10 Obscure Batman Facts That You Have Probably Never Heard Of
Did you know the original Batman occasionally favoured guns over batarangs?
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00:00From wielding famous powers to adopting unlikely individuals as his stepchildren,
00:04Batsy has done plenty of eyebrow-raising things that barely get a mention.
00:08Some of these may come across as little more than mundane life facts,
00:11some of these may make you question everything you knew about Batman.
00:14Taking all of that into account, I'm Adam from WhatCulture and here are
00:1810 Obscure Batman Facts That You Have Probably Never Heard Of.
00:22Number 10, Bob Kane conceived the character,
00:24but it was Bill Finger who created the version we know today.
00:28Bob Kane is widely remembered, and rightfully so,
00:31as the man behind one of the greatest comic book characters of all time.
00:34Following the crazy success of Superman, DC were eager to cash in on momentum and
00:39put more superheroes out there. That is when they turned to Kane, and the rest is history.
00:43But there is more to the story. Bob Kane's original idea for the character incorporated
00:48influences from Douglas Fairbank's Zorro, a Leonardo da Vinci conceptual machine,
00:53the movie Batwhispers, and even Dracula. However, that original concept involved red clothing,
00:59a domino mask, and a cape that was less a cape and more a pair of actual bat wings.
01:03This is where Bill Finger entered the picture.
01:06Kane originally met Finger at an event and invited him to join his team. It was Finger
01:10who later completely revamped the aesthetics of the character and gave it the iconic look
01:14we know now. This included changing the colour scheme to black,
01:18inserting a cowl with bat ears, and swapping the wings for a more practical cape.
01:23He was packaged as a merged character with Wolverine
01:27The Amalgam comics saw DC and Marvel come together to create hybrid versions of some
01:31of their most popular characters. Set between two of their major crossover events, these one-shot
01:36comics served up as a series of dream combinations that few would ever have imagined seeing,
01:40one of which was Batman merging with none other than Wolverine.
01:44The result was every bit as over the top as one would expect.
01:48Logan Wayne was orphaned at a young age and had to be sent to live with his uncle in Canada.
01:52The latter is met with the same fate and the now kinless Logan finds himself in the
01:56Canadian Air Force. From there, he ends up in a super soldier program, gets implanted
02:00with adamantium, and eventually gets free of his masters to become his own superhero.
02:05To the rest of the world, he is a wealthy artist, but in the shadows, he is Darkclaw,
02:10a superhuman blessed with enhanced healing, an adamantium skeleton,
02:13mastery of every kind of combat technique out there, and of course, money. Lots of money.
02:19Number 8. His favourite food is Mulligatawny Soup
02:23From crazy scenarios no one thought they would ever get to see to the most basic of personal
02:28facts, everyone has that one comfort food they keep turning to. Even Bruce, after coming home
02:33all tired from a long night of crime fighting, has that one culinary demand he will make to
02:38Alfred as soon as he's taken off the cape. The item in question is Mulligatawny Soup.
02:43Originating from South India, Mulligatawny is a dish featuring a spicy curry base together
02:48with carrots, coconut milk, and either chicken, mutton, or lentils as the protein core.
02:53A somewhat bastardised version was imported into Europe back in the 18th century. Of course,
02:58everything has to be made extra special for one of the world's greatest protectors.
03:02In Batman number 701, we find out that Alfred actually has a special customised recipe for
03:07the soup. This includes a chicken main with bacon, garlic, tomatoes, and a unique curry powder.
03:13Well, if you have the responsibility of staving off the likes of Joker,
03:16you need the right amount of nutrition and taste. And judging by the look on Batman's face in the
03:21aforementioned issue, when Alfred announces that his favourite dish is ready, this soup might just
03:26be essential for keeping Gotham safe. Number 7. In the original story,
03:31he was raised by his uncle. Batman's origin story is arguably the most famous in all of
03:37comic book history. The unforgettably grisly sight of a helpless Bruce, collapsed on the
03:41cold floor as his parents lay dead in front of him, is known to one and all. What is equally
03:46well known is that after the tragedy, he was raised by his butler and proxy dad, Alfred Pennyworth.
03:52In one of the earliest versions of the story, however, it was not Alfred, but rather Bruce's
03:56uncle Philip Wayne who took in the young orphan and helped raise him. Originally, Philip was part
04:01of the Earth 1 continuity, though subsequent revamps saw his character move to Earth 2. He
04:06was then erased completely in the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Ultimately, he does
04:11get reintroduced, but as Philip Kane, Bruce's maternal uncle. Though he gets very little mention
04:17in mainstream discussions, it is worth wondering how different the entire Batman franchise might
04:22have looked without Alfred as one of the key pieces. After all, the Wayne's most loyal servant
04:27is so much more than a mere caretaker, he is the one who helps shape the kind of hero Bruce
04:31eventually goes on to become. Number 6. He has used a green lantern ring.
04:37The dark multiverse is a mirror to the normal multiverse. Whatever exists in the regular
04:42multiverse is likely to have a twisted and corrupted version in the dark one. After all,
04:46the latter is where the realities are on an irreversible path to complete annihilation.
04:51In Earth 32 of this multiverse lived a Bruce Wayne who would go on to master the power of
04:56a green lantern ring. The ring chooses Bruce following the murder of his parents, but instead
05:00of using it as a tool for justice, the vengeful Bruce wills into a weapon for executing criminals.
05:06His killing spree eventually sucks in the likes of Jim Gordon, who stood opposed to his brutal
05:10ways. After he is able to boost the ring with the battery of his own construction,
05:14because he does also possess the intellect and resourcefulness of a Bruce Wayne,
05:18he manages to even defeat the rest of the Lantern Corps who arrive to stop him. With no one else
05:23left to oppose him, Bruce eventually dons the aesthetics of an actual Batman while also
05:28retaining the powers of the ring. Number 5. He adopted a piece of Starro as his son.
