Editing Batman (section)

== Major Incarnations ==
Batman has been around for a ''long'' time, old enough that he was invented as a direct reaction to [[Superman]]'s obscene popularity. Generations of comics creators have tried to put their own spins on the character make their names and keep the franchise fresh, and they've mostly succeeded; the idea of a vigilante who's been hurt by the criminal element and wants to make it hurt back without becoming what he hates is so mythically resonant that it takes serious effort to screw it up, not that some people haven't tried.

* '''Golden Age''': The original version of Batman was ripped straight from the pulps, a vigilante in the vein of the Phantom, the Shadow and the Spider. He would kill criminals without remorse and fought crime rings, mad scientists and vampires, but at the same time this version introduced his trademark utility belt and bat-themed gadgets. This is also the era that introduced Robin, Alfred, the Joker (initially just a serial killer with a gimmick) and Catwoman.
* '''Silver Age''': After World War II Batman became increasingly silly and tilted towards science fiction, following industry trends and as a reaction to the widespread moralfagging of the 1950s, though Batman had already gained his no-killing-no-guns signature back in 1942. This is the era that gave us many of the sillier elements of Batman's rogues gallery, including the Riddler, Poison Ivy, and generally everything that people associate with Batman other than Bane, Harley Quinn and Ra's al-Ghul. Immortalized in the 1966 TV show starring Adam West; ABC bought the TV rights expecting a mildly serious thriller, but the producer committed the classic blunder known as "doing the research" and realized it could only work as a self-parody. Work it did, singlehandedly causing a brief boom in comics sales in the late 60s and making the character a household name. This Batman is a jovial individual, a father figure to Robin and (at least in the TV series) a duly deputized instrument of the law who just happens to cavort around dressed like a bat, with a gadget for every situation the writers can come up with.
* '''Dark Age''': After the TV show Batman became synonymous with camp and generally failed to find an audience, even when new writers tried to bring the character back to his darker roots. That changed with ''The Dark Knight Returns'', a limited series by infamous edgelord Frank Miller that cast Batman as a bitter old man coming out of retirement to save a decayed, almost cyberpunk Gotham from itself. It was an instant hit that probably saved the character from obscurity, but everyone tried to copy it without any maturity (cf. Tolkien) and it became a breakpoint for the Dark Age of comic book writing. This Batman is perpetually haunted by his failures and guilt over the deaths of his parents, taking out his frustrations on the criminal element and even his allies as much as he fights for justice. At the same time, several character-defining moments came out of this period, including ''The Killing Joke'' (which turned Joker from a bucolic "gimmick villain" into the monster he is today and violently ended Barbara's run as Batgirl) and ''Knightfall'', which introduced Bane, the last new Batman villain to really stick in the public consciousness. This Bane is a true criminal mastermind rather than the brute he's often painted as, though he's still [[Meme|a big guy (for you).]] This is also the age of Tim Burton's Batman movie, which ''actually'' rescued the character from his campy image and paved the way for...
* '''''The Animated Series''''': While the comics industry was going off the rails and wallowing in grimderp, Warner Bros. was redefining Batman in their own way with this animated gem. At a time when cartoons were almost universally [[My Little Pony|sappy, poorly written claptrap]], an executive team led by Bruce Timm and studio president Jean MacCurdy leveraged the success of the Tim Burton movie to pitch a series that featured actual violence and a grim, Art Deco-inspired aesthetic while remembering to give characters enough depth to be interesting. A ton of stuff you thought came from the comics was actually invented here, including Harley Quinn, Harvey Dent's backstory before becoming Two-Face, and the iconic version of Mr. Freeze. This is also the series that first flirted with the idea of "Bruce Wayne" being ''Batman's'' alter ego rather than the opposite, brilliantly conveyed by voice actor Kevin Conroy's use of Batman's deep gravelly voice when Bruce is by himself.
* '''Modern Age''': In the 2000s and later Batman has been taken in a dozen different directions, partially because the studios know spinoffs work now and partially because of massive creative churn at DC after the bottom fell out of the comics market. Grant Morrison and Jeph Loeb turned him into the infamous [[Mary Sue|"Bat God"]] because they took the preptime meme seriously and started pandering to people who use fiction to play "my dad can beat up your dad" writ large, while other writers subjected side characters to an escalating conga line of [[FATAL]] level shit because ''The Killing Joke'' was so well received. The film series directed by Christopher Nolan took the gritty Batman from ''The Dark Knight Returns'' and projected it to the beginning of his career, which gave DC Comics movies some credibility until the plane scene happened. ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' brought back the best parts of the Silver Age and tempered them with the self-awareness that comes from writing this crap for decades, giving us a Batman who could literally call his fists "the hammers of justice" and not come off as a parody. ''Joker'' proved the most iconic member of Batman's rogues could stand on his own with a good script, not to mention scare the shit out of mainstream journos when half the Internet declared {{Greentext|he's literally me}} after seeing Joaquin Phoenix go postal.
* '''Evil Batman''': When Batman is hyped up as [[Kaldor Draigo|Tha Best Evar]], an evil Batman has to be even scarier, right? We've had mirror universe versions like Owlman, vampire Batmen (in multiple cartoons, even), other people putting on the cowl only to Go Too Far [[Konrad Curze]] style, and more besides. The ultimate (for all the wrong reasons) evil Batman has to be The Batman Who Laughs: all the intellect of Batman, all the murderous insanity of the Joker, and the [[Plot Armor|plot armor]] of both combined.