Although Superman's fight against injustice was based on altruistic motives, Batman's war on crime emanated from vengeance for the murder of his parents during a robbery. Though usually unacknowledged in this way, Batman was the first major gothic superhero in comic books.
You could charitably call him a goth, since he neglects to clean off his Batman makeup while in his civilian guise and generally keeps to his dark corners, flinching at sunlight. Robert Pattinson does a marvellous job of portraying this version of Batman as written by Matt Reeves and Peter Craig.
He wears eye makeup under his mask that smudges easily and his hair swoops into a frontal bang that hangs over his face. For this and myriad other reasons, Pattinson's rendition has been colloquially termed “Emo Batman'' online. It's an amusing characterization and it's not completely out of bounds.
A World of Gothic Horror: The Problem With Modern Batman Stories
Why do guys call themselves Batman?
Batman is a symbol of self-sacrifice: He is willing to put his own life on the line to protect others. He is also willing to give up his personal relationships and his social life in order to fight crime. This makes him a very appealing figure for men who are willing to sacrifice for the greater good.
The Batman story maps these gothic figures onto a late-1930s America still bedeviled by the Depression and staunchly isolationist in its beliefs, fearing entanglement in another world war. It recasts fears about demons and monsters and racial outsiders into xenophobic anxiety.
Be it his nocturnal habits, endless brooding, immense amounts of generational wealth, nightly transformations into a bat, or the prominent feature of an insane asylum in a vast majority of his storylines, for all intents and purposes, Batman belongs to the genre of gothic horror.
Certain DC Comics creators mistook Batman's dark reputation as an excuse to make him as edgy as possible. As a creature of the night who strikes terror in the hearts of criminals, Batman has always been associated with the darkness. Over the years, Batman often devolved from a shadowy avenger to an edgy self-parody.
Tim Burton described Gotham as "a dark, Gothic, timeless American City" (Brooker 2000: 285), and Anton Furst's expressionistic sketches which inspired the 1990s comics are even darker and eerier than the Gotham that reached the screen.
Raven's look is a little goth, which ties in nicely with Raven's demony genealogical makeup, given that—stereotypically—goths are into the darker side of things.
When Batman leapt from the pages of Detective Comics in 1939, the superhero genre was still developing, and his early escapades are a fascinating mix of hard-boiled private-eye fiction and gothic horror. The embodiment of this mix is the Joker.
“Batman started out as a very dark, pulp-influenced character, but right away they made an effort to lighten him up by introducing a sidekick,” Farago says.
Darkwing is based on Batman from DC Comics and shares his super-hero moniker with Disney's Darkwing Duck. In the Invincible comic books there are two characters who assumed the mantle of Darkwing.
Since his first comic book appearance in 1939, the dark superhero has been a favorite character of comic book and movie fans alike. Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne, lives dual lives: as a wealthy heir who witness his parents' murder as a child, and a superhero.
Batman became a dark character in March of 1939, when he appeared in Detective Comics issue #27. This was his first appearance, and the story was a noirish tale of murder and corruption, including depicting a man stabbed to death and another man shot to death on the second page of the comic.
The Batman Who Laughs is arguably the most dangerous version of Bruce Wayne that has ever lived. After finally being pushed over the edge, Batman kills the Joker. However, in doing so, Bruce is exposed to a special form of gas that steadily transforms him into the Joker.
While Robin jumps around taking most of the fire, Batman uses the shadows to take them down. He embodies “the night” and he wants to instill fear in his opponents, he only works at night and therefore the dark colour scheme acts as an urban camouflage - also, it's pretty badass right!
Batman finally got to be his real dark self again in the 70's, mostly thanks to writers like Dennis O'Neil that were fond of his golden age stories. Originally Batman was more of a pulp character. He debuted in Detective Comics doing gritty crime stories.
It's true that he is a fictional character, but there a lot that we can learn from Batman that will help us to do better in life. The Batman is believable he has no superpowers. Instead, he depends on physical and mental prowess, martial arts and an obsession for justice.
In the realm of superheroes, Batman has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on popular culture. His appeal to men is deeply rooted in their desire to emulate strength, mystery, and justice. By assuming the identity of Batman, men embark on a journey of self-discovery, striving to become the best version of themselves.
