Batman is instantly recognizable today due to the length of time he has been around.

His past is based on an unsettling family background. He saw his parents being murdered at which time he decided he would dedicate his life to fighting crime. Not much later he developed his persona as Batman and kept his two identities separate.

Even as Bruce Wayne, our superhero emotes brooding and darkness. The films that capture the darker side of his nature are truer to the original character.

These aspects have become more apparent in recent years. The ongoing string of Batman films that began in 1989 have concentrated on the darker facets of his character. In fact they have gradually become ever more sombre. If we think back to the Batman television series of the sixties then the differences are enormous. The Batman of then was light-hearted and funny. Yes, the Batman of today still contains humor but now it leans more toward the dark and the cynical.

The Batman genre is full of shadows. Gotham City is a place that is full of darkly styled buildings and myriads of poorly lit streets. Several of Batman’s enemies have a dark feel about them and The Joker is so ominous that he is scary. This was apparent in the latest movie, ‘The Dark Knight’ where he was played in such a frightening way by Heath Ledger that there was even discussion if the film was suitable viewing for children.

So, if the character of Batman were real then how would he fit into today’s society? He would most definitely be a loner and most probably an outcast. Mixing and interacting with other people would prove to be difficult for him. Opening up to others about his inner turmoil surely wouldn’t be easy for him. In my opinion he would more than likely be a diagnosed depressive.

Therefore we have a depressed, Prozac-popping social outcast with an introverted personality. And what of his crime fighting side? With his personal problems would it not be easy to imagine him having vigilante and anti-social tendencies? He could even, ironically, become a criminal.

So here we have a totally different Batman from the one who is so well known and loved. We have a disturbed person who is drug dependent and unable to communicate. He could quite possibly be a repeat offender with his own ideas of right and wrong. And, to top it all, because of this, he may have been awarded with an ASBO.

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