How is Batman a superhero, if he doesn't have any super powers, just fancy gadgets?

Batman is a superhero despite his not having super-powers. His resourcefulness, insight, and years of rigorous training make up for the absence of any other special abilities.

Physically, he is at the peak of human ability in dozens of areas, notably martial arts, acrobatics, strength, and escape artistry. Intellectually, he is just as peerless; Batman is one of the world's greatest scientists, criminologists, and tacticians, as well as a master of disguise. He is regarded as one of the DC Universe's greatest detectives. Rather than simply out-fighting his opponents, Batman often uses cunning and planning to outwit them.

As far as gadgets, yes he has them but that just barely scratches the surface of Batman's heroism. (yes I know he is not a real person)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman#Skills.2C_resources_and_abilities

Batman is a superhero because he fights crime and has a special car (i.e., the batmobile) and has that belt.

A superhero isn't necessarily defined by his powers, but rather, his zeal for fighting crime and his inante ability to do so.

Batman is not only a superhero...he is the BEST superhero.

Every other superhero was involved in some sort of freak accident that randomly granted them superpowers. Not so for Batman, he is just a guy who looked around one day and said "things suck, someone needs to stop this." He didn't have to be bitten by some ridiculous super spider or get hit by lighting, he CHOSE to be a super hero.

Also consider this, Batman goes out every night to fight villains. And then the next morning he runs a multimillion dollar corporation. Not to mention he has to up keep his physical prowess by training everyday. He doesn't have the luxury of having natural athletic prowess (ie wolverine, spiderman, and superman) he has to work at it, presumably every day. Therefore, he is doing all of these things on basically 3 hours of sleep.

Finally, Batman doesn't cry.

You could say the same thing about Ironman.

You shouldn't be questioning him anyway....he's the goddamn Batman. vvv

In my encyclopedia of suspense Batman has three pages dedicated to him verses two columns for most other notables. Except for Sherlock Holmes at 4 pages, he is the 2nd most recognized slueth by a source independant of Time/Warner/DC Comics media. Within DC comics he has the distinction of most villains, he is the most feared being -( Sinestro Corps saga) and holds a kryptonite ring to stop Superman - Superman entrusted the ring to him. Batmans mind, relentlessness, honor (no killing) and respect blend together to make him a superhero. Even in his inner monologue he refers to himself as Batman, his true disguise is Bruce Wayne.

I don't think I agree that Batman is a superhero.
Since there are no real superheros in reality, only in fantasy then I guess the definition of a superhero is a loose definition and open to interpretation.
In reality there are heros out there, but no superheros, so what that says to me is that the difference between ordinary heros and superheroes is some form of superhuman quality or qualities. Or something unnatural or supernatural about them in some way.
The point of being a superhero was that you could do something that no ordinary hero could.
An ordinary hero, possibly your next door neighbor, could conceivably do anything Batman can do. I'll admit that it would take a remarkable person with great intelligence and physical ability that few could match, but it's still a possibility nonetheless.
Batman is much like Zorro - a mortal man, nothing really "Super" about Zorro, he is just a very cunning master swordsman who chooses to fight crime, and protect the innocent.
I don't think many people would call Zorro a superhero. I think the reason Batman is regarded as one by so many people is that his character was created in the midst of the superhero craze and was just accepted as being categorized with superheroes like superman simply because he chose to fight crime, wore a costume, had arch-enemies, and had extraordinary intelligence and physical abilities. The car, the cave, the mystery, and the gadgets added to the allure of the fantasy. People understood he was just a mortal man who could be killed as easily as any other man, of course he really wouldn't be killed because then there would be no more Batman to sell, people just took for granted that he would never lose a battle or be killed because it's fantasy and we want our hero to be victorious.
I would say Batman is about as close to superhero status as any mortal man could be without actually being a superhero.

well if batmans not a super hero because hes just a human superman isnt either because hes just a kryptonion

Because everytime he punches someone, it goes PLOOW! Can you do that. I know I can't.

