Warning: This article contains spoilers for Batman: Urban Legends #22!Many fans have speculated whether Batman's existence caused Gotham's uptick in crime, others believe he's the only reason the city is still alive. The mythos surrounding Batman is well-known to the residents of Gotham, though its villains seem to have a slightly warped view of what it means.
In popular media, from Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy to the recent The Batman, the World's Greatest Detective is more commonly depicted as 'The World's Most Likely To Beat You Up.' These dark and gritty portrayals have inspired a plethora of jokes and memes that exaggerate the image of Batman as a lone-wolf vigilante whohat punches the living daylights out of litterers and jaywalkers. However, this couldn't be farther from the truth.
Misconception 1: Batman Can't Be Everywhere At Once
In Batman: Urban Legends #22 story "Utility" by Yedoye Travis, Lucas Silveira and Ferran Delgado, various Bat-gadgets are found in the hands of children. It doesn't take long to trace things back to Anarky, who once again believes himself to be liberating Gotham. As they face off, Anarky delivers a monologue that attempts to tear down every aspect of the symbol of the Bat. First to fall under Anarky's scrutiny is the belief that Batman is the sole protector of Gotham: "When there are people who need saving, can they count on you to be in the right place at the right time?" One of the most common misconceptions about Batman is that he works alone. Batman has perhaps the largest network of vigilantes in comic book history. Why? Because these people believe in him—they believe in the Bat and the hope it inspires.
Misconception 2: Ordinary Citizens Fear the Bat
The second, and perhaps most flawed, assumption is that Batman operates as a symbol of fear. Anarky asks what it is Batman believes his cause is: "Putting bad guys in Arkham? Or making helpless people believe they'll get their legs broken for jaywalking?" This isn't the first time a critique has been made about Batman scaring innocents just as much as the guilty. However, it's fundamentally flawed. Even within this story, it's the same ordinary citizens using Batman's stolen equipment who come to his aid in the end. Would they do this for someone they feared? Unlikely.
Time and time again, Batman has proven himself to be the complete opposite of what many fans and villains believe he is. Batman is a symbol of hope and a protector of Gotham—not because of the work of one man, but a community that rises up against injustice. Only those who seek to harm others have any reason to fear the Bat.
Batman: Urban Legends #22 is now available from DC Comics.
