The Batman: SHADOWS – Portrait of Justice

Written by C Hues

August 26, 2022

This essay contains spoilers for The Batman (2022 film). Proceed with caution.

The Batman uses the theme of shadows to corroborate the connection between several characters, to delve deeper into Batman’s alter ego, and to show the various methods in which Batman uses fear to attempt to save Gotham City. The shadow is also a psychological term that shows the other side of many trusted, empowered individuals in the city. It also examines how Batman must realize the darker nature of himself to prevent causing the same destructive effect on Gotham City that so many others have engendered before him.

In The Batman, the theme of shadows is pervasive and holds myriad meanings. In his opening monologue, Batman discusses how he uses the shadows to his advantage to prey upon the criminals who victimize the weak. He states,

“Thursday, October 31^st. The city streets are crowded for the holiday. Even with the rain. Hidden in the chaos is the element waiting to strike like snakes. But I’m there too. Watching. Two years of nights have turned me into a nocturnal animal. I must choose my targets carefully. It’s a big city. I can’t be everywhere. But they don’t know where I am. We have a signal now. For when I’m needed. But when that light hits the sky, it’s not just a call. It’s a warning. To them. Fear…is a tool. They think I’m hiding in the shadows. But I am the shadows.”[1]

Shadow means, “a dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light”, “shade or comparative darkness, as in an area” or “darkness, especially that coming after sunset.”[2] Batman literally operates in the shadows, but shadows also take on a more figurative meaning. Shadow can also mean “a dominant or pervasive threat, influence, or atmosphere, especially one causing gloom, fear, doubt, or the like”;[3] Batman claims that he uses “fear” as a “tool”.[4] Batman knows that he physically cannot be everywhere that the criminals are located; in the opening monologue, we see several different shots of criminals in various locations in the city. One gangster robs a convenient store, but immediately runs away in fear when he sees the bat signal. Another group are spray painting the word “BROKE” on a structure, but they too flee in fear when they see the bat signal. Batman only shows up at the last location shown, where a group of criminals attack a young man departing from the metro train (or subway). Notice that the criminal who is shown most extensively is the one who has one half of his side painted white and the other half without paint;[5] this symbolizes the shadow self (as defined in psychology by Carl Jung and further analyzed by Zweig)[6] and represents the two sides that most of Gotham seems to hold: Batman and Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle and Catwoman (although not actually called Catwoman in the film), The Riddler’s two identities (Edward Nashton and Patrick Parker), and countless other people with alter egos.[7] Thus, shadow can also be defined as “a reflected image.”[8] The reflected image is most obviously shown when Batman first appears at the door of the Iceberg Lounge, and he is greeted with hostility by twin henchmen. Later, he visits the Lounge again as his other self, Bruce Wayne, and he is greeted by the same twins with a much friendlier response.[9] Zweig says that “the shadow goes by many familiar names: the disowned self, the lower self, the dark twin”.[10] The double imagery is also shown as Batman says that he has been fighting crime for “two years”.[11] Shadow also means “the dark part of a picture, especially as representing the absence of illumination”,[12] and Riddler’s messages to Batman frequently only contain a certain highlighted or visible part of the message. The rest of the message is obscured in darkness, leaving Batman and Alfred to uncover what is hidden in darkness.[13] When Batman is attacked by Riddler’s thugs near the end of the film, they shoot a projector screen with Bella(the new mayor)’s image on it. Several of the lights are shot out and become dark, reflective of the Riddler’s puzzles.[14] Shadow can mean “a person who follows another in order to keep watch upon that person, as a spy or detective.”[15] Batman debuted in Detective Comics (first appearing as a character in 1939),[16] and frequently operates like a detective to solve crimes. At the start of the movie, Batman follows and spies on Catwoman. Later, he aggressively follows and pursues the Penguin in a dangerous car chase. He uses binoculars and enhanced eyewear to spy on the criminals, cops, and politicians who frequent the 44 Below.[17] Shadow can also mean “a period or instance of gloom, unhappiness, mistrust, doubt, dissension, or the like”,[18] which substantiates the skeptical nature of both Selina Kyle and Batman. Batman does not trust Selina when she tells him that Falcone owes her money and assumes the worst until she reveals that he is her father. Selina asks Batman what is under his mask and jokingly questions if he is “just hideously scarred.” Batman sarcastically says “yeah” in response, but the truth is that he, like most of Gotham, has numerous and deep psychological scars.[19] The trauma of losing both of his parents to violence transformed him into the vigilante known as the Batman. These scars led him down a path of vengeance towards criminals; when he saves the young man from criminals on the subway platform, the young man cowers in fear of Batman and says, “please don’t hurt me.”[20] It is telling that Batman scares not only criminals, but also innocent civilians who are simply trying to survive.

