"I'm Batman."
...some call me The Batman.
— Batman, Detective Comics #35 (not his first appearance, but the Ur-Example of this line).
I'm Batman.
— Batman, Batman Returns, to Alfred.
Harvey! I'm Batman!
— Bruce Wayne Held Hostage, Batman Forever, attempting to reveal himself to Two-Face.
Hi, Freeze! I'm Batman.
— Batman, Batman & Robin, to Mr. Freeze.
Mr. Fixx: You're pretty strong, for some clown who thinks he's Batman.
Terry McGinnis: I. AM. BATMAN!
Terry McGinnis: I. AM. BATMAN!
Terry McGinnis: I'm Batman.
Static: And I'm Beyoncé!
(later)
Terry McGinnis: (to Bruce, about Static) He says his name's Beyoncé!
Static: And I'm Beyoncé!
(later)
Terry McGinnis: (to Bruce, about Static) He says his name's Beyoncé!
— Static Shock, "Future Shock". It Makes Sense in Context.
"I'm not Hawkman."
— Batman disguised as Hawkman, Public Enemies (2004)
I'm the Batman.
— The Batman, The Batman
I'm the Batman... and you're dust.
Squire: Are you really Batman?
Batman: No, I'm Goldfish man. Can't you tell?
Squire: Oh, it's like that is it?
Batman: No, I'm Goldfish man. Can't you tell?
Squire: Oh, it's like that is it?
What, are you dense? Are you retarded or something? Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the Goddamn Batman.
— The Goddamn Batman, All-Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder, to Dick Grayson, age twelve, who he has just abducted.
I'm Batman.
— Batman, Batman Begins, to Carmine Falcone.
"I'm the Batman."
— Batman, Batman: Death Mask
I'm Batman.
— Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, to the Mirror Universe evil twins of Blue Beetle and Green Arrow.
I'm Batman.
No, you're not! I'm Batman!!
— Bruiser Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, begging to differ.
Nuh-uh, dudes, I'm Batman!
— Slacker Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, throwing his cowl into the ring.
Batman: I'm Batman.
Chibi Batman: Please. Make me laugh again.
Batman: Excuse me?
Chibi Batman: I'm the goshdarn Batma—
Batman: Be quiet.
Chibi Batman: Please. Make me laugh again.
Batman: Excuse me?
Chibi Batman: I'm the goshdarn Batma—
Batman: Be quiet.
— Superman/Batman #51
Batman: You are the slinking coward who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne.
Joe Chill: That was a lifetime ago!
Batman: Yes, my lifetime. You took them without mercy or regret, and in cold blood, Chill!
Joe Chill: How do you know this? How could you possibly—
Batman: I know because I watched it happen. I know because I am the son of the man you murdered. I... am Bruce Wayne!
Joe Chill: That was a lifetime ago!
Batman: Yes, my lifetime. You took them without mercy or regret, and in cold blood, Chill!
Joe Chill: How do you know this? How could you possibly—
Batman: I know because I watched it happen. I know because I am the son of the man you murdered. I... am Bruce Wayne!
— Batman: The Brave and the Bold, "Chill of the Night"
"I'm Batman."
— Dick Grayson, establishing himself as the new Batman, Batman and Robin #3
"I'm Batman."
— The Archivist-Bruce fusion, so we'll let you decide if he is Batman or not, Return of Bruce Wayne #6
"I'm Batman."
— Batman, explaining to Harvey Dent how he knows so much, Beware the Batman, "Nexus"
"I'm Batman."
— Batman to Deadman explaining how he figured out who Deadman was despite never having seen him, Brightest Day #14
"Ich bin Fledermausmann!"
— Batman to a German kidnapper, Arkham Knight #10
Apokolips Soldier: Whoever you are, prepare to be incinerated!
Batman: Want to know who I am? I'M BATMAN!
Batman: Want to know who I am? I'M BATMAN!
— Batman and Robin #36
"I'm Batman."
— Batman, The LEGO Movie
Alfred: You can't spend the rest of your life alone, dressed in black, listening to angry music, and staying up all night.
Batman: Yes, I can. 'Cause I'm Batman!
Batman: Yes, I can. 'Cause I'm Batman!
Brainiac: How is it you lead?
Batman: I'm Batman.
Batman: I'm Batman.
Tiffany Fox: But there's something I don't get. Why you? I mean, no offence, but you're just...Bruce.
Bruce Wayne:...I'm Batman.
