this post was submitted on 15 May 2026
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Uh, source? Several of them are themselves billionaires. They're portrayed as "insane radicals with no care for human life" because they murder many people.
Off the top of my head modern Joker, Anarky (obviously), Poison Ivy (often anti capitalist to preserve nature), Bane (specifically the Dark Knight adaptation), Ra's al Ghul (more of an Eco-fascist)
Most of these are their modern or movie adaptations that portray them heavily as anti capitalist to a degree that is not really leftist; but more as trying to portray any threat to the capitalist structures as only having the end result of totalitarianism. It's a false association of reality to ensure the current systems are still portrayed as "good but flawed". So, any attempt to change those systems is written as worse.
I'm not saying the characters aren't "insane". They are. I'm saying they are written to be insane to portray any threat to the hierarchy of class power as only something insane people would do. They are there to point to real problems of the world and offer only worse solutions. Batman is there to maintain the systems that cause the problems; but "correct" the flaws. It is written to say "the system is not perfect, but don't try to change it, you'll end up so much worse".
Batman is the "justice" that the system pretends to offer. And his villains are a character representation of how the ruling class of society wants to portray anyone that attempts to defy its class hierarchy.
I feel like most of the ones who aren't just murderous psychos are given pretty sympathetic light when they make monologues about their causes. They only get beat up when they start blowing up the city or releasing gases or something. I'm pretty sure these face-offs are mostly written to give the "villains" a platform.
From a narrative perspective, the intrinsic connection Batman has to the inequalities of the system make him an intentional foil for the criticisms from the Poison Ivys in the rogues gallery that make very good points.
If you want comics to be more direct in their critiques, may I suggest The Invisibles, or maybe Transmetropolitan.
You're looking at this from the perspective of the universe the characters are in independent from our own world and the narratives the writers are creating. I think we're having different conversations.
Maybe reread my last comment, I addressed that.
Yeah I was drunk last night when I replied. No idea if I even read it. Lol.