This is part two of my four-part character analysis of Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy (part one is here). Continue reading below for an in-depth look at Batman’s origin and evolution in Batman Begins, and don't forget to check out the links below to explore my breakdown of his character in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
In Batman Begins, the viewer’s first impression of Bruce Wayne is that of a man who has lost his way and is searching for an identity. Bruce looks scrappy, picks fights with criminals, and is stuck in an Asian prison. Batman himself is not introduced until over halfway into the movie, and he makes quite the entrance. Criminals glance around scared as an unseen terror picks them off one-by-one. The final thug is startled to see the masked man come from above and attack him.
“You have eaten well as Gotham has starved,” says Batman, “this changes tonight.”
Batman is motivated to take action following the death of his parents, but he doesn’t find a true purpose or way of doing so until his adult life, when Ra’s al Ghul offers him “the means to fight injustice. To turn fear against those who prey on the fearful.” Bruce’s goal in Batman Begins is to avenge his parents’ death by cleaning up the city. His parents did a great deal to restore Gotham to greatness, and he does not want them to have died in vain.
Batman Begins Script and Dialogue
When acting as the Batman, Bruce speaks in a deep, muffled voice, to disguise his identity. He uses a laid back, apathetic vocabulary as Bruce, because he is typically playing the role of playboy and millionaire. This speech pattern is perfectly exemplified when he pretends to be drunk at his birthday party, saying, “I wanna thank you all for drinking my booze…now the party’s over. Get out.” The audience sees this as a façade Bruce uses to hide his secret, but this causes some poor reactions from the characters around him.
Although he remains serious, Bruce always maintains some sense of humor, dropping the occasional one-liner throughout the movie. When Alfred shows Bruce the news coverage of the Batmobile chase and asks, “what do you call this?” Bruce responds, “damn good television.”
Batman and Rachel Dawes’ Relationship
Bruce continuously tries to draw closer to Rachel throughout the film. He sees her as his oldest friend and looks to her for approval and guidance in his actions. Bruce had planned to kill his parents’ murderer and Gotham’s main crime boss, and he ultimately changed his mind because of Rachel’s disapproval, saying Rachel “made me see that justice is about more than my own pain and anger.” He would do anything to be with Rachel, even offering to “give up the life [he] chose.”
Rachel loves Bruce, but does not see room for a relationship with him. So does Rachel know who Batman is? She may have her suspicions, but she figures it out towards the end of the movie when Batman repeats a quote she had previously said to Bruce: “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do, that defines me.” However, Rachel sees that Bruce has fully become his new identity, and as long as he is the Batman, Rachel believes she will be unable to have a relationship with him beyond a friendship.
Beyond Rachel, Bruce’s relationship with Alfred is friendly and a father-son mentorship. Alfred cares for Bruce, but is skeptical of his antics as Batman, believing that he uses it as a form thrill seeking. Bruce’s relationship with Lucius Fox is playful and relaxed; Lucius sees through Bruce’s charade and wants to help him in his efforts as Batman.
When acting as Batman, Bruce begins a beneficial relationship with policeman Jim Gordon, though neither fully trusts the other in the beginning. Over the course of Batman Begins, Gordon overcomes his skepticism and learns to trust Batman, working with him for the good of the city.
Bruce Wayne’s Decisions in Batman Begins
“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do, that defines me.”
In a way, Batman Begins is all about how our actions and decisions shape us. Bruce Wayne chooses to save Ra’s al Ghul from death early in the film – which then allows Ra’s to move forward with his plan to destroy Gotham. Bruce is unable to kill his parents’ murderer, which keeps him from going down a dark path from which he may not have recovered. He chooses to trust certain allies in Gotham, such as Rachel and Gordon, and as a result of their teamwork, he is able to successfully save the city from destruction.
