel Universe, and a DC writer is ready to reveal what it is.
Snyder then complements Miller with a more blunt take on the idea, saying, “…if a character can't withstand breaking his own canon, then he's not really worth anything,” something Miller immediately agrees with. Revealing that while creating The Dark Knight Returns, he was given the edict that Batman can never fire a gun, Miller instead “…came up with an excuse for him to fire a rifle, even though it was just a grappling hook into the side of a building,” putting an even finer point on it by stating he did it “…to get that picture of him holding it.”
Pointing out that it’s “not creative” to make situations where Snyder notes “morality can work inside of, rather than the other way around,” Miller explains how “Batman can't shoot somebody dead, he cannot murder, but that's a completely different issue than using essentially a tool” — a huge differentiation in what lines should and shouldn’t be crossed when changing established canon. Sure, the idea of shattering Batman's canon rather than simply breaking it is an enticing affair, but there are many other ways Batman's canon can be tweaked, with Miller's explanation for why Batman uses a gun being a prime example.
Zack Snyder: Well, it's cool because if you can create a scenario where Batman has to shoot a gun and someone says, “Well, Batman can't shoot a gun.” And you're like, “Well, what should he do in this scenario then?” And then if someone says, “Well, don't put him in that scenario.” I'm like, “Well, that's a weak character.” You can't have a character where we're modifying this scenario because he can't exist in it. That's not realistic. Now we're just creating scenarios that his morality can work inside of, rather than the other way around.
Frank Miller: Absolutely right, Zack. That's not creative.
Zack Snyder: And I think that's what Dark Knight did for me, it was like, “Oh wait, Batman can actually live in my world,” which I think was cool.
Frank Miller: Batman can't shoot somebody dead, he cannot murder, but that's a completely different issue than using essentially a tool.
Though Snyder has defended Batman killing before, this should be the most extreme way to break canon, as the idea of Batman pulling the trigger seems more like a shock tactic than one that makes any sense on a character level. However, there’s something to be said about exploring these types of tales, with DC’s Dark Multiverse and Elseworlds imprint proving that when Batman’s canon is destroyed, great ideas can come of it. As for Batman's main continuity counterpart, killing off Alfred was a tragedy that Batman is still dealing with, proving that bending canon can work when implemented properly.
While it’s true it’s sometimes difficult to break Batman’s canon in meaningful ways in comics, over in the live-action, video game, and animated spaces, liberties are constantly being taken that explore different aspects of the character from angles that comics can’t always pursue. From Snyder’s more brutal and brooding take on the Caped Crusader losing himself to his rage to Batman’s Arkham video game series testing canon by killing off Joker entirely to Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’s story flirting with the idea of Batman actually being happy, there’s more than enough canon-defying options here that help the character flourish.
Not to be outdone by these mediums, DC has recently launched their Absolute Universe, a continuity-free comic canon in the same vein as Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, with Absolute Batman being a perfect jumping-on point for new and old readers alike. Acting as the exact kind of canon-breaking story that Snyder and Miller are talking about, Absolute Batman features a hulking Dark Knight without the billions of dollars, butler, high-tech bat-gadgets, and dead parents (Martha Wayne is alive in this continuity), successfully breaking Batman canon in inventive, interesting, and never-before-seen ways, and ensuring the character continues to thrive in the process.
Source: Inverse
One of DC's most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world's leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.