Who Is Batman?
~ Batman TAS ~
~ World's Greatest ~
Batman - real name Bruce Wayne - is one of the most iconic superheroes in the history of comic books. Created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, he first appeared in Detective Comics #27 on May 27, 1939.
I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman!
Unlike most superheroes, Batman possesses no superhuman powers. His prowess in fighting crime stems entirely from his intellect, physical conditioning, martial arts mastery, detective skills, science and technology, and the vast Wayne family fortune.
Batman operates out of Gotham City, a dark metropolis plagued by crime and corruption. He is assisted in his crime-fighting crusade by allies including his butler Alfred Pennyworth, police Commissioner James Gordon, and a rotating cast of partners known as the Bat-Family.
He is a founding member of the Justice League, and though he works alongside gods and aliens, he stands toe-to-toe with them through sheer will and preparation. Bruce Wayne always has a contingency plan. Always.
IQ: 192
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 210 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Peak Human Strength
127 Martial Arts Mastered
The Origin of Batman
One of the most tragic and defining origin stories in all of fiction.
YEAR ONE
A Night at the Movies
Young Bruce Wayne, age 8, attends a showing of The Mark of Zorro with his parents Thomas and Martha Wayne. On the walk home through Crime Alley, a mugger named Joe Chill confronts the family.
THE VOW
Kneel Before the Bat
Thomas and Martha Wayne are shot dead before their son's eyes. Kneeling in the alley, soaked in his parents' blood, Bruce makes a vow to wage a one-man war against crime. He will dedicate his life and fortune to fighting evil.
TRAINING
The World as His Classroom
Bruce travels the world - training under the greatest martial artists, criminologists, and scientists. He studies forensics in Paris, ninjutsu in the Far East, and escapology under an unnamed master. He becomes the peak of human physical and mental perfection.
THE BAT
A Symbol is Born
Returning to Gotham, Bruce realizes a mere man isn't enough - he must become something more. A bat crashes through his study window, and Bruce takes the omen: he will become a creature of the night, a dark, fearful legend to strike terror into the hearts of criminals. Batman is born.
~ The Cape of the Bat ~
🦇 KEY FACTS
- ▶ Parents killed by Joe Chill in Crime Alley
- ▶ Raised by butler Alfred Pennyworth
- ▶ Inherited Wayne Enterprises at 18
- ▶ Spent years training around the world
- ▶ Uses fear as his primary weapon
- ▶ Operates from the Batcave under Wayne Manor
- ▶ Never kills - has a strict no-kill code
- ▶ Maintains dual identity to protect allies
It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.
The Rogues Gallery
Batman has the greatest collection of villains in all of comics. Each one a dark reflection of the hero himself.
The Joker
AKA: The Clown Prince of Crime
Batman's greatest nemesis. A chaotic agent of anarchy with no traceable past, no motivation other than pure chaos. Voiced iconically by Mark Hamill in BTAS.
Bane
AKA: The Man Who Broke the Bat
Brilliant tactician and brutal fighter. Born in a prison, Bane is the only villain who broke Batman - snapping his spine over his knee in Knightfall (1993).
Mr. Freeze
AKA: Dr. Victor Fries
A tragic villain who committed crimes to save his cryogenically frozen wife Nora. BTAS gave him the greatest villain backstory in animation history.
The Penguin
AKA: Oswald Cobblepot
Gotham crime boss who fancies himself a gentleman. Operates the Iceberg Lounge as a front for his criminal empire. Cunning, calculating, and ruthlessly ambitious.
The Riddler
AKA: Edward Nygma
A compulsive criminal who cannot commit a crime without leaving clues. His obsession with proving he's smarter than Batman is ultimately what always gets him caught.
Poison Ivy
AKA: Dr. Pamela Isley
Eco-terrorist and botanist who was transformed by an experiment. She can control all plant life and secrete pheromones that bend men to her will. An anti-hero as much as a villain.
The Bat-Family
No man is an island - even Batman. Over the decades he's built a family of crimefighters who carry the bat legacy.
Batman
Bruce Wayne
The patriarch of the Bat-Family. Billionaire playboy by day, Gotham's most feared protector by night. Founded the family, trains all members.
Robin I
Dick Grayson
The original Robin, the "Boy Wonder." Circus acrobat orphaned by a gangster, taken under Bruce's wing. Later became Nightwing, then Batman himself.
Robin II
Jason Todd
Rebellious and brash, Jason was beaten to death by the Joker with a crowbar. Later resurrected as the Red Hood - a morally grey anti-hero who kills criminals.
Robin III
Tim Drake
The detective Robin - he figured out Batman's identity himself. Perhaps the most intelligent of all the Robins, later becoming Red Robin and then Drake.
Nightwing
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson outgrew the Robin role and forged his own identity in Blüdhaven. Nightwing is one of the best fighters in the DC Universe and a natural leader.
Batgirl
Barbara Gordon
Commissioner Gordon's daughter. Shot by the Joker and confined to a wheelchair, she reinvented herself as Oracle - the all-seeing intelligence broker for the DC hero community.