Bruce Wayne:...I'm Batman.
Terry McGinnis: Tell me something. Why were you so sure those voices weren't coming from you?
Bruce Wayne: Well first, I know I'm not psychotic.
Terry McGinnis: I hope your other reason is more convincing.
Bruce Wayne: And second, the voice kept calling me Bruce. In my mind, that's not what I call myself.
Terry McGinnis: What do you call yourself?
(Bruce simply gives a Meaningful Look)
Terry McGinnis: Oh yeah. I suppose you would. [beat, smirks] But that's my name now.
Bruce Wayne: Hm. Tell that to my subconscious.
Bruce Wayne: Well first, I know I'm not psychotic.
Terry McGinnis: I hope your other reason is more convincing.
Bruce Wayne: And second, the voice kept calling me Bruce. In my mind, that's not what I call myself.
Terry McGinnis: What do you call yourself?
(Bruce simply gives a Meaningful Look)
Terry McGinnis: Oh yeah. I suppose you would. [beat, smirks] But that's my name now.
Bruce Wayne: Hm. Tell that to my subconscious.
I've got one more thing to say, and it'll only take me a second.
I've got two words that I want you all to remember, they're very important,
and if I leave you with anything, I'm gonna leave you with these two words.
And those two words are...
(Beat)
I'm Batman.
I've got two words that I want you all to remember, they're very important,
and if I leave you with anything, I'm gonna leave you with these two words.
And those two words are...
(Beat)
I'm Batman.
Luscious Precious (to Jim Gordon, who was Batman at the time): You die with the Signal sucked dry and dark. Because you are not Bat... (A hand pushes Luscious' head through the Bat Signal)
Batman (yes, the actual one, Bruce Wayne): No... I am.
Jim Gordon: ...You?
Batman: Hello, Jim. Who died and made you Batman?
Batman (yes, the actual one, Bruce Wayne): No... I am.
Jim Gordon: ...You?
Batman: Hello, Jim. Who died and made you Batman?
— Batman v2 #50
Superman: OK, I scared her by accident. You did that on purpose.
Batman: I'm Batman.
Batman: I'm Batman.
Prosecutor: And juror number four, where do you live?
Bruce Wayne: Wayne Manor.
Prosecutor: Mhh-hm, occupation?
Bruce Wayne: I own a corporation.
Prosecutor: I see, and is there any reason you shouldn’t be on this jury?
Bruce Wayne: Yes, I’m Batman.
Later, Batman and Robin are patrolling Gotham:
Robin: You did not.
Batman: Of course I did. What else could I do? I was under oath not to lie.
Robin: So, so what happened? I mean, I assume you're not on the jury.
Batman: After everyone stopped laughing the judge told me this was a serious matter and that I would refrain for any further jokes. And then they put me on the jury.
Bruce Wayne: Wayne Manor.
Prosecutor: Mhh-hm, occupation?
Bruce Wayne: I own a corporation.
Prosecutor: I see, and is there any reason you shouldn’t be on this jury?
Bruce Wayne: Yes, I’m Batman.
Later, Batman and Robin are patrolling Gotham:
Robin: You did not.
Batman: Of course I did. What else could I do? I was under oath not to lie.
Robin: So, so what happened? I mean, I assume you're not on the jury.
Batman: After everyone stopped laughing the judge told me this was a serious matter and that I would refrain for any further jokes. And then they put me on the jury.
Batman: If you try to hurt my universe, my world, my family, like so many before you, you will fight, you will fail, you will fall. You are judgement. Power. Glory. Fine. I'm Batman.
— Batman annual #4, said to a being asking why he shouldn't destroy the universe. He didn't.
Barry Allen: You're...You are...
Need We Say It?: Yeah...I'm Batman.
Need We Say It?: Yeah...I'm Batman.
"No you're not, I'm Batman!" (other DC characters)
I'm Batman!
Alfred: It seems you have discovered our little secret. Yes, I admit it. I am Batman.
Static: (waking up in the Batcave) Who're you?
Alfred: Batman.
Static:... I don't think so.
Alfred: Just once, I'd like someone to believe that.
Penguin: Joker?!
Joker: I'm the Batman.
Penguin: Y'see, the thing is...you're NOT!
— The Batman.
I am the Batman.
— Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight
Darling, I don't have to answer to you. I'm Batman!
Riddler: Everyone knows Batman doesn't kill.
