Semiotic Adaptation Thesis: Batman The Animated Series (1992) vs. The Dark Knight (2008)

Playboy millionaire by day, brooding vigilante by night, Batman has captured the American audience since his debut in 1939. Two of the greatest on-screen incarnations of the Caped Crusader and his home of Gotham appear in the 1992 cartoon, Batman: The Animated Series, and Christopher Nolan's 2008 live-action film, The Dark Knight. While these two adaptations strive to be faithful to the original comic character, their respective Batmans differ in many ways as products of their time.

 Thesis

In Batman: The Animated Series, Batman fights crime with both brain and brawn, thwarting the plots of villains as the world's greatest detective. But often, the crooks of Gotham are pushed to crime by tragedy rather than ill will, and Batman offers redemption whenever possible. Not only do we sympathize with Batman and his allies, but also the everyday citizens of Gotham and even the villains. This grounded adaptation of Gotham draws heavily on noir themes, in relation to the fascination of crime media in the 1990s.

Christopher Nolan's film emphasizes the thrilling, deadly cat-and-mouse game between Batman and the Joker, against the backdrop of a city brimming with terror and mistrust of Batman. Christian Bale's rendition battles internal struggles and much as external, as Bruce Wayne considers the possibility that the Batman is something Gotham no longer needs. The film was released to an American audience that had experienced the war on terror and its repercussions, such as the PATRIOT act, as well as the greatest economic recession in nearly a century. The movie is a reflection of the persistent feeling of dread that lingered over the country, spurred by media portrayals that further divided the country by race, class, and political ideology.

Differences

1992: Batman works closely with the police and is tolerated by the people of Gotham, with only a few exceptions, as he takes on villains and their gangs.

2008: Batman works with the police, but Gordon is the only one that truly trusts him. Many of the cops are dirty as well. Batman is far more polarizing to the people of Gotham, as the movie begins with Batman imitators trying to fight crime and it ends with a manhunt being ordered to detain Batman.

1992: The option of Batman retiring is not on the table. Gotham needs Batman.

2008: Many question, especially Bruce himself, if the Batman is necessary as the city's defender. Bruce Wayne even pushes to put down the mantle by letting Harvey Dent take on crime the "right way" as the DA.

1992: The Joker, while still finding enjoyment in the sinister games he plays with his archnemesis, is motivated by profit as a criminal.

2008: Joker doesn't care at all about money: all he wants to do is break Batman and Gotham's spirit, by destroying their authoritarian power structures and revealing the violent, chaotic nature he believed to be in everyone through mass manipulation.