Catwoman
Selina Kyle
The great love of Bruce Wayne's life. Not quite hero, not quite villain - Selina walks the edge, and her relationship with Batman is the most complex in comics.
Alfred
Alfred Pennyworth
Batman's butler, confidant, father figure, and moral compass. Without Alfred, there is no Batman. A former British secret agent and actor - both skills proving vital in their own ways.
Batman Beyond
Terry McGinnis
The Batman of the future - 2039 Gotham City. Discovered Bruce's secret, proved his worth, and was chosen to carry the mantle with an upgraded hi-tech Batsuit.
Batman's Arsenal
Batman's greatest superpower is his preparation. His utility belt and gadgets are legendary in the DC Universe.
🦇 Batarang
The iconic bat-shaped throwing weapon. Used for disarming opponents, triggering mechanisms, and non-lethal combat. Comes in standard, remote-control, and explosive variants.
🔗 Bat-Grapnel
A grappling hook launcher that fires a micro-filament line capable of supporting 400 lbs. Allows Batman to traverse Gotham's rooftops with superhuman speed.
💨 Smoke Pellets
Compressed spheres containing chemical agents that instantly produce dense smoke screens. Batman's most-used escape tool - he seemingly vanishes mid-conversation.
🔬 Detective's Kit
Mini forensics lab in a pouch. Fingerprint powder, evidence bags, UV lamp, chemical test strips. Batman processes crime scenes faster than most labs.
⚡ Taser Knuckles
Electrified gloves capable of delivering 1 million volts. Used against metahuman threats and heavily armored opponents. Can be integrated with the Batsuit.
🧪 Rebreather
Allows Batman to survive in toxic environments, underwater, and in space for limited periods. Hidden in the chin of the cowl in most iterations.
🖥️ Bat-Computer
The most powerful computer on Earth, housed in the Batcave. Connected to every database on the planet - government, criminal, corporate. Batman's greatest analytical tool.
🦴 Explosive Gel
A malleable explosive compound applied to surfaces. Used to blow through walls, destroy weapons, and create distractions. A staple from the Arkham video game series.
👁️ Cowl Display
Batman's cowl contains a heads-up display with thermal vision, night vision, electromagnetic spectrum analysis, and a direct link to the Bat-Computer mainframe.
The Batmobile Through the Ages
The Batmobile isn't just a car - it's an extension of Batman himself. Every era gets the Batmobile it deserves.
1939
The Original
The first Batmobile was simply a red saloon car - nothing special. Over the 1940s and 50s it gradually evolved, gaining bat-fin stylings and eventually the iconic nose fin that defined the look for decades.
🚗
1966
The Lincoln Futura (TV Classic)
The most famous Batmobile of all time. Based on a Lincoln Futura concept car, customized by George Barris. Featured the iconic red telephone, ejector seat, bat-phone, and the unforgettable "BAT TURN" with parachutes. Pure 1960s camp perfection.
🚗
1989
Burton's Gothic Batmobile
Tim Burton and designer Anton Furst created the definitive dark Batmobile. Long, low, sleek black with a massive jet turbine. Featured cocoon armor plating, Batdisc ejectors, and a napalm cannon. Featured in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992).
🚗
1992
The Animated Series Model
Sleek, art deco, impossibly cool. The BTAS Batmobile was designed with a black-on-black aesthetic that matched the show's film noir atmosphere perfectly. Features turbine afterburner and forward-mounted machine cannon.
🚗
2005
The Tumbler (Nolan Trilogy)
A military bridging vehicle repurposed as the Batmobile. Massive, tank-like, and brutally practical. Christopher Nolan insisted it needed to be a functional vehicle. The Tumbler could take ramps at 100mph and had a detachable Batpod motorcycle inside.
🚗
2022
The Batman Muscle Car
Robert Pattinson's Batmobile in Matt Reeves' The Batman was a stripped-down custom muscle car - raw, mechanical, breathing fire from its exposed engine. Less gadget, more monster. Screaming down Gotham's rain-slicked streets.
Batman: The Animated Series
★ THE GREATEST BATMAN EVER MADE ★
FOX KIDS • 1992–1995 • 85 EPISODES + 2 MOVIES
WHY IT'S LEGENDARY
- Created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Eric Radomski - a golden trio of animation talent
- Used black paper as the foundation for all backgrounds (instead of white) - creating an unprecedented dark atmosphere
- Kevin Conroy became the definitive Batman voice - deep, authoritative, yet haunted
- Mark Hamill's Joker redefined the character and remains the gold standard performance
- Introduced Harley Quinn - who became so popular DC made her official comics canon
- The Sub-Zero and Mask of the Phantasm films are better than most live-action Batman movies
- "Heart of Ice" (Mr. Freeze episode) won an Emmy and completely reinvented the character
- Still considered one of the greatest animated series ever made, 30+ years later
ESSENTIAL EPISODES
- Heart of Ice - Mr. Freeze's tragic origin. Emmy Award winning.
- Almost Got 'Im - Rogues gallery game night. Fan-favorite ensemble.
- Joker's Favor - Introduced Harley Quinn to the world.