Katrina Moldoff: You see, the thing is, I'm not Batman.
"C'mon, don't you recognise me? I'm Batman."
— Spoiler, Batman Eternal #52
Batman toy: I'm Batman.
Shazam: Get him, Batman! [throws toy at Sivana]
Shazam: Get him, Batman! [throws toy at Sivana]
"Nuh-uh, dudes, I'm Batman!" (parodies in non-DC media)
I'm Batman.
— Batman, I'm a Marvel... And I'm a DC, to the audience, and to everyone else.note
"Of course I'm the real Batman. See, here's a picture of me with Robin."
I'm Batman.
— The Angry Video Game Nerd as Batman, to every bad Bat-game he's about to pummel in his review of Batman video games. note
"I'm Batman." (Batman cowl appears)
— Ask That Guy, answering a stupid question
Dean: I'm Batman.
"I am the bat."
— Hank Venture, The Venture Brothers
Ferr: You are the night.
Maxwell Adams: I am Batman.
Ferr: You're invisible, you got the Hookshot... you're Batman.
I'm Batman.
Victor: Ho—Holy...
Gert: You're... You're...
Spider-Man: Yes. I'm Batman.
— Runaways note
You're not a dark and troubled soul. You're a doctor who thinks he's Batman.
Concussed football player: I'm fine, let's go!
Coach: Hold on, where are you?
Football player: I'm in New York.
Coach: Who am I?
Football player(grinning): You're the coach.
Coach: And who are you?
Football player: ...I'm Batman.
Coach: Sit down.
"Batman": You don't understand, I'm Batman!
— 1997 Snickers commercial
Dude, the guy is a teacher, not- (secret passage to underground lab opens) ...Batman...
Sheldon: I couldn't become Green Lantern unless I was chosen by the Guardians of Oa, but given enough start-up capital and an adequate research facility, I could be Batman.
Leonard: You could be Batman?
Sheldon: Sure! (gravelly voice) I'm Batman!... See?
Leonard: You could be Batman?
Sheldon: Sure! (gravelly voice) I'm Batman!... See?
Kramer: The bus is OUTTA CONTROL! So I grab him by the collar, I take him out of the seat, I get behind the wheel, and now I'm driving the bus!
Jerry: Wow.
George: You're Batman.
Kramer: Yeah. Yeah, I am Batman!
Jerry: Wow.
George: You're Batman.
Kramer: Yeah. Yeah, I am Batman!
— Seinfeld
Linkara, in his Batman voice: I'm not Batman, I'm totally not Batman... *mimicks hiding his mouth with a cape* I'm Batman.
"I'm Batman. And I can breathe in space."
"Might as well come clean: I am Batman. [J]"
"If I were to go on there and write that, I don't know, I'm Batman, how long would I legitimately be Batman?"
— Jon Stewart, to Jimmy Wales
Batman: I'm Batman.
Superman: I know you are.
Batman: It's what I do.
Superman: I know. You say that a lot.
Batman: I carry things on my belt. Cause I’m Batman.
Superman: ...Dude, it's cool.
Superman: But dude, you know what I would've done?
Batman: Oh, I don't know, probably just-
Superman and Batman simultaneously: Fly really fast, saving everyone from the bullets and explosions!
Superman: Exactly!
Batman: Yeah, well, I can't do those things. Because I'm not an super-bulletproof alien from another planet that can defy gravity. But you know what I can do?
Superman: What's that?
Batman: Make an incredibly awesome movie! ...You know why?
Superman: [Resigned] Because you're Bat-
Batman: Because I'm Batman!
Batman: Oh, I don't know, probably just-
Superman and Batman simultaneously: Fly really fast, saving everyone from the bullets and explosions!
Superman: Exactly!
Batman: Yeah, well, I can't do those things. Because I'm not an super-bulletproof alien from another planet that can defy gravity. But you know what I can do?
Superman: What's that?
Batman: Make an incredibly awesome movie! ...You know why?
Superman: [Resigned] Because you're Bat-
Batman: Because I'm Batman!
— The Dark Knight Parody, How It Should Have Ended
Superman: Dude, I catch falling planes in mid-air every other week.
Batman: ... And I'm Batman.
"I'm Batman."
"Oh, I'm Batman."
— Homestar Runner attempting to make a crank call to Marzipan
"What? I bring joy to the world. I am filled with mirth and sunlight. Also, I am Batman."
"Hello. I'm Batman. I remember it, because I'm Batman."
