Has Batman ever been written as an idiot?

[Deleted]

I'm always into people who make superheroes suck at life, be it the daily strip Spider-Man, where he's the biggest loser in the newspapers this side of Ziggy, or when Superman was a dick to his friends in the 70s.

But, given DC's absolute protection on keeping Batman the greatest guy who ever lived, it makes me wonder if they ever let someone depict him as a moron in the past. I'm not talking about Bat-Mite or anyone who went in costume (such as this lovable bit from "The Brave and the Bold")



But the real deal. All superheroes go through that awkward phase where somebody who doesn't know the characters are in charge.

[TWERKIN' MAGGLE]

All Star Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder.

He's more lunatic than idiot, but he's still an idiot.

[Perd]

I maintain he was kinda dumb in the Dark Knight Rises. In the first scene of the movie, Littlefonger asks Bane if removing mask would hurt. A perdectly logical question. The mask is very unusual. He clearly had heard of Bans and knew he was very dangerous. And Bane tells him that removal of his mask would be very painful.

Cut to Batman. The guy who is always 11 steps ahead of everyone. Surely he’ll do some research on Bane. And there must be some info out there. Because Tommy Carcetti seems to know at least a little about Bane. So Bats goes down to Bame’s lair, goes toe to toe with this monster that obviously doesn’t feel pain, and gets his back broken. Not once did he ever attempt to do something about that obviously beneficial mask. If (goes to IMDB) Aberama Gold knows womething is up with that mask, surely the world’s greatest detective should too.

[Brickstone Kid]

I mean you could argue the Adam West Batman was kind of aloof, but that's more Adam West than anything.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

All Star Batman and Robin reads like it was written by someone who doesn’t really like Batman as a character, and wanted to present him as unpleasant and as poor at his profession as possible.

[Deleted]

Lego Batman seems that way to me

[El Pollo Guerrera]

Jun 30, 2018 17:10:56 GMT -5 @slickrickstyles said:

Lego Batman seems that way to me

More 'self-centred jerk' than idiot, but you get a sense why in the Lego Batman movie.

[Deleted]

Now I remembered something; the original 1947 serial where he fought "the Wizard" was him doing a lot of idiotic stuff. It's over at RiffTrax for anyone interested.

[Cyno]

I still have yet to determine if All Star Batman and Robin is brilliant parody, Frank Miller trying way too hard to be edgy, or both at the same time.

[Bang Bang Bart]

ASBaR reads like a edgy 14-year old's self-insert version of Batman... only it was actually written by a seasoned veteran comic writer.

[TWERKIN' MAGGLE]

Jun 30, 2018 17:06:11 GMT -5 Clash, Never a Meter Maid said:

All Star Batman and Robin reads like it was written by someone who doesn’t really like Batman as a character, and wanted to present him as unpleasant and as poor at his profession as possible.

Funny, since so does every other Frank Miller Batman work...

[Mozenrath]

Jun 30, 2018 17:03:51 GMT -5 Perd said:

I maintain he was kinda dumb in the Dark Knight Rises. In the first scene of the movie, Littlefonger asks Bane if removing mask would hurt. A perdectly logical question. The mask is very unusual. He clearly had heard of Bans and knew he was very dangerous. And Bane tells him that removal of his mask would be very painful.

Cut to Batman. The guy who is always 11 steps ahead of everyone. Surely he’ll do some research on Bane. And there must be some info out there. Because Tommy Carcetti seems to know at least a little about Bane. So Bats goes down to Bame’s lair, goes toe to toe with this monster that obviously doesn’t feel pain, and gets his back broken. Not once did he ever attempt to do something about that obviously beneficial mask. If (goes to IMDB) Aberama Gold knows womething is up with that mask, surely the world’s greatest detective should too.

Rewatching the fight, Batman did seem to be trying to punch and hit Bane in the face, and he is shrugging most of it off. Bane was kind of toying with him up until Batman seems to be maybe grabbing Bane's face, which is when Bane lays him out. I can't tell if he was trying to pull Bane's mask off, but it did at least look like he was attempting to grapple him there when Bane smacked him down.

I'm more puzzled about him not bringing more weaponry with him when he went to face Bane. He had that gas bomb thing that Bane just completely no sold, and the device to turn the lights off, but didn't bring so much as a single batarang. Kinda odd.

As for the question in the OP, he's sometimes written to be paranoid to the point of making things far more difficult than they need to be, or bumbling to try to make another character look brilliant through the use of bad writing, but I can't think of many times he's been outright idiotic. Maybe Batman Odyssey, particularly him outlining his first outing where he was completely unprepared.

