Batman's Fractured Psyche: Jungian Psychology in Gotham City, Part One

Next week, the world will be introduced to the latest incarnation of one of our most enduring characters when director Matt Reeves' The Batman hits theatres. At online fan event DC Fandome in 2020, Reeves mentioned psychoanalyst Carl Jung in relation to the forthcoming movie's theme of ‘confronting the beast of duality.’ As someone with a keen interest in both the caped crusader and psychology, I thought it would be fun to explore Gotham City through a Jungian lens.

A few disclaimers before we begin:

• I am not a psychologist and this is not an academic article; its just for fun.

• I am not advocating for a psychological theory that is over one hundred years old. It just happens to be the perfect theory to apply to fiction, especially Batman.

• This isn't the definitive exploration of Batman's psyche. There's plenty of analysis out there that even I haven't yet consumed, including Batman and Psychology by Dr. Travis Langley, Hunting the Dark Knight by Will Brooker, What's the Matter with Batman? by Robin S. Rosenberg, Ph.D. Batman and Ethics by Mark D. White and podcast The Arkham Sessions by Dr. Andrea Letamendi and Brian Ward.

Getting Started

First we need a handle on Carl Jung and his analytical theory. The Psychology Book (a handsome, accessible volume published by Dorling Kindersley in 2012) states that 'Jung was fascinated by the way that societies around the world share certain striking similarities, despite being culturally very different. They share an uncanny commonality in their myths and symbols, and have done so for thousands of years. He thought that this must be due to something larger than the individual experience of man; the symbols, he decided, must exist as part of the human psyche. It seemed to Jung that the existence of these shared myths proved that part of the human psyche contains ideas that are held in a timeless structure, which acts as a form of "collective memory"...What we generally attribute to deliberate, reasoned, conscious thinking is actually being guided by unconscious activity, especially the organising forms of the archetypes.' In other words, we're all born with the same simple, universal ideas in our heads.

I'm not saying I agree with this, but it does make a satisfying amount of sense. Have you ever thought about how the Ancient Greek, Roman, Norse and Egyptian pantheons have gods of the sea, the sky, love and war? As different as we are, there are some things we all have in common. Charles Darwin proposed the concept of 'social instincts,' Jean Piaget discussed innate 'schemata,' and Noam Chomsky said there are 'universals' that inform our language acquisition. Every culture has the Wise Old Man stereotype, The Madonna, and most pertinently, The Hero. There could be a multitude of reasons for this, but to Jung, it seemed we must be innately programmed to use these archetypes to understand the world.

Supervillain The Batman Who Laughs taunts the viewer with a tarot card on the cover of Dark Nights: Metal #5 (2018). Tarot decks are comprised of a series of universal archetypes. Art by Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion & FCO Plascensia

And just like our ancient forebears, we increase our understanding by telling stories of great heroes. As veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy told History of the Batman in November 2016, 'Oristes, Achilles, Agamemnon...they were the way they taught morality...In our culture, we have Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman.' Batman v Superman (2016) director Zack Snyder agrees; 'Comic books offer us this way of interpreting the world through these super versions of ourselves...they represent some deeper psychological remedies.' (Road to Justice League documentary, 2021).

Matt Reeves isn't the first director to note the significance of a Jungian interpretation of the Batman and his daytime alter ego, billionaire Bruce Wayne. In an interview with Cinema Showcase in 1992, Tim Burton (director of Batman, 1989 and Batman Returns, 1992) discussed the freaks of Gotham City: 'Its like you're inside of somebody's mind...they're very psychological characters and its like fairytale characters...symbolic images.' Fast-forward to 2005 and we find Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins sending Bruce on a typical Jungian hero's journey to Bhutan (more on that in a later article) and Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow directly referring to the archetypes we're about to explore.

In a series of articles, we'll examine the tenets of Jungian psychology and how they relate to the citizens of Gotham. In Part One, we're going to be looking at Gotham's most famous residents: Batman and the Joker. Let's begin with the Dark Knight himself.

Batman, Bruce Wayne & The Persona

Batman has been around for 83 years; so it's little wonder that we're able to think of him as a real person, even analyse him psychologically. Because he's a superhero without powers, Batman's psychology is a more important aspect of his character. In an article for Hendrix College entitled 'Holy Psychology, Batman!' Rachel Thomas interviews Dr. Travis Langley, who points out that Batman 'chose to become this bat-creature,' rather than having the responsibility thrust upon him when he gained superpowers. Thomas elaborates, 'While Spider-Man and Superman face enemies that are similarly "super," in some fantastical or science fiction-based way, Batman's villains are also primarily psychological figures.'

