#ive been stewing in aggravation about characterization for a long while now

[dickie-gayson]

The Batman Effect

I’ve been sitting on this thought for a while and figured I’d finally share it. I’m calling it the ‘Batman Effect’ bcus I’ve noticed it occur most notoriously with Batman - tho it’s present with other characters in varying pieces of media ofc.

‘What is The Batman Effect?’ you may ask. Well, I’ll tell you!

The Batman Effect is when a character is propped up on a sort of pedestal and the characters around them suffer in characterization. Whether it be competence, skill, intelligence, personality, etc. See where I’m going with this (and why I chose B-man)? This is kinda lengthy, so I’m putting it under a cut.

For Example:

Dick Grayson: We know he’s hypercompetent. He made an excellent Batman himself. He’s won numerous fights against extremely difficult enemies. He’s led arguably some of the most - if not the most - teams in the DCU. However, once Batman - Bruce specifically - steps into the picture, his competence drops dramatically. 

He’s a mild example.

You ever notice how irritating it can be when Batman or another such popular character enters a title/scene bcus somehow they seem to outdo everyone even when they feasibly shouldn’t? 

‘But he’s The Batman!’ you may cry.

Yeah. That’s the point I’m making. He was never this bad. Never a point of such intense flanderization until he reached critical popular success. He’s been a staple for decades, yes. But he was...manageable. Real. That’s the downside of fame. Once a character hits a certain point of fame they lose the ability to, well, lose. They have their faults but those faults are almost never larger than the faults of those around them. They take precedence.

Let’s take it a step further. 

Those in association with Batman seem to get a sort of...boost from the writers (depending on the writer) that causes them to give that ‘Batman Effect’ to those around them. Everyone is fine and then a Batfamily member enters the scene and suddenly the power dynamic shifts. It’s centered on That Person. Competence fluctuates unfairly. It drives me absolutely nuts. This works with other non-Bat characters, of course. If That Character™ has others associated with them, then those associates get a sort of unfair boost as well (but never greater than That Character™).

There seems to be a sort of hierarchy too. When multiple Bats are around, it depends on A) Which Bats are present and B) Who the writer is. Damian gets an unfair boost due to being Bruce’s ‘blood son’ - which is just ridiculous (ily Dami). It gets more complicated when it involves other Big Name Heroes (such as Supes, Hal, Flash, etc.) Then you need to take into account which Bat(s) are present and which Big Names are around. If the Bat ‘outranks’ that Big Name (in the eyes of the writer) then BOOM, Batman Effect. 

Need a more extreme example?

How about...Selina Kyle. I love here but how in the ever-loving fuck did DC justify her being able to take down multiple running speedsters without a single problem? 

That makes no sense at all. I still get angry just thinking about that tbh. There isn’t a single feasible reason she’d be able to see them and land a hit that they wouldn’t notice and dodge OR get massively injured/killed due to hitting something that’s moving at super speed. She’s tied to Batman and was engaged to him in that comic. Therefore she must be able to do such feats! -sarcasm- The Batman Effect. 

Characters get demoted to ‘sidekicks’ to the Bats once they’re on the scene. Example: Jason Todd and Roy Harper. Ever since Outlaws, Roy has been intrinsically tied to Jason and only Jason, reduced to ‘Jason’s bffl’ and ‘Not As Good As Jason’ despite his incredibly rich and complex history, very notable skills, and many ties to other heroes/teams. Koriand’r too. I am not getting into that. 

‘But you’re a Dick Grayson/Batfamily stan! You should be happy!’

No. No, I am not. Not in the slightest. I like proper, realistic characterization that doesn’t shit on other characters just bcus someone rocks a Bat-symbol. I have many favorites that aren’t Bats. EVERYONE deserves fair characterization. I can openly admit that Dick Grayson gives off The Batman Effect when around many other characters (never Bruce, tho. Gotta remember he’s tHe BaTmAn™). Just bcus he’s my favorite doesn’t mean I appreciate it. I want him and those around him fairly and accurately portrayed (that’s a rant of a different time).

It’s also most noticeable when it’s someone's main title. I understand that since it’s a character’s title comic it should be in their favor. However, I don’t think it should be unfairly in their favor. The writers have to make it work without pushing characters down low. There’s no reason to degrade or dumb down a character just to make another look good. If you have to do that then you aren’t doing the story or the characters justice. Something isn’t working with what you’re writing.

‘Are there any other examples?’

Ohhhh plenty. The most notable is: Big Name Heroes/Villains vs Legacy/B-list/Lesser-Known Heroes/Villains. If you’re against a fan favorite or pop culture icon then big fuckin RIP to you. Things get weighed in the former's favor bcus they’re The Money Maker. Regardless of the skills/abilities of the other characters, the more popular ‘Money Maker’ usually finds a way to come out on top UNLESS it’s ‘For The Plot’ to lose. They get flanderized in a way that isn’t fair. It doesn’t just make the other characters suffer, it makes them suffer too. I’m actually to the point where I can hardly stomach Bruce being in anything bcus the inevitable downgrade of those around him. 

Like stated earlier, there’s a Hierarchy. It's almost like a popularity contest any more or the writer’s personal feelings on the character(s) and not their established characterization :/ 

‘They’re trying to make money! It’s a job, after all!’

They can make money without destroying their characters. Yes, even the greatest will one day fall bcus people will just get sick of them. Like I said, every character suffers from this. 

I can list so many characters who’ve lost good portions of themselves to this phenomenon - whether being the one causing the Batman Effect or the one targeted by it. It’s almost heartbreaking.

This, of course, isn’t just a DC problem. It’s liable to happen in any comic or any piece of media. And, again, this doesn’t always happen but it’s enough of a problem that I almost dread reading certain titles with certain characters for fear of the characterization due to the pair-ups. Sometimes it’s not all bad. Not every writer does this, thankfully. It’s just prevalent enough to be a problem for me. Hence, this post. 

So, from now on, when I see shit happen in comics/tv/movies/etc with characters that make no sense other than to make one look better than the others, I’m marking it down as The Batman Effect.