Romantic Guilt, Radical Evil and The Reflexive Construction of The Modern Hero in Batman Begins

Abstract

Superheroes, both products and examples of modernity given the circumstances of their emergence, have been transferred in our postmodern world through popular cinema, and they have brought all their modern values with them. These superheroes have been reconstructing themselves as "modern heroes" and have become a current issue through the clash of their modern values with postmodernity. This article analyzing Batman Begins (2005), directed by Christopher Nolan, employs the Lévi-Strauss method of binary oppositions within the context of modern and postmodern conceptualizations. As a result of this analysis, it is observed that Batman Begins, which is about Bruce Wayne's overcoming his own internal conflicts and becoming Batman, draws a distinct frame around modernity's very own conflicts.