My earliest memory is of being Batman.
It was 1999, my sixth birthday party. I pulled my mother off to the side and whispered to her my plan. Five minutes later, my mother announced to our guests with all the gusto of a circus ringmaster, “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Batman!” I walked out from my house, proudly bearing the trappings of my hero: cowl, cape and the yellow insignia of the Bat-Signal adorned my chest. I was no longer little Jeremy. In that moment, I stood vigilant and strong — not me, but something more.
This year Batman has a birthday of his own, his 75th to be exact, and as DC Comics ramps up its publicity machine to celebrate the tradition of it’s most iconic hero (sorry Superman), I stop to wonder what it is. Why does this character matter to so many people? Why does this fictional character hold so much weight in the lives of very real people?
The Batman legend begins with the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, billionaire parents of a young Bruce, who were shot down in cold blood by a petty criminal. A boy transformed into a man by the time the last gunshot finished echoing through “Crime Alley.” In that moment, Batman was born; molded from a boy’s promise to go to any length to ensure that this tragedy would never happen again. But to do that, Bruce Wayne had to become something more. The Batman can do what others can’t because he’s not a man; he’s an idea, a symbol, a beacon of hope shining through life’s darkest corners.
This psychology is why the character of Batman has resonated with so many people over the past 75 years; in many ways, he is the most like us of any fictional character. Batman is not super in any way. Instead, Bruce Wayne is a man with all the insecurities the rest of us possess. And yet, he still strives to become something better. I believe in the theory that most people are inherently good and seek to do good by the world around them. Batman sets a bar by which the rest of the world can base our lives. To do as much good as we can with whatever we have. Is there any better description of a true hero?
DC is rolling out a celebration of Bat-tastic proportions to represent the Dark Knight’s cultural effect. In the next year alone, there’s a new Batman television project, called “Gotham” a weekly comics event series, “Batman Eternal” and a new film by Zac Snyder in the works featuring the Caped Crusader. The influence of the Bat has resonated for nearly a century and isn’t going anywhere soon.
Happy 75th birthday, Batman, and may the “Bat Signal” shine on long after we’re gone.
Jeremy Marshall is a 21-year-old marketing junior from Baton Rouge.