Happy birthday, BATMAN

Batman turns 79 on February 19. What’s the mystique behind this caped crusader?

February 16, 2018 12:29 pm | Updated December 05, 2021 06:54 am IST

I am vengeance, I am the night, I am Batman

All men have limits. They learn what they are and learn not to exceed them. I ignore mine .” Batman

He is a caped crusader, a dark knight... Batman is one of the most popular superheroes in history. He made his first appearance in the May 1939 issue of the comic book Detective Comics from DC Comics. His character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. According to writers, Batman did not want anyone to know that he is the billionaire Bruce Wayne. It was much later, in the 2000s that a few superheroes like Superman got to know the real Batman.

The character of Bruce Wayne, was a combination of Robert the Bruce, a Scottish national hero and Mad Anthony Wayne, a hero of the American Revolution.

Batman is a wealthy American citizen named Bruce Wayne. He is also a philanthropist, and the owner of Wayne Enterprises. To cut a long story short, as a child he witnessed the murder of his parents, Dr. Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne, and swears to seek justice. He begins to train himself physically and intellectually. He overcomes his fear of bats and uses his company’s technology to become a bat-inspired persona — a superhero as we know him today.

Always prepared

While it’s true that Batman has no superhuman powers, he relies on his hi-tech gear, martial art skills and intelligence. And here’s a secret — his special gear for fighting crime is often stored in his utility belt. These include a grapple gun for climbing, night vision goggles, bat darts, and batarangs (boomerangs shaped like bats). He also has an assortment of super vehicles like the Batmobile — a car loaded with gadgets that helps him chase the bad guy — a batcycle, batboat, and batplane. His costume is made of special material that doubles up as an armour, which spreads out like wings and can be used to glide from heights.

Don’t bat your eyes!

The police commissioner uses a spotlight that shines a bat symbol in the sky called the batsignal when he needs Batman.

Before Batman moved to Gotham City he lived in Metropolis.

His secret headquarters is the Batcave.

Artist Leonardo da Vinci’s flying ornithopter was the inspiration for Batman’s wings.

Bird-Man was the original name of the Batman character.

Bruce Wayne’s IQ is 192. Albert Einstein’s was estimated to be 160.

Bruce Wayne is worth an estimated $6.5 billion.

Batman has more stories written about him than any other fictional character. He has appeared in almost 6,500 comic books, 44 video games and eight live-action movies.

He’s is a master of 127 martial art disciplines.

The villains Batman has faced include the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, the Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Clayface, and Mr. Freeze.

There’s a course called The Science of Batman at the University of Victoria in Canada. The course description reads: “The extreme range of adaptability of the human body explored through the life of the Caped Crusader.”

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