DC Goes Political: Makes Batman the Villain and The Joker a Hero...
When Batman said "die a hero, or live long enough to become a villain," I don't think this is what he meant. While Marvel has started to realize that maybe cramming political commentary into comics was a mistake (see Muslim Artist Sneaks Anti-Semitic, Anti-Christian References in X-Men Gold Comic… and OOPS! Marvel Exec Admits Changing Characters for ‘Diversity’ Was A Bad Move…), DC told us to hold their kryptonite smoothie. It's an alternative timeline where Batman is a villain (just because billionaire) and the Joker is the good guy...and a social justice warrior.
And yes, I know kryptonite is Superman. Don't be that guy. Everyone hates that guy.
But take away the cape and noble purpose and [Batman's] actually a terror—someone capable of causing as much damage as he prevents. And seen through the lens of the 21st century, a time when it's understood that vigilante justice is dangerous, Bruce Wayne's actions don't look much more safe or sane than the Joker's.
"My main goal was to undo the comic tropes while changing Gotham from a comic book city into a real city—a city dealing with everything from Black Lives Matter to the growing wage gap," Murphy says. "[But] rather than write a comic about the wage gap, I gave those ideas to the Joker, who leads a kind of media war against Gotham's elite by winning people over with his potent observations and rhetoric."
"It's sexy to think crime can be stopped with a fist, but the real solution is a lot more boring than that: education, increasing wages, and building trust," Murphy says. "The line Batman rides between 'noble vigilante' and 'overzealous oppressor' will always be shifting as our own society changes."
Here's the unintentionally funny thing. Regardless of the artist's intent, everyone is still going to view The Joker as a sociopath. He could have made Bruce Wayne go social justice warrior. Instead, the author decided SJW beliefs and behavior was more in line with a sociopathic clown. And he meant that as a good thing. Let that sink in.
If you ask me, I think AntiFa should totally embrace this and accept The Joker as their Lord and Savior. Make him your poster child. Lose the masks and run around with green hair. White face paint. Purple Willy Wonka sport's coats. It'll make the coverage of you that much more hilarious. Especially when you take a tear gas can to the numbnuts. WATCH: This Anti-Trump Protester Get Shot in the Nuts with a Pepper Ball.
It would totally make people take you all super seriously.
DC is obviously allowed to do what DC wants. But perhaps some of these authors and artists should spend less time on social media, and more time in the real world. If they did, they'd probably find most Americans don't care to have political agendas shoved into their entertainment.
