"How Batman Really Began- Comic Canon vs. Nolan"

[BatmAngelus]

Here is Part One of an article I had written for Brother-Eye.net that compares and contrasts the comic book interpretations of Bruce Wayne's journey to become Batman with Chris Nolan's version in the film Batman Begins.

While most of it is objective description as well as the differences in the two, I also point out aspects that I felt were improved upon in the film version, as well as the aspects I prefer in the original comics.
It's not a Begins bashing article, but consider it to be the opposite of my usual comic comparison threads since this one talks about the significant differences, rather than similarities.

My problem with [Batman Begins] is, there are a number of things that are established in the Batstory. Variations on them, segments of them recombined, segments of them reimagined - all that's fine by me (whether or not I thought them up. ) It's the wholesale insertion of new events that bothers me.

- Steve Englehart, Detective Comments Interview, 2007
http://dccomments.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=interviews&action=display&thread=16

Ever since Detective Comics #33 in 1939, we have known the origin of Batman. One could say that Bruce's journey to becoming Batman is simple- his parents were killed in front of him in an alley. He trained his mind and body to prepare himself to fight criminals. Upon seeing a bat, he decided to take on its fearsome image to strike terror into the hearts of cowardly criminals.

But the devil is in the details.

And while, in 2005, Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins was considered a faithful adaptation of Batman, I believe that his version of the story is actually quite different. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. All versions are valid. But I personally prefer the comic book version.

Mind you, I'm not gonna get too anal about the changes. I'm not gonna get into lines of dialogue that weren't carried over from issue number whatever.
I will, however, go into changes that affect the portrayal of Bruce Wayne in the two mediums, from the night of the Wayne murders to the night Bruce first donned the cape and cowl.

(I'm not gonna cover young Bruce's discovery of the cave because the film version is pretty close to the comic version. The only main difference is that he's playing with Rachel before he falls into the well).

Are you ready to begin?

It Was A Night At the Movies...Or Was It The Opera?

As seen in Batman #0, by Doug Moench

Let's start out with that fateful night- in the comics, Thomas and Martha Wayne took their son to the movies. In the most popular interpretations, it's The Mark of Zorro, the 1940 film with Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone.
These were the last moments that Bruce was happy with his parents, which were so violently interrupted by the mugger.

In Batman Begins, the night goes a bit differently. They go to the opera Mefistophle and Bruce is miserable. The whole night is traumatic from the beginning since it turns out that the opera has bat-like demons in the show, which brings up Bruce's memories of being attacked by bats in the cave. A minor change, yes, but a major difference in Bruce's emotional mindset for that night.

The Significance of These Changes: While in the comic canon, it was a fun and thrilling night that was cruelly interrupted, the movie version emphasizes Bruce's fear of bats throughout. And it's Bruce's fear that causes his parents to walk out of the theater alone in the alley.
Both are valid and strong, yet different interpretations. However, I may have to give a bit of the edge to the film version in a couple things:
First off, the Mephistofle opera, besides providing motivation for Bruce to want to leave the theater, manages to provide significance to the Batman mythos without being as overt as Zorro. One could say that the tale of Mephistofle and Faust has loose connections to Ra's and Bruce in the film whereas the use of Zorro may seem to be too neat or convenient.

Also, in the film version, the context makes more sense in setting the scene of the Waynes walking into the alley alone. In the comics, there is often some sort of explanation needed to explain why the rich family is walking there alone, rather than in the limo with Alfred on their way back home. For example, the Waynes take Bruce out for ice cream late after the movie and end up going down Park Row.
By having them walk out early and, presumably, using the side exit, the setup seems a bit less contrived.

A Man Stepped From The Shadows, With a Gun...

From Batman #0

As for the murder of the Waynes, most comic book versions have the killer as a mysterious and cruel man with a gun. Above describes him as a "real-life villain- the monster from a nightmare without sleep..."
One of my favorites is actually from the first issue of Superman/Batman from Jeph Loeb, in which we find out that the shadows cloaked the mugger's features and Batman mentions, "I cloak myself in the very shadows the gunman used to hide his face from me." But that's my own preferred interpretation.

