A Hero's Journey: Batman vs. Ulysses

It seems logical to transfer from two of the most famous super-heroes to two of the most famous heroes. So without further ado I present to you Batman and Ulysses!

So why these two?  First they are both true humans in worlds dominated by non-humans (Aliens, super-humans, demigods, ect.). 

Sorry Zeus this one you can't brag about

Ulysses is one of the few Greek heroes who does not have a god as a parent, even more amazing, in Star Wars rivaling twist, Zeus isn’t his father! (You can almost hear Luke shouting in the background).  Instead he comes from the humble beginnings as the son of King Laertes of Ithaca (yes I know not exactly humble but this is Greek mythology everyone was someone important somehow, those from “humble backgrounds” turned out to be demigods or something).

Similarly Batman was also just a man, he trained his body and mind to the point of almost being something more, but he was born a man.  He also has his humble beginnings as the son of the very wealthy Thomas and Martha Wayne (Well the bat mobile wasn’t exactly cheap and kicking butt in the darkness of the night doesn’t exactly pay too well or help productivity the next day).

Still in worlds dominated by those with enormous strength or unique abilities given to them by their godly or other-worldly origins these two “normal” men have not only gained a name for themselves, but rival their super comrades.  Superman highly respects Batman giving him a shard of Kryptonite, his only weakness.  Ulysses wins in a toughest guy in the room competition against Ajax, the grandson of Zeus and cousin of Achilles, to Ajax’s chagrin.

Seriously Superman trusted him with Kryptonite

While both these heroes are strong they also rely on their brains to get them out of trouble.  Batman is called the "World's Greatest Detective" and Ulysses was the one who actually came up with the Trojan horse idea.  This shows that both had as much brain as brawn if not more.

But as we look at these two characters why should one have more of a place in our culture as the other?  Ulysses' tale is told primarily in the Odyssey a long Grecian epic, which I have read and enjoyed, yet it is by no means everyone's favorite.  Let's be honest being assigned to read something takes some of the joy out of it anyway and when that something is 500 plus pages it gets old even faster.

Coolest and Smartest King of Ithaca

In the story Ulysses faces many trials and overcomes them through his intelligence and skill, while at times causing even more trouble for himself (do not insult cyclopses you just escaped from, you never know when their Daddy is actually the god of the sea).  Finally after ten long years of struggle he returns home to find his still devoted wife, (she's been waiting for at least twenty years for crying out loud), loving son, and a bunch of guys all trying to steal his wife, who he kills in righteous anger (you do not hit on the kings wife).  And everyone lives happily ever after, except those who died, but hey the hero made it so it's fine.

In the story of Batman we see the same struggle as he constantly battles against the villains who try to steal, kill, and cause chaos in his city of Gotham.  While not as direct a journey as that of Ulysses it is a journey as we see him transform from the kid who witnessed his parent's murder to the Dark Knight protector of Gotham.  He is a darker hero than that of Superman and other heroes common in comics.  He beats up criminals, is chased by the law at times, and does anything to get the job done short of killing.

Poor young Bruce Wayne 

Batman is a foil to the character of Superman because he is not one to simply follow the law, but create his own at times if the situation calls for it.  He is more of a symbol of cynicism and questioning if what is held as law truly confronts evil and allows justice to prevail.  He is not a perfect man or hero, allowing more of an interaction with the readers as we muddle through the character of the Batman and what he stands for.

Additionally unlike Ulysses who in the end finally makes it home and can relax, there is no end for the Batman.  In the Dark Knight Returns we see an old Batman who tried to retire and live his life peacefully at home, but can't because the evil surrounding him can't be ignored.  In Miller's story I at least sympathized with Batman who had gone on this long journey but even in the end there was no end, just more to be done.

He's too awesome to go away!

What Batman gives that Ulysses lacks is an understanding that troubles do not end.  There will always be more to struggle with and there will always be "bad guys" to defeat.  He also does this in such a way that while representing a fictional world he still is in a way representing our world, and he continues to capture our imaginations even to this day.  

Also while Superman shows a very idealist modern world and point of view, Batman stays modern but shows the darker, harder to answer questions of vengeance, crime, and how it should be dealt with.  In his character we again see the best of the classical with more depth than the first super-hero, Superman, exhibits.  This makes him a valuable as a character to our culture.

But not all characters are all darkness and deep questions.  No Super team is quite complete without he wise cracking, funny guy we all as readers have come to love and respect.  In many ways these expectations are what cause some of the more "sophisticated" to look down on comics, but why when there are so many to choose from in Greek mythology?  

Next is when the Flash meets Hermes, two of the world's favorite troublemakers together at last.  Will anyone survive the encounter?  Probably not...