The Dark Knight’s Dilemma by Arisya Azizi

“As a man, I’m flesh and blood; but as a symbol… I can be incorruptible.”

— Batman Begins (2005).

The human psyche yearns for a hero. It yearns for a beacon of hope to restore justice in a world plagued by chaos. Throughout history, heroes have inspired revolutions, monuments, cults, and masked vigilantes named after nocturnal mammals. Often, the pursuit of justice forces one to resort to violence as a means to an end. In the real world, political violence continues to rise, reigniting the age-old debate – to what extent is violence justified as a means for change?

The World Health Organization defines political violence as the “deliberate use of power and force to achieve political goals through either physical or psychological acts”, usually through armed conflict. The paradox lies in its end goal, which is peace, or pax per vim — peace through force. A recent example is the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, exposing the exploitative U.S. private healthcare system. On a larger scale, the 1980 Gwangju Uprising in South Korea successfully toppled a military dictatorship, but at the cost of thousands of lives. Brutal methods like this are usually seen as a “necessary evil”, urging the public to confront pressing issues.

In contrast, nonviolent resistance employs negotiation, boycotts, peaceful protests and other similar tactics. Malaysia has a tradition of nonviolent resistance, as seen in movements like Reformasi and BERSIH. Cultural works have also been a powerful platform, such as Mentega Terbang, a film banned for questioning and exploring faith. However, Malaysia’s civic space has been rated as ‘obstructed’ by the CIVICUS monitor, signaling restrictions to civil liberties. Thus, while nonviolent resistance has historically been effective, it is still not enough to dismantle the deeply entrenched systemic barriers that limit our freedom of expression.

A vigilante, like Batman, is a self-appointed individual or group who acts outside the legal system to fight crime. When institutions are too corrupted to function, a vigilante steps in to take matters into their own hands. Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins claims that “a vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification.” The idea that a hero would eventually corrupt his own values is not new, especially if they choose the path of aggression. Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher, echoes his concern in the Tao Te Ching:

”For those who use violence,

inevitably meet violent ends.”

Centuries later, Noam Chomsky, an American intellectual, modernizes this idea by stating that violence eventually corrupts oneself. He urges that if any nonviolent alternative is possible, violence must be rejected completely unless to eliminate a greater evil. In response to this, philosopher Hannah Arendt contends that there are situations where we can consider violence as a politically legitimate option. She believes that “an elevation of concern for the world over concern for oneself” is a symptom of a revolutionary moment. However, she also warns that violence is incapable of creating power after its transition. For example, the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 ultimately replaced one oppressive regime with another. Although violence can be a tool to spark urgency, it fails in terms of stability and creating lasting change.

Maintaining the moral higher ground in conflict is crucial but is an ideal that falters in practice. The ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma’, a fundamental concept in game theory, illustrates this. Two parties must decide between cooperation or betrayal. Betrayal yields a higher individual payoff, while mutual betrayal precedes mutual destruction. Therefore, this mirrors the risk of choosing to be nonviolent in the face of violence, which may lead to exploitation. For example, when The Joker presents Batman with an opportunity to kill him and end his reign of terror, Batman refuses, upholding his commitment to “no killing” over the safety of many others. Sometimes, a rigid commitment to peace can be more self-serving than intended (but perhaps that was just for the plot).

As much as I enjoy gore and violence in films, the real world does not come with a director’s cut. We must not revert to the dark ages of war and bloodshed, where innocent lives are sacrificed in the name of power. From the Palestinian struggle to the crisis in Sudan and the unspoken battles in all corners of the world, these crises should serve as a sobering reminder to the dangers of violent resistance. True change is built on strategy and collaboration, and never pure destruction.