There is one comic, however, that portrays the killer a bit differently- The Dark Knight Returns. Bruce describes, "He flinched when he pulled the trigger. He was sick and guilty over what he did. All he wanted was money."
Frank Miller continues this interpretation in Year One by describing the mugger as having "fearful" eyes.

It seems that Nolan goes with this interpretation for Joe Chill. In the murder scene, Chill is very much a nervous and desperate man with a gun.
Later, his motivation is embellished as being a victim of the Depression in Gotham.

Significance of These Changes: The comics portray the killer as a random cruel man with a gun (to represent the crime in all of Gotham). He is a microcosm of the evil that Bruce swears to fight against. And every night, Bruce sets out to strike the very same fear that the killer inflicted in him that night.

The film, however, portrays the man as desperate and fearful. D.A. Finch says it best in the movie that Chill performed the act out of desperation, rather than out of greed. Perhaps this change was to make Bruce recognize early on that criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot...

They Never Found Him...Or Did They?

From Batman #0

In all versions of the story, the police never found the Waynes's killer. Because of this, young Bruce swore to spend the rest of his life at war on all criminals. He sets out to find whatever knowledge will help him carry out this quest.

All versions of the story tell it this way, except one- Batman Begins. In the film, the police catch Joe Chill that very night and Gillian Loeb delivers the news to a catatonic young Bruce.

Significance of These Changes: Well, this one is huge, isn't it? In the comics, I feel that the escape of his parents' killer was what motivated Batman to become the world's greatest detective. It was due to the inadequacies of the police department that lead the poor boy down this road. Indeed, doesn't the idea of fighting all criminals seem like the goal and ambition of a hurt child?

In the film, Chill is caught so soon that Bruce must have had a strong faith in the police at the time. The trauma of losing his parents is still there, but his motivation to become a vigilante hasn't set in...yet.

Before The Travels...

From Batman #0

Obviously, Bruce wasn't going to go to Tibet to master kung fu at the age of ten. In comics like The Untold Legend of the Batman and Batman #0, Alfred, with help from Dr. Leslie Thompkins, attempts to raise him like a normal child. Bruce, however, immerses himself in books and starts to work out.
In Doug Moench's The Forensic Files of Batman, Bruce, while doing this research, creates a sense of principles for himself.
Since a gun took away his parents, he plans never to use a firearm.
And since he felt the effect of death at such an early age, he vows never to take a life. (Of course, this is the newer continuity. In the 1939 comics, Batman occasionally used a gun and has killed criminals seemingly without remorse).
In The Man Who Falls, Bruce "wrote letters that weren't exactly forgeries and weren't exactly anything else—and they enabled him to leave Gotham City at age 14 and begin a global quest for what he wanted to know."

In Batman Begins, we flashforward to a 22-year old Bruce, who returns home to Gotham from Princeton.
It doesn't seem like he's doing well over at college. And he seems very angry upon returning to the mansion, where painful memories of his dead parents still linger.
What causes this state of mind? Joe Chill, desperate mugger, shared a cell with mob boss Carmine Falcone and is willing to testify against him for early parole. Wayne goes to the proceeding in an attempt to shoot Chill to death.

Before he can, however, an assassin shoots Chill down and robs Bruce of his chance.

Unsure where to go from there, Bruce hears from childhood friend Rachel Dawes that, while he's been at college, things at Gotham are worse than ever. Corruption is rampant and more "Joe Chills" are created every day. Rachel literally slaps Bruce back into reality that his own personal vendetta is nothing compared to what the city is going through and that he should be ashamed of himself for wanting to kill Chill.

