Themes in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Morality – What is right and wrong? Who defines that? Where is the line drawn between what is right and wrong? This is an underlying theme in the graphic novel. We are presented with a superhero that fights crime, but has his own moral code. It seems like he will do anything, even run from law enforcement to do so. He will not kill, but he injured many innocents. He stops crime, but sometimes injures the criminals or police in the process of doing so.
Hero / Villains (Balance) – Batman returns from retirement to fight crime, but just as his presence is made public, the Joker awakens from a catatonic state. It seems as though there has to be a balance. One cannot exist without the other.
Feminism – Carrie Kelly and Ellen Yindel both take positions of power. Neither female is a damsel in distress, but both take action to get what they want. Carrie Kelly, a teenager, saves up her lunch money to buy her costume to be Robin, and goes in search of Batman. Yindel’s first action as head of police is to issue a warrant for Batman’s arrest. Both women are proactive and are a main part of the story.
Duality – This can be an extension of the balance theme. In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, we have good and evil in heroes and villains, but we also have internal conflict that causes duality. For example, Batman can see Two-Face for who he really is, even though plastic surgery has corrected his outward appearance. Not only that but, he can also see the darker side of himself in Two-Face as well. Finally, some of the main characters have dual identities. The aging million-heir Bruce Wayne is also the Batman, Gotham’s vigilante. Young female Carrie Kelly is also “the boy wonder” Robin. Harvey Dent is the villain Two-Face. The old Oliver Queen is the nimble Green Arrow. The news reporter Clark Kent is also America’s hero, Superman.
The Cold War
Hero / Villains (Balance) – Batman returns from retirement to fight crime, but just as his presence is made public, the Joker awakens from a catatonic state. It seems as though there has to be a balance. One cannot exist without the other.
Feminism – Carrie Kelly and Ellen Yindel both take positions of power. Neither female is a damsel in distress, but both take action to get what they want. Carrie Kelly, a teenager, saves up her lunch money to buy her costume to be Robin, and goes in search of Batman. Yindel’s first action as head of police is to issue a warrant for Batman’s arrest. Both women are proactive and are a main part of the story.
Duality – This can be an extension of the balance theme. In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, we have good and evil in heroes and villains, but we also have internal conflict that causes duality. For example, Batman can see Two-Face for who he really is, even though plastic surgery has corrected his outward appearance. Not only that but, he can also see the darker side of himself in Two-Face as well. Finally, some of the main characters have dual identities. The aging million-heir Bruce Wayne is also the Batman, Gotham’s vigilante. Young female Carrie Kelly is also “the boy wonder” Robin. Harvey Dent is the villain Two-Face. The old Oliver Queen is the nimble Green Arrow. The news reporter Clark Kent is also America’s hero, Superman.
The Cold War
Miller, Frank. Batman: The Dark Night Returns. 9th ed. New York, NY: DC Comics, 2002. Print.