Reisz Batman Returns

Sketch of an Emotional Penguin

            Penguin and Batman share eerily similar problems of abandonment among other psychological problems; however, the conflict and large moral of the story is based on how the two similar characters react and deal with their troubles that really platform the movie. The most obvious similarity is the mutual abandonment from their parents, which ultimately affects who they become and the decisions that they make. However, the important difference here is that Batman’s parents were taken from him, leaving him an orphan, and Penguin was literally abandoned by his parents as child because of his differences. The mental impact on the two is actually similar as they act out of rage and vengeance, whether it is from the dark sewers or by the dark night sky. This is a pivotal point of conflict between the two characters. As Penguin acts out as a villain because of his abandonment and identity crisis, Batman avows to stop villains that murdered his parents to cope with the same issue. With this striking similarity and drastically different coping mechanism, the movie creates one of its vital messages: it is not what happens to you but how you handle it and what you allow to define you. Both Batman and Penguin embark on an identity quest in hopes to find something other than their abandonment to define them.

 However, because they struggle with the same issues a latent sense of compassion is embedded in their hateful battle, which ultimately rubs off on the audience. By creating so many similarities between the two characters, viewers try to skew the lines between good and evil. While we never doubt Batman really, he is not a chaste hero after the first film and continues killing others but justifies it, which does not make him a clear perfect hero. Penguin is inherently evil in his actions but viewers are easily pulled into his sob story of abandonment and make some excuses for his behavior. Sometimes the strange and dark are not as evil as they appear. Batman, for example, is cloaked in black just like the Penguin, which is usually associated with evil things. Yet, he is our “good guy.” Penguin does not hide his face, his deformity, or his childhood troubles despite being introverted like Batman, which usually builds trust with people. Again though, everything is not as clear-cut as it seems. Batman and Penguin’s similarities ultimately create a much more dynamic battle between the two that holds emotional substance to draw viewers in; however, their drastic reactions to events in their lives creates excellent commentary on human nature and how we chose to identify ourselves.