Bruce renounces his use of firearms at this point and throws the gun in the river. He confronts Falcone, who informs him that he's got the city in his pocket due to their fear of him. He chides Bruce that he'd have to go a thousand miles to find someone who didn't know him.
When kicked out of Falcone's club, Bruce exchanges jackets with a beggar and disappears from Gotham. Why? A few reasons can be inferred- Perhaps he knows that he's not ready to fight Falcone yet and lacks the understanding the criminal mind. Perhaps it's from the shame of what he tried to do to Chill and his uselessness in trying to confront the mobster. Maybe it's a combination of all of these things. But finally, Bruce Wayne is on his sojourn abroad in the film...

Significance of These Changes: Again, this is huge. Teenage Bruce is well ahead of the film's adult Bruce in beginning his quest for Batman.
In Begins, throughout the decade between the deaths of the Waynes and the death of Chill, we are left to assume that Bruce has been wandering around colleges, lost in his vengeance. I severely doubt that the college-age Bruce would have studied criminology, chemistry, and other subjects that gave him the knowledge that he sought for as a crimefighter. Why? Because the movie version of Bruce probably did not even think about getting those skills to fight crime in Gotham. He only wanted Chill dead. I see Bale's Bruce spending his free time doing target practice instead to prepare for his confrontation with Chill.

Here, the corruption of the justice system and the shame of his failed attempt to avenge his parents are what push Bruce to become Batman, as well as renounce firearms or killing out of revenge. Again, this is much different from the comic book Bruce, as detailed earlier.
And while young Bruce in the comic paves his own way to become a crimefighter, the side characters and situations in Batman Begins pave the way for Bruce to set off on his path.
In other words, I find the self-taught comic book Bruce to be a more active protagonist in this period of time. But that could just be me...

TO BE CONTINUED- Part Two will cover comparisons in Bruce's Travels Abroad/Lessons Learned, Preparation for Crimefighting, and his decision to "Become The Bat"

[DarkVengeance]

I like both interpretations but personally I like Nolans a little better, everything I wanted explained got explained in the film, it was perfect for me personally regardeless of the flaws.

[BatmAngelus]

What aspects of the Batman Begins origin do you prefer over the comics version?
(Not a challenge, by the way, just an honest question)

[Paul (ral)]

Good read there BatmAngelus.

I have always considered Bruce's vow to his parents to be something that he took action on from day 1.  I always think it is hard to keep an interest or focus on an activity unless it comes a habit - and the "activity" that Bruce practices would be more likely to be a habit if he had started young.

The obsession Bruce has must be present from the time Chill kills his parents.

The evidence that Bruce did nothing to train in Begins before Chill's death is not shown so it hard to say if Bruce spent his time training while at college.  He would have had to, because I can tell you that noone can become an expert like Batman if he started in his early 20's! There are certain physical developments that are only possible if gained while in youth.

[BatmAngelus]

Part two:

Criminology 101- Gaining Knowledge:

From The Untold Legend of The Batman

Batman is the world's greatest detective and he's probably a genius.  Obviously...he had to have gone to school.
The best stories that illustrate Bruce Wayne's college years are The Man Who Falls and My Beginning...and My Probable End, which can be found in the first volume of the Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (the editions with the Alex Ross covers).

The latter story, by the underrated team of Mike W. Barr and Alan Davis in Detective Comics #574 for 1987, provides quite a unique and extreme take on Bruce's college years. In this version, Bruce wandered in and out of the best colleges, gathering knowledge from expert professors. Knowing that his knowledge of criminology, forensic science, and the like should never be tied back to Bruce Wayne, Bruce began the careless spoiled millionaire act in college. He annoyed the professors he respected while doing his best to glean all information from their classes.

On the other hand, Bruce Wayne in Nolan's take of Batman Begins...is a college drop-out. When Bruce abandons Gotham after his confrontation with Falcone, he immediately goes to various countries to live on their streets. One could say that Bruce learned a firsthand account of what his comic book counterpart learned in the classrooms- he lived among criminals, "lost many assumptions about the simple nature of right and wrong," and "learned the fear before a crime and the thrill of success." But he never became an outright criminal himself. When thrown into prison, Bruce settles for beating up criminals one at a time for "practice."

