Deadly Tradition

Anyone who is familiar with Batman probably knows about the Joker. The Dark Knight's nemesis is one of the most widely recognized villains in all of literature. The war between the brooding hero and the smiling murderer has stretched decades (dating back to the first issue of Batman, which was released in the spring of 1940). Almost any adaptation of the iconic comic book hero that is Batman features the Joker at some point, he has appeared in movies (played by notable actors such as Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Mark Hamill), television series, and a host of spin-off comic books. As humorous as the struggle between these two characters is often depicted (with the exception of The Dark Knight), in the comic books it has been given a much darker treatment. The Joker has evolved from the manic clown I grew up watching, the crazy villain with absurd plots seemingly aimed at nothing more than getting a few laughs...now he is a completely insane mass murderer. This escalation in the battle between good and evil has twisted things in a deadly matter. Gone is the man who in the cartoons was obsessed with trifles such as a patent for absurd fish , instead he has been replaced by an inhuman representation of evil, one who isn't afraid to get personal. In addition to the many civilians he has killed in the course of his war with Batman, the Joker has hit a lot closer to home, killing Jason Todd (the second Robin) and paralyzing Barbara Gordon (the first Batgirl and daughter of Batman's ally Commissioner Gordon).


In spite of this intense personal enmity, Batman chooses to stay on the straight and narrow path (though he has on occasion come close to giving into the temptation to deviate from pursuit of justice to pursuit of vengeance when it comes to the Joker). As such I felt it tied in with the recent discussions I have been involved with in regards to just war. In class this week we talked about the ethics of war: is war just? what makes it just? etc etc.


The Biblical take on this is actually a bit confusing to me, to be honest. First of all, the Ten Commandments say 'thou shalt not kill'...though this is often translated as 'thou shalt not murder'. Is this distinction key? It seems like it might, after all killing in the context of war is far different from murder. In the Old Testament the Israelites are frequently engaged in war, often at the behest of God. Additionally somebody pointed out to me that there is rather pro-war implications in the story of King David (described as a man after God's own heart), and Bathsheba. For those of you unfamiliar with this episode (David's one real screw-up), David sees a woman (Bathsheba), lusts after her, sleeps with her and gets her pregnant, tries in vain to cover this up and when unable to, has her husband killed...adultery and murder all in one story, QUITE the screw-up. This episode begins in 2 Samuel 11:1 "Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem." David was not supposed to be in Jerusalem, as king of Israel he was supposed to be at war. While this episode clearly speaks out against adultery and the murder of Bathsheba's husband, it says nothing against war, instead hinting that David should be fighting. The Old Testament is full of violence, that often leads to death at the hands of God's people. David became king after Israel's first king, Saul, disobeyed God...by taking prisoners in war instead of killing them. This all takes place after the handing down of the ten commandments. It seems to me in the context of the Old Testament war is not at all wrong, instead it is often necessary.


However in the New Testament things are different. When questioned in Matthew 22:36 on what commandment is greatest, Jesus lays down two new laws (essentially a summation of the first and second half of the ten commandments), saying: "’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." Love and war are not something I can easily reconcile. Love of neighbor certainly doesn't include killing them, especially when the parable of the Good Samaritan shows us that our neighbors can/should be our enemies.

Take three on this: the New Testament commands us to submit to earthly authorities. Romans 13:1-2 points out that our government authorities have been appointed their power by God and as such we are to submit to them, for if we resist them we are resisting what God has set over us. So if the United States government chooses to go to war, is that ethical from a Christian perspective? Yes the Bible tells us to love our enemies and our neighbors and not kill...but we are to obey our governments as well. Of course this doesn't mean we should stop loving our enemies...but if the government declares war it seems that God says we are to support this. This point seems to be the one most relevant to the discussion of Batman. Oddly enough the Dark Knight's war with the Joker was mentioned in two of the three DC comic books (most of my comic book devotion going towards Marvel) I actually read that were released this week, Chris Yost's Red Robin and Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin . In Red Robin #6, the titular hero and new alter ego of Tim Drake has taken charge of a group of assassins in order to protect them from another group of killers (very complicated stuff). In an inner monologue discussing what he is doing Drake says of helping the assassins, "Part of me says they deserve it. They're reaping what they sow. But I push the thought aside. If that's how we worked, the Joker would be dead a thousand times over. That's the rule, and I hold on to it. I'm going to hold on to it forever, no matter what." Make no mistake, the war of crime that Batman and his allies fight is a war...but it is not one mandated by the government. As such, any deaths they might bring about would be murder, and as such would be against God's law regarding murder, the one law they refuse to compromise on. Morrison makes this even more explicit in issue #6 of Batman and Robin. In this issue Batman's opponent is Jason Todd (somehow resurrected), who in an odd twist has taken up the mantle of the Red Hood (the original alter ego used by the Joker). Another villain, the Flamingo, has been sent to kill the Red Hood, yet he is defeated by Jason and seemingly killed. In the aftermath, only three Robins are left (1. Dick Grayson, the original Robin, and the current Batman 2. Damian Wayne, the current Robin and son of the original Batman, 3. Jason Todd, the second Robin and current Red Hood). Jason yells at Batman "Just remember, tonight I did something even Batman couldn't do. I beat my arch-enemy." This clear reference to the Joker is followed by the appearance of Commissioner Gordon, who arrests the Red Hood, telling him that "We only let Batman do what he does because he keeps it on the right side of the law...you're a murderer. And I'm taking you to jail..." Batman's war in the name of justice is allowed because he doesn't violate the law. Morrison's story here parallels the issue discussed in regards to just war. It is permissible so long as the government allows it, otherwise it is wrong. While there are plenty of other arguments, this seems to be the only real criteria that matters in regards to war: submit to authorities.

Like Dr. David Corey said (paraphrased of course), "the just war tradition is reflection in concert to make sense of an enduring puzzle. The puzzles are the tradition, the answers are evolving." Perhaps this issue must evolve constantly, but I think the point of submission is important. Murder is wrong, but war can be right if the government declares it so...of course one must question what makes the war right rather than blindly accept what the government says, but we should submit to God in everything, and in doing so submit to the authorities he has placed over us. If the authorities say it is wrong to kill, even when killing the Joker would save lives, there is nothing we can do to justify killing.

'Nuff Said!
-Cable

P.S. I will hash out this issue of submission in future posts...while we should submit to authority, that doesn't mean authority cannot be wrong.