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ninarobinson-author · 1 year

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Is the rat the bat? The Batman Riddle Answered

“A rat with wings” sounds a lot like a bat to me. “Something in the way” or in this case is it more like “Something in the Wayne.” Is the choice of song telling us that the Wayne’s are in the way of truly cleaning up the city of Gotham?

Listen to article audio or continue to read below. https://on.soundcloud.com/aJaGf4f4AWxWAMtBA

The Batman is a detective noir and viewers follow the Batman as he attempts to solve the Riddler’s clues and uncover the true meaning of his Riddle. The only problem is Batman is an unreliable narrator. We only see the events in the movie from Batman’s point of view. This can lead to us being just as blind as he is when trying to understand the purpose of the Riddler’s actions and makes it impossible to see Batman’s actions objectively.

Batman could not solve the true Riddle: The rat is the bat! Maybe because he doesn’t want to solve Gotham’s issues! In the movie he is led on a wild goose chase to the next location of where the Riddler will be torturing the next corrupt city official. Wayne has Alfred giving him theories and is misled into a bad interpretation of Spanish that even a second grader would not make. In the movie the riddles only lead him to each "crime” scene. The riddles have already been answered, the Riddler is after the politicians and police who were complicit in crimes aiding Carmine Falcone. In this article, I will disclose the truth of the Riddler’s broader message.

On the surface, it is obvious that Gotham is a dangerous and dirty city. It’s not just the streets nor the drug addicts. Oh no, the dirt and grime go so much deeper than that. The city is so drenched in crime and corruption that it’s not only reached the depths of the mafia underworld but it’s also reached the heights of high society; including the honorable Wayne family and the supposed heroes, the police and the politicians.

The Riddler looks up to Batman as an example of someone who is willing to stand up and do something to improve the city of Gotham. The promises of “renewal” have been thrown around for the past twenty years by politicians looking to get reelected, in truth the renewal fund was drained the day it was donated by the Wayne foundation. The Riddler leads Batman to the truth so the citizens can see what kind of people are actually in control of the city. Members of the police and the politicians attacked the one billion dollar renewal fund like vultures until nothing was left for the people it was originally supposed to help. Perhaps the phrases: misappropriated funds, mismanagement, or embezzlement ring any bells? The mayor pretends to have the city’s best interests at heart, the Riddler seeks to expose the city’s trusted officials true colors to everyone. The citizens have already had their cities’ prosperity stolen from them, don’t they at least deserve the truth?

Edward Nashton has all the necessary experience and raw talent to solve the mystery behind the city’s inexplicable poverty and flourishing criminal activity. The experience of growing up as an orphan gave Edward boots on the ground experience of what life is really like in Gotham for the commoners. Something the grossly wealthy elite such as the Wayne’s could not even begin to grasp. While the politicians only pretend to empathize with its citizen’s woes. This is why the Riddler has loyal followers on the internet.

I have conducted a Cole Sprouse-esque social experimental on Tumblr in the form of a poll. I wanted to see who the people would vote for, the Batman or the Riddler. To my suprise Riddler won there as well. The evidence may be from a small pool but i still think it holds up.

The people have spoken and they relate to the Riddler because he understands the real struggles people are faced with in Gotham. If the elections weren’t just a dog and pony show by the elite, then Edward Nashton would be voted mayor of Gotham.

“Since your justice is so select, please tell us, which vermin you’re paid to protect?” -The Riddler.

Being an accountant gave him the tools to analyze the city’s budget and dissect the actual usage of that money down to the last cent. As it turns out, the city officials are either asleep at the wheel or are fully aware of the harm they are inflicting.

“Tomorrow’s Election Day, and Bella Reál’s gonna win. She’s promised "real change”. But we know the truth, don’t we? You’ve seen Gotham’s true face now. Together, we’ve unmasked it. Its corruption, its perversion, masquerading under the guise of renewal. But unmasking is not enough. The day of judgment is finally upon us. And now it is time for retribution.“ -The Riddler.

Since the city officials have long since turned against its citizens for profit, then it was time the Riddler redirect that violence straight to the culprits themselves, powerful old money wealth such as the Waynes, the police, the politicians, everyone involved in sucking the life out of Gotham like parasites.

It is interesting that Batman was more interested in stopping petty crimes such as thugs and dropheads of the streets, than taking down mob bosses like Salvatore Maroni or Carmine Falcone. If Batman did investigations into Falcone he would have found that Falcone has been running the city for the past twenty years and he might as well be the mayor of Gotham. How can such an obvious fact be hidden from Batman? He has more than enough time, money, resources and willpower to discover the true criminals in Gotham and stop the majority of its crime.

