TEHRAN-In addition to reinforcing stereotypes of Arab and Muslim villains, comic books and movies based on them address the 9/11 attacks in another way. These attacks are metaphorical as part of a larger plot that places comic book elements and characters within mythological narratives of good versus evil.

As an example, the superhero fantasy of “Batman Begins” (2005) offers a way of incorporating traumatic historical events in a symbolic way that ultimately rewrites them as a narrative of simultaneous triumph and victimization.

Bin Laden on the Gotham streets

Two fatal shots at his parents became an excuse for Bruce Wayne to don a bat-like costume and enter the world of superheroes. As a child, helplessly watching his parents’ brutal murder, Wayne experiences a rage that is common in post-9/11 American culture.

“Batman Begins” is a film that narrates the story of Batman in a different way in the post-9/11 era. Wayne travels to Asia, where he joins a ninja-like group, the League of Shadows, led by Ra's Al-Ghul. After training, Wayne leaves them and returns to Gotham to fight crime due to his differences of opinion with this group. 

“Batman Begins” is obviously rooted firmly in the present and clearly reflects contemporary anxieties about the destruction of the World Trade Center, the ‘War on Terror,’ and the invasion of Iraq. 

The main villain of the movie was Ra's Al-Ghul, the leader of an Oriental and radical group. Although this character was present in comic books in the past (as an Arab), a different story is told about him in “Batman Begins.” He may not be portrayed as a Middle Eastern Muslim, but his appearance and attitudes align with all the classical stereotypes that make him the archetypal Orientalist enemy of Western values.

Ra’s Al-Ghul believes that Gotham City cannot be saved due to the corrupt government system and must be destroyed. He attempts to spread 'fear gas' throughout Gotham and crash an express train into Wayne Tower to destroy the city's infrastructure.

David S. Goyer, one of the writers of “Batman Begins”, told “Creative Screenwriting” magazine: “I think, of the Batman villains, Ra’s Al-Ghul is the most complex. We modelled him after Osama bin Laden. He’s not crazy in the way that all the other Batman villains are. He’s not bent on revenge; he’s actually trying to heal the world. He’s just doing it by very draconian means.”

The use of words such as 'corruption,' 'decadence,' and 'injustice' made Ra's Al-Ghul resemble the leaders of terrorist groups more closely.

Jeff Birkenstein et al. in their book “Reframing 9/11: Film, Popular Culture and the ‘War on Terror’" refer to Wayne Tower and state: “In saving the tower yet crashing the train, Bruce/Batman establishes a fresh covenant for the post-9/11 era.”

Security vs freedom

Among the tragic events that have occurred to comic book superheroes after 9/11, none has been as important and shocking as the assassination of Captain America. This event occurs in issue #7 of “Civil War.” The story revolves around the disagreement among Marvel superheroes regarding a restrictive government law known as the ‘Superhuman Registration Act.’ This legislation divides the superhero community, pitting current heroes and former allies against one another.

The law divides the superheroes into two groups: one led by Iron Man, who supports the Superhuman Registration Act and considers it a guarantee of security, and another group led by Captain America, which considers this law an infringement of civil liberties. The story explores the tension and struggle between these two groups. Marvel comic books now host a new socio-political conflict drawn from the real world.

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. Congress quickly approved the Patriot Act. Like the Superhuman Registration Act from “Civil War”, the Patriot Act violated the rights of certain groups of people. This law gave the U.S. government unprecedented powers to spy on citizens under the pretext of fighting terrorism.

Both in the world of comic books and in the actual world, the necessity and effectiveness of these actions were highly debated. Now, the battle was between security and freedom. These socio-political references earned the comic the attention of The New York Times and many other mainstream media outlets, and the title subsequently became the best-selling comic book of 2006.

The “Civil War” ends with Captain America capitulating because the battle is physically and figuratively destroying the United States. Captain America surrenders, and as Mark Millar—the writer of this comic—states, “Civil War” becomes 'a story where a guy wrapped in the American flag is in chains as the people swap freedom for security.'

In the continuation of the story, when the policemen were transporting Captain America, someone in the crowd shoots him.

The issue of conflict between security and freedom is also present in the movie “The Dark Knight.” In this film, the Joker is portrayed as an irrational and non-negotiable terrorist who kills many people.

Batman uses his company’s technologies to design a surveillance device that illegally spies on the entire city; this is shown to be necessary in order to find the Joker, whom Batman apprehends. Batman has sacrificed people’s liberties (without their consent) in order to protect them; Just similar to what the Bush administration claimed.

The eternal mission of superheroes 

Many superhero stories, whether on screen or in books, reflected the fear stemming from the terrible start of the third millennium in America—an unreliable and unpredictable world. Of course, they did not abandon their 60-year mission. Along with representing the current feelings in American society, comic book authors provided political and social commentary aligned with their government.

Many comic book authors and artists have repeatedly acknowledged the impact of 9/11 on their work. Furthermore, Marvel and DC deliberately chose to capture the emotions of that day and weave future consequences into their storylines.

In these stories that focus on 9/11, comic book publishers created a fantasy sub-world to explore the complex issues following the attacks. They explored the new reality in which American society now lived.

When superhero fans read about the assassination of Captain America or watched Batman fight a new kind of Joker in “The Dark Knight,” they were actually engaging in an analysis of the post-9/11 world.

AH/SAB