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A horror in Bruce Wayne's childhood created the Dark Knight. Did a real-life childhood horror create Bruce Wayne?

DC / Jim Lee

When a really bad thing happens to children unexpectedly, the event can change them forever. As a child psychologist, I see firsthand what that means. Traumatized children often try to avoid thinking about a terrifying ordeal, but the horrible experience nevertheless replays itself in their minds and, as a consequence, in their lives. Sometimes this happens in immediate, obvious, and direct ways: bad dreams at night, phobias during the day. Other times, the traces of trauma can be delayed, subtle, indirect, and symbolic.

An example: One of my patients, Jeff, repeatedly acted out the same scenario with his action figures. A great battle ensued between the evil warriors and the superheroes. The battle reached the top of a castle where eventually the evil warriors were thrown over the parapet and died.

More on Batman

We might dismiss such play as typical for young boys. Except that for this boy the action, especially the tenacious repetitive nature of it, seemed to have special significance. In July 2001 he dined with his family at Windows on the World, the revolving restaurant atop the World Trade Center. He now struggled to integrate this memory with the horrible reality of the collapse of the very structure where he enjoyed himself on vacation. A place of joy transmogrified into a death trap. The same battle scenario went on for months. Jeff's dark demeanor during this play was in stark contrast to his pre-traumatic joyful mood during play. His play embodied the three distinct qualities of a symbolic post-traumatic reenactment: It was long-lasting, repetitive, and grim.

Early psychologists who studied trauma were concerned about its negative effects, and not surprisingly that is what they learned about. But more recent studies have searched for positive outcomes of trauma and have learned what novelists and historians have known for generations: Many people draw strength from adversity. They take inspiration from their suffering. They transcend their traumas and become better people.

Reenactments of childhood traumas can benefit the rest of us when they reverberate in creative pursuits that go beyond children's play, such as in art. Horrors from youth creep into an adult's artwork in the form of recurring themes, literal re-creations of the original terrifying events, and pervasive dark tones. The result sometimes provides entertainment that appeals to a broad audience. But post-traumatic reenactments speak more personally to audience members who also have experienced trauma.

Years ago I became aware that a particular superhero, who has entertained millions of people, had special appeal to the traumatized children who visited my office. I had a hunch that a trauma had inspired the creation of this superhero. See if you think my hunch was correct.

The Dark Night

His pals nicknamed him "Doodler" because he was constantly drawing pictures. His pals had nicknames, too-they were fellow members of a neighborhood club know as "The Zorros," an appellation that a young Robert Kahn had chosen, inspired by the cinematic crusader for justice played by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. The Zorros' clubhouse was built with wood stolen from the neighborhood lumber yard-a place whose many nooks and crannies made it the location of choice for their games of hide-and-seek.

One night, when he was 15 years old, Kahn-who went by "Robbie" at the time-had a terrifying encounter. Walking home through rough neighborhoods of the Bronx after a music lesson, carrying a violin case, he was followed by "a group of seedy-looking roughnecks from the tough Hunts Point district," as he wrote in his autobiography 57 years later:

They wore the sweatshirts of the Vultures, and they were known to be a treacherous gang. They were whistling at me and making snide remarks that only "goils" played with violins. I stepped up my pace and so did they. Finally, I started running and they did likewise, until I reached my neighborhood. Unfortunately, my buddies were not hanging around the block at the time.

Kahn's memoir goes on to give a very lengthy, melodramatic blow-by-blow account of his dash to the familiar lumberyard, the Vultures's pursuit ("with terrifying menace in their eyes"), and his attempts at self-defense, complete with "Zorro" leaps, grappling hook, and mid-air kicks while swinging on a rope. He fought bravely, he writes, but for naught:

My worst fears came true. Two Vultures pinned both my arms behind my back and held me firm while another beat a staccato rhythm on my belly, knocking the wind out of me. Another bully stepped in and used my face for a punching bag-while he cracked a couple of my front teeth.

I was in a fog, when I felt my right arm crack at the elbow after a gang member deliberately twisted it behind me in order to break it. The pain was excruciating and I screamed in agony.

Before I blacked out and fell to the ground like a limp rag doll, I heard him laugh sardonically, "Just to make sure dat da Fiddler ain't gonna play his fiddle no more!" Little did he know that it wasn't playing the violin again that concerned me, but the fact that he had broken my drawing arm.

Then he stepped on the hand of my broken arm! I don't remember how long I remained in a blanket of darkness before I regained consciousness, but when I came to, I was a beaten, bloody wreck. Somehow I managed to pull myself up and it was then that I noticed my violin on the ground, smashed to pieces. This was the coup de grace!

This whole episode, to this day, remains in my subconscious like a nightmare. I had played Zorro and lost! Had it really been a dream or a movie, I would have emerged victorious. But this real-life drama had almost cost the life of a reckless fifteen-year-old.