Batman: Hey, guess what.
Dr. Young: What now?
Batman: Could you ask that again, using a complete sentence with more words?
Dr. Young: (Groans) What do you want this-
Batman: I'M BATMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
Pinky: Who the fuck just hit me?
Black Belt Jones: Batman, motherfucker!
— Black Belt Jones
"Hi... I'm Batman - FUCK! ...I'm... Bruce Wayne..."
— Bruce Wayne, Holy Musical B@man!
"[Don] Draper? No one’s ever lifted that rock. He could be Batman for all we know."
— Harry Crane, Mad Men
Alex Trebek: Mr. Keaton.
Michael Keaton: ...I'm Batman.
Alex Trebek: No, you are not.
— Celebrity Jeopardy, Saturday Night Live
Alex Trebek: Let's see what Mr. Keaton came up with, you wrote... "Val Kilmer sucks."
Michael Keaton: ...I'm Batman.
Alex Trebek: Okay, and your wager... "George Clooney sucks."
— Celebrity Jeopardy, Saturday Night Live
Boy I am not Jeff. I am the Batman.
Mother: The Batman, would you like a chocolate milk?
Boy: Yes. Yes, the Batman would.
(Boy sits down with his chocolate milk. He keeps a stern look on his face as he sips the drink.)
Boy: *sips* Gotham is safe.
Steve: I don't believe this. How could they put me at the kids table? I'm 14.
Random Kid: I'm Batman.
Steve: No, you aren't!
— American Dad!, "Buck Wild"
"So Azrael's all like 'I'm Batman', and Tim's like 'No, you're not, you're Azrael', and then Azrael's like 'Jesus is Batman', and Tim's all 'What the fuck are you talking about?'".
— Max Landis, attempting to explain Knightfall
Master Shake: Guess who I am? [swings grappling hook] I'm Batman!
Carl: Of course! I'm Batman, too, eh! [jumps out his own window]
— Aqua Teen Hunger Force, P.D.A
"Mr. Trump?"
"Yes?"
"Are you Batman?"
Cable: Who are you?
Deadpool: I'm Batman!
Deadpool: I'm Batman!
Adam West: I never had to say "I'm Batman". I showed up, people knew I was Batman. Everywhere I went on the TV show, mall openings... Julie Newmar's bungalow...
Everything else
"Every mystery the universe has ever faced — from the streets of Gotham to the solar pits of Apokolips — he's solved them."
— Wally West, DC Universe: Rebirth
Bruce Wayne: Dad's estate left me wealthy. I am ready...but first I must have a disguise. Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. So my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible...a...a...
- As if in response, a huge bat flies in the open window!
Bruce Wayne: A bat! That's it! It's an omen. I shall become a BAT!
- And thus is born this weird creature of the dark...this avenger of evil; 'The Batman'
— The original origin of the Batman, Detective Comics #33.
Terry McGinnis: You don't know your way around here. A lot of things have changed.
Batman: Are criminals still superstitious and cowardly?
Old Bruce: Yup.
Batman: Good enough for me.
—Justice League, "The Once and Future Thing, Part 2"
Wonder Woman: Circumstances aside, it was kind of enjoyable to be a kid again.
Batman: I haven't been a kid since I was eight years old.
— Justice League Unlimited, "Kid Stuff"
Am I blue? / Am I blue? / Ain't these tears in my eyes telling you...
— Batman showing off his musical ability, Justice League Unlimited, "This Little Piggy"
It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.
— Batman, Batman Begins
Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
— Alfred Pennyworth on The Joker, The Dark Knight
Tell me something, my friend. You ever dance with the devil by the pale moonlight?
— The Joker, Batman (1989)
How about a magic trick? I'm going to make this pencil disappear.
7 million. Never leave the cave without it.
— Batman, using his Bat Credit Card, Batman & Robin
People think it's an obsession. A compulsion. It's never been like that. I chose this life. On any given day, I could stop. Today isn't that day. Tomorrow won't be either.
— Batman, Identity Crisis (2004)
All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.
Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb.
— Batman, Batman: The Movie
"My world goes crazy sometimes."
— Batman, Detective Comics #475
"By the gods! You pursue me past your dying...! Are you man— Or fiend from hell?"
— Ra's al Ghul (who really shouldn't be so shocked by resurrection), Batman #244
"Yet we're linked, you and I. Like comedy and tragedy. Two sides, same coin."