Just as Superman's 'superheroism' is defined by his invulnerability, flight, etc., or the Flash's is defined by his speed, Batman's 'superheroism' is defined by his superiority to all other superheroes despite his lack of any true super power. He is almost unquestionably regarded as the sole person who could defeat every other super hero if needed.

I'm sorry if this is not an answer but I wanted to say that that's what I've always thought too :)

watch the latest DC Animated Movie Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and keep the following fact in mind ... he's just a guy who does a lot of push ups

Anyone who could come up with (much less drive) a car like the Batmobile must have superpowers!

if you think batman is a superhero then join this group and fight to keep batman's name alive as one of the all time greatest superhero's

http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=22372169069

Because he stands for all thats right & just in the world, no matter what. Helps the helpless, defends the weak, not because there's any personal gain to be had, but because its intuitively the right thing to do.

If Bruce wayne wanted, he could probably be like all the other billionaires out there & just squander his funds on sportscars & stupid women. But I guess there's something redeeming about using what you have to make the world a better place. Thats why Batman is a superhero. Super powers dont come into the arguement at all. He doesnt need them.

i believe that batman is not necessarily a super hero due to the fact he has no real super powers, he is however a vigilante who is trying to find who is responsible for the death of his family, who with the help of gadgets and a brilliant car he helps bring the world to justice from crinimals and his enemies. If batman is a super hero then why do we not class James Bond as a super hero for example... i am aware he is a spy however he uses gadgets the same as batman to bring ppl to justice...... To be called a super hero, u must have actual super powers such as superman can fly, spiderman produces webs. I believe that batman is a hero as he seeks justice for not only him self but for others


Tell me wat you think .... Kayleigh x

Many superheros don't have super powers. Iron Man and Daredevil come to mind, but I'm sure there are many more.

You don't need powers to be a superhero -- you just need to be devoted to justice, above and beyond what any of the rest of us would be willing to do...

We have been having this debate in college for about a month. Everyone gets very heated on the subject, so if you would like to have a great argument and start a very intense school debate, start asking any person. I personally do not believe that Batman is a super hero. He, by far, is an elite hero, by all means. But he does not possess the powers to be a super hero. But he still is the man and a great hero. Although I have found many people have said he is a super hero, with good reason, but I still hold true to my answer.

Definition of "Super" (adj) from www.dictionary.com:

1. of the highest degree, power, etc.
2. of an extreme or excessive degree.
3. (informally) very good; first-rate; excellent.

Definition of "Hero" (n) from www.dictionary.com:

1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. (e.g. "He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.")
3. the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc.

Definition of "Superhero" (n) from www.dictionary.com:

a hero, esp. in children's comic books and television cartoons, possessing extraordinary, often magical powers.

This clearly goes to show that Batman is a superhero in every sense of the word. None of the above definitions require him to have inhuman powers, just really really good abilities.

Batman fits all definitions of "super," all definitions of "hero," and consequently the definition of "superhero." He doesn't have to be "super" strong, "super" wall-climbing or web-slinging, or "super" anything, he just has to be plain super. And he is, according to the definition of the word "super."

Furthermore, during an interview with Bob Kane (Creator of Batman) on the radio show "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross (listen for yourself: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/me/20020617.me.batman.kane.ram), Kane states (referring to a conversation with his editor at DC Comics in 1939):

"Well, I was having lunch with the editor at that time, Vincent Sullivan, and he said he was looking for another SUPER HERO."

He then gives a brief history about how this was about a year after the debut of the Superman comics, and Kane was doing fill-in cartoons for DC at $20-25 a week. He asked Sullivan how much the Superman artists were making, to which Sullivan responded with a whopping $800 a week, which Kane compares to about $5,000 a week today. Kane's response was:

"Hey, for that kind of money, I could create a SUPER HERO."

