‘Aztec Batman’: New superhero movie faces criticism that it is ‘spreading the black legend’

‘Aztec Batman’: New superhero movie faces criticism that it is ‘spreading the black legend’

Batman has already been a samurai infeudal Japan, a knight in King Arthur’s court, and a Soviet anarchist in the USSR. What seemed like the umpteenth twist on the character’s universe — nothing less than a Mexican bat-man during the Conquest period in the animated filmAztecBatman: Clash of Empires, scheduled for release in September — has become the subject of debate abouthistorical memoryin cultural products. Following the release of the trailer last weekend, social media has been filled with comments and fierce criticism, calling the film Hispanophobic and accusing it of “spreading the black legend” for depicting Hernán Cortés and the conquistadors as villains. Mexican artists linked to the genre respond that “it should be taken as a caricature” and that it follows the unqualified protagonist-antagonist archetype typical of the superhero genre.

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