Batman: Simplicity at its Grandest

This year I have developed a profound appreciation for Batman as a character, origin story and franchise... and yet, he is nothing without the villains of Gotham City.

This is character creation at its finest.

Bruce Wayne is a man that refuses to move on from a tragedy suffered in childhood. Each villain in the Rogues Gallery exposes a particular weakness or dangerous belief within Batman. He is constantly fighting the kind of scum that got his parents killed.

What this tells us is that not only is the opposition character key to the success of your story but this main character flaw or belief turned desire that prevents closure and moving on. The best of Bruce Wayne / Batman exists in the second act and within this vicious cycle of hero vs. villain. That's where the franchise excels.

If there was no Batman in Gotham City would the villains be as grand? Perhaps they need Batman the same way he needs them. They help enhance each other's value, skill and ambition.

The Batman franchise is a good template to keep in mind when creating your own characters and story world.

Follow its lead:
  1. Have your main character hold a flaw or belief that holds him/her back from personal freedom or resolution.  
  2. Create opposition characters that expose different weaknesses within the main character.
  3. Create a rich environment that offers physical, mental, and spiritual challenges to the main character and fosters villainous behaviour.
Pay tribute to Batman's real creative force Bill Finger and go research the man, his life, and his story. His legacy has had a lasting impact on popular culture and our lives but most people have never heard of him. 

Do great work and learn how to protect it.

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