IDC 4O - Media Studies

     Unsurprisingly, Batman has a lot going for him when it comes to versatility. A lot of the elements of Batman's character make him incredibly effective in most environments, from the goofy 60s TV show to the original comics to the grittier world of the Arkham video games and the Christopher Nolan trilogy. I think this is because at his core, Batman is a very simple character; it only takes a few characteristics to make Batman recognizably Batman. If his name is Bruce Wayne, his parents died when he was young, he's rich and he dresses up like a bat to fight crime, then yup, he's Batman! Everything else is up for debate. Trust me, Batman's parents die. They won't let you forget that.      Although there are many other elements that make Batman an icon, different interpretations of his character will use them more or less depending on their target audience. One of the best examples of this is The Boy Wonder, Robin. Much like his original introduct

     The suspension of disbelief is something that I find incredibly important when it comes to storytelling. Any fictional universe, realistic or not, needs to have it's own idea of what can and cannot happen within its world. With this recent trend of superhero movies taking place in more and more realistic settings, I actually find the stories themselves becoming less engaging and increasingly un realistic in their own contexts.      Superheroes, by definition, are a thing of fantasy. After all, if Superman couldn't fly, if the Flash couldn't run, and if Spider-Man couldn't sling webs, then they wouldn't be superheroes at all. Superheroes always have the exaggerated, extraordinary powers that intentionally subvert what is real...that's kind of the point. So to put these characters in situations where they have to deal with the trauma of every incident, explain away the unrealistic aspects of their worlds with pseudoscientific justifications or deal w