Golden Age of Batman (1939-1956): A Reflection of American Society Victoria M. Horace Greeley High School

Guiding Question: What do “Batman” and Bruce Wayne reveal about American society during the Great Depression?

Inspirations for Batman Scarlet Pimpernel – one of the first masked vigilantes The Scarlet Pimpernel was an anonymous hero who rescued aristocrats from the guillotine during the French revolution The Mask of Zorro (1920) Fairbanks played wealthy Diego and his masked alter ego, Zorro Leonardo da Vinci Kane claims to have developed aspects of Batman’s costume from da Vinci’s sketches of a flying machine Douglas Fairbanks in the Mask of Zorro (1920) Leonardo da Vinci's Flying Machine- ca. 1485

The Great Depression The depression, which caused feelings of hopelessness and despair, led many Americans to turn to fictional super heroes as a sign of hope Batman’s dark persona is a reflection of the gloomy outlook of American society at this time During the Depression most people didn’t have money to spare on entertainment However, at just 10 cents an issue, comic books were an affordable medium of entertainment

Gotham City It is the universal city, it represents all modern cities It is modeled after such cities as Chicago, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Pittsburg Batman editor Danny O’Neil describes Gotham as “New York below Fourteenth Street after eleven o’clock at night” A reflection of the crime and grittiness of the Depression Era

Batman: The Ultimate Example of Good Work Ethics Batman is a super hero without any super powers He relies upon intense training, discipline, his arsenal of “toys”, and intellect to fight crime Represents American work ethic Theoretically any individual has the ability to become like Batman through hard work and dedication The belief, embodied by Batman, that hard work brings about success and greatness gave many Americans hope during a time when unemployment levels reached about 25%

Gangsters and Villains John Dillinger “Baby Face” Nelson Batman originated at the end of the “Gangster Era”, a period form the late 1920s to the early 1930s in which the United States experienced a period of widespread lawlessness This period saw the rise of such notorious mobsters as: Al Capone, “Baby Face” Nelson, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, John Dillinger, and "Pretty Boy" Floyd Due to the influence of the “Gangster Era”, many of Batman’s earliest enemies are more realistic criminals, such as petty thieves and mobsters

Original Moral Code When first introduced, Batman wore a holster and gun under his cape and didn’t show any remorse for causing death When the criminal falls into an acid tank at the end Detective Comics #27 Batman declares it “A fitting end for his kind.” In Detective Comics #29, Batman threatens some criminals “Tell me! Or I’ll kill You” In Batman #1, Batman exclaims, “Much as I hate to take human life, I’m afraid this time it’s necessary!” before using the Bat plane’s machine gun to kill the criminals

Changing Moral Code By the end of 1941, Batman moral credence had gone through a drastic transformation In Batman #4 Batman tells Robin, “we never kill with weapons of any kind!” and there’s a caption which states “The Batman never carries or kills with a gun. These changes in Batman were due to audience response and the changing political climate in the world Letters were written by concerned mothers who were afraid that having their children exposed to such gory material would have a negative impact on them. There were also fears that Batman would be seen as a violent, authoritarian figure like Hitler

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