Batman: My Hero & My Favorite Character

Batman as a series is special to me and I hold it very close to my heart. It all started when a close friend of mine showed gameplay footage of Batman: Arkham City to me. I really loved the scene Harley's Revenge. Even if I did not know much about Harley Quinn as a character at the time, I was still intrigued by this scene. Like pretty much anybody, I had some basic knowledge of her mad love for her puddin'. I thought that a scenario where she went mad after The Joker died was so fascinating.

Since I enjoyed Harley's Revenge so much, I decided to watch Batman: The Animated Series to dip my toes into Batman as a whole. I was interested and I really wanted to move on from the dumpster fire known as Genshin Impact. I wanted a better interest because I was sick of the cancerous people and content in my previous fandom.

Clearly, I fell in love with this cartoon! It was what began my current obsession with the series as a whole and what really developed this interest. It was also what caused me to fall head over HEELS for the superhero himself: Bruce Wayne, The Batman.

Batman quickly became my new heartthrob and favorite character. I don't even think that he is my only my favorite character in his own series, I think that he is my favorite character of all time... from anything and everything I have ever become interested in. I love everything about him-even his flaws (he wouldn't be such a convincing, well-written, and thoroughly human character without them).

I want to get the most superficial (and likely cringeworthy) reasons for loving him out of the way first; I find him insanely attractive. Typical, I know, but I feel like he embodies everything I want in an actual husband/boyfriend. He is very masculine, strong, heroic, DILF, and has a strong moral compass. I obviously find him physically attractive, but his personality is mostly what I want in an actual lover. Typically, my fictional heartthrobs tend to be evil, sadistic, and cruel. Obviously I would never ever desire a man like this in a real life setting. I mostly am in love with these characters because I find their personalities attractive in purely fictional settings. Batman, however, is a character I feel a lot closer and much more genuinely connected to as a result of this.

A reason I feel so connected to him is largely because I can relate to his backstory. Of course I never became The Caped Crusader or a vigilante who fights in a bat costume, but I can empathize with the effect his parents' deaths had on him. I lost my mother to a tragic accident while I was very young. Her death impacted me a lot growing up and it still does today. I find a lot of comfort in loving a fictional character who has gone through something very similar to my own experience. He makes me feel much less alone in my experiences. One instance of this is through his commitment issues. I think that because of what happened to my mother as well as something else horrible that happened to me much more recently, I have a very hard time opening myself up to men I view as potential relationship partners. I have a very hard time keeping a relationship for longer than two months and I honestly feel scared of men on many occasions. I don't know how much Batman's commitment issues stem from fear of women necessarily (at least in the same way I fear men) but I can still relate to how he feels nonetheless.

As I mentioned above, I went through another very traumatic event in my life. I love that Batman acts as a vigilante; he has his own strict moral code and does what he feels is right. I feel like the laws surrounding this particular type of trauma are very unjust. I like to see Batman punish horrible people even when the law itself can be inconsistent, inefficient, or straight-up corrupt. It might be a bit awkward, but I like to think that if Batman truly existed he would give this horrible man what he deserves even though, in the real world, I don't think he would ever truly be punished. Batman's strong sense of morality and justice are a big part of why I personally find so much comfort in him.

I love Batman's dynamic with Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) and Harley Quinn. Both of these women have endured trauma from The Joker; Barbara was sexually assaulted and paralyzed by him while Harley Quinn was his abused girlfriend. Even though it's small and probably very overlooked, one of my all time favorite scenes is the one in Batman: The Kiling Joke where Batman hugs Barbara as she is crying in the hospital bed. That scene alone speaks volumes for me; it really demonstrates how much love and compassion Bruce feels for his protege and daughter-figure. I went through something very similar to Barbara (not the paralyzation aspect) and watching Bruce comfort her made me overjoyed in a sense. I also love how Batman never gives up on Harley. I like to think that Batman wants the best for her and knows she has the potential to be something much more than The Joker's hench-woman. I go more in-depth about my love for Batman and Harley's dynamic here.

My experiences are not the only reasons I love Batman's morality, however. I am also drawn to it because some of his views challenge mine and have actually even made me rethink or question some of them. For most of my life, I have been an avid supporter of the Second Amendment and of the death penalty. I have always thought that if somebody murdered or abused another person, they deserved to be murdered themselves. I feel touched every time Batman tries to give a second chance to a criminal. He appears to do this for nearly every criminal; from the abused and troubled like Harley Quinn to the most deranged and, honestly, irredeemable like The Joker. While I do realistically still support the death penalty in some cases (some people really just need to die, I'm sorry), I feel like Batman has opened my eyes to the fact that these criminals are human themselves. My views have shifted somewhat, I believe. I still do largely support the Second Amendment because, in real life, a super buff man dressed up as a bat isn't going to save the day. I'm sorry-as much as I wish there were more vigilantes in the world, this just isn't realistic. However, Batman's character has opened up my eyes more to other perspectives regarding guns. I feel like his trauma and experiences with guns showed me that society really does need a few more regulations on them(I don't agree with banning them entirely).

Batman is a deeply important character to me. Growing up, I have seen some Batman movies in the theaters. I thought that superhero movies were boring-that they are all just good guy beats bad guy-but Batman proved to be otherwise. He holds a special place in my heart and he was ultimately my inspiration for starting this website dedicated to him.

Written December 24, 2022.