As for the playboy act, well, it's hard to say. Since we do not see much of the twenty-year old Bruce's interaction with the public, one can't really determine if people in Gotham saw him as the spoiled rich kid yet.

Significance of These Changes: Again, pretty big. Batman Begins is the only interpretation (that I'm aware of) in which Bruce did not gain an extensive education in college. And while it is possible that Nolan's Bruce had been studying these subjects at Princeton before the Joe Chill hearing, I find it unlikely, as I mentioned before. With the line, "I like [Princeton] fine. They just don't feel the same way," one infers that he wasn't doing too well academically. Could he have been doing what his comic book counterpart was doing in Detective Comics #574? Possibly, but what would be his motive? In Barr's story, Bruce already knew at a young age that his goal in life was to fight criminals. The same can't be said with Nolan's version.
Is it possible that Nolan's Bruce studied it outside of classes due to mere interest? It could be. But there isn't really anything to verify that, besides maybe Bruce's later use of terms like "psychotropic hallucinogen in aerosol form" when talking to Gordon in Arkham Asylum.

Now, one can argue that Bruce's firsthand account of living with criminals in Batman Begins would be more effective than simply reading textbooks and listening to professor's lectures.
However, it doesn't provide Bruce with education in other subjects that his comic book counterpart studied, such as forensic science or engineering.

And while it is apparent that the comic book Bruce has certain goals and is forging his own path to become a crime fighter, Nolan's Bruce seems to become "truly lost." He winds up in prison and there's no real indication of how he expects to return to Gotham from there.
If he did, then, I'd say he becomes rather easily sidetracked and swayed by Ducard's cryptic words of finding a "path" to becoming a "legend" without much explanation on what the League of Shadows really does.

The Master And The Apprentice

In the comics, Bruce searches for mentors who can teach him certain fighting styles that will be essential for his war on crime. Explore several comics and you'll find a variety of teachers. Sam Hamm's Blind Justice storyline introduced Henri Ducard, as well as Chu Chin Li and Tsunetomo. Batman #431 and The Man Who Falls introduce Master Kirigi and so on. Bruce learns a variety of fighting skills, from karate to kung fu to ninjitsu, from all these teachers.

In Batman Begins, it is implied that Bruce has gained fighting training before his encounter with Ducard, due to how well he takes out the criminals in the prison brawl along with Ducard's recognition of "Tiger" and Ju Jitsu" in Bruce's moves. The primary teacher in the film is Ducard/Ra's Al Ghul.

But Bruce in the film doesn't search for the League of Shadows with intent on joining them- Ducard comes to him with the proposition and Bruce goes along with it.

Here's a prime example of the difference. In Batman #431, Bruce treks up the mountain, determined to find a man named Kirigi, who will teach him ninjitsu. Visually, the scene had to have been influential on the film. But the context is different.
As you can see, Bruce is seeking the man on his own, with intent of learning from him. He tracks him down with the skills and intelligence he will use to track criminals down in the future. His determination pays off when he reaches the top. This provides you a strong illustration of young Bruce's character:


From Batman #431

In Batman Begins, Bruce treks up the mountain because, well, Ducard told him to. In the opening, Bruce is not seeking his mentor, his mentor seeks him (much like other heroes in the Joseph Campbell realm). What awaits Bruce at the monastery is, for the most part, unknown to him and us. Sure, Bruce had heard a rumor of the League being "vigilantes," but Ducard negated it and gave a rather cryptic job offer.
What also makes it hard is that we don't see the League of Shadows do anything else besides, well, planning to destroy cities- which Bruce doesn't find out till the end of his training. So what does Nolan's Bruce specifically plan to find up at the monastery, besides "a path"?

Another major difference, of course, is the identity of Bruce's mentors. In the comics, Kirigi taught Bruce ninjitsu (and also taught these skills to future League of Assassin members). League member and future Batman villain David Cain also taught Bruce how to fight.
Meanwhile, the French detective/assassin Henri Ducard is the one who taught Bruce manhunting and detective skills. 