English Scholar Jillian Gilmer believes Bruce’s actions and choices are unjust because he is willing to go outside the system:
“Wayne denies the fact that he has a problem and refuses to even discuss it; the continual repression of his inner demon only heightens its volatility, weakens the strength of his moral code, and makes him dangerous in times of emotional passion.” 1
It can also be argued that the police force’s manhunt for Batman is proof of his unjust actions. Batman’s method of fighting crime is so radically outside the law, the police are unable to justify his actions, despite his helpfulness. And that helpfulness cannot be denied, no matter the questionable morality of Bruce’s methods. Without Batman’s interventions, Gotham would have been destroyed – either by Ra’s al Ghul’s fear super-weapon, or by the slow increase in criminal activity.
Themes in Batman Begins
One major theme in Batman Begins is the search for identity. After talking with Rachel, Bruce realizes that his actual identity means very little: his actions make the difference in Gotham. He reveals his secret identity to Rachel by repeating what she once told him, “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” Batman exhibits this belief throughout the film; he disregards what people say about him, only looking to his success in cleaning up the city.
Fear is another prominent theme in Batman Begins, rooted in the very thing that begins Bruce’s journey – his parents’ death. His fear of bats ultimately led to the death of his parents.
“Thomas Wayne’s dying words are, ‘Bruce, don’t be afraid.’ But it is a plea that Bruce is not yet strong enough to heed…the guilt he feels over his parents’ death haunts his waking hours.” 2
Later in life, he starts his road to vengeance, wanting to prove that not everyone is afraid of the crime bosses and thugs in Gotham. When a crime boss tells him, “you always fear what you don’t understand,” Bruce begins his study of criminals so he can understand them. Ra’s al Ghul, Bruce’s mentor-turned-villain, uses fear as a weapon, planning to “watch the city tear itself apart in fear.”
Batman offering the people freedom from fear has strong Christian ties; Batman’s actions in Gotham parallel what Christians believe Jesus did for them. “In the end the only way to be truly freed from fear is when you find the one stronger than the thing that you fear.” 3 Batman is stronger than Ra’s al Ghul and his plan, and saves the citizens of Gotham from the fear mechanism.
As Batman continues to fight, he continues to free Gotham from the fear of criminals, becoming what Gotham needs him to be (a recurring trend in the trilogy) in order to save them. In a similar way, Christ became what the world needed him to be – a human – in order to save it. Hebrews 2:14-15 states that Christ became human “so that he might…free those who were held in slavery by their fear.” Director Christopher Nolan recurrently uses Batman as a Christ-like figure in this trilogy (I briefly cover how in this write-up).
Batman Begins Music | Hans Zimmer
There are three main musical motifs that further Batman’s character in the series: wing flaps, an ostinato (two repeated notes that occur frequently), and a theme. The wing flaps in Batman Begins are used to represent the theme of fear. They occur at the film’s onset, as a young Bruce falls into a well and is frightened by a swarm of bats. The flaps also return as Bruce faces his fears against the League of Shadows, and finally as he causes fear among criminals as the Batman.
Batman’s ostinato is the most prominent musical element in the film, used to represent the mystery behind his character, and a question of what he will become. It is present in key scenes in the film, including his discovery of the Batcave, his first successful “arrest” as Batman, and his talk with Gordon at the end of the film.
Batman’s theme appears only once in this film, during a training scene with Ra’s al Ghul teaching him to fight. The minimal usage of the theme shows that Bruce has not fully become the Batman yet – the audience can only hear a glimpse of his theme, just as they can only see glimpses of the hero that he is to become.
Read the next part of my analysis:
Gilmer, J. (2013). The Masked Menace: Ideology, “Unbecoming,” and the Emergence of the Id Monster in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Online: University of Colorado, Boulder.
Parker, Abel. The Gospel in Gotham: Parables of Christ’s Glory from The Dark Knight Trilogy. (2016). Online: Amazon Digital Services.
Parker, Abel. The Gospel in Gotham: Parables of Christ’s Glory from The Dark Knight Trilogy. (2016). Online: Amazon Digital Services.