Why Can't We Let Batman Be Happy?
Bruce Wayne visiting his parents' grave
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a 1993 movie (which just recently celebrated its twenty fifth anniversary) in the universe of the critically-acclaimed show Batman: The Animated Series. The film focuses on Bruce Wayne having to deal with a woman from his past, Andrea Beaumont, while his alter ego has to clear his name after a mysterious new vigilante appears in Gotham and begins killing members from a crime syndicate. This is going to contain spoilers for the film, so let me get the big twist out of the way: the new vigilante, the Phantasm, is Andrea Beaumont (cue gasps from the crowd). Now that we have that out of the way, let me ask: why can't we let Batman be happy?
Throughout the film, we see flashbacks that Bruce is experiencing, each of them a fantastic insight into his character that is rarely seen. While Batman is typically cold, aggressive, or even emotionless in comics, his animated counterpart seems to have the depth that characters like him deserve. Bruce doesn't just reminisce about the sadness he feels when confronting his parents' grave, he enjoys the happiness he felt with Andrea. The two have a rather odd first meeting, with the two visiting the graves of their parents with very different outlooks on life. Andrea speaks to her mother with with love in her voice, as if having a mutual conversation with her. Bruce, meanwhile, speaks of a promise he plans to keep, a plan that he ensures them he will follow through on. That plan (being Batman) requires Bruce almost getting himself killed on several occasions, an incredible amount of training, money, and creativity (to make the whole Batman aesthetic). It requires an absurd amount of discipline, living his life as a justice-bound vigilante rather than as a total billionaire playboy. He tries and tries to keep this plan on track, but Andrea interferes in the best way possible.
Andrea, with her quick wit, intelligence, and beauty immediately enamors Bruce that day in the cemetery, making him feel joy rather than the constant state of depression he always seems to be in. Every time Batman reminisces on her, there's a feeling of regret that permeates the screen, constantly leaving the audience confused as to how he lost her. They share an undeniable chemistry as she holds her own against this larger than life character, and it is absolutely enchanting. They look right together, with the audience forgetting that this is Batman we're looking at: a man who lives his life out seeking vengeance for people he will never gain the approval of or never see again. But Andrea changes everything, subverting everything we expect from the caped crusader.
Now, let me get something as straight as comic book readers want you to believe Batman is (hint: he's not), Batman has been in relationships before. Andrea is not something new, she is not the first love interest for Bruce, even within the Animated Series. Bruce has fallen in love plenty of times within this universe, from becoming smitten with Lois Lane to passionately kissing Wonder Woman to having his ultimate dream life involve him marrying Catwoman (he gets around), Batman's happiness with women is often explored. Even in the past few years, DC Comics explored him and Catwoman finally tying the knot, only to have the two abandon their relationship to keep the status quo. It's absolutely unoriginal for Mask of the Phantasm to make Bruce's inner conflict revolve around a romance; but, it is original for this to have such an impact on him.
Spoiler alert: the two do not get the happy ending that they want. Andrea, after taking her vengeance for her father's death at the hands of the Joker too far, Bruce and her part ways, the two to never see each other again. Bruce even presumes that with her staying behind with the Joker in an exploding theme park that she dies (you know, even though Joker lives another day despite being in the same situation). Andrea does live, as we see her on a cruise ship going far away from Gotham, effectively burying her past with Bruce. All of their feelings of love, joy, and just pure happiness are left behind just as they were the first time, when Andrea, after Bruce proposes to her, had to leave the country with her father to avoid the organized crime he had become involved with. A life of happiness for the two is gone, both too consumed by the vengeance they promised to carry out.
But, why does Andrea subvert our expectations? Well, it's less in her actions and more in how Bruce reacts to her. Undeniably, this story is about the conflict he feels, the way he is torn between his parents and the woman he loves. Let it be known she does not want to tear him away from his parents, that she sees the tragedy in his situation and embraces him, despite being what some might view as overly emotional or too dependent on what his parents might think of him. The scene that best illustrates this conflict is when Bruce is visiting his parents' grave during a storm, and breaks down, lamenting and apologizing for the fact that he is happy. It is utterly heart wrenching, a scene that nearly no one can expect from Batman. "It just doesn't hurt so bad anymore," Bruce says of how he feels with Andrea, something so shocking to hear from a character whose main attribute is how traumatized he is. He pleads with them, telling them he'll do anything to give back to Gotham, but that he just can't continue with his plan anymore; their grave looms over him, intimidating, shot as if it's angry at his change. "I didn't count on being happy. Please, tell me that it's OK."
