The Super Dad: The Role of the Father in Comic Books For years, comic books have acted as a mirror to western culture, embodying both the good and the bad. Acts of terrorism, aggression and hostility are parodied in comics, sometimes outright alluded to and referenced countless times. Presidents are assassinated, families are torn apart by greed, corruption and deviance and the villain most often goes unpunished, despite the mountains of evidence piled against them. The good guys never truly win and the little guys are almost guaranteed to be crushed behind a veil of injustice. Yet the superheroes fight on, risking life and limb to protect the citizens of their hometown, country and once in a while, Infinite Earths. But, there is a question on the lips of those who are protected, these everyday citizens that look up to the sky in wonder: why would these men place their life on the line everyday to fight for people who would just as easily sign their death warrant as ask for their autographs? The answer, while not as flashy and mysterious as the superheroes would like you to believe, is a simple one: their daddies made them do it. The tumultuous relationship between fathers and sons in comic books is almost as legendary as the conquests of the heroes themselves. More often than not, the role of the father in comics is an absentee one. The fathers are usually, well, absent, dead, or corrupt. In some rare cases, all three. Yet, what becomes curious to note, is that despite the fact these young children with extraordinary powers and abilities grew up ignorant of the Y-chromosome that contributed to their birth, they will pick up their crusade for justice in the name of their father. As seen through Batman (Bruce Wayne) it becomes apparent that yes, the father is in fact physically dead, yet his presence and influence is not. To commence, the father is more alive in Batman than any other comic, despite the fact Batman’s actual father is deceased. When Thomas Wayne was gunned down outside the opera in front of his young son, he would unknowingly begin a journey for vengeance and justice unlike literature has ever seen. Even though Thomas Wayne dies in a seedy alley, his presence lingers on in young Bruce’s mind and acts as a driving force of justice for Batman. As Freud argues, once the boy has overcome the Oedipal Complex, he internalizes his father’s voice, thus the creation of the super-ego is formed (Freud). The super-ego being the unfaltering voice of reason, “the moral part of us [that] develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our caregivers. Many equate the superego with the conscience as it dictates our belief of right and wrong” (Freud). One can easily argue that Thomas Wayne becomes the emotionless mask of ennui that Batman places on his face, right along with his cowl and cape. Every move Batman makes is a cold calculation; he is perfect in his control and divine in his retribution. Even when faced with the man who brutally murdered his parents, thus robbing him of every happy memory of his childhood, Batman almost robotically turns him over to the police, refusing to exact his own brand of vigilante justice on the man that not only killed Martha and Thomas Wayne, but also (symbolically) little Bruce (Batman: Absolution). Yet Batman’s self-control does not stop there. With every unsolved case, every murder or victimization that occurs in Gotham City, Batman’s super-ego takes a little more control away from his ego. Instead of killing the Joker, permanently ending his reign of terror and mayhem, Batman turns him over to the bumbling law, only to have him escape and create even more mayhem and grief (Batman: Hush v.1). Even law officials, the epitome of a balanced ego, have let their inner id slip around the Joker, most famously Police Commissioner Gordon when he shot the Joker in the knee for killing his wife (Batman: No Man’s Land v.5). Furthermore, Vehaeghe argues that, “We are living in a period when the symbolic father… is murdered together with the belief in him” (135). Batman directly opposes said statement, seeing as how Batman almost literally keeps his father’s memory burning in his unconscious with each villain he defeats (Batman: Hush v.2). When problems arise and he, the world’s greatest detective cannot figure out a viable solution too, he seeks solace at his parent’s grave, forlornly gazing at the only two people he will never be able to save (Batman: Year One). Batman never falters in his “belief” in his father (135). If anything, Batman adopts his father’s (who was a doctor) desire to help people to an extreme (Batman: A Dark Victory, Batman: Haunted Knight). Vehaeghe continues to argue that, “The prevailing attitude today is so-called postmodern cynicism, which epitomizes above all widespread distrust and lack of belief in any symbolic function whatever” (135). Again, Batman counters this argument, for what makes the Batman character so fascinating is that despite the fact he, Bruce Wayne, grew up stoic and cynical, he burdens himself with the responsibility of protecting three individual children with similar familial problems. Batman becomes the surrogate father to his Robins (Batman: A Dark Victory, Nightwing: A Darker Shade of Justice, Batman: Fortunate son). He adopts the orphaned, shelters, educates and comes to love them in a way that manages to surpass the stereotypical father-son dynamic (Batman: Tales of the Demon). As a result of this deep paternal bond the Robins do not “distrust [or] lack belief” in Batman (135). Their blind faith in his abilities is what strengthens the bonds Batman shares with them, pushing them to become the young men they eventually become (Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood). Though, what makes the Robin foil so interesting, is that what Vehaeghe describes when he states, “The loss of classical patriarchal authority forces the sons to look for alternatives. Hence, primal fathers are popping up everywhere… and [are] attracting anxious sons who are hoping for protection” (139). All three Robin’s grew up with completely contrasting views of the father. Dick Grayson’s father was killed before his eyes, Jason Todd never knew his father and Tim Drake only ever knew his father. When matched with each contrasting background, the Batman