Batman is one of the most popular fictional characters ever. There is no place in pop culture that Batman hasn’t been and he has been a trailblazer in a lot of ways. He was the first superhero to have a major motion picture in 1966, had one of the first and most popular sidekicks ever in Robin, and The Dark Knight Returns changed comics forever.
While the character is certainly beloved, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t problems with him. As much as fans love Batman, there are lots of things about him that fans don’t particularly like very much. Despite what Warner Brothers’ bean counters think, Batman is not perfect.
10 Batman’s Role In The Maturation Of Comics Led To A Lot Of Bad Stories
Writer/artist Frank Miller’s one-two punch of The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, the latter drawn by David Mazzucchelli, changed the comic industry forever. Along with Watchmen and Maus, these two Batman comics changed the way people looked at comics, bringing maturity to the industry and hard-boiled noir qualities to Batman comics.
While a lot of great things came from this, there are a lot of comics by creators who didn’t understand that being mature didn’t just mean super violent and edgy comics. Batman’s role in this can’t be understated, as he was the poster boy for grim and gritty comics.
9 He’s Often Not A Pleasant Character To Read About
Batman has been through a lot of changes over the years, going from the more silly versions of the Golden and Silver Age to the harder-edged hero of modern times. The Batman of modern times is not a charming character; he’s the hardest of hard cases and is usually not that much fun to read about. Batman has become a walking cliche and, in recent years, is usually teamed with other characters who are actually fun to read about.
Batman sells a lot of books, but it’s honestly kind of mystifying; he’s such a dry character to read about most of the time and his cliche attitude even makes team-up comics with him a chore to get through.
8 He’s Almost Always The Center Of Attention In Every Book He’s In
Batman is basically the Wolverine of the DC Universe in that he’s been on every major team and usually hogs the spotlight. Too many writers get on Justice League and fall back on Batman saving the day. He’s DC’s big team-up character, but it doesn’t matter who he’s teaming up with, he’s usually the focus. Batman sucks the oxygen out of every room he’s in.
This is definitely because of his popularity, but it also makes the character kind of annoying. A fan picking up a team book with Batman in it doesn’t want Batman to be the star. If so, they’d just buy Batman. Crossovers with Batman quickly become the Batman show, which does more to hurt the other character than help.
7 His Sidekicks Are Better Characters Than Him
Batman is the OG tortured superhero, a man out to avenge the death of his parents. He built a family for himself, which is probably the best part of the character’s mythos. Unfortunately for him, that family is full of better characters. Dick Grayson started on a similar track to Batman but has vastly outgrown him as a character and that’s just one example.
Whether it be Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thoman, even Jason Todd, all of Batman’s sidekicks are better characters than he is. It’s actually ironic that they’re considered sidekicks at all, as they are easily better to read about than him.
6 His Successes In Gotham Have Been Vastly Overblown
Batman is one of DC’s most overrated heroes, and it’s not just for the obvious reasons. As protector of Gotham City, Batman has failed in so many fundamental ways it’s not funny. While his pledge not to kill is laudable, it’s also cost thousands of lives. Batman knows that someone like the Joker is going to escape and kill again; every time he doesn’t do something about it, that blood is on his hands.
His mere presence in Gotham draws more villains and crime as well, as people come to the city for the express purpose of killing Batman. Any success he has had in Gotham is greatly exaggerated, as he’s responsible for so many of the city’s ills.
5 His Status As Number One Vigilante Takes Opportunities Away From Other Characters
The DC Universe is full of great vigilantes but Batman’s status as the premier vigilante puts a kibosh on a lot of the others. Unless someone is a part of the Bat-Family, they aren’t going to get any spotlight. Someone like the Question, either the Vic Sage or Renee Montoya versions, isn’t Batman related, so he or she gets pushed aside. That’s not the only example, either.
There are so many great DC vigilantes that suffer because they either aren’t Batman or a part of the Bat-Family. It gets even stranger when people take into account someone like Black Lightning, who is very much Batman related but because it’s not obvious doesn’t get the same kind of chances a more closely related character gets.
4 DC Keeps Trying To Make “Evil Batmen” To Piggy Back On His Success
The Batman formula of a smart hero who defeats their foes with their wits has been brought over to the villain side of things many times with varying success. Many villains have been labeled the “evil Batman” but few have actually succeeded. Ones like the Wraith and Prometheus had villainous versions of his origin and comported themselves similarly; others merely use his MO.
Then there are villains like the Batman Who Laughs, an evil version of the character from another universe. This trope is pretty common as well, as literal evil multiversal Batmen have been in a number of stories. The whole thing is annoying and cheapens an already over-exposed character.
3 His Grudges With Certain Villains Means They’re The Only Ones Readers See
Batman has some of the best villains in comics but one wouldn’t know it half the time. Batman’s grudge with villains like the Joker and Bane means that so many of his other great villains don’t get the spotlight they deserve. For example, when was the last time there was a legitimately great Two-face story? What about Mister Freeze or Mad Hatter?
It makes sense that writers and artists want to use the iconic villains and that DC goes with what sells but Batman’s grudges with certain villains hurt his stories in general. They basically all become about the same villains over and over.
2 He’s In Way Too Many Books
Looking at DC’s monthly solicitations, one sees a lot of Batman books. In 2021 alone, Batman’s books hit the double digits, with multiple miniseries from a variety of creators. Batman sells, and putting the best talent on his books makes them sell better; DC fans may not want all of those Batman books but they’ll pick them up to see how their favorite creators work with him.
Batman’s massive popularity has always meant he stars in a lot of books, but right now it’s at its most ridiculous extent. DC would rather put out a thousand surefire-selling Batman books than take chances with other characters, which makes some fans hate Batman.
1 The Prep Time Crowd Have Made His Fandom One Of The Most Annoying
JLA: Tower Of Babel, by writer Mark Waid and artist Howard Porter, introduced Batman’s anti-Justice League plans to the world. This was the equivalent of a nuclear missile when it came to fan discourse and is the genesis of one of the most dreaded phrases in comic fan discussions: “prep time”. The belief that Batman can beat anyone at any time with enough prep time has become a battle cry for many.
It’s also made Batman into an object of derision for many fans, as his most ardent fans insist he should win every fight. It’s yet another way a great Batman story has been taken by others with lesser talent and ruined.
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