A lot of layers have been added since 1939, which is one of the reasons Batman appeals to fans young and old. He's more mutable than most characters, but all versions share core characteristics. His origin is primal; everyone has or has had parents so the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne (which triggers Bruce's transformation into the crimefighter Batman) is a tragedy that transcends cultures.

Adam West as Batman, by Dan Cheeseman. Although West's Batman had a very light tone, his very first line in the television series references the death of the Waynes

The striking image of Martha's pearls scattering as she dies is known all over the world. Former DC Comics Editor Mike Gold says, 'I'm of the opinion that Bruce Wayne stopped being Bruce Wayne the minute [Martha Wayne's] pearls dropped' (Batman: The Definitive History). This is a popular stance among writers and fans- that Bruce Wayne is merely 'a daytime mask for The Batman' (Steve Englehart, Detective Comics #474) or a 'phony personality' (Bruce Timm, DC Fandome 2021). This even carries through to Christopher Nolan's cinematic version of Batman: In Batman Begins, as Assistant DA and love interest Rachel Dawes caresses Bruce's unmasked face, she says, 'This is your mask. Your real face is the one criminals now fear. The man I loved - the man who vanished - he never came back at all.'

This suggestion that Bruce's daytime behaviour is just an act evokes our first archetype, the Persona. The Psychology Book explains that 'The self that we present to the world - our public image - is an archetype, which Jung calls the "Persona."' For most of us, our Persona is likely a modified version of our true self (you, beautiful reader, have probably developed a different Persona for each group of people you find yourself in), but in Batman's case, the Persona of Bruce Wayne is just a part he plays- sometimes a philanthropist with a keen interest in Gotham society, sometimes an eccentric recluse, and often a playboy billionaire with apparently little interest in the evil consuming his city.

The Shadow & Bruce Wayne's Dark Reflection

In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne is aware of the power of archetypes, telling his butler Alfred, 'As a symbol, I can be incorruptible, everlasting.' This is a wise decision for someone wishing to strike fear into the hearts of criminals, but it comes at a cost- the birth of Bruce Wayne's Shadow self. The opposite of the Persona is The Shadow, 'representing all our secret or repressed thoughts...It appears in the Bible as the devil, and in literature as Dr Jekyll's Mr Hyde...it may represent aspects that we choose to suppress only because they are unacceptable in a particular situation' (The Psychology Book). So for instance, a person acting aggressively is considered imbalanced because they haven't reconciled with their Shadow self. Tyler Durden (Fight Club, 1999) and The Mask (The Mask, 1994) are good examples. In Batman Begins, Alfred later notices this about Bruce, telling him, 'You're getting lost inside this monster of yours.'

The Man Who Falls: The birth of Batman by Dan Cheeseman copying Dick Giordano

Batman might even be considered, 'less a hero than the compulsion of a troubled mind' (Ian Nathan, Tim Burton: The Iconic Filmmaker and his Work). Critically, and tragically for Batman, there is 'something unseemly about having a life revolving around hatred and violence' (Stephen Kershnar, 'Batman's Virtuous Hatred,' Batman and Philosophy).

Certainly, we can see this in Michael Keaton's portrayal of Bruce Wayne - brooding in his manor, standing distracted in a hail of gunfire, and shouting, 'Let's get nuts!' at dangerous gangsters. ''Taking someone like Michael [Keaton] and making him Batman supported the whole split personality idea,' said Burton in an interview with Cinefantastique in 1989. This, he felt, was the most interesting aspect of the character and the theme that had drawn him to the movie in the first place' (Gary Collinson, Holy Franchise, Batman!).

Tim Burton's films (including Batman, 1989 and Batman Returns, 1992) often examine melancholy introverts and extraordinary extraverts in contrast. Did you know that the terms 'introvertion' and 'extraversion' were introduced into psychology by Carl Jung? (nowadays, 'extrovert' is the accepted spelling of 'extravert', but this was not Jung's intention). 'Your classic Burton wacko cleaves into two types. Duality is the word Burton often uses. There are the wackos who reflect the man he is- the outsiders like Edward Scissorhands, concealing great talent and feeling misunderstood. And there are those with the personality he desires - extroverted and fearless like the Joker...The Batman-Joker duality is the film's most dynamic theme...You get the depressive and the manic. On one side there are those trying to figure out life, on the other those who get to be completely free' (Ian Nathan, Tim Burton: The Iconic Filmmaker and his Work). Although this dark alter ego may have been born of irrational emotion, as Bruce matures, there's a chance for him to simultaneously control and satisfy his Shadow, a possibility we'll examine in a later chapter when we look at the concept of Individuation. We'll also be answering another question; if Bruce Wayne is a fake persona, and Batman is purely a personification of his demons, what is his True Self?

