With the upcoming release of the highly anticipated PS3 game Batman: Arkham City and the media frenzy surrounding the current production of next year’s summer blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises, I wanted to take a moment to pay homage to my favorite superhero and remind everyone why he is the best:

1. He’s The Everyday Hero

Put aside the fact of Bruce Wayne’s wealth, under the costume, he is still just a city’s citizen that is tired of allowing corruption, crime, and evil run rampant. Yes, he is simply-put, a vigilante.  But he inspires us to not turn away from injustice, but to do something about it.

2. No Powers

He is one of the few heroes in the DC Comics or Marvel world that has absolutely no super powers.  No superhuman strength. No extra-planetary abilities. He is a mortal man. His strength he gets from conditioning. His combat abilities from training. Yes, he has gadgets, but could he still be Batman without them, yes.  Take away the robotic suit, and Tony Stark is no longer IronMan.

3. He is Complicated

The motivations behind the character are anything but simple.  They are complicated.  He has emotional baggage. He has issues that not only fuel him in his quest, but can haunt him in his sleep. Does he need counseling? Yes.  But that is why he is so relatable to us all.  He is not the Man of Emotional Steel. He is a real guy. With a past. Living each day with having to deal and cope.  Sound familiar?

4. He is Not Glorified

I love the movie line, “He can become what Gotham needs him to be.” Batman is not Gotham City’s glorified hero.  He doesn’t have the greatest press coverage.  Some view him as a hero.  Some view him as a crazed vigilante.  Some view him as just another villain who is wanted by the police.  Because he is a mystery to most, he can be all of those things and still fight for justice.

5. Fear

I love the very concept of his character.  He strives to strike fear into those that use fear itself to prey among the weak and innocent.  But he uses he own fears to personify that fear.  By becoming The Bat, he embodies that fear, that element of dark night and uses it to his advantage.