Summary
I’ve been reading a lot ofBatmanlately, flitting between eras and creative teams, and yet the same cliché keeps returning again and again. When it comes to Marvel and DC properties, I tend to read in phases, getting hooked on a character and exclusively exploring their back catalog for a few weeks or months. This time, it’s Batman’s turn, hunting down stories I haven’t gotten around to yet, like the ‘No Man’s Land’ event story and Paul Dini’sDetective Comicsrun.And yet no matter where I turn, I keep running into the same irritating cliché, springing up time after time like some kind of (and I’m spitballing here) clown-themed recidivist supervillain.
The cliché in question, and I promise it’s worse than it sounds, isBatman refusing to eat. The idea, on its face and the first one or two times you see it, is a good one. Bruce Wayne is a grim, obsessed vigilante whose life is defined by his quest to ‘make war on crime.’ When he’s on a case, he’s totally committed, and sometimes he forgets the little things, like sleeping and eating. It’s the level of dedication you need if you’re going to track downmajor threats like Kite Man, the map-obsessed Globe and, of course, the terrifying Penny Plunderer.
The problem is that this cliché undercuts whatmakes Batman special as a characterand undermines the dichotomy that makes the Dark Knight interesting on a level that goes beyond pulp action. With every soup, pan-seared sea bass and cucumber sandwich Batman turns down, he gets a little worse as a character.Now, I’ve reached the point where I’m ready to offer a bounty to prevent this cliché ever appearing again.
If you’re aBatmanwriter at DC Comics who is considering showing him skip a meal, get in contact and I will personally pay you not to.
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I’m Begging You, Let Batman Eat!
The Practical Argument for the Dark Knight Eating a Sandwich
First, the obvious problem.Batman has a butler.His refusal to eat isn’t a matter of not having the time to buy or prepare food. He can have whatever he wants whenever he wants, brought to him on a literal silver platter.Alfred is constantly in contact with Batmanand literally lives above his base.
What in Batman’s entire history suggests he doesn’t understand the role calories play in physically fighting criminals for four days straight?
This wouldn’t be so bad if Batman was simply missing mealswhile he’s out in Gotham, but the cliché most commonly turns up when he’s working a case, spending all night at the Batcomputer to track down leads and hack the GCPD. I’m tempted to say that he even has a hand free - he could wolf downsomethingwhile he’s checking the soil composition of various Gotham suburbs, hunting for one of theelevenversions of Clayface - but sadly that’s not true.He actually hasbothhands free, because the Batcomputer is voiced activated.
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Why It Matters That Batman Skips Meals
The Narrative Argument for the Dark Knight Eating a Sandwich
I’ll admit, none of the practical issues really matter. It’s nitpicking realism in a world where 75% of Batman’s close friends can fly.What matters more is how Bruce Wayne foregoing food conflicts with his character.When it comes to superheroes, only a few things are set in stone - each character has a core tone, philosophy, and a set of themes that define their adventures, and different creative teams find different ways to explore them. That means there are only a fewfactors that define ‘Batman’ in all his stories, but chief among them are his unfaltering commitment and mastery of his body.
In an essay shared byDC Comics, legendaryBatmanwriter Grant Morrison describes their attitude to the Dark Knight. It’s not the only way of seeing Batman - the thing that makes superheroes worthwhile is that there are infinite ways of reimagining them - but it is a cohesive, holistic consideration of Batman as a character across his entire ‘lifetime.’ Morrison says:
By taking his entire publishing history as the story of his life, I was able to approach Batman from a different angle and the multifaceted character that was revealed became the subject of my story.
What would such a man be like, realistically? This was a man who had saved countless lives, faced innumerable perils, and even prevented the destruction of the world itself. This was a master of martial arts, meditation, deduction, yoga and big business. This was a man who had tamed and mastered his demons and turned personal tragedy into a relentless humanitarian crusade.
Batman is dedication and will made manifest- an obsessive who considers even one lost life an unforgivable failure and spends his free time thinking up ways to beat up Superman, the Flash and, to a lesser extent, Hawkman if they ever turn against humanity.What about that character suggests he doesn’t understand the role calories play in physically fighting criminals for four days straight?Not eating affects your energy levels, thinking speed, mood, immune system, and bowel movements. Those are all things you need to keep at their optimum levels when you spend every night leaping from building to building and being sprayed with various mind-altering toxins.
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Batman is defined by pushing himself to his limits every day, doing things that aretechnicallyhumanly possible, but only if you’ve spent your life training to do them. Various comics have confirmed thatBatman has trained his bodyto such physical perfection that he can will himself to sleep in seven seconds (Justice League: Last Ride #3), slow his heartbeat to stop the spread of poison (Batman: The Detective #4) and control his body heat such that he’s immune to feeling extreme temperatues (Detective Comics #0).
That training doesn’t describe someone who forgets to eat, but rather someone who is - who wouldhaveto be - incredibly aware and incredibly careful what they put into their body. Batman refusing to eat is Batman choosing to be a less-effective crime-fighter, and it matters to the character that he’d never make that decision.
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Happily, we don’t just need to start ignoring this cliché like it never happened - we can fixevery prior usewith one twist…
Batman’s Relationship With Food Is Interesting… When DC Lets Him Eat
I Have a Solution to the ‘Batman Eating Problem’ That’s Been Worrying Us Both So Much
I’m not just here to complain. Obviously (I hope), I’ve got no animosity towards any creative team who use this cliché as a shorthand for Batman’s dedication. In each individual case, Batman forgetting to eat can make sense - this case is so difficult, so challenging to the Dark Knight’s mind and body, that he has no time for any kind of distraction (including telling Nightwing he loves him.) However, Batman’s life is pretty muchjustcases that are so challenging to the Dark Knight’s mind and body that he has no time for any kind of distraction (including telling Nightwing he loves him), and cumulatively, it’s weird, out of character, and lazy that Batman refuses to eat.
Relying on this cliché also means ignoring an interesting, under-explored aspect of Batman’s character - his actual relationship with food.Batmancomics are an 85-year character study of Bruce Wayne, and there are always new details and choices that can be used to explore the idea of who this character is.
Indeed, some of Batman’s funniest moments revolve around food- his sidekicks ribbing Bruce for cutting up a fast food burger with a knife and fork inBatman Rebirth #16,Batman making Superman an omeleton his return from space (Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1), antihero Catman smelling burrito on his breath inSecret Six #2, and Bruce ruining every meal he tries to make for himself, from rare steak to a tuna sandwich (inDetective Comics #685.) Whether you like them individually or not, these moments are a far more interesting approach to the character than another untouched tray of food.
Happily, we don’t just need to start ignoring this cliché like it never happened - we can fixevery prior usewith one twist. Here’s how to fix the issue: reveal that Batmanhasbeen eating all along, consuming some kind of shakes or pellets that have all the nutrients he needs to fight crime. The reason he leaves Alfred’s food is that it would throw off the perfect balance he’s managed to achieve, but he cares about his surrogate father too much to tell him. And, to sweeten the pot, if you’re aBatmanwriter at DC Comics who’s considering showing him skip a meal, get in contact andI will personally pay you 50¢ not to. Okay, ‘good money’ might have been an exaggeration…
Source:DC Comics
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