Michael Keaton as Batman, by Dan Cheeseman. Bruce Wayne continues to struggle with his duality in Batman Returns (1992) and Batman Forever (1995)

In the meantime, lets take a look at other Shadows in Gotham City. Batman contends with a series of doppelgängers who believe they are harbingers of justice - Wrath, Anarky, Lock-Up, the Reaper, Ghost-Maker, Red Hood, the Arkham Knight, Ra's Al Ghul, the Phantasm - when in fact they are Shadows demonstrating what the Batman might become if consumed by vengeance, or too punitive in his war on crime. Then there are the thematic Shadows like Man-Bat (a human/bat hybrid, often mistaken for Batman) and the Scarecrow (a professor of psychology turned supervillain who wields fear as his principal weapon, just like Batman). Bane is a supervillain who can match Batman both mentally and physically. As a child, Bane learned to fight whilst serving his father's sentence in prison; eventually he escaped and began his war on Batman, a role for which he believes he was fated. 'Bane's traumatic formative years made him a dark reflection of Batman' (Andrew Farago and Gina McIntyre, Batman: The Definitive History). Like Bruce, Bane used his trauma to create a powerful new identity. If you're a fan of the brawny, rugged supervillain, hold tight- we'll be talking about Bane again when we discuss the Animus archetype.

In his short tenure as Batman, former sidekick Dick Grayson earns a Shadow of his own. Psychopathic serial killer James Gordon Jr. tells him, 'This place is special, Dick. It is a city of nightmares. And I'm yours. I'm the face you see in the glass. A man with no conscience. No empathy. Gotham made me to challenge you' (Scott Snyder, Batman: The Black Mirror). Even if you're a relatively well-adjusted resident of the world of Batman, for your every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Many of the Dark Knight's most enduring villains are in a constant struggle with their own Shadows. In Batman Returns (1992), Batman pleads with Catwoman not to give in to her dark side, acknowledging that they are both 'split- right down the centre.' This certainly applies to Arnold Wesker, the Ventriloquist, who suffers from dissociative identity disorder; his Shadow is the criminal mastermind Scarface, a dummy, who is Wesker's dominant personality. Equally, Kirk Langstrom reluctantly becomes the aforementioned Man-Bat, a violent creature he fights to suppress. Lastly, it would be remiss to leave out the character literally described as 'a twentieth century Jekyll-Hyde' in his first ever appearance (Bill Finger, Detective Comics #66): Harvey Dent, a.k.a Two-Face, whose dangerous second personality emerges after the left side of his face is scarred by acid (or fire, in the case of The Dark Knight, 2008 and Batman: Earth One, 2015).

The Joker as both Trickster and Shadow

The Joker is a mad, sadistic, unpredictable clown, and the archenemy of the Batman. Like Prince, he usually favours a purple suit. He frequently tops lists of the greatest villains of all time, so you probably know who he is.

The Joker by Dan Cheeseman copying Doug Mahnke & David Baron

At first glance, the Joker appears to fit Jung's Trickster archetype. The Trickster is 'a playful archetype that exposes the dreamer's vulnerabilities and plays jokes, preventing the individual from taking himself and his desires too seriously. The Trickster also appears as the Norse half-god Loki, the Greek god Pan, the African spider god Anansi, or simply a magician or clown.' (The Psychology Book). No wonder the Joker is such an enduring villain; he resembles a simple, elemental image common to cultures all over the world.

His playfulness is particularly evident in stories from the 1950s and 1960s, when the Comics Code Authority rules made him 'less lethal and more goofy' (The Joker: A Celebration of 75 Years). In more recent years, 'There is one trait which sets him apart from the trickster figure- the Joker is too aware of himself. His evil deeds are more deliberate than accidental. His childlikeness, his love of toys, his pranks and tricks are all tainted by violence and aggression.’* (Helena Bassil-Morozow, Tim Burton: The Monster & The Crowd). The Joker looks like a Trickster, but he's really a Shadow.

*It would irresponsible of me not to reiterate at this point that the Joker is a fictional character. 'The Joker overplays the idea that mental illness and violence are linked' (Psychiatrist Eric Bender, GQ). This is true of a lot of Batman villains. Though Batman stories touch on real-life concerns, its important for fans to keep in mind that they are principally entertaining tales of escapism.