- The Laughing Fish - Joker at his most unhinged and terrifying.
- Robin's Reckoning - Batman's vow to never use a gun explored deeply.
- Nothing to Fear - "I am vengeance. I am the night. I AM BATMAN."
- Over the Edge - What if Batman's secret was revealed? Devastating.
- Perchance to Dream - Bruce lives in a world where his parents never died.
Batman on Screen
🎬 LIVE ACTION FILMS
-
1966
★★★★Batman: The MovieAdam West & Burt Ward. SHARK REPELLENT BAT SPRAY.
-
1989
★★★★★BatmanTim Burton / Michael Keaton / Jack Nicholson Joker
-
1992
★★★★★Batman ReturnsTim Burton / Keaton / Penguin / Catwoman
-
1995
★★★Batman ForeverJoel Schumacher / Val Kilmer / Jim Carrey Riddler
-
1997
★★Batman & RobinGeorge Clooney / Arnold "ICE TO MEET YOU" Schwarzenegger
-
2005
★★★★★Batman BeginsNolan / Christian Bale / Cillian Murphy Scarecrow
-
2008
★★★★★The Dark KnightHeath Ledger's iconic Joker. Often called the best superhero film ever.
-
2012
★★★★The Dark Knight RisesBane breaks the Bat. Tom Hardy. "THE FIRE RISES."
-
2022
★★★★★The BatmanRobert Pattinson. Pure noir detective story. Magnificent.
📺 ANIMATED SERIES
-
1968
★★★The Batman/Superman HourFilmation. Batman's animated debut.
-
1992
★★★★★Batman: The Animated Series🏆 THE GREATEST BATMAN EVER.
-
1997
★★★★★The New Batman AdventuresRedesigned continuation of BTAS. Darker tone.
-
1999
★★★★★Batman BeyondFuture Gotham 2039. Terry McGinnis as new Batman.
-
2001
★★★★★Justice League / UnlimitedConroy's Batman with the whole DCAU family.
-
2004
★★★★The BatmanFresh take. Younger Bruce Wayne. Rino Romano.
-
2008
★★★★Batman: The Brave & the BoldTeam-up show. Fun, colorful, Silver Age throwback.
-
2019
★★★★Harley Quinn (series)Adult animated. Surprisingly great Batman content.
Essential Comics Reading
New to Batman comics? These are the stories every fan must read.
FRANK MILLER • 1986
The Dark Knight Returns
A 55-year-old Bruce Wayne comes out of retirement in a dystopian future to save a collapsing Gotham. Then faces Superman. Changed the entire superhero genre. Gave us "I'm the goddamn Batman."
ALAN MOORE • 1988
The Killing Joke
The Joker shoots Barbara Gordon and tries to break Commissioner Gordon to prove anyone can go mad with "one bad day." The definitive Joker story and one of the darkest things DC has ever published.
JEPH LOEB • 1997
Batman: The Long Halloween
A serial killer strikes on holidays. Batman, Gordon, and Harvey Dent race to find who's killing Gotham's mob. A love letter to Golden Age Batman and the source material for The Dark Knight.
FRANK MILLER • 1987
Batman: Year One
The definitive Batman origin story. Told through the parallel journeys of Bruce Wayne and James Gordon arriving in Gotham. Grounded, realistic, noir. The blueprint for every dark Batman film.
DOUG MOENCH • 1993
Batman: Knightfall
Bane frees every inmate from Arkham Asylum, waits for an exhausted Batman, then breaks his spine over his knee. Jean-Paul Valley takes over. Bruce's road to recovery. Iconic.
SCOTT SNYDER • 2011
Batman: Court of Owls
A secret society called the Court of Owls has controlled Gotham for centuries - and Batman never knew. The best modern Batman story. Mind-bending, terrifying, and deeply personal to Bruce.
Batman By The Numbers
1939
Year of First Appearance
85+
Years of Publication
127
Martial Arts Mastered
192
IQ Score
#27
Detective Comics Issue
0
People He's Killed
9
Live Action Batmen
200+
MPH Batmobile Top Speed
🦇 WILD BATMAN FACTS
- Batman's co-creator Bill Finger never received official creator credit until 2015 - 39 years after his death.
- The bat symbol has changed over 150 times since 1939 - each era has a distinct logo.
- Batman has defeated Superman multiple times using kryptonite gloves and pure tactical genius.
- In Batman #1 (1940), Batman shoots and kills two villains. Yes - the no-kill rule came later.
- Kevin Conroy (BTAS voice) always spoke Batman's lines in his normal voice - he felt Bruce Wayne was the mask.
- The Batcave is entirely fictional - but Wayne Manor's inspiration, Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, is a real place.
- Bob Kane's original Batman concept had red tights, a small domino mask, and actual bird wings. Bill Finger changed nearly everything.
- Batman has contingency plans to neutralize every member of the Justice League - they're kept in a document called "Tower of Babel."
- The Joker has died and been "resurrected" more times than any other comic villain.
- Batman Beyond's Terry McGinnis was retconned to be Bruce Wayne's biological son through Project Batman Beyond.
Bat-Gallery
