I Love Batman As Much As Anyone, But Honestly? He Can Be Really Annoying
Yes, Batman may be one of the greatest heroes in the DC Universe, possibly even the greatest in the entire superhero genre. But it shouldn’t be controversial to say that there are some things that are just annoying about the superhero.
For nearly a century, Batman has showcased what it is that makes him a great and engaging character. But over the years, certain elements of the Caped Crusader have started to rub fans the wrong way to the point where they’ve become frequent criticisms. Read on to discover 10 things about Batman that even some of his biggest fans may find annoying,
10 His Failure to Improve Gotham
Batman's City Just Isn't Getting Better
Few things are more important to Bruce Wayne than his city. Part of the reason he became Batman in the first place was to clean up the criminal element in Gotham and make it so what happened to Thomas and Martha Wayne could never happen again. But while Batman and his allies have been fighting hard to improve Gotham for years, the sad truth is it just isn’t getting better. Street crime remains uncomfortably high and new supervillains are generated almost yearly.
Yes, part of it is due to the status quo nature of comics. Batman can’t ever really ‘save’ Gotham, because if it was completely crime-free, well then, what would he do? But it’s honestly hard to believe that, after years of Batman being active, that Gotham doesn’t seem to have improved in the slightest.
9 His Parental Trauma
Bruce Can't Be Allowed to Move On
Every comic fan alive knows that Bruce’s journey began that tragic day in Crime Alley when he saw both of his parents shot and killed in a robbery gone wrong. That one terrible moment haunted Bruce for years, driving him to train his mind, body, and spirit to become a hero and stop things like that from ever happening again. While he did become the hero he wished had been there to protect Thomas and Martha, Batman is still holding onto the trauma inflicted on him as a boy.
The thing is, Bruce is an intelligent and wise enough person to resolve these negative feelings and move on. He simply chooses not to because it’s that pain that ultimately drives him to be Batman. It’s a frustrating thing to see in the comics because in many ways, this trauma is one of the biggest things really holding Bruce back.
8 His Finances
Rich or Poor, It's an Annoying Aspect
The subject of Batman’s finances has become one of the most eye-rolling things among comic fans. Bruce has always been wealthy and as the years have gone on, his wealth has increased to keep up with the times. But in recent years, the ultra-wealthy have shifted from being something to emulate to something despised by many. And as the subject of wealth disparity is discussed among other real-world topics, the discourse has unfortunately fell down on Batman as well, to the ire of many.
DC has even tried mitigating this aspect, both by having Bruce’s finances stolen by the Joker and even introducing a new, working-class Bruce in Absolute Batman. But at the end of the day, most fans just want to read a fun story and not focus on whether Batman should be rich or not.
7 His Lack of a Stable Romance
Just Let Him Be Happy!
Batman has arguably had more love interests than any other superhero. To be fair, Bruce regularly kept up the image of being a playboy billionaire for years and always had someone on his arm to play up the image. But the reality is that Bruce has genuinely loved numerous women over the years. Vicki Vale, Silver St. Cloud, Talia al Ghul, and more actually touched Batman and showed him that a fulfilling romantic relationship was attainable.
But the closest Bruce ever got was nearly marrying Catwoman in a wedding that just wasn’t meant to be. Not only did fans feel duped, they were downright irate that Batman wasn’t allowed to have the same joy that Superman or the Flash found with their respective spouses. Even today, Bruce is still single and there’s no indication of him ever settling down.
6 His Expanding Bat-Family
How Many Sidekicks Does One Hero Need?
Batman’s crusade began as a one-man war on crime, but it didn’t last forever as he eventually decided to bring Dick Grayson in as his partner Robin. However, Bruce’s operation wouldn’t just stop at one sidekick, as he’d go on to bring in three more Boys Wonder after Dick retired from the role. Not to mention three Batgirls, as well as additional partners such as Batwoman, the Signal, and Bluebird. And that’s not even getting into Bat-Family associates like the Question or Huntress.
To be fair, Gotham’s crime rate spiraled out of control in later years, so it stands to reason he’d eventually form a larger team. But the issue is that this family continues to grow to the point that some members hardly get to stand out. At some point, Batman simply has to stop collecting partners.