In the previous section, I mentioned how the Shadow can be a repressed devil on your shoulder, a part of you that requires reconciliation; fully giving into or denying the Shadow can have disastrous consequences. After his transformation (which is both literal and metaphorical in Batman: The Killing Joke, 1988, Batman, 1989, Batman: Lovers and Madmen, 2008, The Dark Knight, 2008 and Joker, 2019), the Joker sheds his Persona and fully embraces his darkest desires. Unlike Bruce Wayne or Selina Kyle (Catwoman), the Joker has no alter ego. ‘Carl Jung stressed the importance of acknowledging our Shadow sides for healthy psychological development. It’s not surprising, then, that people are attracted to the Joker. Everyone needs permission to be bad and break free of social expectations now and then. The Shadow is the part inside us all that thinks it would be amazing to don a clown mask and pull off a heist...The Joker serves as a reminder of the baser qualities of human nature, and he sounds a cautionary note concerning the destructive force of the Shadow…he can save us to the extent that he prompts us to acknowledge our own shadow.’ (Ashley L. Whitaker, 'The Joker and Jung’s Shadow', AndPhilosophy.Com)

The Joker's cheerfully flamboyant style also sets him in stark contrast to his grim arch-nemesis. Writers haven't been shy over the years about pointing out the differences and similarities between the Clown Prince of Crime and the Caped Crusader. The Joker isn't just absorbed by his own Shadow; he is the Hyde to Batman's Jekyll- he's also Batman's Shadow.

The Joker as the Red Hood in Batman: Death of the Family by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion

'Batman and the Joker were each born in violence, each the product of an ordinary person who was fundamentally transformed.' (Ron Novy, 'What is it like to be Batman?' Batman and Philosophy). In Batman: The Killing Joke, writer Alan Moore puts this similarity under the microscope in a story that asks why these two traumatised men became so different and inevitably became locked in combat until one of them dies. The Joker recognises that both of them have deviated from society's norms, and fatalistically considers this the direct result of one bad day: He tells Batman, 'That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day. You had a bad day and it drove you as crazy as everybody else.' Optimistically offering to rehabilitate the Joker, Batman says, ' 'I don't know what it was that bent your life out of shape, but who knows? Maybe I've been there too.' Batman acknowledges that one bad day changed his life, but doesn't see himself as the same as the Joker because they are morally divergent and made drastically different decisions in the face of adversity. Batman is not yet consumed by his Shadow self, and uses his pain to help others.

Every screen version of Batman is forced to recognise the connection between himself and his deranged reflection, the Joker. In Batman (1989), as the two monsters fight in a gothic tower, Batman tells his nemesis, 'I made you, you made me.' In The Dark Knight (2008), the Joker mocks Batman for identifying with the police force, saying, 'You complete me...Don't talk like one of them- you're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak- like me!' In Joker (2019), the nascent clown prince of crime stares into the eyes of Bruce Wayne, a boy he believes to be his half-brother, and tries to force his mouth into a smile. In Batman: Arkham Knight (2015), the Joker is even more the Shadow than usual; he literally becomes part of Batman's psyche, taunting and begging him to give in to his dark side.

Batman is The Hero (more on that later) and the Joker is The Shadow. They adopt archetypal personae more than anyone else in Gotham City. Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Jim Gordon, Lucius Fox, Carmine Falcone and even Oswald Cobblepot have lives beyond the world of crime and crimefighting. But when you're an archetype, you aren't a whole person; you don't get to have a normal life. Batman can't even share the flaws of the average person because in his role as guardian of the city, this could mean the difference between life and death. He also rarely sustains a romantic relationship, which we'll also discuss in depth in a later instalment.

Batman #40 (2015) cover by Greg Capullo, Danny Miki & FCO Plascencia

Batman and the Joker are both wholly absorbed by their respective plans for Gotham. 'I'm not Batman because I like being Batman. I'm Batman because I'm Batman' says the Dark Knight in his typically moody style (Tom King, Batman #24, 2017). Because their plans differ vastly, they are tragically trapped in a state of Chaoskampf. 'The motif of Chaoskampf...is ubiquitous in myth and legend, depicting a battle of a culture hero deity with a chaos monster' ('Chaos (cosmogony)' by Wikipedia). But their loss is our gain as for many of us it is the most thrilling, entertaining battle in fiction.

That's all for Part One. Tune in next time when we get up close and personal with Catwoman (I wish).

And by 'mañana,' I mean 'in the indefinite future'