May 1939,Batman is born.
Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, our favorite caped crusader first appeared in Detective Comics#27 and proved to be so popular he was bumped to his own self-titled on-going comic book series. Since then he has become one of the most well known and most followed of DC superheroes. But what is it about everyones favorite Caped Crusader that has captured the imagination and adoration of generations of fans? what is it that allowed Batman to withstand the test of time and still come out "KAPOW"-ing in 2012?
Moulding the Bat
"You've eaten Gotham's wealth. Its spirit. But your feast is nearly over. From this moment on, none of you are safe."
-Batman
The early years of Bruce Wayne's life set him on the path that would end with him donning the iconic cowl. When his parents were murdered in front of him, Bruce swore an oath then to avenge them, an oath that led him on a journey that took him to every continent on earth as he sought to learn the skills he needed to keep his vow. He studied criminology, forensics, and criminal psychology, chemistry & physics, computer science, foreign language (he speaks Arabic, mandarin Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and English), He learned from man-hunters and martial artists, mastering every fighting style. In time, Bruce forged himself into a living weapon to wage war on crime and injustice.
To truly understand Batman we must first understand one thing, Bruce Wayne died the day his parents were murdered. He might have walked into that alley but only Batman walked out.
Witnessing the death of his parents irrevocably changed the young Bruce Wayne, creating a new persona within him. A persona that remained nameless until his return to Gotham. Stalking street thugs as a plainclothes vigilante, he was beaten by the very people he was trying to protect. As he sat bleeding in his study at Wayne Manor he realized to become what he wanted to be he first had to strike fear in the hearts of his foes. Just then, a bat crashed through the study window and face to face with his worst fear Bruce received the inspiration he needed.
One can argue, that it is not Batman's cowl that is his mask, it's the persona of Bruce Wayne. The shallow, playboy, womanizer he presents to the world is nothing more than the means and opportunity to be his true persona. The mask is his real face. It is ironic that it is the humanity of his Bruce Wayne persona, instilled within him by his parents, that tempers the destructive and fury filled Batman from killing the scum he hunts.
It is interesting to note that Batman himself is aware of the thin line he treads, that with what he must do to save Gotham he must first draw a line in the sand, one he cannot cross. That to keep him apart from criminals like the Joker, there must be one rule he wont break.
Heavy lies the Cowl
“You don't get heaven or hell. Do you know the only reward you get for being batman?..........You get to be Batman.”
- Martha Wayne
As the worlds greatest detective settled into his role as Gotham's protector, his alter-ego Bruce Wayne adopted a young orphaned teen, Dick Grayson as his ward.
A member of the "Flying Graysons" acrobatic family, young Dick Grayson thrilled audiences nightly with his high wire acrobatics beside his aerialist parents. When a mobster called "Zucco" sabotaged the circus high wire, killing his parents in front of him, the grieving Dick was visited by Batman, he offered the boy a chance at retribution by becoming Robin, the Dark Knight's first recruit in his personal war on crime.
I use the word "recruit" because I believe it to be a more apt title than "side-kick" as I believe that it is what batman was doing. It is easy to forget that Batman will one day be too old to continue. He will die, just like you or me. So it seemed, in my opinion, that even early on Batman would have realized, he would never be able to win the battle he had begun in Gotham. Not in his life. His only option was to train others to carry on his fight for him when he could no longer be Batman.
I believe, that this was an instrumental factor in Batman's decision to take on a protégé and teach him his art. Of course the similarities between himself and Dick can also not be ignored. Both were orphans whose parents were murdered in front of their eyes and both were filled with an inner need to seek revenge, it is likely Bruce would have seen himself in Dick.
Batman's recruiting didnt stop with Dick Grayson. Altogether there have been 4 recruits that have worn the crimson cowl (5 if u count current Robin, Damien Wayne, but as he is now mentored by Dick Grayson I chose to omit him) under Batman's tutelage and with the exception of Jason Todd, they have all graduated to become crime-fighters and superheroes in their own rights, Nightwing/Batman(Dick Grayson), Red Robin (Tim Drake) and Batgirl (Stephanie Brown).
It his determination, his unbreakable resolution, even with the knowledge he will never win this battle, he struggles on, knowing that the work he does now will someday help to save Gotham. It is in this that I think we catch a glimpse of what it is about Batman that has so enthralled readers for decades.
Another glimmer of what might make Batman the phenomenon he has become,I think, is the fact the Dark Knight is just a man.Bullets might bounce off of Superman but Batman doesnt have that luxury. He has no superpowers, he has limits,he can be fatally wounded and because of those human vulnerabilities, we can look at Batman and see that provided a person had the time, the capital, and the dedication they could become a hero. Batman is the epitome of what any person has the possibility to become.
If you've got to go, go with a smile
"Winged freak terrorizes?...wait till they get a load of me!"
- The Joker
While it wasn't until 1986 that Batman first shed his portrayal as a happy go lucky, do-gooding, crimefighter and got the broader spectrum of emotions that really made him the icon he has become, another of the things that has truly made the Caped Crusader a costumed icon, is his enemies.
Batman's pantheon (In my opinion) might be the best stocked of any superhero, with rivals such as The Riddler, Two-face, Ra's al Ghul, Scarecrow, and Bane. But out of all of these, it was his arch nemesis that, much like himself, captured audiences world wide. It was of course the Joker. Begun as a homicidal foil to Batman in the 1940s, he ws transformed into a goofy and mischievous trickster in the 1950s, before finally returning to a vicious,psychopathic killer in the 1970s. Throughout his years as one of the most iconic and recognizable villains in pop culture, the Joker has been responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle) and the murders of Jason Todd (the second Robin) and Jim Gordon's second wife Sarah Essen and as a result had been a major force in the shaping of the Batman we recognize today.
Maybe Batman's biggest fan, the joker is the polar opposite of Batman's crusade for order and justice. He revels in anarchy and chaos and tries to push Gotham further into it's abyss, perfectly parodying Batman's crusade. It is there numerous battles for Gotham that have pushed the Dark knight further than any-other. The seemingly eternal struggle between the two is without a doubt a major contribution to Batman's appeal to fans.
Conclusion
"Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight."
-Lt James Gordon
As I hope I have shown throughout this article, the reasons explaining huge following of the Caped Crusader are many and though there maybe thousands of opinions on what truly makes Batman so beloved by fans, i humbly submit my thoughts on the matter and if you weren't a Batman fan before I hope I may have gone some distance to converting you.
No matter the reasons, Batman, ever since his inception seven decades ago has been a titan in the pantheon of superheroes (both Marvel and DC) and looks likely to remain there. Even with the closing of Nolan's Batman franchise, the inevitable reboot, will be something to look forward to now that the "Burton"esque Batman has been put to rest and the gritty Dark Knight has risen.
Though I know everyone has seen it, to mark the fast approaching opening of TDKR Im attaching the new trailer to this article because lets face it, it looks pretty awesome.