Why do they call him "The Batman"

[Fred_Fury]

Why do they call him "The Batman" and not just Batman?

[BatScot]

Because you couldn't call him 'The Goddamn Batman' back in 1939.

[SuperFerret]

Because he's supposed to be a mysterious figure. The public doesn't know he's human, for all they know, he's a human-bat hybrid, a "bat-man".

[Nightwing]

"The Batman" is the superstitious name. Originally when Batman debuted he was referred to as "The Bat-Man" when it was a hit comic. Villains, citizens, or even newspapers hail him as such, only because they don't know who he is or where he came from. Hence titles like "The Batman strikes" or the famous line from Batman Begins:

"He's here."

"Who?"

"The Batman."

Occasionally, some writer's will be fancy and include the "The", but it isn't frequent. "Batman" is what he's known as to his close allies or even the villains he faces in combat. Or even in articles written, rosters of teams, his own comic series and mini series, films, etc.

[JTStarkiller]

Originally Posted by BatScot

Because you couldn't call him 'The Goddamn Batman' back in 1939.

LOL.

[Merkel]

Batman should never call himself Batman. That should be what the general public, mesmerized by this mysterious figure, would nick-name him.

[The Spirit]

Originally Posted by Batman

"The Batman" is the superstitious name. Originally when Batman debuted he was referred to as "The Bat-Man" when it was a hit comic. Villains, citizens, or even newspapers hail him as such, only because they don't know who he is or where he came from. Hence titles like "The Batman strikes" or the famous line from Batman Begins:

"He's here."

"Who?"

"The Batman."

Occasionally, some writer's will be fancy and include the "The", but it isn't frequent. "Batman" is what he's known as to his close allies or even the villains he faces in combat. Or even in articles written, rosters of teams, his own comic series and mini series, films, etc.

'Course you knew all that, eh Bats?

Sweetness.

[warren_sparta27]

what should be call himself then? apart from crazy?

[SuperFerret]

Originally Posted by Batman

"The Batman" is the superstitious name. Originally when Batman debuted he was referred to as "The Bat-Man" when it was a hit comic. Villains, citizens, or even newspapers hail him as such, only because they don't know who he is or where he came from. Hence titles like "The Batman strikes" or the famous line from Batman Begins:

"He's here."

"Who?"

"The Batman."

Occasionally, some writer's will be fancy and include the "The", but it isn't frequent. "Batman" is what he's known as to his close allies or even the villains he faces in combat. Or even in articles written, rosters of teams, his own comic series and mini series, films, etc.

Basically, that's what I said.

Only everyone believes you because you're the Batman and I'm not.

[Merkel]

Batman doesn't call himself anything. Eventually, he'll embrace the name, but not because he created it. At least that's how I see things.

[cryptic name]

Originally Posted by Merkel

Batman doesn't call himself anything. Eventually, he'll embrace the name, but not because he created it. At least that's how I see things.

so no "i'm batman" for you, then?

[Merkel]

I think it takes away a bit from the aura of mistery the character should have. He should be oficially "nameless". People call him Batman because they have to call him something.

[LennonMcCartney]

The is a definite article. It refers to a specific object, versus "a" which is an indefinite article. I took a class is grammar last year in college (big mistake for a bio-pre-med who didn't remember who anal retentive a grammar teacher was, or how indifferent he was about grammar) anyway, I brought up "The Bat-man" and she didn't even know what I was talking about. I did refer to The Beatles, but she ignored me again. Anyway, because "the" is a definitive article, it is referring to the specific bat-man....to distinguish from the other bat-men... Actually in thinking about it, maybe it specifies what kind of man this individual is, he is the Bat-man. As opposed to the super-man, or the spider-man. I guess that works.

[Joker]

but, he did come up with the name...he at least came up with the gimmick of "I will become a bat" and all, so why wouldnt he accept that he was essentially making himself into a batman?

[The Batman]

Originally Posted by SuperFerret

Basically, that's what I said.

Only everyone believes you because you're the Batman and I'm not.

No, hes batman

i'm The Batman

[BatScot]

Originally Posted by The Joker

but, he did come up with the name...he at least came up with the gimmick of "I will become a bat" and all, so why wouldnt he accept that he was essentially making himself into a batman?

It's a distinction between an identity and totem image, somewhat analogous to shamanic transformations where the intent is not to be identified as, for example, a bird-man but as the bird itself.

My own opinion is that Wayne must recognize that—despite his appearance—very few people would see the Bat-Man as being anything other than human rather than some supernatural entity. And while it is canonically essential that Wayne's alter-ego be known as Batman, it is a little corny that he would refer to himself by that name... at least initially (I suspect there is something in Wayne’s character that would succumb to the idea of ‘the Batman’.)

But that’s as far as I think a reasonably reasonable man would take it… no Batcave, no Batmobile, no Batarangs, and no Bat-Shark-Repellent; those names are the names everybody else uses and are equally essential to the canon in that sense… well maybe not the Bat-Shark-Repellent ;)

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I totally agree Batscot.

The concept is that, Bruce becomes this symbol. Not masking himself behind one, but actually become one. It's deeper than that too, since with this persona he unleashes this animalistic, volitile inner demon as the Batman.

Ther way I see it, "The Batman" makes him sound like some kind of lurking creature. Simply "Batman" makes him sound too comfortable, and not dangerous enough (if that makes sense). I think Christian Bale said something of the sort in an interview, where he prefers to call him "The Batman" because it does sound more intriguing and more animal-like.

