The Surprising Batman Interactions That Fans Can't Help But Love
There are a few well-known traits often attached to Batman in just about every version we've witnessed of the Caped Crusader. Batman is often portrayed as a stern, brooding detective capable of kicking the butts of some of the worst criminals Gotham has to offer. With "The Batman" serving as arguably the grimmest onscreen take yet on the character, it's clear that director Matt Reeves and actor Robert Pattinson continue to pull from the familiar vengeance of the night well. Heck, Pattinson even dubbed Batman as a "freak," and considering that the hero dresses as a giant bat for his nightly activities, it's hard to argue with that.
With that being said, it's a little easy to forget that there are other sides to the dark hero that shape him as fairly complex. For example, Batman often proves himself as the Justice League's genius tactician within the team, which readily comes in handy when you're dealing with intergalactic threats such as Darkseid. With his surrogate family of a beloved father-figure butler, a couple of Batgirls, and a whole nest of Robins, Batman also presents himself as a loving family man. And despite usually concluding through his fists, the hero has shown numerous times his belief in some of Gotham's criminals being capable of rehabilitation. But fans picked up on another side of the dark detective that's really pulling on the heartstrings thanks to some of his most surprising interactions.
Fans love how Batman interacts with children
Batman is good at many things. For instance, the man can throw a bat-shaped boomerang with the precision of an Olympic marksman. Also, we don't think we've ever seen the hero sport a wrinkle in his cape. But with so many skills at his disposal, it's little wonder that we forget that despite his frightening appearance, Batman is pretty good with kids. Fans on the Batman subreddit noticed this while bringing up a few noteworthy moments, such as from "JLA" #106 by writer Chuck Austen and artist Ron Garney. While Superman and Wonder Woman interrogate a lady in the highlighted panel, Batman innocently presents a puzzle piece to the woman's daughter. Fans initially reacted to the panel as a sweet moment that expertly shows off Batman's humanity. However, there's more going on in the issue than what that single panel reveals.
In the entire scene, Batman isn't just simply playing with the child but testing out a theory. The Justice League is trying to gain more details about a super-powered father and son. Batman has a theory that the related daughter may also have powers, so he provokes her by refusing to let go of a puzzle piece she needs. The young girl gets angry and crumbles the puzzle piece in Batman's hands with shocking super strength. When later asked by Superman how Batman knew about the child's powers, Batman answers that he didn't know but was able to find out because he has a way with children. As Redditor u/Kosame_san noted, "I think it also speaks to Batman's character that he would actually interact with the child, and effectively too. Whereas most adults, and sometimes especially superheroes, are uncomfortable around kids and aren't sure how to behave around them."
Batman helps comfort a dying child
The "JLA" comic book moment shows Batman's ability to relate to troubled children. And another notable interaction picked from fans, this time from the "Justice League Unlimited" series, continues that trend. It may, however, cause the tears to start flowing. In a scene from the episode "Epilogue," Batman confronts the young metahuman Ace, whose powers are chaotically altering the fabric of reality. Batman doesn't use any weapon on her but instead relates to her unfairly being robbed of a childhood. Ace spent much of her young life constantly studied and experimented on by the government because of her psychic abilities. She then went into a life of crime with the Royal Flush Gang. As many already know, Batman experienced the murder of his parents in Crime Alley while only a boy.
The scene reaches its most tragic point when Ace notes that she knows that her powers are about to kill her. Terrified and crying, she asks Batman to stay with her, to which the two sit together on swings, holding hands before Ace finally perishes. It's a sad, but touching scene that shows the hero at his core. Behind the costume, gadgets, and rough growl in his voice, Batman is still that scared child who unfairly lost his parents. He can easily relate to other children who have lost out on a normal life like him, but it's still heartbreaking when he has to do so. As u/OmegaLolrus wrote about the moment, "I just love it because scenes like this I feel fundamentally explain Batman. The reason he puts on that cape and cowl is to make sure that there aren't any other kids that have to turn out like him. To me, that's just a keystone to the character."