When it comes to superheroes, there are few as well-known and popular as Batman. For over 80 years, the Dark Knight has been serving as Gotham City’s protector, donning the cape and cowl and lurking in the shadows to protect people from some of the worst villains in all of the DC universe. The character has also become iconic off the pages of comics as well thanks to numerous adaptations across different forms of media, making the character a pop culture staple and someone that even those who have never picked up a comic recognizes.
Batman is just that big and everyone knows at least a little something about the hero. However, even with Batman being so prominent, there are some facts that might be hard for some to believe are actually true. Details about the real origins of important aspects of his lore, his family, and even some of the circumstances around his origin are all things that you’d have to be pretty dedicated to know about. Here are seven such facts to expand your Batman knowledge.
7) Batman’s “No Kill” Rule Was an Editorial Mandate
Batman may be infamous now for his “no kill” rule, but that wasn’t always the case and because it wasn’t always the case, Batman used to kill. In fact, Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics #27 saw him kill the villain Alfred Stryker by pushing him into a vat of acid. However, it was Batman #1 that shifted things a bit for the Dark Knight. That issue saw Batman having to deal with men that Hugo Strange had modified body and mind to do his bidding. These poor victims were referred to as “monsters” and Batman captured one and promptly hung him by the neck from his plane before flying off. The man dies and Batman just flies his corpse over the city.
As you can guess, it didn’t go over well and Batman #1 is the moment that prompted DC editorial to come up with the mandate that Batman should be against killing. Specifically, then-editor Whitney Ellsworth declared Batman would be against killing going forward and while Batman has killed since in certain circumstances. the hero has dialed it back a great deal.
6) Batman is “Dad” to a Piece of Starro
Batman is known for taking in children as part of his family — Dick, Jason, Tim, and more come to mind — but perhaps his most unique child isn’t human at all. It’s a sentient alien starfish. During the “No Justice” storyline, Starro (yes, that Starro) joined up with the Justice League to fight the Omega Titans. Starro sacrifices themself int he process. When it was all over, Batman found a surviving piece of Starro and keeps him. The little piece of Starro gets the name Jarro.
Jarro ends up having a strong connection and attachment to Bruce/Batman and sees him as a father figure. Jarro is also pretty protective of the Justice League as well, going on to use his mind control abilities to try to prevent the League from having to deal with the Legion of Doom because he was afraid they’d be harmed. Batman was able to talk Jarro down and in turn, Jarro got the opportunity to genuinely help the League by warning them — and in a sense, it let Jarro fulfill his greatest dream of being the best Robin. It might not be the most conventional father-son relationship, but Batman and Jarro make it work.
5) Batman Has an Older Brother
If you thought that Bruce Wayne was an only child, you were wrong. First appearing in World’s Finest #224 back in 1974, Bruce Wayne actually has an older brother, Thomas Wayne Jr. Young Thomas was struck by a car as a child and suffered permanent brain damage and things were so severe that the Waynes had the child institutionalized at Willowood Asylum. Martha and Thomas Wayne planned to tell Bruce about his brother but were murdered before they had the chance.
Unfortunately, Bruce would find out about his brother when his brother became the assassin the Boomerang Killer. Batman ended up having to stop Thomas and, later, had to deal with Deadman taking over Thomas’ body as well. In other universes (because DC is a multiverse, after all) things are equally as bleak with Thomas Jr. becoming Owlman and part of the Court of Owls as well.
4) The Batcave Didn’t Originate in Comics
It’s hard to imagine Batman without the Batcave, but the truth is it didn’t exist until the first Batman film serial in 1943. While comics originally gave Batman a secret tunnel going from Wayne Manor to a barn where the Batmobile was housed and there was a mention of secret underground hangars in Batman #12, it wasn’t until writers on the first Batman film serial took things to the next level and created the Batcave as we know it. This included the iconic entrance through the grandfather clock that is so well known to Batman fans today.
The Batcave would make its proper comic book debut in Detective Comics #83 from January 1944 and has since been reimagined countless time, though one thing remains the same: it’s the ultimate lair for the Dark Knight.
3) Batman Has Defeated Darkseid. Twice.
Darkseid is the biggest bad in the DC universe. He’s a villain that even Superman can’t take on by himself and yet… Batman has defeated him not once, but twice. In Final Crisis #6, Batman shot Darkseid with a god-killing bullet, taking Darkseid down. However, it was a bit of a bittersweet victory as Batman was hit by Darkseid’s Omega Sanction and sent back in time (which in turn prompted the “Return of Bruce Wayne” miniseries) but hey, a win’s a win.
The second time Batman defeated Darkseid was a bit more physical and a bit more definitive. In Batman & Robin #37, Batman took on Darkseid in order to save Damian. Using a special armor called the Hellbat, Batman was able to fight Darkseid with his fists. There’s a cost to this armor, in that it is powered by Bruce’s metabolism so the more he fights, the more it takes from him, but Batman is able to use it successfully enough to knock Darkseid down just long enough to retreat, Again, a win is a win.
2) Batman Actually Has a Favorite Food
You don’t really think about Batman being a regular person with regular things like a favorite food, but it turns out underneath the suit he is just a guy who likes some soup — specifically Mulligatawny soup. In Batman #701, comes in from a long night of fighting crime and Alfred informs him that he’s made his favorite soup for him. Batman seems to relax just a little at the idea that his favorite food is ready for him.
As for what Mulligatawny soup is, it’s a curried, Anglo-Indian soup that originated from South India’s Tamil cuisine. It made its way to Victorian England where it got a big of Westernization and popularization. The version Alfred makes for Batman is customized with chicken, bacon, garlic, tomatoes, and a special curry powder. which, frankly, sounds delicious.
1) Bob Kane’s Batman Isn’t the Batman We Know and Love
If you ask most people who created Batman, they’ll say Bob Kane and they aren’t necessarily wrong — but they also aren’t right. Kane’s original Batman idea was very different than the Batman we know today and featured a wildly different look — red suit, a domino mask, and actual bat wings instead of a cape. He looked a little goofy, to put it lightly. However, when Kane brought Bill Finger in on things, it changed everything. Finger entirely redid the look of Batman, giving the character his iconic cape and cowl as well as shifting his color scheme to the much darker tones we’re used to.
But Finger’s influence doesn’t stop there. In fact, most of what we know as Batman elements came from Finger. He named Gotham City, named Batman Bruce Wayne, and even came up with the iconic designs for other things associated with the character. It took decades for Finger to get the credit he deserves as the true co-creator of Batman, something that finally happened in 2015.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!