The Batman starts on October 31^st. The date of Halloween is appropriate because it is a holiday where people can take on an alter ego and become another person; they do so at night and dress up as someone else. This is what Batman does every night; but it is also what virtually all of Gotham does every night. As revealed throughout the movie, copious politicians, cops, and other trusted and respected members of Gotham City lead a double life. Some of the more prominent people include the District Attorney (DA), the mayor, and the Commissioner. Selina Kyle spots the DA in the 44 Below (club within the Iceberg Lounge that is run by Carmine Falcone, the mob boss who rules Gotham) and says that she saw some prominent politicians in the club before; Batman fights a crooked cop (who supposedly works for Gordon) in the 44 Below.[21] These people have an alter ego much in the same way that Batman does, and their true nature comes out at night in the shadows. In this way, the word shadow takes on another meaning. The “shadow” is a term coined by psychologist Carl Jung, which is described thusly,

“Unfortunately, there can be no doubt that man is, on the whole, less good than he imagines himself or wants to be. Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. At all counts, it forms an unconscious snag, thwarting our most well-meant intentions.”[22]

Near the film’s end, Batman mentions that he has not had the effect on the city that he intended. Much in the same way, Thomas Wayne’s good intentions (to protect his wife, and to start a program to help Gotham’s poor) was destroyed by his failure to manage and reconcile his shadow self.[23] The “shadow” as defined by Jung and refined by Zweig, ties into the key theme of “Renewal” that is prevalent in The Batman. Thomas Wayne promised a Renewal program that was supposed to save and help the poor and oppressed people of Gotham City, but Falcone took hold of it and began to use the funds from the program selfishly and to line the pockets of cops and politicians under his payroll. Therefore, Riddler writes, “Renewal is a lie” in graffiti, because the people who were put in a position of power failed to recognize their shadows (or darker nature) and continued to lie to the public.[24] Zweig states,

“The shadow, when it is realized, is the source of renewal; the new and productive impulse cannot come from established values of the ego… ….This brings us to the fundamental fact that the shadow is the door to our individuality. In so far as the shadow renders us our first view of the unconscious part of our personality, it represents the first stage toward meeting the Self. There is, in fact, no access to the unconscious and to our own reality but through the shadow. Only when we realize that part of ourselves which we have not hitherto seen or preferred not to see can we proceed to question and find the sources from which it feeds and the basis on which it rests. Hence no progress or growth is possible until the shadow is adequately confronted and confronting means more than merely knowing about it. It is not until we have truly been shocked into seeing ourselves as we really are, instead of as we wish or hopefully assume we are, that we can take the first step toward individual reality.”[25]

Interestingly, Batman’s shadow self is Bruce Wayne. Riddler tells Batman that “Your mask is amazing. I wish you could’ve seen me in mine. Ain’t it funny. All everyone wants to do is unmask you, but they’re missing the point. You and I both know, I’m looking at the real you right now.”[26] Riddler is half right, but ironically, he is the one missing the point. He fails to recognize that Batman is Bruce Wayne; the hero that he idolizes is also the “billionaire with the lying, dead daddy”[27] that he criticizes and detests. Batman is the dominant and truer personality, but the Batman has denied some aspects of Bruce Wayne that he simply cannot escape from. Bruce Wayne was born wealthy and privileged; this will not change, regardless of how many criminals he tortures, defeats, and captures. Nothing that Batman does can erase Bruce Wayne; in fact, Batman can only exist and function because of Bruce Wayne (his technology and wealth alone are essential to provide Batman the gadgets, armor, and most of what he needs to effectively pursue criminals). Batman has an air of superiority towards criminals throughout the movie and looks down on them. This aspect of his personality is ultimately carried over from his shadow self—from Bruce Wayne. Note this exchange between Carmine Falcone and Bruce Wayne (when at the steps before the mayor’s funeral):

Carmine Falcone: Some event, huh? Brought out the one guy in the city more reclusive than me.

Bruce Wayne: Thought you’d never leave the Shoreline. Aren’t you afraid someone’ll take a shot at you?

Falcone: Why? Cause your father ain’t around? [Talking to penguin] Oz, you know Bruce Wayne?

