How would Batman recommend that a non-billionaire who doesn’t have a Batmobile or a suit of power armour go about stopping evil CEOs? Obviously Batman isn’t unilaterally opposed to vigilante actions, but how does Batman think vigilantes ought to operate against people who have so much power?
Batman isn’t about trying to inspire others into becoming vigilantes, he’s trying to protect innocent people and clean up a corrupt system. He wouldn’t want people playing judge, jury and executioner, he’d want the legal system to do its fucking job and hold those CEOs accountable for their actions.
He does also use his wealth and influence to address problems which can’t be solved by punching someone in a dark alley. He funds charities that help the poor, tries to help ex cons find legitimate work, and tries to ensure that his company is a force for good in the world.
Most Batman media isn’t going to focus on something like healthcare policy, or stories in which he tries to fight for political change through lobbying and donations. That has less to do with who Batman is and more to do with types of stories that most audiences want to see, and that the writers (and their bosses) want to tell. But I think it would be likely that Bruce Wayne would be politically active and would be trying to support grass roots organizations fighting for positive change. And he’d likely try to recruit honest reformers to run for political office with his backing (much like he did with Harvey Dent in several iterations of Two-Face’s origin) so that they could address local problems in the short term and potentially advance to higher office where they could act on a larger scale.
I think that’s the kind of action he would encourage others to take (if they aren’t in a position to act more directly like a whistle-blower or someone with legal authority). I think he’d suggest doing whatever is in your power to help others in your community, and to encourage others to do the same. He’d probably argue that violence seems more effective because the consequences are immediate, but that it is ultimately self defeating in the long term. That committing murder not only hurts your cause but that it also throws away your future and with it a lifetime of good that you could have done. That the hopelessness we feel in the face of the problems around us is part of how the corrupt hold onto power, filling people with fear and apathy until they no longer see a point in trying to make a difference. That each of us can make a difference and that we can inspire others to do the same.
I don’t think he’d point out the fact that the war on crime and corruption that he’s dedicated his life to is a sisyphean task that will never be complete. But I do think that would color his perspective a bit.
In universe? I wouldn’t say that Batman is anti corporate espionage. He’s constantly breaking the law, just with a few caveats (no killing, not to victimize innocent people, etc). He’d probably tacitly support, or at least not pursue quite so vigorously, competent vigilanties who steal records for publication, intimidate crooked CEOs, and destroy company infrastructure.
How would Batman recommend that a non-billionaire who doesn’t have a Batmobile or a suit of power armour go about stopping evil CEOs? Obviously Batman isn’t unilaterally opposed to vigilante actions, but how does Batman think vigilantes ought to operate against people who have so much power?
Batman isn’t about trying to inspire others into becoming vigilantes, he’s trying to protect innocent people and clean up a corrupt system. He wouldn’t want people playing judge, jury and executioner, he’d want the legal system to do its fucking job and hold those CEOs accountable for their actions.
He does also use his wealth and influence to address problems which can’t be solved by punching someone in a dark alley. He funds charities that help the poor, tries to help ex cons find legitimate work, and tries to ensure that his company is a force for good in the world.
Most Batman media isn’t going to focus on something like healthcare policy, or stories in which he tries to fight for political change through lobbying and donations. That has less to do with who Batman is and more to do with types of stories that most audiences want to see, and that the writers (and their bosses) want to tell. But I think it would be likely that Bruce Wayne would be politically active and would be trying to support grass roots organizations fighting for positive change. And he’d likely try to recruit honest reformers to run for political office with his backing (much like he did with Harvey Dent in several iterations of Two-Face’s origin) so that they could address local problems in the short term and potentially advance to higher office where they could act on a larger scale.
I think that’s the kind of action he would encourage others to take (if they aren’t in a position to act more directly like a whistle-blower or someone with legal authority). I think he’d suggest doing whatever is in your power to help others in your community, and to encourage others to do the same. He’d probably argue that violence seems more effective because the consequences are immediate, but that it is ultimately self defeating in the long term. That committing murder not only hurts your cause but that it also throws away your future and with it a lifetime of good that you could have done. That the hopelessness we feel in the face of the problems around us is part of how the corrupt hold onto power, filling people with fear and apathy until they no longer see a point in trying to make a difference. That each of us can make a difference and that we can inspire others to do the same.
I don’t think he’d point out the fact that the war on crime and corruption that he’s dedicated his life to is a sisyphean task that will never be complete. But I do think that would color his perspective a bit.
In universe? I wouldn’t say that Batman is anti corporate espionage. He’s constantly breaking the law, just with a few caveats (no killing, not to victimize innocent people, etc). He’d probably tacitly support, or at least not pursue quite so vigorously, competent vigilanties who steal records for publication, intimidate crooked CEOs, and destroy company infrastructure.