05:34You know, the giant alien starfish that controls people via telepathy and conquers entire worlds.
05:40Yeah, Batman kept a sentient piece of them as his adopted son. During the No Justice storyline,
05:45Starro joins the Justice League in their battle against the Omega Titans. Determined to redeem
05:50themselves after all of their horrible past deeds, Starro sacrifices themselves in order
05:55to help the heroes win. In the aftermath, Batman comes across a surviving piece of their fallen
06:00ally and decides to keep them. This sentient miniature Starro is housed in the Hall of Justice.
06:05In uncharacteristically lazy fashion, Bruce simply names them Jarro, after the fact that
06:10they used to live in a jar. Jarro becomes strongly attached to Bruce, coming to regard him as their
06:15father. They also become an important ally to the Justice League in their battles against the likes
06:20of the Legion of Doom. Despite their background, Jarro is shown to be quite affectionate and
06:24protective of others, at one point going as far as manipulating the League to stay away
06:29from the Legion so they don't get hurt.
06:32Number 4. He was chosen to be a Yellow Lantern
06:35The Yellow Lanterns are one of the major antagonist groups of the DC Universe. Founded and led by the
06:40rogue Green Lantern, Sinestro, their yellow power rings use fear instead of justice as a measure for
06:46choosing their wielders. In that case, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that a yellow ring
06:50would set up Batman as a potential suitor. After all, who can strike more fear into the hearts of
06:55criminals than the Dark Knight? This is precisely what happened during the Green Lantern Sinestro
07:00Corpse War storyline. A yellow ring senses Bruce and approaches him as its next potential user.
07:05Of course, this is Bruce freaking Wayne that we're talking about. No alien energy battery can
07:10bend his willpower. The ring immediately realised who it was up against and decided to retreat.
07:15Batman, and Batman alone, gets to decide what powers he calls upon and how. Though it has to
07:21be said, the prospect of Batman powered by a fully charged lantern ring is an absolutely terrifying one.
07:27Number 3. He held his own against Darkseid in a physical brawl
07:32Batman's most important weapons are his superior intellect, battle acumen, willpower,
07:36and of course near endless resources. As the man himself once put it, his superpower is being rich.
07:42However, that does not mean he hasn't put on unreal shows of strength when the situation
07:46has called for it. Case in point, his fight against Darkseid in Batman and Robin number 37.
07:52Now admittedly, it was with the help of a special armour, but that can be considered as part of his
07:56abilities. The armour in question, the Hellbat, is one of Batman's final aces up his sleeve. It is
08:02a last resort he only ever turns to when all other options have been exhausted. Made of a special
08:07kind of nanometal, it gives Batman unparalleled strength. But the suit itself is actually powered
08:12by Bruce's own metabolism, meaning the more he uses it, the more he drains himself. In the
08:17aforementioned issue, Batman calls upon this double edged sword to take on the near unbeatable
08:22Darkseid. Despite all of his might, the ruler of Acropolis takes a pounding from the Dark Knight,
08:27before uncharacteristically allowing Bruce to make a tactical retreat after the suit becomes
08:31compromised. Number 2. He has teamed up with Spider-Man
08:36DC and Marvel's crossovers have given us some absolute dream teams, one of which was the
08:41caped crusader joining forces with your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. During the 1995 crossover
08:47One Shot, Spider-Man and Batman, Disordered Minds, Bruce and Peter are forced to come together to
08:52thwart their two greatest adversaries. The story sees Carnage and the Joker encountering one another
08:58after a psychiatrist tries to use them as subjects for her new treatment chip. Naturally, this goes
09:03south in no time. After the treatment fails, the two villains briefly tease a partnership. Of course,
09:09this is the Red Slayer and the Clown Prince of Crime we're talking about. The prospect of an
09:13alliance was short lived. Before long, the two are trying to kill each other. The deadly conflict
09:18draws in their respective superheroes, who quickly realise they have to put a stop to this.
09:22Carnage then fixes death at the hands of Joker, and is even able to entrap Batman.
09:27Eventually though, the two heroes are able to work together and overcome both the enemies,
09:31because of course. Number 1. The no kill rule wasn't always there
09:37No matter what happens, no matter how dire the circumstance, the Dark Knight does not allow his
09:42morals to get corrupted. There is just one slight issue. This no kill rule was not actually there
09:48when Batman first started. In the earliest versions of the character, Batsy was more than happy to
09:54mow down his opponents with bullets if the situation called for it. Batman was fine with
09:58shooting criminals, tossing them into giant containers filled with acid and snapping their
10:02necks with lethal kicks. There is one particular panel from Batman number 1 that gives us the
10:07starkest of contrasts imaginable with the modern day Batman. Here we see him literally hanging a
10:12criminal to death from the Batplane while it was flying. Maybe increased coverage and the later
10:17advent of social media forced even Batman to make his methods more palatable. Or maybe Bruce
10:22decided the world needed a philosophical saviour as much as a physical, combative one. Regardless
10:27of the reason, it is near impossible to imagine this kind of Batman existing today and how it
10:32would change his entire mythos. And as always, please do let us know what you think of our list
10:36in the comment section and also let us know which one of these facts you found the most shocking.
10:41If you do want to come and follow me on social media, I am at Strawn87 on Twitter and on Instagram,
10:46come and say hello to me on there. Thank you for watching everybody,
10:48I hope you enjoy the rest of your day and until next time, take care.