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What It Would Take to Become Batman 1

The mental and physical requirements that one would need to become Batman. Do you think you've got what it takes?

One key element to remember is that Batman was born from tragedy. Unless you happen to have your parents killed in front of you at the tender age of 8, you will probably never have the all consuming rage that drove Bruce Wayne to become Batman. Regardless of the seemingly limitless financial stream, he still had to push himself to near superhuman levels of strength, fighting skill, mental performance, and self-discipline.

Strength

By my account, Bruce Wayne is incredibly strong. He is often depicted in comic books bench pressing a weight bar with some 5-8 large weight plates on either side. Assuming that most large weight plates are usually 45 lbs (20.45 kg) and he is using a standard 45 lbs Olympic bar, Bruce Wayne would be bench pressing somewhere in the range of 495-765 lbs. This is within reason for peak human performance, but it does not account for the fact that he is often performing multiple repetitions. It also doesn't account for the fact that his muscular frame does not resemble that of a weight lifter who would be able to press that much weight multiple times.

The same goes for Batman's leg strength. The world record squat is 1250 lbs (568.18 kg). It is presumed that Bruce Wayne can squat a weight similar to that, yet he doesn't have the massive tree trunk legs that power lifters have. There is a scene from Batman: Dark Victory where The Hangman has lassoed Batman around the neck and he is left suspended from a roof. Disregard his neck strength, it turns out that he was wearing a metal (possibly medieval) neck brace. Batman was still able to push himself up and back over to the top of the roof. So basically, he was able to push some 210 lbs (assumed weight) up into the air approximately 10 feet from a dead stop. I'd recommend trying that with a bowling ball a few times and then tell me that you think you'll be able to do that with your entire body. This is truly one of those “no way” moments that is immediately followed with “what a badass”.

Fighting Skill

According to an online posting, Batman has mastered some 127 different fighting styles. I don't think you have to go that far, but you are going to have to be incredibly proficient at 10 or more. Just to name a few, I'd say that you'd have to master Jujitsu, Hapkido, Ninjitsu, Judo, 52 Blocks (jailhouse rock), Aikido, various forms of Kung Fu, and straight-up back alley brawling. You'd better be prepared to dedicate 10-15 years to even get a chance to ride the bench on Batman's team. Basically, you are going to need to be able to beat Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Chuck Lidell, and about 5 other UFC powerhouses all at once.

Mental Development

We already know that Bruce Wayne was the son of a doctor. So, it's a given that he has a general idea of first aid and the processes of the human body. Yet, he had to train to become the great detective and tactician that he is. He also seems to be pretty good with computers, chemistry, and many other disciplines. Regardless of any other factors, you can't fake this. This would mean that he has to read at an incredible rate and completely retain it. It is entirely possible to have planned strategies to combat situations, but you still have to remember them. Even still, you would have to have a pretty good mastery of all of these disciplines and some pretty big stones to trust in your abilities to perform required actions as required. It's safe to say that you're going to need an IQ that is somewhere in the genius range.

Self-Discipline

Ultimately, none of this would be possible without the amazing level of self-discipline that Bruce Wayne possesses. Keep in mind that his childhood was shattered and rebuilt on his feelings of helplessness, anger, and vengeance. You would literally need to get to the point that you could climb Mt. Everest, cruise through Navy Seal training, say and do everything without having any fear of doing it wrong, and have complete confidence in your physical and mental capabilities.

Then, and only then are you ready to start thinking about the other things needed to become Batman

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Comments (3)
#1 by Yayan, May 19, 2008
The first key to strength is actually hitting the gym. I am on my way to it and if you meet me there, you will be too. This is more motivation for ya. You have some very valuable points.
#2 by poopoo, Aug 21, 2008
what about #8, giant bat-dick?
#3 by Raskolnikov, Sep 22, 2008
This kind of falls into that humorous realm of pseudo-science / pseudo-fiction called \"super hero physics\". I\'ve heard funny stories about college professors proving that the Flash would be shaken to jelly, Spiderman would not be able to climb walls with gloves on, etc.

Batman is kind of a \"normal human\", however, in that he has no special \"powers\" above what other \"normal human\'s\" might possibly attain. Like the author said. :)

Like all super heroes, we see different \"versions\" of batman, in which he has varying levels of humanity.

I have also dedicated great thought to this matter, and created my own more human Batman.

Obviously to train all the things Batman has mastered would take several hundred years, for even the best minds on earth. Batman usually looks to be early to mid 30\'s. Not only that, but he has skills to train for two separate lives; Bruce Wayne and Batman.

So the name of the game, REALLY, to become batman is not strength or brainpower, it\'s EFFICIENCY, and maybe a little cheating.

Fighting arts - We have seen Batman depicted as a ninja, but that doesn\'t fit our time line. It just takes too long to master Ninjutsu well enough to product the necessary practical results. Let\'s say he spent 8 years in the Seals and picked up weapons training + Krav Maga. Then he moved on to a special airborne unit for 4 years where he picked up hang gliding, climbing, etc.

Batman has displayed superhuman strength, but his body does not match. let\'s say his suit has some sort of advanced hydraulic system or robotics to assist him.

Science - Batman has a lot of financial assets, so let\'s say he farms most of his really tough science out. To be really efficient, he taps resources at Wayne Industries that may already be researching things similar to what he\'s working on as Batman. He probably has a degree in physics or biology from a good College.

Wealth - Bruce inherited a wealthy company with some military contracts. He plays a relatively inactive role in the company, focusing on philanthropic efforts, similar to Bill Gates.

So we skip the ninja idea, and say he finishes college early due to being rich and smart. We\'ll say he\'s 20. Spends 12 years in special forces training, which puts him at 32. He realizes the company he owns makes high tech military gear. Score.

So to me that could sum up Batman. I think as the years go by newer and more elaborate things get \"bolted on\" to the character making him less and less believable, but the character could be boiled down to something not completely unattainable by \"normal humans\".
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