Penguin (Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot): Wow, is that right?

Falcone: His father saved my life. I got shot in the chest. Right here [pointing to where he was shot]. I couldn’t go to no hospital, so we showed up on his doorstep. Operated right on the dining room table. Kid here, he saw the whole thing, up on the stairs looking down. I remember your face. You don’t think that meant something, he did that?

Bruce Wayne [sarcastically]: It meant he took the Hippocratic oath.[28]

Even as a child and before his parents’ murder, Bruce Wayne always looked down on criminals. In the exchange with Falcone, Bruce Wayne walks above Falcone after he makes his snide remark to the mob boss. As Batman, he physically looks down on criminals as he spies on them, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Later, the Riddler exposes Bruce Wayne’s father, Thomas Wayne, and claims that the latter went to Falcone to put a hit on someone that threatened to expose Martha Wayne (Bruce Wayne’s mother)’s violent family history (her mother murdered her father and then committed suicide, leading to Martha’s mental health issues and stay in a psychiatric facility).[29] This causes Bruce Wayne to visit Falcone, and in their second exchange, the two are situated evenly and talk on a flat surface. Bruce and Falcone have literally and psychologically been brought to the same level, and because of the “sins of the father”, Bruce Wayne can no longer look down on anyone.[30] The Riddler, taking influence from Batman, also looks down on criminals. The Riddler sits in an apartment high above Falcone and snipes him when Batman brings the “underworld”[31] boss into the light. He is present at the funeral of the mayor and stands on an upper area of the building.[32] Bruce Wayne spots him as he looks down in judgment at the people there, and he has a car driven inside to attempt to murder the mayor’s son, believing that the boy should pay for the “sins of the father.” In this way, the young son of the mayor acts as a “shadow” of Bruce Wayne, in that they both were from prominent and wealthy families, both were orphaned, and both ended up being targets of the Riddler because of crimes that their fathers committed.[33] The Riddler also acts as a “shadow” of Bruce Wayne, as he follows Batman’s methods. Aside from looking down on criminals, Riddler also keeps a journal in the same way that Batman keeps a journal to document his daily dealings with criminals.[34] Riddler sees Batman as his shadow, which means “an inseparable companion.”[35] Note the following dialogue between the two:

Riddler: We’ve been doing this together. You’re a part of this.

Batman: We didn’t do anything together.

Riddler: We did. What did we just do? I asked you to bring [Falcone] into the light, and you did. We’re such a good team.

Batman: We’re not a team.

Riddler: I never could’ve gotten him out of there. I’m not physical. My strength is up here. I mean, I had all the pieces. I had all the answers. But I didn’t know how to make them listen. You gave me that.

Batman: I gave you nothing.

Riddler: You showed me what was possible. You showed me all it takes is fear and a little focused violence. You inspired me.[36]

The Batman’s influence on the Riddler is most obvious toward the end, as one of the Riddler’s thugs echoes a statement that Batman made toward a group of criminals that he savagely beat at the start of the film, “I’m vengeance.”[37]

Just as the psychological shadow is underneath and hidden away, the politicians and cops have hidden themselves deep underground in the 44 Below (“the club within the club”). As Batman says that “fear is a tool”,[38] the Riddler takes inspiration from Batman’s methods and literally uses a garden tool (used for digging) to strike fear into the politicians and cops. He attacks and kills the mayor with the tool and later knocks out the DA, holding him hostage with a bomb attached to his neck.[39] When Batman investigates Riddler’s hideout, he uses the Riddler’s garden tool to uncover the plan to flood the city (which is hidden below). The lyrics to the Nirvana song, “Something in the Way”,[40] plays in the beginning of the move and connects to this theme of shadows and foreshadow what is to come. “Underneath the bridge / Tarp has sprung a leak / And the animals I’ve trapped / Have all become my pets / And I’m living off of grass / And the drippings from the ceiling / It’s okay to eat fish / Cause they don’t have any feelings.”[41] In the film, Riddler traps several animals in cages, such as rats and bats. The Riddler tells Batman that as an orphan, he would “wake up screaming with rats chewing [his] fingers.”[42] He even keeps a pet bat at his home, from where he sees Batman “bring [Falcone] into the light.”[43] When he tells Bruce Wayne of a childhood stricken with poverty and tragedy, this reflects the lyrics “I’m living off of grass / And the drippings from the ceiling”.[44] The water imagery (“tarp has sprung a leak”) reflects the flooding of the city that passes at the end of the movie, as all Riddler’s bombs explode and cause the water to leak through the city’s walls.[45] The Batman ultimately must reconcile his two halves, Batman, and Bruce Wayne, to become the hero that Gotham needs. As Zweig states, people must be “shocked into seeing ourselves as we really are”,[46] and Batman cuts an electrical wire that is in danger of killing several civilians and physically shocks himself to save them, falling into the waters of the flooded Gotham City. Batman stays under water briefly, but then comes out, and experiences a baptism of sort.[47] His previous thoughts and methods are washed away, and he comes out a new person. This is confirmed, as he realizes that being a symbol of fear is not enough. He must also provide hope to people. He leads the citizens of Gotham to safety, holding a flare as they “shadow” him. In this way, shadow means “shelter; protection”.[48] Batman decides that he is not merely the vigilante who preys on criminals. Batman evolves into the hero who will protect the weak and vulnerable.

