Batman As A Monomythic Hero

Heroes play an essential role in fiction in society, specifically within the realm of superhero comic books. Joseph Campbell, in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, brings forward the notion of the “classical monomyth,” which is a narrative about a hero who goes out to an unknown environment, takes on a challenge and wins a key victory, and then goes back home to provide society with the benefits from that triumph. John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett propose a variation to Campbell’s monomyth known as the “American monomyth,” which is more about how a hero appears, battles against society’s corruption, wins and then fades away, and less of searching for one’s self in one’s society. The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller is strikingly different than any of the earlier portrayals of Batman, in its content and the depiction of Batman as an extremely violent vigilante.

Miller’s version brings with it many mixed responses from fans and critics, which makes it interesting to explore whether Batman in Miller’s version is an American monomythic hero as presented by Lawrence and Jewett. Even though there is some evidence of how The Dark Knight Returns follows the monomyth, overall Batman cannot be defined as a monomythic hero.

Lawrence and Jewett, in their book The Myth of the American Superhero, express their belief that myths can influence the ideals and lives of both individuals and society as a whole (Lawrence 7). Their monomyth is based on Joseph Campbell’s concept of a “classical monomyth,” but theirs is based specifically on more modern pop culture rather than all mythical stories. They define the American monomyth as follows: “A community in a harmonious paradise is threatened by evil; normal institutions fail to contend with this threat; a selfless superhero emerges to renounce temptations and carry out the redemptive task; aided by fate, his decisive victory restores the community to its paradisiacal condition; the superhero then recedes into obscurity” (Lawrence 6). Whereas Campbell’s monomyth is on rites of passage, the American monomyth

is not about finding one’s place in one’s society, but rather on redemption. This entails either a personal redemption or in general, a redemption of the society. “Whereas the classical monomyth seemed to reflect rites of initiation, the American monomyth derives from tales of redemption…combining elements of the selfless servant who impassively gives his life for others and the zealous crusader who destroys evil” (Lawrence 6). In the American monomyth, democratic institutions of society fail to protect the people of that society from evil and a hero, who is not a part of the flawed system, is needed to redeem the society from the havoc. Thus, the hero must either not be a part of the society in trouble, or if he is member of that society, he can fulfill the redemption under the façade of an alter ego, as seen with Batman. It is also clear that the hero does not engage in irrational violence, but he does answer violence with violence, and is not reluctant to go beyond the law to protect the members of the society. His powers, whatever they may be, guarantee that it is unnecessary for him to kill the villain in order to destroy evil and restore order. Therefore, he acts as a vigilante hero, and he avoids being blamed from society.