After seeing another failed analysis of Zack Synder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice by Wisecrack, I wanted to share some of my thoughts in response to the first video they did for Earthling Cinema:
I get that these critiques are focused on wisecracks as the name suggests, but they also serve as philosophical analysis and as a philosophical analysis this critique was rather shallow; no discussion of power as it relates to man’s relationship with God and the symbolism of Batman’s spear. I took it upon myself to flesh out a few of my own ideas to compliment/fill in the many blanks left by the alien’s critique.
The film’s subtext has a number of aspects, most importantly (imo) dealing with the question of power and the responsibility to humanity that comes with it. The villain of this film, Lex Luther is not physically powerful like Superman or even Batman, but he’s quite intelligent, and remarks “The bittersweet pain among men is having knowledge with no power“. Lex goes on to call it “paradoxical”, possibly a reference to the old adage “Knowledge is power”. Lex is the only one aware of both Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent’s secret identities and sets out to use this knowledge to gain “power” in a world men (including Batman and Superman) fight over the control of. Free from the constraints of the “law” of the father, Lex sets out to prove his argument against God, “the all powerful”, with the same argument posed by many philosophers before in the problem of evil. He discovered at an early age that “If God is all powerful, he cannot be all good, and if he is all good, then he cannot be all powerful.” In a nutshell, the argument goes that if God created the world, and he is all good and all powerful, how can evil exist? If God is not powerful enough to rid the world of evil he cannot be all powerful, and if he is all powerful, and simply refuses to rid the world of evil, he is not all good. Basically, if evil exists, God cannot be both benevolent and omnipotent, and Lex intends to demonstrate this by showing how our God/idol Superman cannot be either. Lex does this by forcing Superman into a situation where he has no choice but to do something evil (kill Batman) in order to save mother (“Every boy’s special lady”).
Lex is portrayed as an angry jaded young man who in the death of his father assumes a position of power over an influential corporation (LexCorp). He asserts a “will to power” through deceit and manipulation. As the son of an abusive father, Lex has some obvious hard feelings, a chip on his shoulder and resentment of the primordial father himself. God picks favorites according to Lex, who himself is one of the unfavored and abandoned. The “man in the sky” didn’t protect Lex, rather he suffered the extreme and unfortunate reality of abuse in a universe which may spare none from suffering. His reaction to the struggle is a cynical drive towards power and control. His pursuit though fails, at least by the end of this film as “God” is revealed through the “miracle” of camaraderie between Batman and Superman which ultimately saves the world. Lex’s fate is insanity, though the potential he represents is scary. What if this very powerful CEO’s plan had worked, who knows how far he could take his quest for domination and what injustices may follow.
The philosophical discourse of the film also has strong political undertones, and Luther’s argument ultimately serves to demonstrate the very limits and potential risks of political power. Superman is seen by some in his universe as the United States of America as seen in the eyes of Noam Chomsky (“Most Dangerous Country in the World“). Superman is a force so great and powerful he threatens the very security of the planet, much like a world superpower with nuclear capabilities. And this is where Batman’s relationship to Superman comes in to play. Batman is a paranoiac masked vigilante with questionable morality who has taken the justice of the state into his own hands. Having witnessed the catastrophe that ensued as a result of Superman’s battle with Khryptonians in the first film (Man of Steel), reminiscent of a natural disaster or a terrorist attack, Batman decides he must deal with this alien threat (Superman) and it’s potential danger to humanity, he can’t trust a “man from the sky” as life has taught him otherwise. Batman’s sentiment echoes the 5%er theology exemplified by the rapper RZA in the Gravediggaz song “The Night the Earth Cried“, “How many more black Gods gotta die / before we realize there’s no god in the sky?”. Under such absurd circumstances, faith alone isn’t enough. Justice requires the actions of mankind.
