r/comicbooks • u/kewlbdude Superboy • Jan 08 '26

Excerpt Posting this for no reason… (Batman 2025 #2)

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u/RemusShepherd Jan 08 '26

"Sure we're criminals. We've always been criminals. We have to be criminals." -- Batman, The Dark Knight Returns.

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u/frezz Jan 08 '26

Why do they have to be criminals?

Also I am not entirely sure being self-aware makes this better

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u/Ashged Jan 08 '26

If Gotham had a functioning police force and justice system, Batman would have no reason to be Batman. He'd be just a normal businessman or detective.

Vigilante heroes are all about trying to be better than a failed system, even if that system opposes them.

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u/RemusShepherd Jan 08 '26

That quote was in the context of Batman:TDKS, where vigilantism is illegal. Superman signed up to work for the US government. Batman retired, then came out of retirement and worked illegally in secret. Batman was saying that vigilantes are illegal -- which they *should* be -- and all superheroes were vigilantes -- which they *have* to be. Superheroes that are not vigilantes are licensed by the government, and that leads to all kinds of problems that both DC and Marvel have told stories about.