Batman
Batman is Gotham's wealthy playboy Bruce Wayne. He vowed as a child to become a crime-fighter after his parents were killed in a robbery. Superman first encountered the master detective in Gotham. Although originally thinking the Batman was a dangerous vigilante, after helping him stop the thief Magpie (
Man of Steel miniseries #3), Superman found Batman to be a worthy ally. They have built a good working relationship, they know each other's secret identities, and occasionally work together. Superman trusted Batman with Lex Luthor's Kryptonite ring, with the request that Batman use it if Superman ever goes out of control (
ACT #654). Batman arranged for Metropolis to be protected during Clark Kent's honeymoon, and, as Bruce Wayne, he owns the building Clark Kent and Lois Lane live in.
Batman was again a main part of happenings in Metropolis when Mxyzptlk unwittingly gave the Joker access to the power of the 5th Dimension. Night after night the Joker was killing Batman a different way. Every morning, using the god-like power he would resurrect Batman and start the process over. Eventually the Joker was overcome by his basic fear of Batman. To keep Bruce from going completely insane because of the memories of the terror he was subjected to, The Spectre, Hal Jordan, placed those recollections in the Joker's mind, now housed in maximum security in New York.
When Lois was missing at the hands of the Parasite, Batman came to his friend's aide. Using his deductive reasoning and an occasional threat, he succeeded in helping Superman find the Parasite's lair and rescue his beloved wife (ACT #766).
Just as Superman has battled The Joker, The Batman has had the misfortune to repeatedly tangle with Lex Luthor. Luthor rules as one of the greatest masterminds on the Earth. A cerebral serpent, Lex Luthor has successfully ruled Metropolis for years, and has also historically organized several villains to battle the Justice League. Luthor originally clashed with Batman while partnering with The Joker. As the evil duo was constantly thwarted by Superman and Batman, Luthor eventually began to face The Batman. Over time, Lex Luthor has been inducted in Batman's own Rogues Gallery, consistently engaging The Dark Knight in wily schemes. One particularly memorable scenario involved Luthor and other known Batman foes fighting over the bogus claim of "The Villain Who Killed Batman!"
In more recent stories, Luthor has been portrayed as a business rival of Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne. Through Lexcorp, Luthor's financial dealings have impacted Gotham City, thus competing with the Gotham based Wayne Enterprises. Luthor even took a hand in rebuilding Gotham City after a massive earthquake virtually destroyed it. But when The Batman learned of Luthor's greater plot to make Gotham a crime hub for his own purposes, The Caped Crusader personally threatened Luthor and Lex's assistant - the amazonian Mercy.
Batman made no attempt to hide his contempt for Lex Luthor as the President of the United States. He declared to Superman, "When the time is right, we will take him down."
Following several attempts to recapture the kryptonite ring, Batman and Superman took Luthor out of office (Superman/Batman #1). Batman saved Superman's life in a fight with Metallo, and helped him take on untold legions of villains and heroes in the thrall of Luthor.
Finally, Batman and Superman did battle with Luthor in a redesign of his classic green and purple "Lexor" suit, with Batman adding the finishing touches.
It's assured that Lex Luthor will never cease attempting to inflict his vendetta against the Dark Knight.
Batman and Superman continue to partner, "World's Finest" style, in Superman/Batman. They have dealt with a new Supergirl, Darkseid, and an alternate history together. Batman and Superman remain staunch allies, though their relationship is strained after the events of "Identity Crisis", where Superman was complicit in Batman's mind wipe.
It appears that, for a year following the end of the "Infinite Crisis", Batman, along with Superman and Wonder Woman, stopped appearing in their costumed identities for reasons yet to be fully explained.
First Appearance (meeting Superman): Man of Steel miniseries #3 (1986)
Batman's Vehicles
Lacking Superman's powers, but possessing extraordinary brilliance, The Batman relies on an arsenal of vehicles to assist him in his fight against evil - and travel in style!
- The Batmobile - The Caped Crusader's signature vehicle, the Batmobile is an ultrasleek speed machine which Batman relies on to patrol Gotham City and Metropolis. There are several models of the Batmobile housed within the bowels of the Batcave. While cosmetically different from oneanother, each Batmobile includes a hi-tech arsenal of crimefighting equipment and offensive/defensive mechanisms.
- The Batcycle - Although Batman doesn't rely on it as much as his other vehicles, every so often you can see him riding through the mean streets of Gotham on his Batcycle. As you might assume, it is built for the highest possible speeds, allowing Batman to swiftly patrol the urban terrain.
- The Batboat - This sea vessel can not only cruise through Gotham Harbor, but it can also submerge, and act as a minisubmarine. Batman extensively utilizes the Batboat for frequent patrols. It allows him to pursue seafaring villains, pirates, smugglers, and other targets in the waterways.
- Batman in Flight - The Dark Knight uses several skycrafts in his war against crime. The least of which is his Batglider, a stylized hang-glider. Then there is the Batjetpack, a motorized jetpack that allows the Dark Knight to chase such characters as Man-Bat and Firefly. The Whirlybat is a minicopter, while the larger Batcopter and Batjet have been employed whenever Batman is on extreme excursions - notably with Superman and other members of the Justice League.
Rarely seen is the so-called Flying Batcave, a massive helicopter that was last seen during the Silver Age. It is outmoded for today's agile and mobile travel.
Another rarely used Bat-vehicle is the Batman Monster Truck. Yes - The Batman really has his own monster truck, and has used it in a number of recorded adventures. It is same to assume the Batman Monster Truck is one of the Dark Knight's main modes of transport through Slaughter Swamp, just outside of Gotham - whenever he is in pursuit of Killer Croc or Solomon Grundy.
Who's Who in the Superman Comics
Introduction
This is a listing of many of the notable characters and a few places that have appeared in the
Superman comics from the 1986 revamp up until around 2008.
NOTE: A new, and more current version of the Who's Who is currently being worked on and can be accessed by clicking here.
Although Superman often appears in other DC Comics, this text's information is limited mainly to what has occurred in the regular Superman comics.
Many thanks to Scotty V, Derrick Lyle Coleman, Dean Vanek, Genevieve Clemens and Benjamin Grose who all helped out at one time or another with writing and updating these Who's Who descriptions.
The listings are displayed as follows:
- Surname, Firstname - Text describing the character, place, object, etc...
Relevant issues of the Superman comics are listed as such:
- SUP = Superman
- MOS = Man of Steel
- AOS = Adventures of Superman
- ACT = Action Comics
- MOT = Man of Tomorrow
The Issue Number for each of these titles is written in this manner: “#000”. (e.g.
SUP #123)
“First Appearance” refers to the issue since 1986 unless otherwise noted.
