“I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman!”
Another round of what do they want? using Steven Reiss’ 16 desires, featuring the Dark Knight himself.
Batman is very clear about his primary desire. He is Vengeance. His parents’ death pushed him into a lifetime of fighting criminals. Or at least it aimed him in that direction. Bruce may have always wanted revenge. Tragedy was the catalyst that unleashed him on the world.
Idealism is next. Batman is looking for justice and sacrifices his nightlife as a billionaire to fix things.
- Vengeance (Compete, Retaliate, Defeat, come from behind)
- Idealism (Belief, sacrifice, Justice, and making things right)
(spoiler alert: I’m wrong about batman being motivated by idealism. I think showing my process of correcting this mistake might be fun!)
But does Batman have a third motivation? He has all the social status he could want as a billionaire, but he doesn’t like it. He has a sidekick in Robin, but he is not very nurturing, so a desire for a family is off. Social contact isn’t there because he dislikes parties and social gatherings. He does not care if he gets attention or approval, so acceptance is out. Financially, he is as powerful as he could be, but he does not use that power for its own sake. He’s even left his money and power behind multiple times. He is not looking for freedom from Gotham or independence from his family name. Romance is out because he’s not interested in beauty, art, makeup, or courting. Batman doesn’t even look at food, so it is not eating. Batman is very smart, but most of his intellectual pursuits are in solving cases, not intellectual exploration, so curiosity is not it. Vengeance seems a more realistic motivator for all that brain work he does.
Saving? He has a massive collection of art, goods, and relics from his previous detective cases, but his art collection seems like a facade, and his previous cases are there to help him solve future ones. His mansion keeps burning down, and he’s not crying over his heirlooms. He collects many things but is not a collector.
Physical Activity? Does Batman love moving? Yes, he does. Would Batman ever stop working out? NEVER! So what if he isn’t superhumanly strong and is just a regular guy? He’s going to learn every martial art, train every day, and beat up criminals with his fists because he wants to. Physical activity is absolutely a motivator for Batman!
I wish I were exaggerating, but examining physical activity as a motivator for Batman took me that long. It didn’t occur to me that a stoic billionaire might love getting pumped.
We may as well examine all sixteen desires on the list since we have gone this far.
Tranquility? Does Batman love preparing for high-stress events? He does! Is he ever unprepared? No. That bat belt is the ultimate survival tool. He’s not an organizer; he is a prepper! Batman handles stress better than anyone in the DC universe because he loves being tranquil. He’s a cool cat, despite not having any superpowers! And he’s never happier than sitting in his room after a workout wearing his comfy slippers and bathrobe, chatting with Albert by the fireplace… until it’s time to prepare for some more vengeance. His collection of gadgets, vehicles, and relics isn’t because he is saving or organizing things. It is preparation to stay tranquil when things get rough.
Okay, I am taking off idealism as a motivator for Batman. I thought it was a sure thing. He’s a founding member of the Justice League, for crying out loud! But vengeance can motivate most of his late-night Batman activities. I think it even encourages his unwillingness to use a gun (which he bends from time to time). He will get revenge, but he will not use the method that killed his parents. He’s happy to beat you at a disadvantage!
So here are my guesses for Batman’s top three desires:
- Vengeance (Compete, Retaliate, Defeat, come from behind)
- Physical Activity (Exercise, Active, Moving)
- Tranquility (Comfort, Calm, Preparation, handling Stress)
Now let’s do his Bruce Wayne facade. While Batman wears the mask, Bruce Wayne is the real disguise. Bruce Wayne milks his family name and uses his reputation like a sledgehammer. He is also a well-known philanthropist and admirer of the arts. He’s a stereotypical playboy with plenty of money to throw around, with the occasional good deed to promote the family name. Here are my guesses for Bruce Wayne’s top three desires:
- Social Status (Exclusivity, Connection, Reputation)
- Power (Domination, Control, Authority)
- Idealism (Belief, sacrifice, Justice, and making things right)
I’m not as confident about Bruce Wayne’s motivations because they are not real. He uses social status and wealth to keep a distance from people so he can exact vengeance secretly. Maybe he presents Bruce as an admirer of the arts, motivated by beauty. Sometimes he presents as a spoiled rich kid looking for attention or as someone preserving the Wayne family legacy. But the primary purpose of Bruce Wayne’s high-profile life is to keep his actual personality and motivations hidden.
Bruce Wayne shocks people when they discover how different his actual personality is. In The Dark Knight Rises, lawyer Coleman Reese finds Wayne Enterprises secretly sponsors Batman. He approaches Lucius Fox to blackmail Wayne Enterprises to keep quiet. After presenting the blueprints of the Batmobile and asking for 10 million dollars a year, Fox asks Reese, “Let me get this straight, you think that your client, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante, who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands, and your plan is to blackmail this person? Good luck.”
Reese suddenly realizes he is not blackmailing Bruce Wayne. He is trying to blackmail Batman, which is a terrible idea.
Because multiple desires motivate us, there is an ongoing conflict in the things we want. For Batman, he might be happy working out in a mountain cabin. He’s done such training before. But as soon as competition arises, he’ll show them, using everything at his disposal. It might be counterintuitive that someone could want vengeance AND peace of mind AND to work out in the meantime. Still, that inner conflict gives our personality depth, even if we look at imaginary superheroes.
Daniel N. Blair 