Movie and TV Wiki
Register
Advertisement


Main Article
Image Gallery

Overview[]

A fearsome vigilante who lurks in the shadows and preys on criminal scum, he is the mysterious Batman of Gotham.

In the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film, he is portrayed by Ben Affleck.

Background[]

Detective Comics 27

The Dark Knight Begins
Detective Comics #27 (May, 1939)

One of the longest and most popular and enduring comic book icons in history, the Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. He first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May of 1939 as part of the Golden Age of Comics.

Batman was created deliberately as a contrast towards the biggest superhero of the era, Superman. While Superman is costumed in bright primary colors of blue and red; Batman is garbed more subdued and shadowy colors and deliberately conceals his face. Further, Batman possesses no superpowers of his own save for his brilliant mind and superior physical training. He was a deliberate throwback to the pulp heroes of old such as the Spider, the Shadow, and Zorro―that of an ordinary man doing the extraordinary through a combination of honed skill and extraordinary will and drive and has earned various sobriquets as the "World's Greatest Detective", "The Caped Crusader", and "The Dark Knight".

As a child of wealth and privilege in the fictional Gotham City, Bruce Wayne saw his father and mother murdered by a common mugger who fled the scene, leaving him an orphan. He subsequently vowed to avenge them and relentlessly trained himself both physically and mentally over the next decades in various martial and physical arts, criminal psychology, and detective skills.

However, his first outing as a masked vigilante was a wretched failure. He realized that criminals simply weren't scared of him and that he needed to be something darker and more terrifying than that of a mere man when a bat came flying into his study at that critical moment and startling him. Afterwards, he created a bat-like cowl and scalloped cape as well as playing up the bat-theme as ... the Batman to prey on superstitious and cowardly criminals' fears and using his family's vast wealth to fund his neverending crusade against the cowardly superstitious criminal underworld; creating an arsenal of advanced tools, gadgets, and equipment to assist him.

Villians-and-Batman-Friends-113988

The Knights of Gotham vs Gotham Villains

Batman would be soon joined by Dick Grayson, the first of an array of teenage sidekicks who would adopt the alias of Robin the Boy Wonder in 1940 and would grow into a large and eclectic stable of supporting characters from Commissioner James Gordon and his daughter, Barbara Gordon who was inspired to take up the identity of Batgirl; Detective Harvey Bullock; his loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth; and Ace the Bat Hound while he would become synonymous with his arcane weapons and equipment such as his utility belt, the signature Batarangs, and Batmobiles. In addition, he would gain a vast rogues gallery featuring the Penguin, Catwoman, the Riddler, the Scarecrow, Ra's al Ghul, Two-Face, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, and of course; his greatest and persistent archnemesis―the Joker.

Batman would serve as a core member of the DC Universe for decades alongside such greats as Superman and Wonder Woman and is a long time member of the Justice League as well. He is one of the few Golden Age characters who has remained in regular publication throughout the decades, along with his long-time friend, rival, and ally Superman.

He has been consistently ranked as one of the greatest comic book characters of all time and as a consequence of his immense popularity; has been adapted numerous times into various media over the decades including newspaper comic strips, radio, film serials, animated cartoons, live action television series, and major motion pictures.

Major Plots[]

Personality and Traits[]

Appearances[]

Films[]

Trivia[]

Quotes[]

  • "I bet your parents taught you that you mean something, that you're here for a reason. My parents taught me a different lesson, dying in the gutter for no reason at all... They taught me the world only makes sense if you force it to." ―Batman to Superman; Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
  • "You're not brave... men are brave. You say that you want to help people, but you can't feel their pain... their mortality... it's time you learn what it means to be a man." ―Batman to Superman; Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Other Versions[]

  • Batman (Super Friends)
  • Batman (Adventures of Batman)
  • Batman (The Batman)
  • Batman (Batman: The Brave and the Bold)
  • Batman (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths)
  • Batman (Legoverse)
  • Batman (Batman: Assault on Arkham)

Related Pages[]

Affiliations[]

Batman Legacy Characters[]

Significant Locations[]

Advertisement