Editing Batman (section)

==== Personality ====
Batman's primary character traits can be summarized as ''"wealth; physical prowess; deductive abilities and obsession"''.<ref name="pearson pg 186" /> The details and tone of Batman comic books have varied over the years with different creative teams. Dennis O'Neil noted that character consistency was not a major concern during early editorial regimes: "[[Julius Schwartz|Julie Schwartz]] did a Batman in ''Batman'' and ''Detective'' and [[Murray Boltinoff]] did a Batman in the ''Brave and the Bold'' and apart from the costume they bore very little resemblance to each other. Julie and Murray did not want to coordinate their efforts, nor were they asked to do so. Continuity was not important in those days."<ref>Pearson; Uricchio. "Notes from the Batcave: An Interview with Dennis O'Neil" p. 23.</ref>

The driving force behind Bruce Wayne's character is his parents' murder and their absence. Bob Kane and Bill Finger discussed Batman's background and decided that "there's nothing more traumatic than having your parents murdered before your eyes".<ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1999|p=31}}</ref> Despite his trauma, he sets his mind on studying to become a scientist<ref name="ReferenceA">''Detective Comics'' #33 (November 1939), Bill Finger, Bob Kane</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), Bill Finger, Bob Kane</ref> and to train his body into physical perfection<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref name="ReferenceB" /> to fight crime in [[Gotham City]] as Batman, an inspired idea from Wayne's insight into the criminal mind.<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref name="ReferenceB" /> He also speaks over 40 languages.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Andrew |title=Batman: 15 Things You Didn't Know About Bruce Wayne |url=https://screenrant.com/bruce-wayne-batman-trivia-facts/ |website=ScreenRant |date=January 3, 2017 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513132756/https://screenrant.com/bruce-wayne-batman-trivia-facts/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Another of Batman's characterizations is that of a vigilante; in order to stop evil that started with the death of his parents, he must sometimes break the law himself. Although manifested differently by being re-told by different artists, it is nevertheless that the details and the prime components of Batman's origin have never varied at all in the comic books, the "reiteration of the basic origin events holds together otherwise divergent expressions".<ref>{{harvp|Pearson|Uricchio|1991|p=194}}</ref> The origin is the source of the character's traits and attributes, which play out in many of the character's adventures.<ref name="pearson pg 186" />

Batman is often treated as a vigilante by other characters in his stories. Frank Miller views the character as "a [[Dionysus|dionysian]] figure, a force for [[anarchy]] that imposes an individual order".<ref>Sharrett, Christopher. "Batman and the Twilight of the Idols: An Interview with Frank Miller". ''The Many Lives of the Batman: Critical Approaches to a Superhero and His Media''. Routledge: London, 1991. {{ISBN|978-0-85170-276-6}}, p. 44.</ref> Dressed as a bat, Batman deliberately cultivates a frightening persona in order to aid him in crime-fighting,<ref>Pearson, p. 208.</ref> a fear that originates from the criminals' own guilty [[conscience]].<ref>Dennis O'Neil, Wizard Batman Special 1998</ref> Miller is often credited with reintroducing anti-heroic traits into Batman's characterization,<ref name="Terrence R. Wandtke 91">{{cite book|title=The Amazing Transforming Superhero!: Essays on the Revision of Characters on the Revision of Characters in Comic Books, Film and Television|author=Terrence R. Wandtke|page=91}}</ref> such as his brooding personality, willingness to use violence and torture, and increasingly alienated behavior. Batman, shortly a year after his debut and the introduction of Robin, was changed in 1940 after DC editor Whitney Ellsworth felt the character would be tainted by his lethal methods and DC established their own ethical code, subsequently he was retconned to have a stringent moral code,<ref name="dan42">{{harvp|Daniels|1999|p=42}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Batman & Me: An Autobiography|last=Kane|first=Bob|date=1989|publisher=Eclipse Books|others=Andrae, Tom.|isbn=1-56060-017-9|location=Forestville, CA|page=45|oclc=21114759}}</ref> which has stayed with the character of Batman ever since. Miller's Batman was closer to the original pre-Robin version, who was willing to kill criminals if necessary.<ref>{{cite book|title=Enter the Superheroes: American Values, Culture, and the Canon of Superhero Literature|author1=Alex S. Romagnoli |author2=Gian S. Pagnucci |page=27}}</ref>