— The Joker to Batman, The Batman, "The Bat In The Belfry"
"It wasn't the money I wanted. It wasn't the action I sought. I just liked the attention."
— The Riddler, Detective Comics Annual #8, on why he is who he is.
"Why are we doing this? Because we are now two faces. One good, the other bad. Half-and-half. Fifty fifty. Opposite and equal. And we're deadlocked. When that happens... we let the coin decide."
— Two-Face, Batman Annual #14, explaining his philosophy as he holds a gun to his abusive father. The coin comes good-heads up just as Batman barges in.
"Bruce, you're Batman. You've lost your memory somehow, but you're this rich guy who dresses up in a costume to scare bad guys."
— Red Robin, Return of Bruce Wayne #6, Robin brings it back to first principles for us.
An almost legendary figure, the cowled shadow of The Batman prowls through the night, preying upon the criminal parasite like the winged creature whose name he has adopted!
— The standard tagline accompanying each Batman front page, circa Strange Apparitions...
I made a promise on the grave of my parents to rid this city of the evil that took their lives. By day, I am Bruce Wayne, billionaire philanthrophist. At night, criminals, a cowardly and superstitious lot, call me...BATMAN
...and circa Hush by Jeph Loeb.
Mr. Freeze: Tonight I mean to pay back the man who ruined my life... our lives...
Batman: Even if you have to kill everyone in the building to do it?
Mr. Freeze: *nods* Think of it, Batman. To never again walk on a summer's day with a hot wind in your face, and a warm hand to hold...oh yes. I'd kill for that.
— "Heart of Ice", Batman: The Animated Series
"There are times when I, too, disagree with Master Bruce's decisions. And when that happens, there's something I do that never fails to lift my spirits. I disobey him."
— Alfred Pennyworth, The Batman, "The Joining"
Harley: There's one thing I gotta know: why'd you stay with me all day? Risking your life for someone who's never given you anything but trouble?
Batman: I know what it's like to try and rebuild a life. (gives her the dress she paid for) I had a bad day too, once.
Harley:...Nice guys like you shouldn't have bad days. (kisses him on the cheek, turns away - then plants one on him)
— "Harley's Holiday"
Ace: When I was little, Cadmus used to make me play all kinds of games. They weren't any fun either. They'd strap me into their machines and poke wires into my brain, "Ace, can you move this object with your mind?" (uproots a tree and launches it into the sky) Yeah. I can move it. They weren't really games, you know. They were training me, turning me into a weapon — for "justice", they said. They got their weapon. I got cheated out of my childhood.
Batman: I know what that's like.
Ace: You do, don't you? (smiles) You don't have to answer. I've read your mind. That's how I knew you weren't going to use Mrs Waller's weapon on me.
Batman: No. I wasn't. (drops Waller's kill-switch)
Ace: You were going to try and talk me into fixing what I've changed...before I die.
Batman: Yes.
Ace: ...I'm dying very soon.
Batman: Yes... I'm sorry.
Ace: (quietly, crying) Would you stay with me? I'm scared.
(Batman sits next to her — when he offers his hand, she takes it)
Batman: I know what that's like.
Ace: You do, don't you? (smiles) You don't have to answer. I've read your mind. That's how I knew you weren't going to use Mrs Waller's weapon on me.
Batman: No. I wasn't. (drops Waller's kill-switch)
Ace: You were going to try and talk me into fixing what I've changed...before I die.
Batman: Yes.
Ace: ...I'm dying very soon.
Batman: Yes... I'm sorry.
Ace: (quietly, crying) Would you stay with me? I'm scared.
(Batman sits next to her — when he offers his hand, she takes it)
— Justice League, "Epilogue"
Bruce: You don't know the first thing about the American justice system, do you?
Tim: I know it's bogus.
Bruce: And how did you come to that well-thought-out conclusion?
Tim: Watching you.
Bruce:...
Tim: I know it's bogus.
Bruce: And how did you come to that well-thought-out conclusion?
Tim: Watching you.
Bruce:...
Batman: I imagine this is a unique opportunity for you. It must be odd for you to have the chance to catalog new levels of physical discomfort, as you rarely experience them.
Superman: What kind of masochist keeps track of the different kinds of pain they've -
Batman: Four hundred and ninety-six by my last count.
Batman: (on making Robin his sidekick at age nine) Robin needed to help bring the man who murdered his family to justice.
Wonder Woman: So he could turn out like you?
