Perhaps it’s because America sees itself as a superpower in charge of protecting the world that it often expresses its cultural values through fictional superheroes. Superman, the Adam of all superheroes, fought for truth, justice and the American way while wearing red white and blue spandex.

Now, of course, we are awash in superhero films, from The Incredible Hulk to Iron Man, but we seem to be entering a period of superhero revisionism. Films like The Incredibles and X-Men 3 looked at the broader implications of a society where a small group of people have absurdly disproportionate power. This summer has already seen Hancock, about an alcoholic superhero in need of a PR makeover. And in March 2009, comic book fans will finally get to see the film version of the The Watchmen, the Catcher in the Rye of graphic novels (which The Incredibles borrowed from).

The film of the moment is, of course, The Dark Knight, which grossed more than $158 million in its opening weekend.

Set in Gotham — which, unlike the Tim Burton films of the ’90’s, is noticeably filmed in Chicago, and looks pretty much like every-city USA — things start out on the up-and-up. Batman has made the city safe for reformer politicians like Harvey Dent, and criminals are reduced to small time chicanery like money laundering.

With the exception of the Joker (played brilliantly by the deceased Heath Ledger), who doesn’t care about money and, in his own words, is only “an agent of chaos.” It’s an unavoidable fact that in The Dark Knight, the Joker is a terrorist. He’s not quite like an Al-Qaeda volunteer because the Joker isn’t driven by a religious belief, the promise of an afterlife, or the plight of his people. The Joker represents terrorism washed of any politics whatsoever. While terrorists usually want to instill fear and chaos as a means to some sort of political end, fear and chaos are the end for the Joker.

The Joker dominates the film, mostly because of Ledger’s magnetic performance. But Batman, played by Christian Bale, is actually the protagonist and the movie’s ultimately about how Batman responds to this “new kind of criminal” (i.e., a terrorist), and the various lines that he’s willing to cross. These include beating people up for information, illegally kidnapping a foreigner from China, and spying on civilians through their cell phones.

But the most interesting thing is how much Batman seems to be the cause of all the problems. While in the beginning, all seems well in Gotham, it’s clear that Batman has been a catalyst for some unintended changes — like the copycat Batmen that dress up in cheap costumes and try to fight crime, albeit poorly. If one masked vigilante is allowed to run amuck, why not more? And even though Batman has kept the mob in check, he’s also inspired the Joker to become his foe. The film suggests that it was Batman’s monomaniacal hunting of the mob that forced them to hire the Joker in the first place. Batman’s unwillingness to stop being Batman, or to kowtow to the Joker’s demands, indirectly leads to the death of the girl he loves, the disfigurement of Harvey Dent, and ultimately, to his becoming a pariah.

Even though Batman wants to make Gotham safe, he spends most of the movie actually making it less safe. He pretends to have the moral high ground but will stop at very little in order to capture the Joker. And he ends up as an outcast. Does that sound like any current world leader you know?

On the other hand, one might argue that The Dark Knight is a sort of apologist for the Bush Administration. After all, the illegal methods that Batman uses do work. The film ends with Batman volunteering to play the role of the bad guy and pretending to be the villain for the greater good. Is that how the filmmakers see the United States — as the country that does the world’s dirty work and is strong enough to be hated for it?

It’s a pretty ignorant point of view, and I doubt it’s what the filmmakers were trying to say. It’s more likely that the illegal wiretapping works because it’s an easy plot point, and Batman ends up hated in order to set up the next installment, which will no doubt focus on Batman’s redemption.

The Dark Knight is far from perfect. The plot has a few two many character arcs. The mix of realistic Gotham and outlandish superhero technology is jarring. And why the hell does Batman sound like Louis Armstrong wearing a retainer? But it’s a surprisingly nuanced take on the War on Terror.

Hillel Aron

Photo by Peter Baker