The Evolution of Batman

The infamous Caped Crusader made his grand debut in May 1939. He is known to the world as Bruce Wayne and to Gotham as Batman. Over the years, Batman has evolved into a great super hero that we have all grown to love despite his dark side. While his bat-suit has significantly changed over the years, so has his overall demeanor and persona of himself. There are days when Batman embraces his rugged edges and others when he believes himself to be the very problem with Gotham. Yet, despite the struggles that he faces Batman never gives up and continues to prevail against the slimmest villains that cross his path. Do you remember what Batman looked like when you were first introduced to him?

The Suit

Batman’s infamous attire has taken on many transformations over the years. There’s no doubt that the cowl, the cape, the bat symbol, the utility belt, the bladed gloves, the boots, and the briefs, or lack thereof, have continuously changed. If you drew it out, there is no doubt that you would produce at least 20 variations of the suit. There was a time when there were hints of blue in his cape and times when his armor gleamed with a silver hue. As the comic books built a popular following in the 70s, many of the illustrations showed a purplish Batman with pointier ears and longer bladed gloves.

However, as time enters 1989 and goes forward to Tim Burton’s vision of a darker Batman is born and his attire reflects a jet black suit with a yellow distinguished bat symbol proclaimed on his chest. And as more films are made fans will see that the darker side of Batman continues to stick and play as a representation of Bruce Wayne’s shaky start into the world.

Weapons

Along with his cool suit, Batman became known for his impressive weapons that helped solidify his “bad-ass” appeal. In 1989, Tim Burton introduced the darker version of the Dark Knight when he introduced the grapple gun as one of Batman’s key go-to weapons. The grapple gun was a magnetic, gas powered and designed by Lucius Fox at Wayne Enterprises. When Bruce Wayne began to embody his new identity as Batman the grapple gun was one of his first choices. The grapple gun served to help Batman escape a rooftop battle with the Scarecrow and multiple confrontations with the Joker. In the Dark Knight Rises, Batman even used the grapple gun to pull of the robbers off of a motorcycle during a high speed chase.