ChickenScratch
Superhero
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Well for me, they make sense from a protection/weapon standpoint. I guess some people don't find them aesthetically pleasing or too bulky.
When I look at an MMA fighter or martial artist, they wear protective gloves and shin guards. When you punch someone in the face or deliver a kick, you take a fraction of that damage as well. Your hands can take a beating, hence the protection to absorb that damage.
In Batman's case, I feel like he would need that added protection when he's in an alley beating up 10+ goons because it takes a toll. The extra added armor could also work as a weapon in conjunction with his guantlets to inflict more pain on criminals. Think of brass knuckles.
Not really advocating that Nolan Batman beefs up his guantlets/boots anymore than what they are, but AA Batman's look and gear makes a lot of sense to me.
Sure the hands and whole body for that matter takes a beating. But the real damage to hands happen when people in a fight punch with an improperly formed fist. You would be surprised how many people who think themselves fighters can't make a fist correctly ... and as in all things bad form leads to injury. There's a whole lot of intricacy in a properly formed fist that supports all the small bones in the right way and is has enough give to absorb some of the blow. I've been fighting bare knuckle since I was a teen (as we all do in Kyokushin Karate) and only broke a finger once, and my hands are my life, I'm a guitarist.
The long and short of it is, Batman, a superbly trained martial artist would armor his whole body, but his knowledge of form and mechanics would also be a huge part of his protection (as it already is since he's not wearing IM armor). He's not a boxer who trains every day in pad gloves, then punches a guy bare knuckled on the street and shatters his hand. Strong arms, shoulders, good form, but training is such a way ingrains things like a slightly more open fist because the hand expects the padding in the palms so doesn't tighten as much on the leading side of the fist, or the fist/wrist alignment is all wrong because they are not wearing hand-wraps.

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