"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me." Batman tells Rachel Dawes and the story of the dark knight unfolds in the heart of the perennial darkness that has been haunting Gotham.
One of the greatest superheroes of the century, Batman is quite different in many ways from the other famous characters of publisher DC Comics, and even Marvel Comics for that matter. A caped crusader, Batman is about Bruce Wayne's fight with his own fear that kept him awake at night, and the death of his parents at the hands of a ruthless Gotham City street criminal. Contrary to popular belief, Batman is not driven by a burning desire for revenge, but rather by the desire to deliver justice. But make no mistake, Batman is indeed out to rid society, and the streets of Gotham City, of every conceivable evil.
It is a riveting story of a man who lives two different lives: as Bruce Wayne the heir to the Wayne throne, the playboy, super-rich and super-talented philanthropist and as Batman, the ultimate weapon against crime that rises out from the depths of the night and merges into the shadows. With the unlikely but stalwart assistance from Alfred Pennyworth, his family's trusted butler, he has been a source of inspiration for many who have learnt to fight their deepest and darkest fears.
Batman made his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 in May, 1939, and what makes him stand apart (back then and even now), from other super-heroes like Superman or Spider-man, is the fact that he has no super powers. This is one of the reasons why people have been able to relate to this caped crusader for over 60 long and adventurous years. Batman is as much flesh and bone as your next door neighbor and the only weapons he has are a high level of intellect (perhaps not unlike computer geeks of today?), superior martial arts training that includes shadow fighting taught to Ninjas, and some great toys like the Batmobile, Batarang, Batgyro, Bat signal and the ever promising utility belt. But this is not all; one of the greatest characteristics of Bruce Wayne is that he is truly a master detective and can vanish into the shadows with the skill of the greatest ninja.
Of course where there is a hero, there will always be villains. Since 1939, Batman has fought many evil men/women but the arch villain of his career would have to be the infamous Joker, being played by Heath Ledger in the upcoming movie - Batman: The Dark Knight, a role also made popular by Jack Nicholson. Other popular villains of Batman's career include Catwoman (played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Tim Burton's film), The Penguin, and Two-face.
In The Dark Knight, Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. While effectively dismantling organized crime, Batman faces a new lethal force, soon to be known by the horrified people of Gotham City as The Joker.
Another night unfolds, another trap is set, and the bat flies out of his cave to fight and save Gotham City from the clutches of impending doom. The Batman Strikes!