Here we have a boy who was attacked by a gang of Vultures in the night. He defended himself by playing Zorro, using a grappling hook to fend off his attackers. He was unsuccessful and was hospitalized, severely injured, with the possibility that he would be unable to pursue his chosen career. In spite of permanent injuries-scars, chipped teeth, and limited mobility in one arm-he went on to become a cartoonist.

Seven years after being brutalized, he created a comic-book superhero that would become a pop-culture legend-and whose appeal may be deeply, subtly connected to what happened that night in the lumber yard.

The Dark Knight

In 1938, the first superhero arrived on the scene-Superman-and the comic book industry leapt from infancy into what is now known as its golden age. The "Man of Steel" not only changed the course of comic books, he set the course for Robert Kahn's entire professional career. Here is how that happened.

Superman was a huge commercial success. So one Friday, a DC Comic's editor asked Kahn, who now used the name Kane and drew slapstick comics, to come up with his own superhero to complement the Man of Steel.

Kane wrote, "Over the weekend I laid out a kind of naked superhero on the page, with a figure that looked like Superman or Flash Gordon. I placed a sheet of tracing paper over him so that I could create new costumes that might strike my fancy. Then, POW! It came to me in a flash-like the old cliché of an electric light bulb lighting up over a cartoon character's head when he has a brainstorm. I remembered Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of a bat-like flying machine."

And that's when Bob Kane created Batman.

The opening lines of the first Batman comic strip set the tone for a contemporary myth that has endured for 75 years: "The 'Bat-Man,' a mysterious and adventurous figure fighting for righteousness and apprehending the wrong doer, in his lone battle against the evil forces of society ... his identity remains unknown." Six issues later we learn what makes the Batman tick: a terrible trauma. In his youth Bruce Wayne witnessed the brutal murder of his father and mother by a street hoodlum. He vows to avenge their deaths by declaring war on all criminals and dons the bat cape and cowl to frighten his enemy. "And thus is born this weird figure of the dark ... This avenger of evil. The Batman."

Kane recognized three separate influences on the creation of Batman. The first was da Vinci's model of a flying machine called the Ornithopter, created about 500 hundred years ago. The second was the movie The Mark of Zorro. "Zorro's use of a mask to conceal his identity," Kane writes, "gave me the idea of giving Batman a secret identity." The third influence on Batman was a movie Kane saw the year before his attack by the Vultures: The Bat Whispers, an adaptation of a novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart. In the movie a detective tries to track down a mysterious killer, the Bat, and at the end of the film the detective is revealed to be the killer himself. His black robe and bat-shaped head made him look "very ominous" to Kane.

Kane also acknowledged the influence of other movies on what he called "the dark, mysterioso atmosphere" he tried to evoke in Batman. "Movies like Dracula," Kane writes, "... left an indelible impression on me. The first year of Batman was heavily influenced by horror films, and emulated a Dracula look."

Kane never acknowledged any link between his attack by the Vultures and his creation of Batman. His conscious purpose in relating the lumberyard nightmare in his autobiography was to show how close he came to losing his career as a cartoonist.

Batman's Battles: Post-Traumatic Play

From the beginning, horror was an important element of Batman. Kane envisioned the character as "a lone, mysterious, grim vigilante who operated outside the law." He succeeded in actualizing this vision. According to The World Encyclopedia of Comics:

The Batman was portrayed as a relentless manhunter dedicated to the eradication of crime. He would play on criminals' fear of the night and exploit his bat-like appearance. He could be vicious-he shot more than one man-and his amazing abilities overwhelmed the common hoodlum. In short, The Batman was an avenging vigilante. He was never depicted as the bon vivant, talk-of-the-party crimefighter; rather, the early Batman strips presented him as a slightly unsavory character. This dark, mysterious mood was greatly cultivated and well-portrayed in the 1940s and early 1950s.

After discussing how the mood of the comic strip lightened up in the second year of publication, Kane wrote, "I prefer the first year of Batman when he operated solo and was a more sombre [sic] character." He also refers to this Batman as looking "vampirish" and "ominous-looking," the same adjective he used to describe that dark night in the lumberyard.

Post-Traumatic Resonance: The Dark Knight Returns

Of course, we can only speculate about whether Kane's life-threatening encounter with the Vultures on a dark night in a Bronx lumberyard inspired his creation of Batman. But regardless, the Batman myth, as originally conceived and as elaborated in contemporary interpretations, leaves no doubt that Bruce Wayne's trauma is the raison d'être and driving force behind his life's drama-or the reason why he endures.

As of this month, Batman has entertained fans for the past 75 years. He is now the only comic book superhero who has remained continuously in print since the Golden Age of comics, outlasting even his most famous colleague, Superman, who disappeared in 1992 but was then resurrected.