and Robin dynamic flourished or failed. After the murder of his parents, Dick needed a mission and Batman was only too easy to comply as he trained him to become his first and greatest sidekick (Batman: A Dark Victory). Batman sees a younger version of himself in Dick’s eyes, so it does not come as a surprise when Dick’s super-ego begins to take over his unconscious. Yet, despite being incredibly similar, Bruce and Dick are definitely not the same individual. Dick’s does not possess the amount of restraint on his emotions that Batman does (Bruce Wayne: Murderer?). It is said dissimilarity that makes their partnership so prolific, for Batman sought to protect and enlighten and Dick absorbed his teachings like a sponge, comforted by the fact he was not only protected as Robin by Batman but as Dick Grayson by Bruce Wayne as well (Bruce Wayne: Murderer?). Sadly, when Dick yearned to step away from Batman’s shadow, their partnership dissolved, thus leaving the door open for young orphan Jason Todd (Nightwing: A Darker Shade of Justice). Brash, crude, egotistical and stubborn, Jason never had a father figure to latch onto and mimic (Nightwing: A Darker Shade of Justice). Unlike young Bruce or Dick, Jason’s super-ego did not hold the reigns in his unconscious. If anything, Jason was and still remains one of the most id driven characters written about in comics, always seeking out self-gratification in any and all forms- murder, sex and destruction (Batman: Under the Hood). The reason the working relationship between Jason and Batman never pans out is because Jason is not looking for a “protector or guardian” (139). Jason’s mission was not to help the helpless; his only possessed a vendetta against all those that had inflicted harm upon himself while growing up (Batman: A Death in the Family). Jason, in Vehaeghe’s terms, is the son who becomes disillusioned and resentful, disbelieving and cynical (135). Yet this hostility and anger will become Jason’s downfall, for after being deceived, he is viciously beaten within an inch of his life before being left to die in an explosion that eventually claims his life (Batman: A Death in the Family). Batman blames himself for Jason’s death and thus swears off his paternal cloak (Batman: A Death in the Family). Yet that does not last long, for clever Tim Drake steps into the picture and convinces Batman to let him wear the green, yellow and red costume (Batman: All in the Family). Tim ushers in a completely new paradigm, forever changing the way Batman and Robin work together. Tim Drake is not an orphan (Batman: Fortunate Son). In fact, he lives with his father, Jack Drake, instead of living with Bruce Wayne like the previous Robins had (Batman: War Drums). In addition, Tim does not done the cape and cowl to avenge a personal grudge; he does it as a hobby (Batman: War Drums). With Batman no longer having to pick up the mantle of pseudo-father, his working relationship with Tim becomes the most fruitful. Yet the vestige of balance between Batman and Tim comes to a crashing halt when Tim’s father is killed (Identity Crisis). Tim turns into a broken shell of a character and he becomes a, “son looking for alternatives… and hoping for protection” (139). Batman, as a result, becomes Tim’s replacement father, caring for him in the exact manner Tim’s genetic father had (Teen Titans: End Game). Surprisingly enough, after watching Jack Drake die, Batman’s efforts to resolve the mysterious murder intensify (Identity Crisis). The death of Jake Drake sits as heavily upon Batman’s shoulders as his own father’s death did countless years ago. Vehaeghe chalks this up to the, “Wish to return to a previous state, to repair the original loss” (148). For the first time in years, Batman actually pushes Robin away, stating how Tim needs to expand his horizons and leave Gotham (Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood). Although Tim knows this is just a ploy to remove him from the place in which his father died, he accepts the post at Bludhaven, making a name for himself in the equally corrupt sister city (Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood). Even though Tim finds himself excelling in Bludhaven, away from the chaotic and heartbreaking memories of Jack, he is always doubting his training and frequently wishes Batman were with him to assist in the cleansing of the streets (Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood). After a particularly nasty incident with Deathstroke that leaves Tim half dead, Batman swoops back in, once again taking up the mantle of protector and father. Truly, Batman is an interesting case when one examines the impact of the father. By internalizing his father’s do-good voice, Batman embarks on an odyssey for justice and subsequently and unwittingly, becomes a father in his own right, caring for three teenagers with incredible abilities. Acting as a mentor and protector, Batman becomes Thomas Wayne- fair and wise, heroic and selfless. With Batman, the father still lives on and judging by his popularity, will continue to live on. Works Cited DeMatteis, J.M. Batman: Absolution. DC Comics. 1987. Dixon, Chuck. Bruce Wayne: Murderer?. DC Comics. 2000. Dixon, Chuck. Nightwing: A Darker Shade of Justice. DC Comics. 1994. Freud, Sigmund. The Id, Ego and Superego. April 2, 2006. Online Available: , 2006. Gale, Bob and Devin K. Grayson. Batman: No Man’s Land v.5. DC Comics. 2001. Johns, Geoff. Teen Titans: End Game. DC Comics. 2005. Jones, Gerard. Batman: Fortunate Son. DC Comics. 1994 Loeb, Jeph. Batman: A Dark Victory. DC Comics. 1989. Loeb, Jeph. Batman: Haunted Knight. DC Comics. 1990. Loeb, Jeph. Batman: Hush v.1. DC Comics. 2001. Meltzer, Brad. Identity Crisis. DC Comics. 2005. Miller, Frank. Batman: Year One. DC Comics. 1988. O'Neil, Dennis. Batman: Tales of the Demon. DC Comics. 1999. Starlin, Jim. Batman: A Death in the Family. DC Comics. 1990 Verhaeghe, Paul. “The Collapse of the Function of the Father and Its Effect on Gender Roles.” Sexuation. Ed. Renata Salecl. Durham: Duke University Press, 2000. 131- 154. Willingham, Bill and Andersen Gabrych. Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood. DC Comics. 2005 Willingham, Bill and Andersen Gabrych. Batman: War Drums. DC Comics. 2004. Winick, Judd. Batman: Under the Hood. DC Comics. 2005.