Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in
Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), and since then has appeared in many of DC Comics’ publications. Originally referred to as "
the Bat-Man" and still referred to at times as "
the Batman", he is additionally known as "
The Caped Crusader",
"
The Dark Knight"
, "
The Darknight Detective",
and "
The World's Greatest Detective".
In the original version of the story and the vast majority of retellings, Batman's secret identity is
Bruce Wayne, an American millionaire (later billionaire) playboy, industrialist, and philanthropist. Having witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, he swore revenge on crime, an oath tempered with the greater ideal of justice. Wayne trains himself both physically and intellectually and dons a bat-themed costume in order to fight crime.
Batman operates in the fictional American Gotham City, assisted by various supporting characters including his crime-fighting partner, Robin, his butler Alfred Pennyworth, the police commissioner Jim Gordon, and occasionally the heroine Batgirl. He fights an assortment of villains such as the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superpowers; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, martial arts skills, an indomitable will and intimidation in his continuous war on crime.
Batman became a very popular character soon after his introduction and gained his own comic book title,
Batman, in 1940. As the decades wore on, differing interpretations of the character emerged. The late 1960s
Batman television series used a camp aesthetic which continued to be associated with the character for years after the show ended. Various creators worked to return the character to his dark roots, culminating in the 1986 miniseries
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, by writer-artist Frank Miller, while the success of director Tim Burton's 1989 film
Batman also helped to reignite popular interest in the character.
A cultural icon, Batman has been licensed and adapted into a variety of media, from radio to television and film, and appears on a variety of merchandise sold all over the world such as toys and video games
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