There are many reasons for Batman's popularity. Here I want to focus only on the role of trauma in his enduring appeal. I am particularly interested in the talented children who were so drawn to Batman that they grew up to become the writers and illustrators who inherited the character and now perpetuate the legend. Which aspects of Batman lore do they perpetuate? Often, it's the dark effects of his traumatic origins.

After a period of encounters with spacemen and silly characters, culminating in the camp comic Batman many still remember from the '60s TV show, the early 1970s saw the lifting of rigid restrictions on comic-book content. Liberated from those restraints, the Batman legend was free to evolve in whichever direction best expressed what psychoanalyst Jacob Arlow called "the communal myth." What has evolved-and what we can take as the essential myth of Batman-is true to Kane's original conception: Batman as a dark, foreboding, brooding, obsessed victim.

Batman's return to his Dark Knight roots was led by writer and editor Dennis O'Neil. He envisioned Batman as a Darknight Detective "whose parents were killed by a thief in the night in front of his eyes, and who grew up with a kind of schizoid paranoia that made him believe it was his role in life to track down-at times even maim-the villains of the world." Batman editor Robert Greenberger noted: "Superman has always been a light, positive hero, Batman has been grim and possessed."

Batman's world matches his mood. "Not the sunny place most superheroes are accustomed to," observed Vaz. "Batman's world is a place where capricious fate can deal out sudden death to innocents." It is, according to Vaz, a world that emulates a particular genre in literature and film:

The word noir ... has come to stand for a dark, fatal vision ... . Even when the hero of a noir piece emerges triumphant, some price, usually the early loss of a loved one, has been paid. The Batman mythos has been steeped in such noir traditions from the very beginning. ... This noir menace is the glue that holds the whole of the Batman oeuvre together. ... Despite the risks and the air of menace (perhaps because of them), fans for fifty years have been plunging into the darkness with the Batman.

Vaz's parenthetical guess is right on the mark: It is precisely the air of menace that draws readers to Batman.

In his essay, "Why I Chose Batman," Stephen King elaborated the theme of Batman as a scary figure. After discussing how Superman's superpowers, including the ability to fly, made it difficult to identify with him, the author wrote:

Maybe the real reason that Batman appealed to me more than the other guy.

There was something sinister about him.

That's right. You heard me.

Sinister.

... Batman was a creature of the night. ...

In those Batman-busts-in panels, you almost always saw a horrid species of fear on the faces of the hoods he was about to flush down the toilet ... Yeah, I thought ... that's right, they should look scared, I'd sure be scared if something like that busted in on me. I'd be scared even if I wasn't doing something wrong.

Another reader who thought the illustrations looked scary was an eight-year-old boy named Frank, who was destined to play a major role in shaping the Batman myth. Frank Miller's 1986 graphic novella, The Dark Knight Returns, is generally credited with creating a resurgence of interest in Batman; newspapers and magazines heralded its release as the coming of age for comic books.

Here is Miller's vision of Batman: "Do you know who I am, punk? I'm the worst nightmare you ever had. Kind that made you wake up screaming for your mother." This is the sort of terror that occupies the world of Stephen King, who praised Frank Miller's vision as "the finest piece of comic art ever to be published in a popular edition."

Contemporary interpretations of Batman repeatedly emphasize Bruce Wayne's trauma. Vaz believes, "This hero called the Dark Knight would probably have a very different place in comics history if not for that brutal origin, the memories of which are always lurking in the shadows of his mind and in the background of the mythos. ... It's what haunts him, drives him, makes him the hero he is."

In Batman: Year One, another Frank Miller story, Bruce Wayne describes the trauma as the night "all sense left my life." This is the changed attitude about life that is a hallmark of traumatized children. That attitude is evident whenever Batman's thoughts turn to the tragic event that occurred in what has become known as "Crime Alley."

Batman has other symptoms of psychic trauma. A 1989 story, "Blind Justice," written by Sam Hamm, depicts Batman as being plagued by anguish, nightmares, and wracking guilt. Hamm, who also wrote the screenplay to the 1989 Batman film, recalled Batman as being "very dark and ominous and quirky. That really makes the strongest impression on you when you're a kid. ... Batman is a mysterious guy; he's essentially a vigilante, and he's a fairly disturbed character. His whole gimmick is, he wants to be menacing, he wants to be frightening, he wants to be shadowy."

Roger Ebert had trouble with this "gimmick" as portrayed in the 1989 movie Batman: "There was something off-putting about the anger beneath the movie's violence," he wrote. "This is a hostile, mean-spirited movie about ugly, evil people, and it doesn't generate the liberating euphoria of the 'Superman' or 'Indiana Jones' pictures. It's rated PG-13, but it's not for kids." Recall that post-traumatic play is grim. Ebert recognized this quality and for him it was the obvious drawback of the movie-a movie that Bob Kane said kept him "spellbound." In a critique that strikes at the heart of the film's resonance with Kane's traumatic vision, Ebert complained: "The movie's problem is that no one seemed to have any fun watching it. It's a depressing experience. Is the opposite of comic book 'tragic book'?"

