Batman

In the month of May 1939, Detective Comics (DC) created one of the most recognized and influential characters in today's society, The Batman. Since then, Batman has been featured in over 6000 comics, over 20 animated and non-animated movies (including the block buster hit, "The Dark Knight") and has been a role model for children and adults around the world. Batman's true identity is the billionaire, Bruce Wayne who lives in Gotham City, a place filled with crime and danger. When Bruce was a kid, he observed the death of both his parents by a robber and from that point on he trained his mind and body to stop crime around the city. What allowed Batman to bring criminals to justice is his courage, intellect and values. 

Batman is definitely one of the most courageous characters in the superhero universe. His opponents constantly outnumber him, yet through his courage and determination, he always comes out on top. In the film "The Dark Knight" Batman is faced with the challenge of stopping Two Face, and the Joker, two incredibly formidable opponents. Although the odds were stacked against him, the hero used his intellect to outsmart both villains with few unpreventable casualties. Batman is just like another human being, but his courage to face any situation is what allows him to protect the people of Gotham.

For what Batman lacks in strength compared to other comic heroes like Superman and the Hulk, he makes up for with his intelligence. Before Batman confronts any villain, he analyzes the situation and his surroundings. In the comic Knightfall, Batman confronts the villain Bane, a man that uses a super-steroid drug called venom to give him abnormal strength and size. During the battle, Batman realizes that fighting Bane with force is useless and that his punches have little effect on the monster. Using his intelligence, Batman beats Bane by using his strength against him, propelling Bane off a cliff. With this, Batman shows us that brains, when used properly, can beat brawn. Batman also has a variety of gadgets that he created himself and strategically uses to fight crime. His arsenal consists of: a bat claw that acts as a grappling hook, batarangs, which serve as projectiles, his trusty cape, which allows him to effectively traverse the city of Gotham and many more.  His combination of gadgets and intelligence has given Batman the title of "World's Greatest Detective".

The last of Batman's qualities are the values he holds. One of the reasons Batman is so famous is because he has not intentionally killed any criminals. For example, Batman catches Joker; Joker escapes from jail, kills innocent people and then gets caught by Batman again. This cycle repeats itself over the course of Batman's life and constantly involves Batman's loved one being hurt. These casualties can be avoided if only Batman killed the Joker, but he believes that no one deserves to share the horrible fate of his parents. Another important value that Batman holds is his striving to protect Gotham City. The authority of Gotham does not consider Batman to be an ally because of his mysterious identity and his crime solving methods, yet when the city is in danger they rely on Batman to save it. Nevertheless, Batman never receives any praise or glory, but then again he does not stop crime for glory but for the greater good. Whether the citizens think of him as a friend or foe, Batman will always protect Gotham City with his life. 

In conclusion, Batman's courage, intelligence and values show the world that you do not need superpowers to be a hero. We see the same qualities shown in the police and fire department everyday. Despite being a fictional character, I aspire to obtain these qualities and make a difference in my life and that is why Batman is my hero.

Sites:

http://www.dccomics.com/sites/batman/

http://www.darkknight.ca/dknight.html