5 key things everyone gets wrong about Batman

Batman is an elite fighter, nearly unrivaled detective, and genius. He’s helped prevent the destruction of the DC Universe dozens of times and will continue to do so until he can’t anymore. And considering he's been doing that since 1939, that says a lot about our dear Dark Knight.

That's right, the Caped Crusader has been doing this for nearly a whole century, with a legacy that is second-to-none. He's widely regarded as the most iconic superhero of all time (along with fellow DC legend Superman) and continues to entertain audiences around the world today as the superhero genre remains more popular than ever.

Despite everything he’s accomplished, there are things that people will say about him that aren’t true. Whether they are things that have gotten misconstrued over the years or things that never were, some people just get the DC hero all wrong. So let us take this opportunity to dispel the five biggest misconceptions about Bruce Wayne and The Dark Knight. 

He only works at night

Yes, the majority of the time, you’ll only see the Dark Knight at, well, night. It’s mostly because that’s when the majority of crimes in Gotham City are committed. That doesn’t mean he won’t show up at noon to stop a bank robbery. In fact, during Chip Zdarsky’s Batman, the Caped Crusader did exactly that while the sun was out.

Another reason for this is that he simply can’t get intel from everyone at night. Some families have regular hours and Bruce has to talk to them when they aren’t having dinner. It may not be as Batman, it could be Bruce Wayne or Matches Malone. Either way, The Bat isn’t a strictly nocturnal hero.

He’s not *that* violent, but…

People on the internet will make jokes about how Batman will put someone in the hospital for stealing gum. There’s a chance that he’ll see the person and scare them into not doing it again, but he isn’t breaking limbs for something petty. He saves the aggressive moves for the villains who deserve it.

Admittedly, there are times when Bruce does go too far. But when he does, there’s usually something going on in his life. For instance, when Jason Todd died, Batman was close to going over the edge. If it wasn’t for Tim Drake, he may have.

He’s "uncaring"

This is the biggest misconception about the Dark Knight seconded only to him being a loner (which will be discussed later). Batman can't be considered uncaring because he always goes out of his way to help people. Whether it’s donating money or his time to causes as Bruce Wayne or showing up for his superhero peers when they’re in need, Batman is there.

There are times when Bruce should console someone but can’t get past his stoic nature to do so. Nevertheless, you can look at him dressing up as Nightwing during Nightwing by Tom Taylor or giving a diamond to an orphanage in Wonder Woman No. 7 by Tom King and see that he tries.

Recently, in Justice League Unlimited No. 4, Batman went to Egypt to tell Martian Manhunter that the Justice League needs him and that he's appreciated. He went as far as to tell him that, in many ways, J'onn J'onzz is the The League.

So, yes, he cares. That being said, not smiling 99% of the day doesn’t help people's perception of him.

Has a plan for everything

Yes, Batman does his best to be prepared for everything. That’s something you can’t take away from him. Having contingencies to defeat the Justice League is an example of that (see: JLA: Tower of Babel and Justice League: Doom). That being said, saying he has a plan for everything takes away from his skills to improvise - which is something the Caped Crusader does really well.

Try as he might, The Joker and Bane are two villains that Bruce can’t plan for because they’re both unpredictable and geniuses. Thankfully, he always finds a way to adapt. You can look at Tom King’s City of Bane and James Tynion IV’s Joker War as examples of Batman thinking he had things worked out only to be forced to think on his feet. He was also forced to rely on his teammates for help. Something else people get wrong about The Dark Knight.

Batman is far from a loner

Where do you want to begin? We could start with Batman working with Dick Grayson for most of his career. How about the fact that there’s almost always a Robin by his side (Dick, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne)? Or maybe get into the plethora of teams he’s been on and helped found (The Justice League, The Outsiders, and Batwoman’s team during Detective Comics to name a few). There are other examples, but these are proof enough to show that Bruce Wayne isn’t the loner people say he is.

Once upon a time, Batman may not have asked for help. However, over the last decade or so, he realized he couldn’t do it alone. Beyond the Super Friends and Bat Family field team, we can’t forget the others. Alfred Pennyworth, Jim Gordon, Leslie Thompkins, and plenty of others are on Bruce Wayne’s Bat-Speed-Dial. Without them, Gotham would have fallen further than it already has.

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