Let me offer one final example of post-traumatic resonance. The essence of psychic trauma is the experience of a sudden, unexpected turn of events-the rug being pulled out from under, plunging the victim into a nightmare that remains etched in memory.

A 1989 elaboration of the origin of Batman captures this aspect of trauma with a simple metaphor. At some unspecified time before the murder of his parents, young Bruce fell into a hole, an old cave, filled with bats. The experienced was terrifying. Reminiscing about this earlier trauma Batman thinks, "You're walking along and you fall through a hole. You never stop falling." This, of course, is exactly what it means to be traumatized.

Thus the stage is set for Bruce Wayne's identification with the bat as his means of mastering trauma. Approximately 20 years later, when the re-traumatized orphan Wayne ponders the choice of his secret identity, he sees the bat and the curtain rises on his transformation to a "weird figure of the night."

This story closes as it opened, with Batman perched, above the city, atop a stone sculpture protruding from the ridge of a skyscraper-a sculpture of a vulture.

The final caption reads, "He breathes deeply, filling himself with the night-and steps forward and falls-as he fell when he was a child-as he will fall for the rest of his life."

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Batman's Secret Origin Story: How a Traumatic, Real Event Created the Dark Knight

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A horror in Bruce Wayne's childhood created the Dark Knight. Did a real-life childhood horror create Bruce Wayne? When a really bad thing happens to children unexpectedly, the event can change them forever. As a child psychologist, I see firsthand what that means.

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Most people know Batman as as just another superhero, but in all actuality hes not "super" at all. Hes human just like us. 

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Most people know Batman as as just another superhero, but in all actuality hes not "super" at all. Hes human just like us. 

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He has fought a number of superhumans like

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He has fought a number of superhumans like

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THE JUSTICE LEAGUE. Speaking of Batman losing friends, this little incident is a classic example. ...

14 LEX LUTHOR. ...

13 THE HULK. ...

12 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. ...

11 SPAWN. ...

10 GREEN LANTERN (GUY GARDNER) ...

9 CATWOMAN. ...

8 NIGHTWING.

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With so many great things to love about him, it is easy to see why Batman is one of the most popular comic book heroes around. For over 80 years now, the character has survived all sorts of insane challenges, proving to be one of the greatest heroes in the DC universe, despite his lack of any actual powers.

RELATED: DC: 10 Weaknesses You Didn't Know Batman Had

However, while it may not seem like it at times, Batman has actually grown a lot since he first made his debut. While some great things about the character will always remain the same, he has also come to change for the better in many ways as well. Looking at some of the more noticeable differences from where he began, here are 10 ways Batman has changed over the years.

10 Villain's Scale

As Batman has aged, the villainous plots committed by the criminals of Gotham have definitely become more elaborate, and for the most part, far deadlier as well. From innocent hi-jinks and mildly harmful pranks to city-wide threats with death tolls in the millions, Gotham's criminals have certainly upped their game.

Furthermore, while this isn't exactly a change to Batman himself, the Dark Knight has still grown a lot as a character because of it. As his rogue's gallery has gotten smarter and stronger, so has he, allowing the character to solidify his role as the World's Greatest Detective.

9 No More Killing

While Batman is widely known for refusing to kill his opponents, he wasn't always this way, even within the comics. In fact, there have been several moments where Batman was fairly brutal and unapologetic towards taking the life of a criminal in Gotham.

RELATED: 10 Enemies Batman Has killed

Thankfully though, Batman has since grown to the point where this is no longer a part of his character. Likewise, many modern Batman stories depict just how terrifying a Batman who kills can really be, making this change to the character's personality for the better within the entire DC universe.

Thanks to the works of authors like Dennis O'Neil and Frank Miller, Batman was taken from a more campy and light-hearted tone to a much darker and more serious one. Considering the incredibly tragic nature of his origin story as well, it is safe to say that this shift in tone within the comics was probably for the better.

Likewise, this has essentially been the status quo for the character since the '80s, and readers have really come to support this version of Batman overall. Furthermore, with many of his stories growing increasingly darker over time, it is easy to see how the Dark Knight has earned his namesake.

7 Other Media

While Batman himself has inspired countless other iterations beyond the comic books alone, some of these iterations have also inspired him. Especially with the popularity of the Adam West version of the character, Batman saw some significant changes within the comics to fit the personality as portrayed in the series, rather than the other way around.

RELATED: 10 Most Underrated Episodes Of Batman The Animated Series

However, sometimes these other interpretations can push Batman forward in different ways, exploring all sorts of themes with the character that even the comics have yet to do so. With so much Batman media out in the world, there is definitely some version of the character for everyone to enjoy.

6 Other Batmen

While Bruce Wayne will always be the main version of the hero, several others have actually managed to call themselves Batman over the years. At times, these have been alternate versions of the hero, typically explored in Elseworlds or other "What If?" type stories from DC Comics.

