Module 9: Batman's Body

Batman's Beefiness

Interestingly enough, the lecture with Dr. Bishop leant a lot of credence to theories and opinions that I've had about Batman and whether or not I buy whether the actors who play him seem like they could actually be Batman. According to Dr. Bishop, the criteria that Batman would have to fulfil to feasibly and effectively fight crime every night are as follows: approx. six feet tall;170 lbs; mostly lean muscle with some fat to soften blows and tumbles; trained in multiple forms of martial arts; abnormally fast; developed a build up of bone growth on the skull as a result of multiple instances of head trauma. Obviously, you can't spot martial arts proficiency or head trauma on anybody, but some of the actors definitely take to the role in demeanor better than others.

Reading the Hush (2010) series and the assigned Batman comics (Detective Comics (1937) #37, Batman (1940) #139 and #405, Batman: The Brave and The Bold (2023) #1) got my gears turning about the similarities and differences between drawn Batman and live action Batman—particularly because comic Batman must inherently fulfil his own criteria because he actually does fight crime every night. The same should theoretically be true of anyone chosen to play him onscreen because—within the universe of the movie—whichever body of the actor that plays him is the body of Batman. I wanted to compare them to see which comic Batman each live action actor seems to be approximating only physically—because obviously, their storylines are meant to echo the source material.

1) Detective Comics (1937) #27


1937's offerings show us a relatively lean Batman that isn't drawn with an excess of muscle or bulk. This seems like a largely stylistic decision in order to depict him with a degree of cat-like agility and comical buoyancy. This Batman's physical attributes lend themselves to the live action pairings of Louis Wilson, Robert Lowery, and Adam West:

 







2) Batman (1940) #137, #405

In this series, they do not shy away from the bulk! This is a Batman with defined and emphasized musculature in chest, arms, and legs. His size in comparison to others around him (men and women alike) is significantly larger. I think they may have drawn him this way to draw attention to his strength and stunts over anything else. This Batman's physical attributes lend themselves to the live action pairings of Ben Affleck, Val Kilmer, and Iain Glen:


3) Batman: The Brave and The Bold (2023) #1


Here we have a costume that covers Batman's natural frame and doesn't provide much extra structure; he is softer around the middle and thighs but still sturdy with a broad chest and wide shoulders. This drawn physique looks most like Batman as portrayed by Robert Pattinson and Michael Keaton:

 
                                    

4) Hush series (2010)



Return of the bulk! This Batman is one of the bulkier ones, but is drawn in stylized realism that plants him at an attainable, but elevated physique; muscular torso, legs and arms, defined abs, but not larger than any other muscular person around him. This Batman seems to lend himself most to Christian Bale and George Clooney:










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