Tag: The Batman

The Batman

If there was any superhero who acts like he’s got Social Anxiety Disorder, it’s definitely Batman.

The newest rendition of Batman played by Robert Pattinson is undoubtedly the darkest version of Gotham’s hero that we have seen on the big screen. The mood is grim, the violence is uncontrollable, the city is always gray or black, and it was raining for 90% of the movie. It’s a much scarier Gotham than we have seen from previous movies. I would say that it’s a good thing they have Batman, but honestly, he’s the scariest one in entire film. But as we’ve learned from 2008’s The Dark Knight, Batman is “the hero that Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs.”

The Batman movie (2022) shows a side of Batman that is dark, silent, and very violent. Contrary to all the previous Batman movies, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne has no real social life. He does not feel compelled to make appearances, despite the advice he gets from his butler and friend, Alfred. In fact, the only time we truly see him unmasked and in public is when he was on a scouting mission to attend the mayor’s funeral. Other than that, he is true to the identity of the masked vigilante.

Considering his behavior throughout this movie, it’s a plausible question to ask whether Batman/Bruce Wayne gets social anxiety when out in public. And based on the degree of his isolationist-type behavior, it’s even more plausible to ask whether he has Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).

Batcave’s are great for avoiding Social Anxiety Disorder symptoms

Staying hidden in a Batcave or living alone in a huge mansion, Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) can still find you. If Batman is reading this, I invite you to unmask yourself and click here to learn a thing or two about SAD. If you’re not Batman, I still invite you to learn about SAD. Who knows… you may know someone who has it.

The Five Ways to tell if Batman has Social Anxiety Disorder

1. Is Batman afraid of being judged negatively by others?

Batman fights crime, answers to no one, and doesn’t try to give a false impression of himself. He is a violent, terrifying figure and he knows it. He is fully aware that he is consistently judged by media, politicians, and ordinary citizens. He’s been called a freak, a nut, and has even been protested against by Gotham police and citizens. In fact, their negative judgement led to him being called a “masked vigilante.” Do you know what he did after he heard them refer to him as this moniker? He continued to show up. Nothing changed. So no, Batman is not afraid of being judged negatively. If he were, he would not continue to put himself in that position.

2. Is Batman afraid of being humiliated or embarrassed?

The man wears a tight body suit, utility belt, and a cape. Humiliation has found him a long time ago. He just doesn’t care. Have a look at the most recent film, The Batman (2022). Batman walks into a busy nightclub, filled with people dancing, drinking, and having a good time. He walks right through the club, with all eyes on him. People stare, make comments, and some even joke. To anyone with Social Anxiety Disorder, this would be very embarrassing and would make you walk out of that club immediately. But for Batman, he doesn’t seem to mind.

3. Does Batman feel overly anxious or a sense of inferiority around authority figures?

Of course not. Batman is good friends with Lt. Jim Gordon (good friends in the sense that they work well together). They set up the “Bat Signal” to reach out to each other, they exchange tips and leads about criminal cases, and Gordon even protects him from being pursued by other cops.

Speaking of other cops, Batman is consistently defying police orders. When they instruct him to freeze, he keeps going. If they attack him, he fights them off. When they tell him that he cannot be here because it’s a crime scene, Batman collects evidence and takes it home with him. He actually makes them feel a sense of inferiority.

4. Do we see any signs of Social Anxiety when he meets new people or attractive women, like Selina Kyle?

Although Batman wears a mask, it’s important to recognize that his mask is not like that of Spiderman or Deadpool. The lower half of Batman’s face is still exposed, including his cheeks. If he were to blush, which is a common sign of SAD, we would be able to see it clearly. And since his voice isn’t muffled by a mask over his mouth, we would be able to hear any trembling in his voice too (which is another sign of SAD). We have never seen him blush or exhibit vocal trembling.

The sweating however, which is a major sign of SAD, would be real tough to notice because it starts at the head/forehead and drips down. Batman’s mask would protect him from the visibility of sweat. But generally speaking, he didn’t seem to show any signs of SAD when he met Selina Kyle. Not even after she got close to him, put her hands on his face, and kissed him.

5. Does Batman avoid Social Gatherings and Events?

Yes. Hell yes. Whether he is Batman or Bruce Wayne, both identities stayed far away from social gatherings. He had opportunities to attend mayoral candidate Bella Real’s campaign fundraisers, make public appearances at restaurants, and even attend speaking engagements for the city. In the end however, Batman went to a night club on a mission to catch criminals and Bruce Wayne made his first public appearance at a funeral for the sole purpose of working a criminal case. Other than “work” related reasons, Batman/Bruce stay away from social events.

Now although avoiding the social light is something that SAD sufferers may do, they don’t do it to the extreme that Batman does. People with SAD will still go out to restaurants, public engagements, etc., but it would be more limited and at their own level of comfort. In Batman’s case, he was traumatized as a child which altered his behavior to be socially distant and isolated. This is by choice of lifestyle, not accommodation to Social Anxiety Disorder.

Conclusion

Although Batman may seem like he could possibly have SAD based off his behavior from 2022’s The Batman, the conclusion to this investigation is simply no. There are no Red Face signs which suggest Social Anxiety Disorder in Batman. Maybe signs that he should see a therapist though, cuz…dam!