Occasionally though, the cowl will change within the main universe itself, with Dick Grayson and Jim Gordon being two of Batman's biggest successors. Though Bruce always manages to come back, these have still been significant changes to Batman over the years, with each substitute bringing something entirely new to the character.

5 Relationship with Joker

As Batman's greatest villain, Joker has also gone through several changes over the years that really affect his relationship with Batman. Especially after the New 52 relaunch, Joker came to view his relationship with Batman as one of friendship.

Showcasing just how truly insane he is in the process, Joker also makes some good points in that the two characters continually inspire and motivate the other to become better. For as much as Batman may hate the Clown Prince of Crime, Joker really draws some interesting parallels between himself and the Caped Crusader.

4 He Is A Father

One of the biggest changes to Batman from over the years is that the character is now a father. Thanks to a complicated backstory with Talia al Ghul, Bruce's son, Damian, grew up as an assassin, greatly complicating things for the Dark Knight when Damian finally entered the picture.

Since then, Damian has grown into his own character, seeing things more like his father does and doing fairly well in the role of Robin. Though the two still don't always see eye-to-eye, Damian has definitely caused some massive changes in Batman's life over the years.

3 All the Robins

Beyond Damian alone, Batman has had many other characters in the role of Robin, with each one effecting him in their own way. Whether it be Dick, Jason, Tim, Stephanie, or Damian, each Robin has come to play a major role in Batman's future as well as all of Gotham.

RELATED: Batman: 5 Best Versions Of Robin (& The 5 Worst)

Likewise, each Robin has graduated to a different role except for Damian, with many going on to make their own lasting mark on the larger DC universe in general. While some characters have easily played a stronger role in Batman's life over the years, there's no denying the impact that each one has had on him.

2 Role in the Multiverse

Thanks to characters like the Batman Who Laughs, Batman's role in the multiverse has grown quite substantially. Of course, other versions of the character have often been explored, but many of these other Batmen have come to play a role in the main DC universe, especially recently.

Within the past few years alone, both the Batman Who Laughs and Flashpoint Batman caused massive changes for the Dark Knight. Given all the other evil batmen that have come to play a role, it is safe to say that the character definitely has an impact on many alternate versions of the DC universe.

1 Relationship Status

Bruce Wayne is known for being a massive playboy within the comics, constantly sleeping with models, and then moving on to the next one. However, though his relationship with Selina Kyle has always been complicated, the two are actually an exclusive item for the time being.

Following the events of "City of Bane," Batman and Catwoman are back as a couple and even expecting a baby within the near future. Likewise, for someone who generally "works alone," it is really nice to see Batman evolve in this manner, and actually be happy for a change.

NEXT: 10 Most Romantic Moments Between Catwoman and Batman
About The Author

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DC: 10 Ways Batman Has Changed Over The Years

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With so many great things to love about him, it is easy to see why Batman is one of the most popular comic book heroes around. For over 80 years now, the character has survived all sorts of insane challenges, proving to be one of the greatest heroes in the DC universe, despite his lack of any actual powers.

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Batman is often regarded as the most popular of all non-superpowered superheroes. The big screen Justice League movie jokingly explained that Batman's only real superpower is that he's rich. But is Batman really as superpower-less as he may seem on the surface? At a closer look, that doesn't seem to be the case at all. In fact, being crazy rich doesn't seem to come close to Batman's countless other exceptional capacities. The deeper we looked into the Dark Knight's story, the more impressive, and downright impossible, things we discovered about him.

So, what makes Batman superhuman? It would be easier to list was doesn't because Batman is essentially the best at whatever he does -- and he does a lot of things. He's a master of countless fighting styles and possesses the strength of a professional weightlifter. His IQ has been said to be considerably higher than Albert Einstein's, which would explain his remarkable ability to adapt to nearly any problem at hand and quickly throw together a solution. Extreme conditions of any kind seem to be of little to issue to Batman. Supervillains and even gods don't intimidate him -- rather, it's the other way around. And why shouldn't they be intimidated? Batman's voluntarily put himself through his own end and rebirth just for kicks (more on that below) -- there's no contingency that he hasn't prepared for. Batman's the guy who plans for evil masterplans. Batman may be technically human, but he's anything but ordinary. Here are 25 impossible superhuman feats that Batman somehow pulled off, but had no right to.

25 UNAFFECTED BY SUB-ZERO WATER

Batman (Vol. 2) #52 features a flashback to a trip that Bruce took to Canada during the winter. At this point in time, Bruce was testing himself in every way imaginable, doing everything he could to prepare for his inevitable crime-fighting career.

Naturally, when he came upon a waterfall, he undressed and stood in the sub-zero water -- apparently, completely unaffected. That wasn't the first time in the series that Bruce was seen brushing off the extreme cold. In Batman (Vol. 2) #9, Bruce battled Talon while the air temperature was dropping below -20 F.

