Dubai: A suave, charismatic billionaire by day and a crime-fighting vigilante by night – who wouldn’t want to be like Batman?
The caped crusader turned 75 earlier this week on July 23, which creator DC Comics named ‘Batman Day’.
We tracked down Gulf News readers who are Batman superfans and would be just as happy living in fictional Gotham city as they would in the Emirates.
Sahil Hameed, an Abu Dhabi-based editor in a broadcasting company, has been an ardent admirer of the Dark Knight ever since he was five years old.
He said: “Batman is my all-time favourite superhero. I even wear Batman shoes to work! My first memory of watching Batman would be when I saw Val Kilmer in the 1995 movie ‘Batman Forever’. Since then I’ve been a fan, watching, reading and collecting anything related to Batman.”
Adib Ali Mohammad, a 17-year-old pupil in Dubai, has been watching and reading Batman since childhood. He said: “I remember I would come home straight from school, switch on the television and spend the next 20 minutes lost in Batman’s world.”
Rabih Habayeb, a communications director in Dubai, has turned his love for Batman into a business venture.
He said: “Over the past few years, I’ve been collecting Batman memorabilia, ranging from toys to figurines to props from sets. In all, I’ve got about 20 Batman-specific collectibles, of which five are relatively rare, limited editions. I see them as long-term investments.”
But why does the fictional superhero inspire such devoted enthusiasm?
Readers said Batman’s appeal extends far beyond his multi-million dollar arsenal and hi-tech suits.
Rohan John, a Dubai-based fan for over 15 years, said: “He’s actually an anti-hero. His morality has never been to look at things as black and white – he sees the grey too and struggles with it.”
Habayeb, who has been a fan for “decades”, said: “Batman is the world’s greatest detective. He’s got both brains and brawn. I suppose [his appeal has] also got something to do with his relentless pursuit of justice, while adhering to a strict code of conduct.”
For Mohammad, the best part of Batman is that he’s not your average superhuman.
He said: “The fact is, he’s a superhero without any super powers. He also fights crime without taking anyone’s life. His modus operandi is to subdue his foes and send them to Arkham Asylum.”
Most readers agreed that credit for its success goes to the direction in which DC Comics has taken the character’s storyline and the villains that Batman is placed up against.
For John, this evolution is evident in the mood of the films over the years.
He said: “Batman has really developed over time. The stories have become darker and much more interesting.”
Habayeb said: “His whole world makes the collective Batman story even more appealing. The Joker has to be the greatest villain of all time, and trumps anything else out there.”
Hameed compared Batman’s creators to those of Spiderman or Iron Man.
He said: “I find DC Comics to have more time-honoured characters, whose stories are well-written and drawn. I admit Marvel is much better at coming up with live action movies, but none of them can come even remotely close to the epic ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’.”
Disney acquired Marvel comics in 2009 – quite unwisely, according to Habayeb.
He said: “Since being acquired by Disney, Marvel has really lost the plot. DC Comics hit the jackpot with Superman, but I think Batman is what sets them apart.”
Such admiration for the brooding, mysterious comic book hero might baffle some, but for Hameed, the reason is simple.
He said: “Batman is so effortlessly appealing because at the end of the day he is just a normal man, like you or me. Well, that is, if either of us had a multi-billion dollar empire!”
