While protests engulf the United States, one demonstration in Philadelphia took an unexpected turn when Batman himself turned up. While there have been horrendous and heart-breaking scenes throughout the week, this one incident perhaps provided some light relief.
The video footage posted online shows an individual dressed in a high quality ‘Dark Knight’ style batman outfit strolling through crowds and tear gas. It truly was as if Hollywood fantasy and reality merged together in a surreal manner that took everyone by surprise. He was greeted by applause, fascination and a large number of people reaching for their phones to capture the scene.
Batman has arrived at a protest in Philadelphia looking for corrupt police officers pic.twitter.com/LCxbTMlrCI
— Excommunicado (@JudgementDay89) May 31, 2020
Twitter users voiced their opinions:
With no real leadership from @POTUS we needed someone to step up
— $defundthepolice$ (@cantgetnoaol) May 31, 2020
Someone needs to clean up the streets of Gotham
— David Wanda (@worly05) June 1, 2020
🤣🤣🤣 he has been waiting his entire life to break that costume out!!!!
— Courtney Carter (@CP42_888) May 31, 2020
While another user ‘TheFineTruth’ said ‘Bats carry corona’ in reference to the belief that these protests will be a vector for the mass spreading of coronavirus:
Bats carry Corona.
— FineVeritas (@TheFineTruth) May 31, 2020
But some commentators were unsure as to whether the ‘real’ batman would really be on the side of protestors or police:
The funny thing is that people don't realize that if this film were true, would Batman fight the police and the common people or would he face Bane and the "Antifa" to overthrow the Quarantine imposed by Gotham?
— Contemplativo 🐍🚬 (@aquelecara) June 3, 2020
Batman was not however the only DC comics character to make an appearance at protests in the United States - in Minneapolis, the centre of the protests and where George Floyd was killed, Batman’s nemesis The Joker (the Joaquin Phoenix’s version) also appeared dancing and holding a ‘Justice For George’ sign:
The got Batman and Joker at the protests!!! pic.twitter.com/qlIs5te7j9
— Jenny 𖤐 (@imnotjennyg) May 31, 2020
Behind the green hair, white make-up and bright red grin was 36-year-old Joseph Pudwill, a grocery store worker from the city. While it may be curious as to why he chose to play a sociopathic villain as a symbol of social justice Pudwill explained:
“He has become a model of social injustice, the recognition of the tragedies that occur, I have fallen in love with this character and I think today it serves to push the message.”
It is perhaps possible that Batman and The Joker have put their differences aside to fight for a greater good.
While the incidents did bring light relief, it could also be said that they distract from the very serious things that the protestors are gathered for, and the tragedy of police brutality and racism, not to mention the innocents who have died in rioting and the small-businesses burned and looted.
The latest Batman film, directed by Christopher Nolan, in which Batman will be played by Twilight star Robert Pattison, has been put on indefinite hold due to the current CoVid-19 pandemic but hopes remain that filming will be resumed in the near future.
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