24 SINGLEHANDEDLY DEFEATS WHITE MARTIANS

If it weren't for Batman, Earth would've been taken over by the White Martians. At one point, the Hyperclan, a vanguard of White Martians, staged an elaborate plot to conquer Earth, which first began with replacing the Justice League. The White Martians eliminated Metamorpho, obliterated the JLA's headquarters, blew up Batman's Batplane, and captured the Justice League.

Unbeknownst to the Hyperclan, Batman survived the explosion. The Caped Crusader proceeded to single-handedly rescue the Justice League and take out the White Martians, by using fire on them (their one weakness).

23 CREATES CLONING MACHINE

In Batman (Vol. 2) #27, it's revealed that Bruce has built a cloning machine to ensure that there would always be a Batman. Each clone was set to possess his memories and abilities and was expected to last 27 years at a time, before being replaced by a new clone.

The machine comes into play in The New 52: Futures End and clone comes in to replace the dying Bruce Wayne. The machine also proves to be useful in Batman (Vol. 2) #49, when the original Batman uses it to acquire back his memories.

22 HUMILIATES KING SNAKE

Edmund Dorrance, aka King Snake, was the master martial artist that fathered and trained the man who'd eventually break Batman -- Bane. In his day, despite being blind, King Snake earned the title of "The Most Dangerous Man Alive" due to his mastery over several lethal fighting styles.

Batman finally went head-to-head with the blind master while aboard a ship in Batman (Vol. 1) #469. The Dark Knight wiped the floor with King Snake, despite the latter having the advantage thanks to a pitch black room.

21 OUTSMARTS PROMETHEUS

Prometheus is essentially an inverted Batman. As a child he witnessed his criminal parents taken down by law enforcement, leading him to devote his life to destroying forces of justice. Prometheus built his wealth and trained for many years before setting his sights on the Justice League.

After gaining access to the JLA headquarters, Prometheus took apart the Justice League, one by one, even initially besting Batman in hand-to-hand combat. However, in a rematch, Batman outsmarts Prometheus by reprogramming the helmet responsible for the villains fighting prowess.

20 DODGES GUNFIRE

One undeniably superhuman capacity that Batman consistently displays is his ability to dodge bullets. Even with all of Bruce's training, this seems particularly unbelievable -- especially when we consider how many times he's gone up against Deadshot, who's supposed to have the best aim in the DCU.

One of the most poignant examples of this superhuman ability occurred at the end of Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #804. After chasing down Mr. Freeze, Batman senses a sniper's bullet whizzing in the air and manages to dodge it.

19 ENDURES 28-HOUR GAUNTLET

What prepared Batman for the endless nights filled with rogue after rogue? We received a glimpse of how he achieved such superb stamina in Batman (Vol. 2) #23. At the age of 24, Bruce is participating in a single gauntlet where a new fighter is added every hour.

However, because Bruce refuses to take a life, he keeps fighting, presumably until he falls in action or until there are not more contestants left for him to fight. Eventually, Bruce's indomitable will is enough to deter any more fighters from entering the contest.

18 ONE-PUNCH MAN

Despite lacking super-strength, Batman packs a serious punch. One of the most stunning examples of Batman's power is told to us by Cluemaster in Batman Eternal (Vol. 1) #51. Cluemaster, having recently revealed to have masterminded a full-scale attack on Bruce and Gotham, engages in hand-to-hand combat with Batman.

After receiving several punches from his opponent, Cluemaster comments on how exhausted Batman must be -- the last time the two fought, Batman broke eight of Cluemaster's bones with a single punch.

17 RESURRECTS MARTIAN MANHUNTER

Hardcore fans will know that the Justice League's Martian Manhunter was burnt to his demise in Final Crisis before being reborn during "Brightest Day". But do they know that Martian Manhunter already went through an ending in rebirth during JLA: Paradise Lost?

The series, which sees the Justice League helping Zauriel to prevent an invasion launched by the demon Neron, features the unexpected demise of Martian Manhunter. However, Batman's quick thinking, which involves using the kinetic energy produced by Flash, allows them to revive their Martian friend in no time.

16 DEFEATS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE

Batman has managed to take out the Justice League on several occasions. One of his most impressive victories comes out of Batman Confidential (Vol. 1) #53 where he manages to single-handedly take out the League in a one vs. five fight.

The story takes place early in Batman's career, before his affiliation with any of the members of the League. Batman, seen by the team as a dangerous vigilante who's broken into their hidden headquarters, employs his tactical genius to make easy work of the League.

15 FIGHTS 40+ GANGSTERS

Batman has been known to take on large groups of armed enemies, but Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #726 took this to an entirely new level. The story sees Batman desperately searching for a missing child, which eventually leads him to the Joker's cell in Arkham Asylum.

