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One of the factors that makes The Dark Knight trilogy compelling is the way the villains are developed. Each villain has an agenda that affects Bruce personally; therefore challenging him not only as Batman, but also, as the man behind the mask. We see this challenge take place in every film. In Batman Begins, we find Bruce facing off against villains that force him to confront his fears and overcome them.

One overlying nemesis in the film is the corruption of Gotham’s politicians and law enforcement by the mafia led by Carmine Falcone. His control leaves citizens and good officers of the law, such as James Gordon, hopeless over redeeming the city. With hopelessness, comes fear, something the mob uses to their advantage. As citizens of the city fear those who corrupt it, the corrupt maintain control of the city.

Dr. Jonathan Crane, a mysterious psychologist who operates under the orders of a mysterious villain that is ultimately revealed at the end of the film, utilizes fear to his advantage in a more unique, physical way. Whereas the mob uses intimidation to scare Gotham’s citizens, Crane, under the guise of Scarecrow, uses a toxic gas on his victims to cause terrifying hallucinations to incapacitate them.

In one scene, the Scarecrow unleashes the gas on Batman who falls into a panic attack, displaying his vulnerabilities and weaknesses as a young vigilante. Bruce did intend Batman to be an infallible symbol of Gotham’s redemption; however, at this time in the film, he is still learning how to be that symbol. Therefore, the effects of the gas display that Bruce Wayne is still haunted by his fear and though he has created the Batman to conquer fear and evil, Batman is still vulnerable and human. Ultimately, Bruce is still unable to separate his two personas.

“Your real face is the one that criminals now fear. The man I loved, the man who vanished, he never came back at all. But maybe he’s still out there, somewhere, maybe some day, when Gotham no longer needs Batman, I’ll see him again.” – Rachel Dawes

At the film’s climax, Batman faces off against his former mentor and the mastermind of Gotham City’s impending destruction, Ra’s Al Ghul. Both men are ironically similar to each other. Ra’s trained Bruce and was one of the many aspects that inspired the creation of Batman. More importantly, both men seek to establish a more balanced Gotham. The sole element that stands between these two are the way they perceive the value of life, both of the innocent and the corrupt. This one element is what distinguishes the hero from the villain in the film and therefore requires Batman to defeat his former mentor in order to save his dear city.

In the final scene of the film, it is revealed that a homicidal villain has made their entrance into Gotham City, that villain of course is the notorious Joker, a character that made its debut in Batman #1 in April of 1940. In Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s The Long Halloween, there is a moment where Gordon questions whether or not Batman’s image in Gotham City has instigated the emergence of more eccentric, unstable criminals. Of course Batman’s purpose is to fight evil and rid Gotham City of its criminals, but is Gordon right? This question is addressed in the second installment of the franchise, The Dark Knight.

“Gotham’s time has come. Like Constantinople or Rome before it, the city has become a breeding ground for suffering and injustice. It is beyond saving and must be allowed to die.” – Ra’s Al Ghul

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