The Batman shows both negative and positive connotations for the word “shadow” and is ultimately a film about how the shadows are a part of humanity that we must recognize, acknowledge, and accept. The only way to prevent one’s shadows from causing one to embark on a destructive path is by facing the truth of one’s darker nature. When Batman realizes what he truly has done to the city and pushes his ego aside, he changes who he is and becomes a better person.

[1] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

Original Language: English. Director: Matt Reeves. Producer: Dylan Clark, Matt Reeves. Writer: Matt Reeves, Peter Craig. Release Date (Theaters): Mar 4, 2022 Wide. Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2022.

[2] Shadow. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/shadow. Accessed August 26, 2022.

[3] Ibid.

[4] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Academyofideas.com. Carl Jung and the Shadow: The Hidden Power of Our Dark Side. https://academyofideas.com/2015/12/carl-jung-and-the-shadow-the-hidden-power-of-our-dark-side/ . Accessed August 26, 2022.

[7] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

Ibid.

[8] Shadow. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/shadow. Accessed August 26, 2022.

[9] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[10] Academyofideas.com. Carl Jung and the Shadow: The Hidden Power of Our Dark Side. https://academyofideas.com/2015/12/carl-jung-and-the-shadow-the-hidden-power-of-our-dark-side/ Accessed August 26, 2022.

[11] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[12] Shadow. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/shadow. Accessed August 26, 2022.

[13] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Shadow. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/shadow. Accessed August 26, 2022.

[16] Batman. dc.com. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.dc.com/characters/batman

[17] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[18] Shadow. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/shadow. Accessed August 26, 2022.

[19] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[20] Ibid.

[21] Ibid.

[22] Academyofideas.com. Carl Jung and the Shadow: The Hidden Power of Our Dark Side. https://academyofideas.com/2015/12/carl-jung-and-the-shadow-the-hidden-power-of-our-dark-side/ . Accessed August 26, 2022.

[23]The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Academyofideas.com. Carl Jung and the Shadow: The Hidden Power of Our Dark Side. https://academyofideas.com/2015/12/carl-jung-and-the-shadow-the-hidden-power-of-our-dark-side/ . Accessed August 26, 2022.

[26] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[27] Ibid.

[28] Ibid.

[29] Ibid.

[30] Ibid.

[31] Academyofideas.com. Carl Jung and the Shadow: The Hidden Power of Our Dark Side. https://academyofideas.com/2015/12/carl-jung-and-the-shadow-the-hidden-power-of-our-dark-side/ . Accessed August 26, 2022.

[32] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[33] Ibid.

[34] Ibid.

[35] Shadow. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/shadow. Accessed August 26, 2022.

[36] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[37] Ibid.

[38] Ibid.

[39] Ibid.

[40] Musixmatch. Written by Kurt Cobain. Originally Performed by Nirvana (Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic). Something in the Way. Primary Wave Tunes, The End of Music.

[41] Ibid.

[42] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[43] Ibid.

[44] Musixmatch. Written by Kurt Cobain. Originally Performed by Nirvana (Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic). Something in the Way. Primary Wave Tunes, The End of Music.

[45] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

[46] Academyofideas.com. Carl Jung and the Shadow: The Hidden Power of Our Dark Side. https://academyofideas.com/2015/12/carl-jung-and-the-shadow-the-hidden-power-of-our-dark-side/ . Accessed August 26, 2022.

[47] The Batman. Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content). Genre:Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama.

Academyofideas.com. Carl Jung and the Shadow: The Hidden Power of Our Dark Side.

[48] Shadow. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/shadow. Accessed August 26, 2022.