However, the most eye-catching part of the story was when Batman leaped onto a boat with more than 40 armed gangsters and proceeded to take out the entire bunch. Although the scene was presented as another day at the job for Batman, it's rare that we see him take on that many enemies at once.

14 RECREATES THE LAZARUS PIT

In Year One: Batman/Ra's al Ghul, Batman recreates the Lazarus Pit in the Batcave. Batman did so following a world tour where he went around destroying the various Lazarus Pits, in order to prevent Ra's from ever using them.

Then he discovered that a Lazarus Pit was needed to maintain balance on the planet, so he created the life-giving swamp in his own cave -- daring Ra's to come and use it. The pit, having needed a special chemical mixture, is further evidence of Batman's endlessly varied knowledge.

13 HOLDS OFF LEGION OF MAN-BATS

For decades, Batman had battled the Man-Bat, barely escaping with his life on several occasions. Then Talia al Ghul, the new head of the League of Assassins, transformed her henchmen into man-bats, thus creating ninja-man-bats. Talia's secret weapon was unleashed in Batman (Vol. 1) #656.

Batman fended off the legions of man-bats, incapacitating many, before eventually succumbing due to the sheer quantity of man-bats. However, in later efforts, the man-bats wouldn't be as successful. In Batman (Vol. 1) #664, Batman makes easy work of the man-bats.

12 ENDURES THOGAL RITUAL

In Batman (Vol. 1) #673, Batman reveals that he underwent Thogal during the period following Infinite Crisis. The Thogal ritual, an extreme and dangerous form of meditation derived from the Tibetan tradition, is a 49-day simulation of one's demise over and over again, leading into a rebirth.

Bruce isolates himself within a cave for seven weeks, going through the ritual in an effort to eliminate every last trace of fear in him. Having gone through his demise and rebirth, Batman is prepared for the enemy most committed to his destruction of Batman's psyche -- Dr. Hurt.

11 BUILDS BROTHER EYE

Brother Eye was a testament to Bruce's incredible intelligence and wealth -- as well as his profound paranoia. Brother Eye, an artificial intelligence surveillance system launched into orbit, was Bruce's response to finding out that his mind had been wiped by Zatanna at the behest of other Justice League members.

Unable to trust his allies, Bruce embarked on an engineering feat unrivaled by anything else in the DCU. Of course, things didn't turn out so well -- Brother Eye was employed by Alexander Luthor in his plot to destroy the Justice League during Infinite Crisis.

10 DISPLAYS INCREDIBLE STRENGTH IN HARSH CONDITIONS

Indoctrinated, beaten, starved, and having gone a week without sleep, it looked as if Batman would break any minute. However, just the opposite happened. Despite the harsh conditions, Batman dug deep for the strength to break the metal duct that he'd been tied to.

9 ANTICIPATES DR. HURT'S PLOT

Dr. Hurt took being an evil mastermind to an entirely new level of genius. Hurt's plot was set into motion, when he, as Bruce's psychiatrist, put Bruce through an isolation experiment, planting hypnotic suggestions into his subconscious. Years later, Hurt returned as the leader of the Black Hand, a cult committed to breaking Bruce's psyche and ruining the Wayne family name.

However, despite being rendered inert, having his psyche fractured and being buried alive, Bruce reveals that he's anticipated the series of events. He breaks free of his coffin and defeats Hurt and his cult.

8 RUNS THROUGH BAZOOKA FIRE

As far as Batman's superhuman feats of durability go, this one takes the cake. In Batman (Vol. 2) #15, Batman, after being put through the wringer by the Joker, has finally caught up with the Clown Prince of Crime.

Committed to finally ending Joker's game, Batman wouldn't let anything get in his way -- not even bazooka fire, which, by all appearances, directly hit Batman. Batman emerged from the explosion, not losing a step in his pursuit of the Joker. Inexplicably, Batman appears to be hardly damaged by the bazooka blast.

7 SWITCHES CUPS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

During "Batman R.I.P.", there's a flashback sequence of an exchange that Bruce had with a Tibetan monk following the Thogal ritual. The monk, working for Dr. Hurt, poisons Bruce's cup of tea. Mid-conversation, the monk reveals that Bruce has two minutes to live.

Bruce calmly replies that he switched the cups when the monk blinked, allowing him to feel the initial effects of the poison before administering the antidote. Once again, here Batman displays a level of quickness beyond that of an ordinary human.

6 DEFEATS EVIL VERSIONS OF HIMSELF

Dark Nights: Metal introduced a plethora of evil versions of Batman. One such evil version was The Batman Who Laughs, the Batman of Earth-22 who became a supervillain possessing the most formidable qualities of both Batman and Joker.

After being exposed to a Joker toxin, The Batman Who Laughs destroyed the heroes of his world and was eventually enlisted by Barbatos in the demon's attempt to conquer the multiverse. This lead to an inevitable showdown between Batman and his Jokerized version, with the former coming out on top.

