Batman has a long history and writers have portrayed him in a variety of ways. Detective. Superhero. Leader. Antagonist.
Bruce Wayne usually has a complex background no matter the story. Scott Snyder’s comic book series, Batman: The Last Knight on Earth, features a futuristic DC landscape with Bruce Wayne waking up in Arkham Asylum. The staff try to convince Bruce he created the Batman persona as a means to cope with the death of his parents.
The mystery picks up when Bruce escapes Arkham and discovers the world in shambles and under the tight rule of the tyrant Omega. Over the past year, tyranny and freedom have become common in the news and social media. This DC Black Label graphic novel contains several relevant themes including how to determine reality, how to deal with humanity freely choosing evil over good, and whether the future is predetermined.
Reality or Perception
Hearing the same message over and over ingrains an idea into a person’s mind. Whether or not it is factually true or not ceases to become as important as how it makes a person feel. Social media has existed for a couple decades and it’s effects are coming to harvest. Shorter attention spans. Less focus on logic. Charisma tends to get people to notice previously unknown individuals. Passion can be mistaken for truth.
The struggle with how to discern reality from fantasy is throughout the story. When Bruce finally breaks out of the asylum he finds Joker (or at least the head of his nemesis) in a lantern. Joker leads Batman across a desolate landscape. The world in disarray. Chaos. Something catastrophic upended the world Bruce previously knew.
Does the End Justify the Means―Freedom or Tyranny
Last year the COVID-19 pandemic spread quickly across the globe. Shutdowns. Restrictions. Infections. Quarantines. Vaccines. All those words invaded our normal vocabulary. Modern travel and social media undoubtedly had a big role in the spread of the virus. I found an interesting parallel in Snyder’s graphic novel.
When Bruce Wayne reunites with Wonder Woman he asks, “Who killed the world?” Diana replies simply, “You did!” The Amazon warrior goes on to explain how this happened. Superman and Lex Luthor debated over whether goodness or evil was worth pursuing. The hero focused on how life is a miracle and humanity is able to imagine (and pick) a better future. The villain’s argument centered on how humanity’s greatness stems from our capacity for cruelty and selfishness. Lex also believed goodness was a lie keeping people from reaching their full potential. While Luthor thought Superman won the argument, humanity sided with his argument. They choose doom over justice.
Suffering Defines a Person
Because humans possess free will, pain, suffering, and hatred is always a possibility to choose. Bruce Wayne’s loss of his parents at a young age pushed him to be a hero. But the death of his best friend in Superman pushed him to become the dictator Omega. He was tired of the hate in the world so he decided to take control of things himself. Bruce harnessed the Anti-Life equation from Darkseid’s severed head and used it to control humanity. The result? Loss of free will.
Suffering defines a person. Those who want to avoid suffering tend to seek control over all aspects of their life. In the worst case scenario, such individuals want to control the lives of others. Pain is an unavoidable aspect of life. The only approach which brings some purpose from suffering is the Christian understanding. Saints throughout the ages offered their trials to God and united their pain with Jesus’ suffering on the Cross. A few of the results are peace, joy, gratitude, and kindness.
The Future Doesn’t Have to be Dark
Batman: The Last Knight on Earth is a cautionary tale about how even heroes can become the villain. Omega’s goal of ending hatred didn’t justify his means― enacting the Anti-Life equation to control humanity. Heroes stop villains but they don’t prevent the person having free will. Everyone has the capacity to restart and seek forgiveness for their past. That’s the joy the Christian life bring. The future isn’t predetermined by a dark past.
Editor’s Note: Batman: The Last Knight on Earth was written for Mature audiences.
Matt Chicoine
Matthew Chicoine is a free-lance writer, a life-long Catholic, and an avid truth seeker. He earned an M.A. in theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2014 and enjoys binge reading Tolkien, Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Fulton Sheen and comic books. Visit his blog at https://thesimplecatholic.