Ironically, Bruce learns neither of these skills from the movie's Ducard in Batman Begins.  Instead, Bruce is nearly recruited into the League of Assassins equivalent- the League of Shadows- by the boss, Ra's Al Ghul, himself. "Ducard" here is only a mere code name for the real Ra's. Of course, in the comics, Bruce would not encounter Ra's until much later in his career.
Ra's becomes tied further into Bruce's past in the film, too. The League of Shadows's economic attack on Gotham caused a depression that lead Joe Chill into desperation (and thus the murder of Bruce's parents). And the training and recruitment of Bruce was a plan for the League to help destroy Gotham City.

Significance of These Changes:
In the comics, Bruce's journey to becoming Batman is clearly a path he's forged for himself, as I've often mentioned. He predicted which skills he would need in his war on crime and sought out the masters who would teach them to him.

In the film, however, Bruce loses his way and is, well, duped into joining a terrorist organization to get out of prison. And as a rogue member of the League, Bruce is ironically able to turn Ra's's tactics against him. Indeed, from the way Batman Begins shows it, if it weren't for Ra's, there would not have been a Batman.

Also, since the film's Bruce started on his journey almost a decade after his comic book counterpart, it's hard to imagine him becoming as physically skilled as Batman in the comics.

I Shall Become a Bat

From Batman: Year One

In Frank Miller's Batman: Year One, Bruce returns home to Gotham after his travels abroad. He tries to go out and fight crime, putting himself in disguise and establishing an alibi. His attempt fails, however, since he is unable to intimidate his enemies. He is wounded and winds up at Wayne Manor. Desperate for a sign of how he should strike terror into Gotham's underworld, a bat crashes through the window. This sparks Bruce's repressed memory of his discovery of the cave and how bats terrified him. Seeing this as a sign, Bruce resolves to don a costume resembling a bat to intimidate his enemies.

In Batman Begins, after training with the League of Shadows, Bruce recognizes that he has to become a "symbol" to fight against Gotham's corruption. Inspired by Ra's's teachings, he starts looking for a disguise that is "elemental. Something terrifying." When he arrives at home, a bat flies into the study, sparking Bruce's memory of the cave encounter. When Bruce goes down to the cave, he is surrounded by bats.  In a few moments, he overcomes his childhood fear and resolves to become Batman.

Significance of These Changes: The biggest difference between the film and source material here is Bruce's fear of bats. In the comics, he had a singular traumatic encounter with them in the cave as a child. This, however, was likely to have been forgotten a couple years later when Bruce witnessed his parents' deaths.
In Batman Begins, however, Bruce's fear of bats played a role in his parents' deaths and he is severely guilt-ridden over it. In his training with Ducard, he is reminded of it and even sees the bats in a hallucination. This phobia plays a much greater role in the character's life (despite the fact that Bruce seems unaware of what "symbol" to become on the plane ride back, but anyways...).
These scenes have different meanings in the different mediums- while the bat crashing through the window provides an epiphany for the comic book Bruce, the cave encounter in the movie provides Bruce a chance to overcome his childhood fears.

Getting Those Wonderful Toys

From Detective Comics #0

Obviously, to dress up like a bat, Bruce needs the proper gear and equipment. In Detective Comics #0, Bruce Wayne takes a tour of Wayne Enterprises's science division. Secretly impressed with what he sees, Bruce tells Lucius Fox to shut down the military projects. Then, in disguise, he and Alfred pose as delivery men and "steal" the projects from the warehouse.

Bruce then assembles and modifies the "lost" prototypes to become his secret weapons for his war on crime. For example, he adds a bat-head battering ram and a large fin to the combat vehicle to support his bat-themed illusion, as well as disguise the car. He also helps Alfred make the Batsuit.