[Perd]

Jun 30, 2018 21:09:25 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Jun 30, 2018 17:03:51 GMT -5 Perd said:

I maintain he was kinda dumb in the Dark Knight Rises. In the first scene of the movie, Littlefonger asks Bane if removing mask would hurt. A perdectly logical question. The mask is very unusual. He clearly had heard of Bans and knew he was very dangerous. And Bane tells him that removal of his mask would be very painful.

Cut to Batman. The guy who is always 11 steps ahead of everyone. Surely he’ll do some research on Bane. And there must be some info out there. Because Tommy Carcetti seems to know at least a little about Bane. So Bats goes down to Bame’s lair, goes toe to toe with this monster that obviously doesn’t feel pain, and gets his back broken. Not once did he ever attempt to do something about that obviously beneficial mask. If (goes to IMDB) Aberama Gold knows womething is up with that mask, surely the world’s greatest detective should too.

Rewatching the fight, Batman did seem to be trying to punch and hit Bane in the face, and he is shrugging most of it off. Bane was kind of toying with him up until Batman seems to be maybe grabbing Bane's face, which is when Bane lays him out. I can't tell if he was trying to pull Bane's mask off, but it did at least look like he was attempting to grapple him there when Bane smacked him down.

I'm more puzzled about him not bringing more weaponry with him when he went to face Bane. He had that gas bomb thing that Bane just completely no sold, and the device to turn the lights off, but didn't bring so much as a single batarang. Kinda odd.

As for the question in the OP, he's sometimes written to be paranoid to the point of making things far more difficult than they need to be, or bumbling to try to make another character look brilliant through the use of bad writing, but I can't think of many times he's been outright idiotic. Maybe Batman Odyssey, particularly him outlining his first outing where he was completely unprepared.

Good points. And yeah, I really didn’t even answer the question OP actually asked.  Still kinda try’s calling Aidan Gillen by different character names bit, though.

[Mozenrath]

Jun 30, 2018 21:22:20 GMT -5 Perd said:

Jun 30, 2018 21:09:25 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Rewatching the fight, Batman did seem to be trying to punch and hit Bane in the face, and he is shrugging most of it off. Bane was kind of toying with him up until Batman seems to be maybe grabbing Bane's face, which is when Bane lays him out. I can't tell if he was trying to pull Bane's mask off, but it did at least look like he was attempting to grapple him there when Bane smacked him down.

I'm more puzzled about him not bringing more weaponry with him when he went to face Bane. He had that gas bomb thing that Bane just completely no sold, and the device to turn the lights off, but didn't bring so much as a single batarang. Kinda odd.

As for the question in the OP, he's sometimes written to be paranoid to the point of making things far more difficult than they need to be, or bumbling to try to make another character look brilliant through the use of bad writing, but I can't think of many times he's been outright idiotic. Maybe Batman Odyssey, particularly him outlining his first outing where he was completely unprepared.

Good points. And yeah, I really didn’t even answer the question OP actually asked.  Still kinda try’s calling Aidan Gillen by different character names bit, though.

Nah, I think it was relevant to the topic. I think dumber was the stuff where he bought into Talia's scheme hook, line, and sinker, despite so much of it requiring him to make downright questionable decisions.

[Ultimo Gallos]

Jun 30, 2018 18:43:36 GMT -5 Bang Bang Bart said:

ASBaR reads like a edgy 14-year old's self-insert version of Batman... only it was actually written by a seasoned veteran comic writer.

That is pretty much my description for Batman Hush. ASBaR reads like a parody and Miller doing another "OK you wanted more of MY Batman.Here it is."

[Joe Neglia]

Batman: Fortunate Son

Idiocy on every level by everyone involved. Batman, the writers, the editors...

Oh, and that Neal Adams mini from a few years back, Odyssey or whatever, portrayed "year one" Bats as a complete moron who was lucky he wasn't killed eight different ways just stepping out of the Batcave.

[A Platypus Rave]

Jul 1, 2018 2:13:04 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

Batman: Fortunate Son

Idiocy on every level by everyone involved. Batman, the writers, the editors...

Oh, and that Neal Adams mini from a few years back, Odyssey or whatever, portrayed "year one" Bats as a complete moron who was lucky he wasn't killed eight different ways just stepping out of the Batcave.

yeah... Odyssey, where he runs around with guns and almost dies like 16 times.. and where he eventually becomes a hollow Earther >_>


though my favorite quote about that was...

Q: Can you give us an overview of the plot?

Neal Adams (Writer/artist): I cannot give you an overview of the plot.

[James Fabiano]

All the movies, even the Nolan ones, undermined the character's intelligence for the sake of making him an action hero.

[Hit Girl]

He was an idiot for not boning Chase Meridian when she lit the Batsignal just to lure him to Gotham police HQ so she could have sex with him.

[captaincool]

Depends on whether or not he can get rid of a bomb