Thread "Do people know that Batman is a normal human?" in forum "Comic Talk and General Discussion *"

Posted at 10:05AM, May. 4, 2021

I remember how in the awesome game Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Joker says something about the rumors that Batman drinks blood. There’s another moment in one of the animated movies where The Green Lantern suggests that Batman drinks blood to which he says that he is not a vampire. And in Batman: Arkham Origins, Batman is seen as a monster by some criminals.

So do people know that Batman is a normal human or do people not know and think that he has some sort of superpower?

Posted at 2:05AM, May. 5, 2021

yes

Posted at 7:05AM, May. 5, 2021

lothar wrote:
yes

That is to say the answer is both knowing him a normal man AND thinking he has some super power. He's mysterious. The best depictions are those of him as Enigmatic.

Posted at 3:05PM, May. 5, 2021

There's a whole lot of miswriting Batman out there. He and Wolverine were and still are two of the worst examples of writer insecurity translated into an overcapable everyman character who ceases to have any distinct personality of their own when the writer needs to live vicariously through them.

That said, his whole reason for dressing up in such a costume was to terrify the evil and be intimidating. He has, over the years, encouraged rumours and wild speculation about his nature and the powers he doesn't actually have. There was even an episode of the animated series about it, if I recall correctly. If not, there was definitely a "Rashomon" issue of the comics, back when I was still reading, that dealt with various people's misconceptions of what Batman really was. His costume and intimidation tactics are tools he uses to psychologically mess with his enemies, because he indeed does not have any superhuman powers.

I wouldn't say he's a normal human, but he is definitely only human. It's best handled when much more powerful people and better fighters aren't intimidated, because they're fighters and can size up an opponent. One of my favorite parts of The Hiketeia was when Batman, attempting to intimidate Wonder Woman, started with, "Don't make me go through you, Diana." To which she replied, "You can't go through me, Bruce."

Which was true; he changed tactics later, which showed his flexibility and talent at adaptation, rather than making him basically a writer's inexplicable mary sue. It's usually those depictions that really tend to forget and undermine the point that Batman is a highly-trained expert, not a super-powered brick. His greatest asset is his mind.