Batman:...So that he wouldn't.
"Of all the descriptive names of all the things people say when they hear a hero in action, The Amazing Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk, The Invincible Iron Man, the only descriptive word for this guy is 'The God-damn Batman!"
— SF Debris on The Dark Knight
Bruce Wayne: Yes, father. I shall become a bat.
Bat-Mite: Batman's rich history allows him to be interpreted in a multitude of ways. To be sure, this is a lighter incarnation, but is certainly no less valid and true to the character's roots as the tortured avenger, crying out for mommy and daddy.
— A rebuttal to angry fans of Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Legends Of The Dark Mite
"Ladies. Gentlemen. You have eaten well. You've eaten Gotham's wealth. Its spirit. Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on — none of you are safe."
—Batman, Batman: Year One
Superman: Big man in a Batsuit. Take that away, what are you?
Batman: A genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, detective, pilot, escape artist, master of disguise; fluent in Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, French, Latin, German, Russian...mastered 127 styles of martial arts, including taekwondo, judo, muay thai, karate, boxing, jujitsu, ninjitsu...degrees in criminal science, forensics, computer science, chemistry, engineering, biology, advanced chemistry, technology...
Superman: All RIGHT!
"Criminals are a terror. Hearts of the night. I must disguise my terror. Criminals are cowardly. A superstitious terrible omen. A cowardly lot. My disguise must strike terror. I must be black. Terrible. Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot. I must be a creature. I must be a creature of the night. Mommy's dead. Daddy's dead. Brucie's dead. I shall become a bat."
More than anyone else in the world, when you scratch everything else away from Batman, you're left with someone who doesn't want to see anybody die.
"Did I finally reach the limits of reason? And find The Devil waiting? And was that fear in his eye?"
Young man, you have two seconds to remove your hands from my person before I remove them for you.
— Alfred Pennyworth to the Goddamned Batman, after the latter has grabbed him and shoved him against a wall, showing everyone that Batman is No Badass to His Valet.
"When the mugger or the thief stops to think twice: that is fear. That is what I am. That is why they hired assassins - because I am the reason that criminals breathe easier when the sun rises."
"Terry, I've been thinking about something you once told me, and you were wrong. It's not Batman that makes you worthwhile. It's the other way around. Never tell yourself anything different."
— Bruce to Terry McGinnis, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Robin: Whoa, does Batman live in Bruce Wayne's basement?
Batman: No, Bruce Wayne lives in Batman's attic!
It’s taken me years to accept what you told me back then, that you were there for me that night. Not as a vigilante swinging to the rescue, but as an ideal, as an inspiration. A voice I heard in darkness, commanding me to stand up. The same voice that tells us when we get beaten down, we can accept being a victim or choose to be the hero of our own stories. And we make that choice by standing up.
Batman is no noble hero. He isn't the person people look up to. He doesn't inspire others like Captain Steve Rogers would, or cradle hope like Superman can. He doesn't save a burning school bus full of kids that's going in the river. Batman isn't a hero. Rather, he would mercilessly stalk the deranged psychopath that wants to use school buses as tinderboxes, haunt his dreams, catch him when he least expects it, and burn a hole through his non-existent soul.
This is by deliberate choice and design. Bruce Wayne protects a city that murdered his parents for no reason at all. A city where good people are a fiction. They are either too scared to do the right thing, too smart to live anywhere else but in Gotham...or, like Martha and Thomas, dead.
Gotham City is so insidiously corrupt and broken beyond repair that it does not deserve a savior anymore. Ra’s Al Ghul did have a point there: no city which can murder a billionaire husband and wife in front of their only child on a cold, meaningless night deserves to be saved. Batman is the product of a city whose terrors and demons can only be fought by an equally terrible monster. A frightening, inhuman creature of the night. Not a hero. Not a guardian angel. Not a Messianic redeemer.
He is what Gotham deserves. He is a Dark Knight.
— Quorra discussion on Gordon's closing speech from the The Dark Knight
Peter ends up with MJ, just like Clark ends up with Lois and Batman...well, Batman probably ends up alone and/or dead, but let’s not dwell on that for now.
— MGK, Brand New Year
For eight decades, he’s been invading our comic shops, TV sets, and movie theaters in his never-ending quest to rid Gotham City of the criminal element. (Although, if he’s still fighting the mentally insane after 80 years and Gotham still isn’t cleaned up, maybe he’s not doing such a great job after all.)