The film version of Bruce has it easier than his comic book counterpart. Upon meeting Lucius for the first time, Bruce immediately asks to borrow the equipment- the utility belt, grappling gun, and Nomex survival suit.  And Lucius lets him!
Later, Bruce comes back in need of lightweight fabrics (which Lucius has) and "borrows" the Tumbler. The Tumbler, after a nice black paint job, becomes the Batmobile.
Of course, not all the work goes to Lucius. Bruce orders cowls as well as the "bat ears." He modifies the Nomex suit, utility belt, and fabric to create the full-on Batsuit. And he creates his own Batarangs.

Significance of These Changes: In the comics, by making his company's "lost projects" stolen by a mysterious outsider and modifying all the equipment, Bruce uses smart thinking to exploit his resources as Batman without tying them to Bruce Wayne.

In the film, however, Lucius Fox's role is enhanced and becomes a Q-like confidante. Upon first meeting Fox, Bruce becomes comfortable enough to ask Fox to borrow all of it. And Fox, having just met this kid, is comfortable enough to let Bruce take military equipment home...

And while the comic book Bruce thoroughly disguises the Wayne Enterprises vehicle into a Batmobile, the film Bruce simply paints it black and doesn't add any bat element to it. No wonder that lawyer Coleman Reese figured it out in The Dark Knight....

Conclusion: While these changes may seem minor to some, they are major to me in portraying the Batman character. For the most part, I prefer the comic book version of Bruce's journey since I find him smarter, more active, and more determined. But I am sure there are others who will argue their preference for the Nolan version.

Both takes are, of course, valid and detailed looks at how an eight year old victim grew up to strike fear into those who prey on the fearful.

Please do not think that I find Batman Begins to be a "bastardization" of the mythos. I do not.
I do wish that they adapted the comics at a more detailed level, but it still attempted to cover a lot of ground in the Batman storyline and brought a new take on the mythos for the non-comic reading audiences worldwide.

I think that's something that all Batman fans can appreciate.

[DocLathropBrown]

Nolan's version is a bastardization in my eyes. And I don't really mean to be anti-Nolan, but it's the one thing he did that I cannot abide.

He turned Bruce into a borderline-idiot with no direction and took the mythic qualities out of the origin. Bruce knew what his life would be the moment his parents hit the ground. Likewise, he knew he HATED guns with a passion the moment he saw two bullets rip through his parents.

Bruce Wayne would never have wandered around the world with no direction and he certainly would never, EVER use guns. And that just ain't as Batman, either.

[Joker81]

Well I can't stand Batman Begins.

It kind of took everything I thought about Batman and rewrote it. Like Ra's Al Ghul training Bruce. The elaborate and far fetched sub-plot involving Ras al ghul, the league of shadows, Joe Chill and the murder of the waynes and the scarecrow. Surely the league of shadows could have carried out their plan without Bruce Wayne?(It was a silly plan anyway).

And of course the fact that Lucis Fox made the Bat stuff for him. Lucis is to Batman what Q is to James Bond now, and I don't like that. What I liked about Batman was the fact he and ALfred only knew who he was and made all the gadgets, suit and car.

[Gotham Knight]

Well I can't stand Batman Begins.

It kind of took everything I thought about Batman and rewrote it. Like Ra's Al Ghul training Bruce. The elaborate and far fetched sub-plot involving Ras al ghul, the league of shadows, Joe Chill and the murder of the waynes and the scarecrow. Surely the league of shadows could have carried out their plan without Bruce Wayne?(It was a silly plan anyway).

And of course the fact that Lucis Fox made the Bat stuff for him. Lucis is to Batman what Q is to James Bond now, and I don't like that. What I liked about Batman was the fact he and ALfred only knew who he was and made all the gadgets, suit and car.

and 95% of his gadgets are Premade, just lieing around.

[DarkVengeance]

The origin in Begins is the best Batman origin OF ALL TIME!! hahahaha

[BatmAngelus]

Well, it looks like I created a monster discussion, haha...

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