How The Real-Life 'Robin Hood Of El Dorado' & Zorro Inspired Batman's Vigilante Roots

While gold mining and swashbuckling aren't as prominent nowadays as they were in the eras of Joaquín Murrieta or Zorro, the concept of vigilante justice is one that continues to strike a chord with audiences everywhere. As such, the character of Batman has evolved alongside society's viewpoints and taken inspiration from contemporary morally ambiguous avengers. 

Frank Miller redefined Batman with his 1986 saga "The Dark Knight Returns." The four-issue miniseries showcased an older, grizzled Bruce Wayne, who was largely inspired by the "Dirty Harry" film "Sudden Impact." Similarly, the 2022 film "The Batman" took a page from the New Hollywood film movement that defined the late 1960s and much of the 1970s. In particular, director Matt Reeves was inspired by "Chinatown," starring Jack Nicholson as private detective J. J. "Jake" Gittes. 

Just as the 1974 film sees Gittes' initial investigation lead to a greater discovery of corruption, Reeves saw Batman's journey in a similar — and more personal — light. "'Chinatown' is a kind of metaphor for just how corrupt we are," Reeves says in an interview with MovieMaker. "And so I knew that this story was going to be, as he went on this path, to come to understand these crimes that he's being led on by the Riddler ... it ends up taking him in unexpected ways to something that was incredibly personal." Likewise, 1971's "Klute" and 1976's "All the President's Men" had an influence on the hard-hearted hero of Reeves' film.