Gross even asks the very same question being discussed in this thread - Batman's lack of "super powers." To this, Kane responds with two points: A) he didn't want to copy Superman by just adding powers to an otherwise normal person, and B) he felt that people could relate better to a "super power"-less human:

"...in other words, you didn't have to come from another planet to be a SUPER HERO. All you had to do was be born rich and build your body into perfection and have the urge to go out and fight crime."

This is one of the founding fathers of comic book characters as we know them today. Bob Kane is really the only person with the true authority to determine Batman's identity, being his creator.

We can speculate and throw out our opinions all we want, but that would be like if you sculpted a turtle out of clay and someone decided that it was a frog because it looked more like a frog to them. Bob Kane says Batman is a super hero. The English dictionary says that Batman is a super hero.

Batman is a super hero. End of story.

Whats super about Bat MAN - he should be called Bat-Battler, Bat-fighter,Bat-dude,

Bat-man ? lol. He's okay just to many ways to hurt or kill him, They SHOULD kill him off and he can comeback as Bat-Ghost !

I was wondering that too

Yes. He is a superhero. Super human abilities aside..Batman IS a superhero. But there are many shades of grey when it comes to superheroes. For example. I don't think anybody would debate the fact that Superman is a superhero. But if you think about it, he doesn't have super human abilities either. In order to have super human abilities you must first be human. Superman is an alien. Is he a superhero? Hell yeah.

HTTP://www.superherofanforums.com

If someone runs around in a bat costume beating the crap out of insane villains, would you call him a superhero?

http://www.professionalnut.com/1/post/2010/11/comics.html

Cus he's Bruce Wayne, my fav superhero, that's y ...

He's the best one because he's a human, so he's relatable, not a freak of nature, because you sitting at home watch and think "I could do this"

Bravery is a super power...just ask any of the troops in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban...takes some major cajones to do some of the stuff they do everyday there.

(Three years late again)

He is a master martial artist, has high intelligence, and is skilled with gadgets. He is even one of the founding members of the Justice League.

Batman is useless anyone can throw a bat shaped bommerang. U cant be a superhero with out superpowers

he's smart and rich!

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Batman should be considered a superhero in my opinion.

from some previous posts it says hes just a normal guy like 'Zorro' or James Bond but they aren't classed as superheros? the reason which sets batman and them apart is that they dont fight 'Super' villans like batman does. i mean can u see Zorro or Jame Bond Vs The Hulk? or Superman? Batman has and are on par with any other supervillans out there. i cant see any normal human hero has the chance of fighting them therefore Batman - Superhero :)

Batman is a superhero. When you look at the word 'hero' I think of a fireman saving a child from a burning building. The 'super' in 'superhero' does not mean super powers but rather an extreme hero i.e. the hero is super, therefore more of a hero then the policeman who stops a crime or the previously mentioned fireman. Sure, Batman stops the odd crime but it is the fact that he has constantly saves Gotham city and the world that elevates him from being a 'small time' hero to being a 'Superhero'. That's my opinion anyway.

Batman is a superhero. When you look at the word 'hero' I think of a fireman saving a child from a burning building. The 'super' in 'superhero' does not mean super powers but rather an extreme hero i.e. the hero is super, therefore more of a hero then the policeman who stops a crime or the previously mentioned fireman. Sure, Batman stops the odd crime but it is the fact that he has constantly saves Gotham city and the world that elevates him from being a 'small time' hero to being a 'Superhero'. That's my opinion anyway.

Batman is just a stupid homo in tights. He's a fucking wanna be. A joke , panzy we just stops regular joes. I could throw a boomerange since i was 5 im not a superhero.

Batman is just a stupid homo in tights. He's a fucking wanna be. A joke , panzy we just stops regular joes. I could throw a boomerange since i was 5 im not a superhero.

I think only Robin has the true answer to that....Holy butthole batman