5 ENDURES A BEATING FROM REVERSE-FLASH

Batman's taken some serious beatings in his lifetime, but none have happened as quickly as when he went up against Reverse-Flash. In Batman (Vol. 3) #21, the Reverse-Flash appears in the Bat-cave as Batman is investigating the Watchmen button.

And then, for an entire minute, Reverse-Flash unloads on Batman, releasing countless punches on the Caped Crusader. Given Reverse-Flash's incredible speed and power, Batman's ability to endure the beating is a superhuman feat. Plus, Batman still managed to get in a couple of licks on his super-fast opponent.

4 TAKES OUT HIS ENTIRE ROGUES' GALLERY

When Shadow of the Bat (Vol. 1) #4 opens up, Batman's in quite the predicament. He's been locked in Arkham Asylum by Jeremiah Arkham -- and if that weren't enough, Jeremiah's sent Batman's entire rogues' gallery after him. Joker, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Riddler, Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy, and more all rush Batman at once.

Miraculously, Batman emerges from the pile-up with little more than a torn costume. Batman unleashes a flurry of attacks on his enemies, laying waste to the whole lot of them before resuming his pursuit of Jeremiah.

3 TAKES DOWN DARKSEID

The Dark Knight has gone up against Darkseid on several occasions, miraculously finding a way to make himself useful against the New God each time. The most famous instance happened in Final Crisis #6. Batman made a special exception to his no-gun rule and loaded a radion bullet into a gun before confronting Darkseid.

Batman took his shot, fatally wounding the New God -- but not before Darkseid blasted an Omega Sanction from his eyes. The beam hit Batman, ostensibly ending him, but really sending him back in time.

2 MASTERS 127 FIGHTING STYLES

In order to become Batman, Bruce had to endure a lot of training. Yet, it seems that no amount of training can justify Batman's proficiency at such a wide variety of skills. The most impossible thing about him is just how much he can get done and learn in a short amount of time.

In Batgirl (Vol. 1) #7, Bruce gives Batgirl an instructional CD that he made on 127 different martial arts. In Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #411, the narrator simply says that Batman has mastered all fighting arts.

1 BEATS SUPERMAN

Without a doubt, the most famous of all of Batman's superhuman feats occurred in The Dark Knight Returns (Vol. 1) #4. Bruce, older and more battle-hardened, suits up in an armored bat-suit to take on Superman. Batman lures his former friend to Crime Alley, where he's set up a series of traps to help him against Superman.

One such trap is executed by Green Arrow who launches a kryptonite arrow at the man of steel. Still, even with Superman weakened by kryptonite, it's astonishing to see Batman is able to get the upper hand over Supes.

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Batman: 25 Impossible Superhuman Feats He Somehow Pulled Off (But Had No Right To)

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Batman is often regarded as the most popular of all non-superpowered superheroes. The big screen Justice League movie jokingly explained that Batman's only real superpower is that he's rich. But is Batman really as superpower-less as he may seem on the surface? At a closer look, that doesn't seem to be the case at all.

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His popularity over the years are cited in this website.

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His popularity over the years are cited in this website.

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In the name of his murdered parents, Bruce Wayne wages eternal war on the criminals of Gotham City. He is vengeance. He is the night. He is Batman.

One of the most iconic fictional characters in the world, Batman has dedicated his life to an endless crusade, a war on all criminals in the name of his murdered parents, who were taken from him when he was just a child. Since that tragic night, he has trained his body and mind to near physical perfection to be a self-made Super Hero. He's developed an arsenal of technology that would put most armies to shame. And he's assembled teams of his fellow DC Super Heroes, like the Justice League, the Outsiders and Batman, Incorporated.

A playboy billionaire by day, Bruce Wayne's double life affords him the comfort of a life without financial worry, a loyal butler-turned-guardian and the perfect base of operations in the ancient network of caves beneath his family's sprawling estate. By night, however, he sheds all pretense, dons his iconic scalloped cape and pointed cowl and takes to the shadowy streets, skies and rooftops of Gotham City.

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exceptional martial artist, combat strategy, inexhaustible wealth, brilliant deductive skill, advanced technology

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Batman, batman page, official batman page, batman official webpage, bruce wayne, dark knight, Caped Crusader, batman character page, official batman character page, dc superheroes, dc superhero page, official dc superhero page

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In the name of his murdered parents, Bruce Wayne wages eternal war on the criminals of Gotham City. He is vengeance. He is the night. He is Batman. One of the most iconic fictional characters in the world, Batman has dedicated his life to an endless crusade, a war on all criminals in the name of his murdered parents, who were taken from him when he was just a child.

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this story expands on the relationship between Batman & Joker.

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Batman: The Killing Joke - Official Trailer

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This story is one of the darkest batman has ever seen. In this story the Joker off his face and staples it back on until it rots.