Lacking the absolute power of a “higher being (God)” Batman must get dirty, and do some questionable things to assure some kind of order is preserved. The symbolism of the spear with the kryptonite tip Batman creates to kill Superman is important as a symbolic phallus, one of mankind’s earliest weapons during wartime and his way of navigating/conquering this visceral world on his own, establishing order and justice in absence of “the Father” beyond the idillic garden. The spear was the tool of the hunter gatherer which allowed our vulnerable species to survive the brutality of the ice ages. Humankind was forced to take survival into their own hands against an indifferent (absurd) universe. Batman has a line in the film which demonstrates this sentiment perfectly, “…My parents taught me a different lesson, dying in a gutter for no reason at all. They taught me that the world only makes sense if you force it to.” Bruce Wayne also mentions earlier in the film that the first generation of Waynes were hunters. It is important to note here that Superman also lost his father, and that all of the lead men of the film have the same struggle of establishing meaning at the end, which brings them together.
Superman does not represent the abstract unknowable “philosophers God” or what 5%ers would call the “mystery God” but a personal savior deity like Jesus (“son of God”, through the line of Judeo-Christian theology), he can be killed, and has the emotional frailties of men. Superman is in this sense an imperfect God. He shows his love and solidarity with man’s suffering through the sacrifice of his own life to save the planet from Doomsday. In his sacrifice the humanity of the Superman is revealed. It is his very vulnerability which makes him like us, and what makes him a hero. Superman’s death also sets up the Justice League films as in absence of Superman (God) and in the presence of great “evil”, heroes must come together to save the world. This for me is an unambiguous message directly to us, who in absence of divine intervention become radically responsible for the fate of this world.
As I’ve suggested, Batman and Superman both needed to establish purpose and derive meaning in life following the loss of loved ones, and ultimately they come together based on this shared purpose and Batman discovers Superman is “human after all”. Both Batman and Superman operate from a place of love. It is their relationships with real people that drive their cause in this world. For Batman, the love of his murdered parents, and the city they loved (Gotham), and for Superman his parents and his love of Lois Lane. It isn’t simply “self-interest” in some lame and shallow Ayn Rand argument posited in The Fountainhead as some have suggested. Martha is coincidently the name of both Batman and Superman’s mothers, it is as if they are brothers in spirit who haven’t had a chance to meet. It’s true that Snyder has been trying to adapt The Fountainhead into a film for quite some time, but he is a faithful adaptor of his source material. The mythology of Batman and Superman holds greater potentials than The Fountainhead, at least if you ask me. This isn’t a story of objectivism, but one of brotherhood and solidarity in suffering.
“Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator? It’s that power can be innocent.” – Lex Luther
Zack Snyder has been exploring the consequences of power in a post-911 world since Wacthmen (2009), where we discovered that “God exists, and he is American.” The social and emotional core of this film I prefer considerably to Christopher Nolan’s Batman series, the one favored by many of my generation of fans. Instead of the plea for the status quo we get in Nolan’s series (the “noble lie” or the “good capitalist“) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice dares to ask a question; that is “What is the place of power?” It isn’t a tale of political corruption or a neoliberal-capitalist apologetic. Superman’s potential mistakes in the use of power mirror the failings of US military interventions around the world. Superman elicits public backlash for acting unilaterally, much like the US going “rogue” against UN wishes. Rather than rationalize the repercussions of power’s spectacle, Snyder simply wishes to explore its dynamics. It appears he’s unsure where this will lead, but I have hope. Our generation has learned to mistrust those in power. Now our heroes have been brought down to Earth, where we can judge them. Snyder, unlike Nolan made sure to confront the impact of our heroes’ violence, suggestion being that “if you want the spectacle, you have to deal with the consequences” as Cameron Kunzelman puts it in his critique. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice isn’t giving us any easy answers to our dilemmas, as much as pointing them out. Power is dangerous but the collective is necessary. Superman’s sacrifice and death lay the foundation for the Justice League, a collective existing for the sake of justice. I have an idea about what the return of Superman will be based off that prophetic vision Batman receives midway into the film. It’s intriguing to say the least and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.
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