The Patrick Bateman Renaissance
Contains mention of SA and spoilers for Amazon Prime’s The Boys
Christian Bale / Wikimedia Commons
In the past couple of years, the Internet has enjoyed several digital ‘renaissances’. The releases of Spiderman: No Way Home and Tick, Tick... Boom! reinvigorated a universal appreciation for Andrew Garfield, whilst Taylor Swift’s triumphant rerelease of her 2012 album Red unleashed a Swifty avalanche. Yet these unexpected revivals feel benign in comparison to the comeback of Patrick Bateman. Yes, Christian Bale’s portrayal of the villainous protagonist from the 2000 film American Psycho.
One scroll through TikTok or Twitter and you are likely to discover the current ‘memefication’ of Bateman in all its glory. An example that comes to mind is the character solemnly listening to sparkly K-Pop sensations Girl’s Generation on his Walkman. In fact, entire accounts are dedicated to this – and it is not just Bateman who has received a meme makeover. Other famously flawed characters have now followed in this trend. Breaking Bad’s Walter White, The Boys’ Homelander and Mad Men’s Don Draper are just some of the internet’s current favourite sources of ‘memeable’ treasure. At their best, this ironic revival of such characters can be amusing, especially at the thought that such egotistical characters as Bateman would be horrified to have their meticulously curated image pasted into a Family Guy clip. However, this ‘Patrick Bateman renaissance’ raises some uncomfortable observations as to how the internet responds to male villains versus their female victims.
Recent fan reactions to Amazon Prime’s flagship show ‘The Boys’ is perhaps the most visible example of such discrepancies. A show which satirises American celebrity culture and Trumpian politics through the lens of superpowered stars, The Boys features some especially rotten figures. Homelander, leader of the superpowered celebrity posse ‘The Seven’, is designed to be in all regards, terrible. A bloodthirsty narcissist under a gleaming all-American persona, the villain has spent the duration of the series so far causing both the characters surrounding him (and the audience watching) to feel permanently on edge at his violent unpredictability. Yet it is in the third season that this satirical character design has been especially hammered home. It is evident that Homelander is, at his core, an on-the-nose parody of Trump in a Captain America-esque get-up, surrounded by rallying supporters who revel at his war on ‘fake news’ and ‘cancel culture’ to unbelievable extremes. Despite being undoubtedly terrifying, it is understandable why Homelander has become one of the series’ most admired characters amongst fans, on account of Antony Starr’s outstanding performance as well as the show’s slick writing. Fans separate Homelander from Starr with ease, appreciative of the actor’s efforts to bring to life the controversial character on screen.
Yet it is Starlight, the sole member of The Seven still in possession of a functioning moral compass, who has attracted the most online abuse since the show’s conception. A well-meaning superheroine from the Midwest, Starlight quickly becomes disillusioned by her new-found stardom, being subject to ominous threats and sexual assault at the hands of her male teammates. Such a storyline daringly bears similarity to Hollywood’s dark history of casting couches and the lack of responsibility corporations have historically displayed in response to violence against women. However, a single dive into any fan communities on Reddit or Twitter reveals little deviation from the derogatory language adopted by Starlight’s most villainous perpetrators.
Such misogyny within the fan circles recently resulted in a response from Erin Moriarty, who portrays Starlight in the series. The actor opened up in September about the effect the fan reactions to the character had on her, feeling both ‘dehumanised’ and ‘paralysed’ by the misogynistic criticisms. Mysteriously overlooked by fans was the show’s glaring depiction of female subordination and toxic masculinity, in favour of collectively degrading Starlight’s (and ultimately Moriarty’s) appearance and status as a woman. One is reminded of Skyler White from Breaking Bad, demonised as ‘the controlling wife’ of Walter White, whose actress Anna Gunn has similarly spoken of her dismay at the vitriol received from fans. Throughout the series, viewers follow Walter White’s descent into his narcissistic alias Heisenberg as he navigates the criminal underworld. Yet it is Skyler’s supposed ‘crimes’ of being occasionally overbearing and irritating which are held to the same level of moral scrutiny by fans as her husband’s methamphetamine production. Of course, both Skyler and Starlight, like any other well-rounded character, are not meant to be perfect. However, to villainise both female characters for standing up to the morally questionable actions of their male peers as though it is ‘preachy’, ‘whiny’ or worse feels absurd.
Therefore, when stumbling upon discourse surrounding any American Psycho, The Boys, Breaking Bad, or any other macho-heavy piece of media, I can’t help but feel that the line between ironic quips and genuine admiration for these flawed male characters has become precariously blurred. When in the wrong hands, Bateman, Heisenberg, Homelander and more have become the digital mouthpieces for incel culture, their gripes about society met with a resounding identification from impressionable teens lurking on the fringes of internet comments sections. Meanwhile, their violent acts are glossed over by a blind admiration for their supposed bloodthirsty dedication and hard-line attitude to life. In a digital fan culture, which has become increasingly hostile towards perceived ‘wokeness’ and ‘political correctness’, the anti-hero has become the unusual comfort character of the toxic fan. To see these characters be revered whilst their female victims are ridiculed is both disheartening and troubling.
It's difficult to suggest a solution to such a development, given that the nature of fan culture allows for anonymous trolling to run riot with little consequence. And I don’t necessarily suggest frowning at every Walter White GIF from this point forward either. Instead, I for one hope audiences become more mindful as to how they are responding to the actions of male versus female characters in the media they consume, and why there may be a marked difference. Furthering this, that male co-stars and creators continue to take a more active role in defending their female co-stars from vocal abuse. It is the Starlights and Skylers of the entertainment world that make television so engaging in the modern era – to lose female characters that challenge and provoke us as viewers would be a great loss.