Why the Batman's money can't put an end to crimes in Gotham

Halfway through The Batman, the standing candidate for mayor, Bella Reál (Jayme Lawson), addresses a common argument against Bruce Wayne, played by Robert Pattinson: Since Bruce is a wealthy man living in a poor neighborhood, why isn’t he doing more to help out for the city’s betterment?

In the film's election plotline, Reál is portrayed as Gotham’s pragmatic candidate running against an incumbent with presumably corrupt links, but her Bat-takes are just dull, despite her undoubtedly strong political stances.

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Why can't Batman end Gotham's crimes with his money?

This question arises repeatedly when factors like rent and the overriding lesson of events are considered. But this is completely irrelevant in the Caped Crusader's world.

Quite plainly, this is a naive judgment that appears pointed. After decades of art that supported their unjustified sentiments of greatness, the wealthy elite is now coming under public criticism, a notion definitely fostered by the mythos of Batman and Bruce Wayne.

The Wayne heir is most typically depicted as the "good guy with a gun" to billionaires, which any half-decent analyst would quickly recognize, making it a tedious read, because the solution to this question — which is typically used as a bizarre catch — assumes that a better way exists for him to spend his money and achieve his aims than "punching the mentally ill." All this proves to be untrue.

Essentially, he can't simply just use his money to kill crime because that ignores both the aspect of reality — where a criminal class does not even exist, only an evolving body of policy and laws that disallows and marginalizes an ever-changing set of people — and the precise, fantasy purpose of the stories.

Fans of the comics are well aware that Batman routinely seeks other solutions to the issues of "crime."

Although rather unfortunate, Bruce Wayne is not really a genuine billionaire, but a juvenile fantasy of one, with a butler who can do anything you don't want him to do and a big T. Rex in his clubhouse.

Gotham is a fictitious city that is built to be so damaged that rogue superheroes seem to be the only reasonable alternative since nothing else really works. And if there is a mental condition with characteristics that emerge as a "freakishly competent murder clown," it isn't included when you compare it to real psychology.

This goes on to reason why the Batman couldn’t just end all the crimes in Gotham city with his wealth. Yet, with there being multiple universes, there could also be many possibilities where he wakes up to realize he could use all his money to turn the crime-city around. What do you think the Dark Knight would do if he could save his city once and for all?

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Note: This article reflects the views of the writer.