Tony Stark: The Real Batman

Two characters are constantly being compared to each other by comic book fans. Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, and Bruce Wayne, aka Batman. On the surface one could say that the only thing these two characters have in common is their immense wealth but when you look deeper at the two, you can see that in reality they have a lot more in common than previously thought. In fact I posit that were it not for the death of Bruce’s parents or the injuring of Tony’s body, these two characters would have grown up exactly the same.

Both of these men grew up the sons of billionaires who were considered visionaries and philanthropists. While the Iron Man films show that Tony had a hostile relationship with his father, we cannot assume that Bruce would not have had a similar relationship with his. We really can’t make any assumptions about what sort of relationship the young Wayne had with his parents since they died when he was young and he only sees them through the rose colored glasses of a child. So much of Bruce Wayne’s life revolves around the memories of his parents, there really is no way for him to see anything negative about them. Nobody avenges assholes. So in order for Batman’s crusade to have any meaning at all, Thomas and Martha Wayne must always be sainted individuals.

Tony Stark has no such problem. Tony Stark is Iron Man because in all honesty the Iron Man armor is the ultimate toy. Beyond any hotrod or speed boat, the Iron Man armor is the ultimate thrill ride. It is entirely believable that had Tony Stark not been injured and required to create the arc reactor in his chest to keep him alive, he still might have gone on to invent Iron Man armor and become a hero. Bruce Wayne might still have grown up to be a philanthropist, as the comics and films suggest Bruce is, but without the tragedy of the death of his parents there is no way he would ever become Batman. The Tragedy is the driving engine of Batman. There was a great Justice League storyline where the leaguers were all separated from their alter egos and Batman was not able to function because the memory of his parents’ death belonged to Bruce Wayne.

Bruce Wayne feels he needs to act like a playboy in public in order to hide his true identity. Tony Stark IS a playboy. He drinks and parties and then goes out and saves the world. None of the responsibility of being a hero keeps him from having a good time. He’ll stop mid drink, hop into the armor, beat the bad guy and then come back and finish his drink (though the Iron Man of the comics is in AA but the Iron Man of the movies is still a philandering drunk). There is a sense of joy in Tony Stark’s life that is completely absent in Bruce Wayne’s. The simple fact is Bruce Wayne CAN’T be happy. The character of Batman is so permeated with suffering that any happiness ruins the tone of the character. Even the campy sitcom version of the character did not show Bruce Wayne having a life outside of being Batman, using his position in the community to only facilitate his war on crime, albeit in humorous ways.

Despite so many differences between the characters, they both fill the same roll in their respective worlds. Tony Stark bankrolls the Avengers and acts as their tactical expert; Batman does the same for the Justice League. Both engage in acts of philanthropy and try to help people as much in their civilian identities as they do in their costumed identities. While Tony Stark excels at technological developments, Bruce Wayne is certainly no slouch in developing new tech.

Comparing these two characters brings up an important question about the nature of super heroes. Tony Stark is a hero but without the tragedy that drives Bruce Wayne. And yet they both feel the need to save the world (or in Batman’s case, city). So that leads me to believe that there must be something more than just tragedy that motivates someone to become a hero. A deeper sense of morality. Tony Stark could give up the Iron Man armor, using it only as a really awesome hot rod. Bruce Wayne certainly could have given up being Batman after he brought his parents’ killer to justice (a story line that has been done more than once). So why to they continue on their crusade?

Well the obvious answer is because the readers demand it. We don’t want to see a retired Batman and a dilettante Iron Man. We want to believe in heroes. Humans are flawed beings and we seek out characters in our fiction who do not possess the same flaws we do. Batman never gives up. Iron Man always finds a solution. That is why they are heroes, because they are driven to protect humanity because humanity demands that it has protectors.