10 Stupid Arguments About Batman That Don't Make Sense
4. The Dark Knight Films Are Realistic
The fans who revelled in bringing the crushing banality of the real world into the escapist fun of Batman were like pigs in pig mess when Christopher Nolan came along with his Dark Knight trilogy, with Christian Bale playing a Caped Crusader who is nominally more realistic that any other that's come before. As if you get get more grim 'n' gritty than Adam West... Right, so when you're coming out and saying that Batman Begins, The Dark Knight et al are realistic depictions of how Batman would work in the real world, you are therefore accepting that somebody could invent a fear toxin like the Scarecrow's, that anybody with an accent as ridiculous as Tom Hardy's Bane could ever exist, and that Katie Holmes has the ability to shape-shift into Maggie Gyllenhaal at will. Which isn't to do down those films or their achievements at all. They're great films (well, 2 and a half great films, perhaps). But any attempt to make Batman more realistic is doomed to failure. He's not supposed to be realistic. He's a superhero. You know what happens when superheroes become real? They suck. Like, really.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
