Why do we love Batman? We have various other superheroes that are amazing and probably better than Batman so why do people love him so much?
Batman is not just a superhero. He is a ray of hope. Contrary to his name, he is the light in the darkest hour. He is an icon, a guardian angel, a watchful protector, a Dark Knight.
His fan-base is too large but there are a lot of things that most fans do not know:
1. The Dark Claw
In 1996, a series was published by the Amalgam Universe (of DC and Marvel) called “The Legends of the Dark Claw”.
In this series, Batman and Wolverine were crossed over into one character called the Dark Claw. His real name was Logan Wayne. He lived in the New Gotham City (Wolverine lived in New York City and Batman in Gotham). His superpowers included the regenerative healing factor, superhuman stamina levels, amazing reflexes, adamantium-laced skeletal structure with retractable claws and resistance to telepathy.
He was also an expert in martial arts, acrobatics and escapism. He was rich and had access to all the latest technology.
Also, his sidekick was named Sparrow ( an amalgamation of Dc’s Robin and Marvel’s Jubilee) and h is arch-nemesis was called Hyena ( Joker+Sabertooth).
Now, imagine a movie featuring Dark Claw. Could it get any more awesome?
2. Batman, Turkey
I am not kidding when I say that there is a city in Turkey named Batman. It is the capital of Batman province. It has a university named the Batman University. How cool is that?
However, this city is nowhere related to our Dark Knight. It was named in 1957 after the river Batman which is a tributary of Tigris.
In Turkey, “batman” was used as a unit of measure. 1 Batman = 16.96 pounds.
The city hit the limelight when its mayor sued Warner Bros. but no lawsuit was filed as the first Batman comic was published in 1939.
3. “Dead…till proven alive”
Image source: http://media.gamerevolution.com/images/misc/image/beatles-batman.jpgIn 1970, there was a Batman comic titled “Dead.. till proven alive”. It was based on the alleged rumors that Paul McCartney from the super-popular band the Beatles was dead. The writers referred to the band as Oliver Twist in the comic due to copyright purposes. The issue #222 parodied the rumor as Batman and Robin tried solving the mystery murder of the singer. That is one comic that every Beatles fan read.
Also, one of the Beatles’ song “Taxman” was inspired by the Batman theme (both of them released in 1966).
4. Martha Wayne is the Joker
In an alternative universe, Bruce Wayne’s mother Martha Wayne becomes the Joker (quite similar to Heath Ledger’s look in the Dark Knight).
People who have seen The Flash may know about an alternative universe.
In that universe, Batman meets Barry Allen and learns about rewriting history. Later when Joker has created a havoc, he confronts her and tell her that she can re-create history if she wants to but after discovering the truth that her son will become Batman, she is horrified and falls to her death in her own house.
How cool would that be if a Flashpoint storyline is shown either in The Flash or as a movie!
5. Da Vinci Man
Image source: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-142083866867555_2369_16637555Batman’s cape is inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s theories. Da Vinci was very much intrigued by how the birds could fly. He spent a lot of his time in building the concept of wings for humans. He designed an aircraft that could fly by flapping its wings. It was called the “ornithopter”.
Bob Kane, the creator of Batman, was inspired by Da Vinci’s works and in his early sketches had incorporated the ornithopter’s concept in Batman’s cape.