Andrea comforts him, giving him the love he has craved for his entire life. But, as what always happens to Batman, he can't be happy. He boils his conflict down to "I can't put myself on the line as long as there's someone waiting for me to come home," which I'm not sure is entirely true. Superman seems to work well with Lois Lane waiting for him to come home; hell, they go on picnic dates with him as Superman on top of bridges. Why can't Bruce have a girlfriend or a wife? Why is there such an aversion to give him this stability, this love, this happiness? What makes his happiness so unattainable, so impossible it will never happen? I don't think it's the explanation he gives to Wonder Woman in the Justice League Unlimited episode "This Little Piggy," that it endangers the League, Wonder Woman, himself, and would just muddle things too much. Listen, no one in this universe believes that Bruce Wayne is Batman; Hugo Strange in an episode of the Animated Series desperately tried to convince the villains of Gotham that Bruce Wayne is Batman, and they all laughed at him. Batman can be close to people as Bruce Wayne, it's completely safe in this universe.
So, do we simply want to keep the Shakespearean aspects of the character? This presents itself as a logical answer; how could we keep selling comics about a character who revolves around inner turmoil if he's not in that perpetual state of depression? Batman's quest for vengeance must continue, thus the status quo is kept, even if it's sadder to see him lose his fiance than his parents. We've all seen Bruce's parents die, it's not shocking to nearly anyone anymore, but to see him lose the love of his life? That hurts, that is tragic, as the two share the tragic flaw of putting vengeance above all else. Whether Batman has been changed by the events of this film will remain a mystery, as Andrea didn't really seem to come up in the universe until she was relevant. And she will likely remain just a blip in his life, a woman in a long line of women that once meant the world to him.
In season four of The Animated Series, Bruce falls in love with a woman who ends up to only be a plant construct created by Poison Ivy. He is surrounded by people telling him that he is moving too fast, that his love is a lie, that he's not thinking clearly; and each of these are true as she reveals her true self, and Batman throws her engagement ring into the ocean. The episode, which originally to me had a decent amount of impact, will never compare to this film's love story. For one, it feels as though the writers want you to think that Bruce simply can't fall in love, because when he does he isn't himself. That is an absolutely scary thought, to enforce the idea that someone with such a severe case of depression can not and should not be happy. But what it also does is make the story finite, which Mask does not do: with Andrea on that boat, there is a hope that maybe, in the future, they can have the happiness they deserve. The film wants us to view this story as a great tragedy, but the episode sees it as just another blip. It is in the same headspace as Bruce, a man who has, by this point in the show, become so jaded by life and so good at his job that there is very little that makes him feel anything.
Let's go back to that initial question: why can't we let Batman be happy? Several writers will probably provide the same answer: that it destroys his character. Batman is supposed to be cold, aggressive, impersonal, and emotionless, and that is who he is often portrayed as. However, this film, and indeed much of the show it shares a universe with, has an imperfect Batman. Batman quite often fails in this film, not just before he knows what he's doing when we see him in flashbacks, but in the film's present. He get bruised, he bleeds, he isn't always one step ahead, but most importantly, he's human. Bruce experiences so much in the 76 minutes of this film: love, dread, happiness, anger, desperation, hopelessness, anger, joy, he feels all of these and then some. So I think this question is less applied to the film holistically, but rather the implications it has and the way present-day writers have listened to it. Batman can't be romantically involved with anyone, otherwise he is not the inhuman perfection he is supposed to be. But, why would we want him to be perfect when he could actually be a three-dimensional character?
Also, that credits song ("I Never Even Told You") is the most 80s song that came out in the 90s and it is glorious.
Thank you to my Patrons:
Andrea, with her quick wit, intelligence, and beauty immediately enamors Bruce that day in the cemetery, making him feel joy rather than the constant state of depression he always seems to be in. Every time Batman reminisces on her, there's a feeling of regret that permeates the screen, constantly leaving the audience confused as to how he lost her. They share an undeniable chemistry as she holds her own against this larger than life character, and it is absolutely enchanting. They look right together, with the audience forgetting that this is Batman we're looking at: a man who lives his life out seeking vengeance for people he will never gain the approval of or never see again. But Andrea changes everything, subverting everything we expect from the caped crusader.
Bruce and Andrea
Now, let me get something as straight as comic book readers want you to believe Batman is (hint: he's not), Batman has been in relationships before. Andrea is not something new, she is not the first love interest for Bruce, even within the Animated Series. Bruce has fallen in love plenty of times within this universe, from becoming smitten with Lois Lane to passionately kissing Wonder Woman to having his ultimate dream life involve him marrying Catwoman (he gets around), Batman's happiness with women is often explored. Even in the past few years, DC Comics explored him and Catwoman finally tying the knot, only to have the two abandon their relationship to keep the status quo. It's absolutely unoriginal for Mask of the Phantasm to make Bruce's inner conflict revolve around a romance; but, it is original for this to have such an impact on him.
Spoiler alert: the two do not get the happy ending that they want. Andrea, after taking her vengeance for her father's death at the hands of the Joker too far, Bruce and her part ways, the two to never see each other again. Bruce even presumes that with her staying behind with the Joker in an exploding theme park that she dies (you know, even though Joker lives another day despite being in the same situation). Andrea does live, as we see her on a cruise ship going far away from Gotham, effectively burying her past with Bruce. All of their feelings of love, joy, and just pure happiness are left behind just as they were the first time, when Andrea, after Bruce proposes to her, had to leave the country with her father to avoid the organized crime he had become involved with. A life of happiness for the two is gone, both too consumed by the vengeance they promised to carry out.