For what it's worth, I guess I prefer those close to Batman to just call him Batman (leaving out "the") since they're in his inner circle. Jim, Alfred, Babs, etc. Doesn't bother me if they call him that. And, to an extent neither does it bother me if the Rouges do too- since to a point, they've seen so much of him it makes sense. But, to everyone else- The Batman sounds good to me.

As for the naming of everything.....I just think that didn't make any sense whatsoever in the realm of this character. It just doesn't seem to fit, that he would name everything with "Bat" infront of it. However, the comics have tried to explain that by blaming it on Robin.

[Gogo Bananas]

'The' is what you call something when it's unique.
He's The Batman, not A Batman.
Like The Pope, The Queen, The Donald.

[Beelze]

I see what Merkel is saying, and to have the public give him his name is obviously a neat idea. However, I find something appealing about him choosing the name himself. In Begins, when he grabs Falcone out of the limo and simply says, "I'm Batman", there's something psychotic over it all, and I love that. Obviously, in Bruce's world there's folklore, horror movies, and fictional superheroes (well, at least heroes like Zorro), and even real superheroes (if one counts Superman, or whatever other character sometimes exists in the same universe as Batman), and Bruce probably drew ideas from those things (that, or just a bat crashing through his window). Life imitates art, art imitates... ah, you know.

I think The Batman is about as good as Batman. You don't say The Bigfoot, you just say Bigfoot.

[BatScot]

Originally Posted by Beelze

You don't say The Bigfoot, you just say Bigfoot.

That's because 'Bigfeet' (i.e., gigantopithecus koprotauros) are known to have a breeding population—or else how could they exist—and if you said 'The Bigfoot', people might think there was only one ;)

[lujho]

No-one who would be a superhero would actually do the silly "And I shall call myself..." thing. I mean, you might do that if the world was full of real Superheroes, but not if you were the first Superhero ever.

Look at Superman The Movie and Spider-Man - both of them are named by others, not themselves.

Batman should start out as being called "The Batman", because that's the thing that he is - it's a description, not a name. Later, it *becomes* a name, simply because people who know him have to call him something and "the Batman" would get tiresome. After that, the "the" could sometimes be used and sometimes not, depending on who's talking.

Also there's the tradition of heroes names starting with "the" - The Shadow, The Spider, The Scarlet Pimpernel etc. He's really more in line with those characters than characters who have a real "superhero name". Allthough plenty of Superheroes have "the" - The Flash etc.

So yeah, I wouldn't have wanted to see the "I'm Batman" line in an origin story. What they could have done is established that the underworld/press had dubbed him "The Batman" before that scene and had him say "I'm the Batman" - he's using the title that others have already given him.

[Beelze]

Originally Posted by lujho

No-one who would be a superhero would actually do the silly "And I shall call myself..." thing. I mean, you might do that if the world was full of real Superheroes, but not if you were the first Superhero ever.

Why must there be real superheroes in order for it to be realistic for a wannabe-superhero to give himself a name? Some superheroes do it in comics, and comics are created by writers, so obviously the idea came from a human first (too bad comic writers usually don't become superheroes themselves ). There'd at least be comic book heroes to grab inspiration from. And when people play computer games they usually use a nickname they came up with sometime (just look a my name). It wouldn't be weird to think of a name for yourself. If I somehow gained superpowers, or became a kickass fighter, and decided I'd be a hero, I would contemplate giving myself a name.

Life imitates art!

[lujho]

Originally Posted by Beelze

Why must there be real superheroes in order for it to be realistic for a wannabe-superhero to give himself a name? Some superheroes do it in comics, and comics are created by writers, so obviously the idea came from a human first (too bad comic writers usually don't become superheroes themselves ). There'd at least be comic book heroes to grab inspiration from. And when people play computer games they usually use a nickname they came up with sometime (just look a my name). It wouldn't be weird to think of a name for yourself. If I somehow gained superpowers, or became a kickass fighter, and decided I'd be a hero, I would contemplate giving myself a name.

Life imitates art!

I kind of feel that "Superheroes" as a genre wouldn't exist in the world of Batman, Superman etc. Bruce Wayne, at least in Begins, wouldn't have grown up with superheroes, but more the pulp predecessors.

But anyway - it seems pretentious and silly for a Bruce Wayne to do such a thing. Other, lighter characters it might work for. But Bruce wouldn't care about having a cool sounding name (which in reality is, if you REALLY stop and think about it, rather dorky sounding). He'd just become a bat and let others call him whatever they will.

If ANYTHING he'd have dubbed himself simply The Bat, but because Superman was created the year before and had great success, Kane put a "man" at the end and put him in tights. Batman's really a pulp character in Superhero clothes - or at least he very much started out that way.

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I dunno, Bruce naming himself makes more sense to me than havng some reporter call him that. He's choosing this symbol, he's choosing to become this thing.....he's aware of that. Being aware of that, he chooses a name for his new persona. Having a reporter come up with the name is just a rip off on Superman.....rather than having the hero do it himself, which could be cooler depending on how it's done.

And yeah, the Batman makes more sense looking at his roots. Pulp comics were most famous, although not only genre stuck to, horror.....so the Batman makes him sound more like a monster than a man.

[Dark Guardian]

Well, "The" in our society always makes it seem like there is only one. So "The Batman" verus "Batman" gives him more of a singular persona, like he's definitely the ONLY Batman, no question.