Batman is one of those icons that almost everyone knows; whether you have read comics or not, chances are you know ‘The Batman’. Here’s the thing, he’s generally placed into the superhero genre but don’t forget he has no super powers he is just a man. Yes he’s a billionaire but he’s still just a man, he doesn’t have a magic hammer, super strength, the ability to fly or a pretty green ring but he does fight for justice and the good people of Gotham with nothing but his string of side kicks* and his trusty butler Alfred.
That is why many people say he isn’t a real super hero he is just a hero, so here’s my thoughts: Because of his expendable wealth he had the time to learn every possible skill you might need to fight crime; free climbing (I don’t know the proper term but climbing without a harness)as well as mixed martial arts, swordsmanship, computer hacking, base jumping and even to some degree psychology with this giant skill set I would say that makes him a pretty special human being but this doesn’t make him super.
In my opinion the big thing that sets him apart from the rest of the heroes is his bravery and his unwavering sense of responsibility, sure Superman and the rest are brave, they go out and they fight with the possibility of death but it’s a completely different story when you have impenetrable skin or a ring crafted by a superior alien race or hammer forged by the gods! It takes a very special (or very stupid, I cant decide) type of person to go out there and fight every night with no safety net as well as giving up real friends and real love for fear of putting them in danger. I for one know that if I had billions of dollars I would not be running around chasing criminals, I’d be lounging around partying and spending my money frivolously. Sure I’d give some money to charity, I may even volunteer once in a while to those less privileged but I know for a fact I wouldn’t have the sheer bravery to go out solo and put my life on the line for strangers and I don’t think many would…can you honestly say you would have that bravery?
Also, if you did, would you be able to keep your morality in check and never kill a single scum bag no matter what they had done?…what about giving up everyone you ever loved?…never getting married?…never settling down?…never telling anyone who you really are? Because let’s not forget Bruce Wayne is Batman’s alter ego not the other way round, the only person that knows the true Bruce is Alfred and he won’t be there forever. No I don’t think many could and this is what makes Batman super in my opinion, take away Bruce Wayne’s money and he would still find a way to fight the evil of the world, he would still get up every morning broken and bruised, suit up and take out the perverted and corrupt and he would do it without complaint. So the next time someone tells you that Batman isn’t technically a superhero maybe you can direct them here and I can change their mind.
Thanks for taking the time to give this a read, and if you have any points to add please do in the comments, whether it’s a wholehearted agreement or an adamant disagreement, I would like to hear it. 
(*3 separate robins over the years Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne)
. There is a brilliant animated movie called batman:Gotham Knight it’s a collection of short animated stories the first one (Have i got a story for you) . Basically shows one night but from many different viewpoints of the people of Gotham and each viewpoint shows batman in a different way i.e. one sees him as this dark smoke that swoops and swells around the enemy, another shows him as this 8ft bat creature with giant fangs. It’s a very interesting look at how the citizens and criminals view the batman and how important the idea of him is versus the reality.