But, why does Andrea subvert our expectations? Well, it's less in her actions and more in how Bruce reacts to her. Undeniably, this story is about the conflict he feels, the way he is torn between his parents and the woman he loves. Let it be known she does not want to tear him away from his parents, that she sees the tragedy in his situation and embraces him, despite being what some might view as overly emotional or too dependent on what his parents might think of him. The scene that best illustrates this conflict is when Bruce is visiting his parents' grave during a storm, and breaks down, lamenting and apologizing for the fact that he is happy. It is utterly heart wrenching, a scene that nearly no one can expect from Batman. "It just doesn't hurt so bad anymore," Bruce says of how he feels with Andrea, something so shocking to hear from a character whose main attribute is how traumatized he is. He pleads with them, telling them he'll do anything to give back to Gotham, but that he just can't continue with his plan anymore; their grave looms over him, intimidating, shot as if it's angry at his change. "I didn't count on being happy. Please, tell me that it's OK."
"I didn't count on being happy."
Andrea comforts him, giving him the love he has craved for his entire life. But, as what always happens to Batman, he can't be happy. He boils his conflict down to "I can't put myself on the line as long as there's someone waiting for me to come home," which I'm not sure is entirely true. Superman seems to work well with Lois Lane waiting for him to come home; hell, they go on picnic dates with him as Superman on top of bridges. Why can't Bruce have a girlfriend or a wife? Why is there such an aversion to give him this stability, this love, this happiness? What makes his happiness so unattainable, so impossible it will never happen? I don't think it's the explanation he gives to Wonder Woman in the Justice League Unlimited episode "This Little Piggy," that it endangers the League, Wonder Woman, himself, and would just muddle things too much. Listen, no one in this universe believes that Bruce Wayne is Batman; Hugo Strange in an episode of the Animated Series desperately tried to convince the villains of Gotham that Bruce Wayne is Batman, and they all laughed at him. Batman can be close to people as Bruce Wayne, it's completely safe in this universe.
So, do we simply want to keep the Shakespearean aspects of the character? This presents itself as a logical answer; how could we keep selling comics about a character who revolves around inner turmoil if he's not in that perpetual state of depression? Batman's quest for vengeance must continue, thus the status quo is kept, even if it's sadder to see him lose his fiance than his parents. We've all seen Bruce's parents die, it's not shocking to nearly anyone anymore, but to see him lose the love of his life? That hurts, that is tragic, as the two share the tragic flaw of putting vengeance above all else. Whether Batman has been changed by the events of this film will remain a mystery, as Andrea didn't really seem to come up in the universe until she was relevant. And she will likely remain just a blip in his life, a woman in a long line of women that once meant the world to him.
In season four of The Animated Series, Bruce falls in love with a woman who ends up to only be a plant construct created by Poison Ivy. He is surrounded by people telling him that he is moving too fast, that his love is a lie, that he's not thinking clearly; and each of these are true as she reveals her true self, and Batman throws her engagement ring into the ocean. The episode, which originally to me had a decent amount of impact, will never compare to this film's love story. For one, it feels as though the writers want you to think that Bruce simply can't fall in love, because when he does he isn't himself. That is an absolutely scary thought, to enforce the idea that someone with such a severe case of depression can not and should not be happy. But what it also does is make the story finite, which Mask does not do: with Andrea on that boat, there is a hope that maybe, in the future, they can have the happiness they deserve. The film wants us to view this story as a great tragedy, but the episode sees it as just another blip. It is in the same headspace as Bruce, a man who has, by this point in the show, become so jaded by life and so good at his job that there is very little that makes him feel anything.
Let's go back to that initial question: why can't we let Batman be happy? Several writers will probably provide the same answer: that it destroys his character. Batman is supposed to be cold, aggressive, impersonal, and emotionless, and that is who he is often portrayed as. However, this film, and indeed much of the show it shares a universe with, has an imperfect Batman. Batman quite often fails in this film, not just before he knows what he's doing when we see him in flashbacks, but in the film's present. He get bruised, he bleeds, he isn't always one step ahead, but most importantly, he's human. Bruce experiences so much in the 76 minutes of this film: love, dread, happiness, anger, desperation, hopelessness, anger, joy, he feels all of these and then some. So I think this question is less applied to the film holistically, but rather the implications it has and the way present-day writers have listened to it. Batman can't be romantically involved with anyone, otherwise he is not the inhuman perfection he is supposed to be. But, why would we want him to be perfect when he could actually be a three-dimensional character?
Also, that credits song ("I Never Even Told You") is the most 80s song that came out in the 90s and it is glorious.
Thank you to my Patrons:
Ben Bird Person
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