Who is Batman really? Who acts like a double agent, wearing one disguise of Bruce Wayne and another disguise of vigilante Batman? Carefully walking the tightrope between the law and criminality. Who is making under the table deals with the mob and the police? Batman is the rat. He takes information from the mob and rats them out to the police. He uses information from the police to aid his personal vendettas. Batman doesn’t listen to the police, he makes his own rules. Batman is the very definition of a rat. A rat is a dirty beast with the wings of an angel. Batman suits this analogy well. He is something monstrous wearing the mask or in this case the wings of an angel. Batman is not the good guy, like the Penguin, he is a proprietor. Batman is doing business like anyone else. He is not doing some random acts of kindness. Batman is a sole proprietor, he works by himself for himself. He interacts with others for help but ultimately he works for his own agenda.

The Riddler knew Bruce Wayne was the problem. What he didn’t know was that Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same person. If the Riddler knew that fact he would not respect or admire Batman at all. Bruce Wayne has the influence needed to impact those in power and more than enough money to help the city of Gotham.

The late Thomas Wayne attempted to use his spare change of ONE BILLION DOLLARS to aid the city, but to no avail. In the end, the family image was placed above charity. Thomas Wayne chose to do business with criminals.

https://youtu.be/gRjG7pp-sAc

“Giving back is not just an obligation, it’s a passion.” -Thomas Wayne in his mayoral campaign.

Unlike his father, Bruce Wayne doesn’t seem to be doing any philanthropy with his inherited Wayne fortune. Does this mean that there is something or someone stopping him from doing so? Bruce Wayne has no intention to truly solve the problem with Gotham but would rather treat the symptoms of the cause but not solve the real issue. The Riddler is not offering any answers but only leading people to the truth. Could Batman be hiding the truth that he is the problem with Gotham, or at least a big part of it? The problem with Gotham can be narrowed down to a few big factors; corruption of public officials, underworld crime, and extreme wealth imbalance. The Wayne’s have a finger in all three of these contributing factors.

Both Batman and the Riddler want to help the city of Gotham but who is more unbiased in their position? Edward Nashton has nothing to gain and nothing to protect. Bruce Wayne has his family name to protect, which offers him a special place at the top of high society and he has his cushy wealth that keeps him more than comfortable. Despite what he may say, he has the power to use his powers as a Wayne and the Batman to ensure the city stays the way that it is, so that he can continue to benefit from a life that is built on the misery and ignorance of the poor people of Gotham.

Batman chooses to use violence to beat up petty criminals. The same criminals who his Wayne family wealth subjugates.

The Riddler is inspired by Batman to use violence to punish the white collar criminals that no one else can, due to their untouchable elite status.

The Riddler makes a bigger difference than Batman because he is directly targeting the criminals who are making life a living hell for everyone in Gotham, including the criminals Batman is beating up on. The Riddler knows that the petty criminals of Gotham are just a symptom of the whales with all the power, money and prestige. The elite think that they won’t be held accountable because they are upheld highly in the media. The elite own the media and can get the public to believe any story they want. The Riddler uses the same media that the elite weaponized, to expose them for who they really are by unmasking the slimy public officials. The people of Gotham have been brainwashed into a stockholm syndrome scenario where they worship and vote for the people that couldn’t care any less about them. Batman works with the corrupt police to protect his own interest. Everyone in Gotham with power or money has a grubby hand reaching out for their slice of the pie. The public is entirely ignorant of this hidden business world that lies behind the veil of politics and public displays of false philanthropy.

The Riddler is the hero of the people while Batman is the protector of the elite.

Edward Nashton is a lower class commoner who fights for the basic human rights of the common people. Human rights such as clean food and water, a warm roof over the heads of babies, and living quarters for orphan’s without the presence of vermin.

Bruce Wayne is an upper class elite who protects the business interests of the elite. Business interests such as mayoral campaigns, police interests, and any threats to the well being of corrupt politicians.

This is a villain’s view of "The Batman” 2022 movie. Do you have a film theory of “The Batman?” You can submit your theories on the Villainism Tumblr page.

Article written by Nina Robinson, author of novel “Villainism”, via villainism.com

#bruce wayne #the batman theory #the riddler #edward nashton #dcu #villains #villain #bruce wayne ff #bruce wayne fanfic #dc comics #villainism #nina robinson #the batman #la rata alada #a rat with wings

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