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Key points
- The exploits of fictional superhero characters resonate with many people.
- Parts of the backstories of human superheroes like Batman are grounded in reality.
- People can draw inspiration for achievement in real life from fictional characters like Batman.
DC Comics tells us that September 21, 2024, is Batman’s 85 birthday, or at least from his first appearance in Detective Comics. In my books, I explore the science of human potential through the lens afforded by superheroes, and my journey began with Batman, who helped get me into martial arts, then into science, and brought me to science communication.
Beginning With Becoming Batman
The sublime skills and abilities of Batman and Batwoman are fantastic for underlining the marvels of physiology, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering. Human superheroes (sorry, Superman and Wonder Woman, you are great, but we’re not talking about aliens or gods) are useful for showing us the extremes to which many of our abilities can be taken, and of course, also showing us where they cannot go.
Exploring the physical realities of superheroes like Batman, Iron Man, Captain America, and Batgirl reveals parts of their mythologies and backstories that actually are accessible and grounded in reality. These human superheroes captivate us because they can do the cool things that many of us can’t but wish we could.
The Myth of Superheroes
The societal concept of superheroes has really been around forever, and the role that superheroes can play in inspiring us to think about exceeding our own limits goes back to antiquity. Icarus, Mercury, Prometheus, Thor, Odin, Hercules, and so many other mythological figures inspired us by their strengths and guided us by their weaknesses. They are also cautionary tales warning us of the costs of hubris and extending our grasp too far outside our reach.
Looked at in this way, the mythologies and backstories of comic book superheroes are connected to many of those found in ancient myths, and these are stories whose appeal persists even many centuries later. The attractive part for us real and mortal humans is that we can use superhero fantasy as inspiration to free ourselves from the many false limitations we all acquire as we move through life. These limitations come from societal expectations or can also be self-generated. These limitations weigh us down, constrain our actions, and prevent us from achieving more. They prevent us from being all we can truly become.
Batman’s story tells us that there is always more we can do and that we are capable of doing. We just have to incorporate some superhero lessons learned into our everyday lives and refuse to be limited by fear of failure. It truly is inspiring to recognize that real heroes get through uncomfortable scenarios precisely because they know that what they need to do is difficult, but it still needs to be done. So they just do it.
Fictional Batman Really Can Help Us in Our Reality
Which brings me to the real point of this post. Over the years, I’ve received lots of messages from readers. One that stands out on the theme of Batman as an inspiration is this one:
“I use a manual wheelchair. Around the time I was reading the Becoming Batman book, I was doing a transfer from a lower level to the chair, but I didn’t do it well and began to slowly slip off. I remember thinking as I was slipping, ‘What would Batman do?’ I then pushed down really hard on the frame and got myself back up. So, thanks.”
There really is a superhero in each of us. We just need to find that bit of the Bat that we all have inside and put it to good use.
(c) E. Paul Zehr (2024)