5 How His No-Kill Rule Is Interpreted
Let's Be Real About Why Batman Doesn't Kill
To be clear, it’s not Batman having a no-kill rule that’s annoying. That’s actually one of the better aspects of the hero and one of the things that makes him so compelling. It’s how various writers have interpreted the no-kill rule that sticks in the craw of many readers. For example, in the “Under the Hood” storyline, Batman explains that he’s fantasized about killing the Joker, but if he allows himself to kill once, he’ll “never come back”.
As good a line as that is, it makes it seem like Batman is itching to kill and is scared that he’s not going to be able to stop. But the truth is that Bruce doesn’t kill because he values life. The no-kill rule is a fundamental part of who Bruce is, and it should showcase Batman’s humanity, not his hidden psychopathy.
4 His Willingness to Plan Against His Friends
Remember How He Betrayed Those Closest To Him?
Everyone loves the ‘prep-time’ aspect of Batman, and yeah, it’s cool to see the Dark Knight think several steps ahead. But the worst and most annoying instance of this trait is when he actually plotted against the Justice League. Bruce’s contingencies for his teammates were infamously used against the team in the “Tower of Babel” story arc and the League was shocked that Batman had actively planned against them. Worse, he’d wind up repeating history by creating the Brother Eye satellite that was stolen and used by Maxwell Lord.
Granted, the creation of Brother Eye had a lot to do with Batman discovering that the Justice League had mind-wiped him, and he was justifiably paranoid about his allies. But while Batman’s countermeasures were made with good intentions, they’ve done some serious damage to Bruce’s reputation.
3 His Relationship with the Joker
He's Just Never Going to Stop Gotham's Greatest Threat
No villain in Batman’s rogues’ gallery has personally done more damage to Gotham than the Joker. Aside from his numerous crimes against the city, the Clown Prince of Crime shot and paralyzed Barbara Gordon and killed Jason Todd. But despite these heinous acts, Batman has never been able to do anything to stop the Joker. He’s thrown him in Arkham Asylum numerous times, but without fail, the villain breaks out to wreak havoc on the city all over again.
That’s not to say that Batman needs to break his no-kill rule to stop Joker (though some fans believe he’d be well within his right to do so). But it’s unbelievably frustrating that a crafty superhero who has fought gods and stopped cosmic wars is unable to do anything about a villainous clown’s never-ending crime spree.
2 His Extreme Overexposure
It is DC Comics for a Reason
There’s not a DC fan alive that would argue Batman is DC Comics’ most popular character. Heck, the company takes its name after Detective Comics, the title Batman first appeared in nearly 100 years ago. Batman is the crown jewel of DC Comics and, as such, the publisher capitalizes on Bruce and his associates' popularity with as many titles as possible. Aside from Batman and Detective Comics, DC publishes other Batman-focused books like Batman and Robin, Nightwing, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest.
And that’s not even getting into all the other titles Batman and the Bat-Family appear in, like Justice League Unlimited or Titans. And yes, Batman is popular, but at a certain point it becomes too much, even for those who like reading Batman. The DC Universe is a big place filled with a bunch of great heroes, but DC just keeps pumping out Batman titles since it sells.
1 Being a ‘Batgod’
His Hyper-Competency Is Just Too Much
Unfortunately, one of the coolest things about Batman is simultaneously the most annoying thing about him. Bruce spent nearly his whole life training his body to peak condition and educating himself in dozens of fields. The result is a hero who can literally do anything, no matter what obstacle is thrown his way. But while it’s cool that Batman has turned himself into someone who’s up there with Superman or Wonder Woman, Bruce just gets away with too much.
Bruce knows everything, he’s trained for everything, there’s hardly a death-trap he can’t escape or a villainous plot he can’t uncover or stop. It’s engaging sure, but once one reads enough Batman, it becomes a little boring to see Batman always at the top of his game and never facing real danger because he’s just too good at what he does.
- Created By
- Bob Kane, Bill Finger
- First Appearance
- Detective Comics
- Alias
- Bruce Wayne
- Alliance
- Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family
- Race
- Human
- Franchise
- D.C.
