Although Batman has spiked in popularity the past decade, I'm not afraid to admit that he's still, by a significant margin, my favorite superhero, and here are the three reasons why.
1. He’s original
How easily could Bob Kane, the original creator of the Batman, have written a character that was bitten by a radioactive bat and developed superhuman abilities that relate to bats. I imagine Bruce Wayne, an expert biologist living in New York City, has an experiment go wrong and finds himself bitten by a genetically altered bat. I mean, it would be interesting, and the concept has been explored with the Batman villain, “Man-Bat,” but the starkly original and mesmerizing character of Bruce Wayne/Batman is unchallenged. Witnessing the murder of his parents at a very young age, something inside of Bruce Wayne became self-aware, and as he matured, it developed with time and effort. Bruce Wayne’s greatest strength his willpower. Technically, Bruce Wayne could have chosen anything else to model his image after. An insect. A tiger. I don’t know, a squirrel? But he chose a Bat because the Bat represents the creature who travels through the night and is unseen by any potential victim until he strikes. A bat is something to be feared, and Batman stands out from other superheroes as having the image and persona of something threatening and terrifying, but rather than a symbol of darkness or tyranny, he is a symbol of discipline, order, justice, and hope. He is a true giant of human capability. He’s vastly intelligent (a genius, even), trained to physically take on almost any threat with a complete mastery of martial arts, in peak physical and mental condition, and has access to resources that the common man would exclusively use for personal pleasure. Bruce Wayne uses his resources to be the greatest threat to crime in Gotham City and represents something even greater with regards to evil in Western civilization.
2. The Unmatched Intrigue of Batman’s Rogue Gallery
We will only look at the primary villains that comprise Batman’s Rogue Gallery. So, in my opinion, this would include Penguin, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, the Riddler, Catwoman Clayface, and last, but definitely not least, the Joker. This collection comprises the most prominent villains in Batman’s rogue gallery (you can argue that Harley Quinn has ascended to be a primary villain in Batman’s rogue gallery, and I would agree she’s definitely more popular than perhaps Clayface or the Penguin, but her actions against Batman have very rarely been without the company of Joker). Each character within Batman’s rogue gallery is deeply complex and represents a different aspect of Batman’s opposition as a legendary crimefighter. For a traditional but creatively fresh crime boss, you’ve got Penguin, a man who seeks money and power. Regarding moral duality and personal deterioration, you’ve got Two-Face, who, similar to Penguin, is also a crime boss, but he’s more into weaponry and bank robbery, and the importance of his character is duality both morality and amorality, fate and chance, reason and madness, etc, which Batman often struggles within his endeavors. A scientist who uses his expertise in engineering and chemistry to fight Batman, Mr. Freeze, who is also a tragic villain, seeing as how the event that transformed Mr. Freeze is the terminal illness of his wife, and his constant scientific endeavors to cure the frozen Mrs. Freeze. Scarecrow, a villain who represents the psychological themes of Batman storylines, and manipulates fear as though it was a carnal element. The Riddler is a mental challenge, constantly attempting to overcome the Batman with various puzzles, mind games, and, of course, riddles. A villain who represents the forces of nature, Poison Ivy. A morally ambiguous villain who often sides with Batman, Catwoman. A genetic mutation who was outcast by society, Killer Croc, and a giant, shapeshifting monster, Clayface. These are all elements of recurrent Batman themes that are timeless and represent all ages. Although, it seems like I forgot to mention someone. Wears purple. Bleached skin. Will tell someone a corny joke before bashing their head in?
The Joker. What makes him so special?
Because he’s a mirror image of the Batman, and he just doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Perhaps many superhero fans are annoyed by the shockingly dark portrayal of the Joker in many modern interpretations, but truthfully, the original incarnation of the Joker was a twisted, murderous psychopath with a sadistic sense of humor. Is he absolutely insane, having no comprehension of the consequences of his actions? Is he completely sane and fully comprehends the moral reprehension of his entire existence (not likely)? What is the Joker besides a version of Bruce Wayne that allowed his “one bad day” to turn him evil? Both had one bad day that eternally transformed them into something completely dissimilar from the previous versions of themselves. For Bruce Wayne, it was the murder of his parents, and for Joker, it’s what most fans believe to be the death of his pregnant wife and ensuing coerced robbery that ended with him in a chemical vat. Whereas Batman is dark, brooding, and terrifying yet represents order, discipline, and justice, the Joker is colorful and entertaining, yet represents evil and chaos. The Joker, without Batman, is so intriguing because, like Batman, he’s completely original. No quirk, specific power, or characteristic distinguishes him, as he is merely a complex collection of various undefined elements that establish him as the clown prince of crime.
3. He Has No Superpowers
The mere fact that he has no superpowers is his superpower. Every element of Batman’s heroic character is genuine. Even Superman, who would no doubt beat Batman in a head-on physical fight, feels like less of a threat, simply because an intelligent person with the right resources could take on Superman because of his weakness, kryptonite. Same goes for other Superheroes. Batman, however, is a legend amongst humankind, and considering there is no genetic variation in Bruce Wayne, he is an evolving being. While Batman ostensibly harbors weaknesses, he is in a constantly evolving state. Whereas one might argue that Batman is in peak physical and mental condition and that his skills including investigation, martial arts, invention and implementation of gadgetry, and stealth are also at their peak, I would disagree. Bruce Wayne is not a normal human being, and he’s reached a higher state of humanness. Because of this, he is not in peak physical or mental condition, as he’s constantly improving his game and health as he not only trains and experiments with his “free time,” he is also in a perpetually receptive state in the field, constantly adapting to new environments and challenges and then storing them away for future situations. His only “superpower” is willpower, constantly serving society and working in a higher order to maintain civility Gotham City, and, often, the rest of the world as he works with other entities such as Superman and Wonder Woman. Without any superpowers, Batman becomes the most superhuman superhero there has ever been.