"How can the world know fear – true dread – when there is you? A stalwart knight, ever ready to slay monsters. Fear isn’t true biology, Batman. It’s more than instinct. True fear is the absence of hope. And hope is the spread wings of a bat, shining in the clouds."
—Scarecrow, Batman: Arkham Knight
Thug: "The hell are you supposed to be?"
(Batman delivers a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on the thug in silence)
Batman: "I'm vengeance!"
Batman: "Fear is a tool. When that light hits the sky...it's not just a call. It's a warning."
"Batman as a traumatized vigilante haunted by the death of his parents is a recent thing. It sounds crazy because of course having dead parents is Batman's most recognizable trait, but in his intial characterization he wasn't traumatized, he was motivated. He went through something horrible and decided he would devote his life to guaranteeing that nobody would have to go through something like that ever again...by dressing up like a bat and punching crime in the face. The modern version where the death of his parents haunts him and twists him into a nightstalking monster is recent. And you know something? This is all Alan Moore's fault. As a much as I appreciate The Killing Joke, it unintentionally sparked the idea that deep down, Batman and Joker were the same. That they were both broken men driven by tragedy beyond the limits of sanity. But Alan Moore didn't mean for that to be the takeaway from the comic. In The Killing Joke the Joker is wrong. His premise that all it takes is one bad day to become exactly like him is blatantly disproven, both by Batman and Jim Gordon. [...] The idea that Batman does what he does because he's cracked completely defeats the purpose of his character. He does what he does because he knows what it's like to be powerless, so he takes it upon himself to be the power that helps the powerless. A good sign of whether or not your Batman is being characterized properly is as follows: Could you picture this Batman comforting a scared child? If yes, congratulations! This is a certified Batman. If not, I'm afraid you instead have The Punisher in a silly hat."
"No superhero fascinated (Michael) Uslan like Batman. Unlike Superman, Batman didn’t have special powers. His strength came from his will, training, and armored flying suit. Batman was human and damaged—as a child, he’d watched a stranger murder his parents and swore to avenge their deaths. That origin story deeply affected Uslan, who couldn’t consider a world in which his mom and dad didn’t exist."
—Camille Dodero, The Boy Who Saved Batman
"Marcus, this isn't you. At least, it doesn't have to be. I saw what happened to your parents. I know what you're feeling. A man with a gun once took away people I loved. I never stopped missing them. Never forgot how painful it was to be alone. You can't bring your parents back, but you can break the cycle of violence that took them. Don't be a part of it, Marcus. Don't become what killed our families."
—Batman to a kid whose parents were murdered and is pointing a gun at him, Batman: War on Crime
"Batman wears the night as a costume and makes himself the patron saint of unknown terrors. He isn't about order; he's about control, which is much more protean. He became an avatar of the same unpredictability that ruined his life. Both hero and villain agree that life is horrifying and brutal, but The Joker wants everyone to see that there's nothing to be done for it, so you might as well laugh — and, in fact, you might not be able to stop laughing well past the point of coughing up blood. The Dark Knight, by contrast, knows that a diverse skill set readies a man for any situation. And in a city where the parks department poisons white swans, he's right. That's why he carries a tool in his utility belt for every predicament from shark attack to a Nicki Minaj concert"
— Brendan McGinley, "5 Reasons Batman Always Wins"
"He died... sssaving the city... No, that's not true... he sssaved the city, yes... but he died ssssaving me. I ssssaid, 'I'm not worth it.' He said, 'Everyone's worth it.'"
—Clayface giving a eulogy providing just one of many possible ways Batman died, Whatever Happened to The Caped Crusader?
"The night was his time, the shadows were his place. Like the bat from which he took his name he saw with his hands and feet and ears. As Bruce Wayne, he was cheerful, poshy, full of savoir faire and bonhomie, a fellow easily imagined in front of the fire in his book-lined library, with a balloon glass of brandy and a bowl of Cheez Doodles near at hand. But when the Bat-Signal floated against one of Gotham's skyscrapers(or perhaps the underside of a handy passing cloud) a grim and unsmiling creature emerged from the Bat-Cave. You could shoot him and he would bleed...you could crank him a good one on the head and he would fold up (at least for a little while)...but you could never, never stop him."
"Batman works alone. Except for Robin, and Alfred, and Batgirl, and Commissioner Gordon, and whoever Morgan Freeman played, [the list continues offscreen]."
—Batman, DC League of Super-Pets
