Becoming Batman

by E. Paul Zehr

  However, the caveat is that it would be enormously difficult to actually be Batman. Wait a minute, Paul, I hear you say. Are you dealing from both sides of the deck here? What is the difference between becoming and being Batman? Well, I think you could prepare for and become Batman. To undertake his activities on a regular and possibly daily or nightly basis, though, would create such a large physiological stress and entail so many injuries that the possibility of remaining on top for a lifetime or even a very short career as a costumed crimefighter lacking in superpowers is very low.

  You might argue this is the opposite of what I said in Chapter 15 about Batman having a crime-fighting career until age 55. However, then and there we talked about whether it was possible to perform at a high level for a long time. What we are talking about here is performing at the highest level possible—the absolute pinnacle of performance—for the longest possible time. We are really considering how long Batman could maintain his best performances. This is important because a substandard performance by Batman doesn’t mean a rematch some months later. It could likely mean his death.

  To continue I want to make use of the same approach as in Chapter 15. That is to take some examples from sports, namely boxing and ultimate fighting. How long can champions in these two sports remain at their peaks? We will begin with ultimate fighting and the story of Randy Couture. Couture was born in June 1963 and has won the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title seven times over an approximately ten-year span. His first championship was in 1997 (age 34) and his last in 2007 at the age of 44. So, in this grueling hard-fought contest, peak performance could be maintained over a decade. However, the longest stretch for maintaining his title did not quite total two consecutive years in that decade. Also, across his entire career, Couture has had 24 professional matches. Batman would have many more than 24 events requiring peak performance in a few weeks! Even if there were only one Batman comic title per month, and even if each story had only one encounter, he would still have at least a dozen events per year. So, when using ultimate fighting performance as the indirect gauge, the ability to be at the peak of performance is really closer to two years.

  Another example I want to bring up comes from boxing and the career of the great Muhammad Ali. Born in 1942 as Cassius Clay Jr., he won the Olympic light-heavyweight gold medal at the Rome 1960 games and also had his first professional match that year. His last fight was in 1981, and over that 21-year professional career Ali had 56 wins in 61 fights. Including all titles from all sanctioning bodies, he has held eight championship belts. The longest stretch of maintaining his crown was between February 25, 1964, and February 6, 1967. So, for almost three years he was at the top and defended his title nine times.

  Again, converting that timescale into Batman’s yields less than a year of once-per-month challengers for Batman. Remember now, in Batman’s world that is well below what could even be laughingly suggested as the minimum. Batman has many more deadly encounters than that each month. So, in events with demands such as found in ultimate fighting and boxing, it is difficult to repeat as champion or remain as champion. It can and has been done, but not for very long.

  Since we equated many of Batman’s activities and injury risks to professional football players in Chapter 13, I would also like to comment on the length of such a career. The average length of an NFL player’s career is pretty short. There are still extremes. For example, NFL quarterback Vinny Testaverde as of 2007 had played in 21 seasons. But that is a real aberration. A few players may play for 10 or 12 years, but the ballpark average offered by the NFL Players Association is approximately three years.

  So, this means that Bruce would have spent 3 to 5 years reaching his maximum physical capacity, 6 to 12 years honing his skills in martial and other arts, and then another 6 to 8 years gaining the poise and grace under pressure (the experience) needed to perform flawlessly, defend himself and Gotham, but never, ever lose. With all that 15 to 20 years of training, Bruce finally became Batman. In this world, he finally achieved his goal, but he had a very short (yet distinguished!) career.

  Where does all of this leave us? Well, the conclusion I would like to leave you with is that becoming Batman would require a very unique set of circumstances including genetics, wealth, a suitable environment, and an unequaled internal drive to pursue an objective. It could be done, though. However, remaining as Batman is not realistic beyond a few years and a decade at the absolute maximum. Everything we have discussed in the last few chapters should be suggestive enough for this conclusion. You cannot have everything, I guess.

  Becoming Batman the cultural icon is a dream that could be realized but not maintained for very long. However, the story of Batman is still intriguing. The sentiments raised by many people quoted in this book echo the possibility that Batman is fascinating because he is human. Because he is human we can see a bit of ourselves in Batman’s story. It becomes exciting when we recognize the possibility that this could be realized in ourselves—even if only for a short time. I think that Batman’s limitations make his story more inspiring. To me it increases his humanity. His struggles can now be seen as living life as we all live: training, getting injured, recovering, and aging. Batman becomes one who must overcome many obstacles and events, just as we all must in the real world and the superhero universe.

  APPENDIX

  BATMAN’S TRAINING MILESTONES

  “I don’t believe Batman considers himself a ‘super-hero.’”

  —Bruce Wayne to a dinner guest in the 2003 graphic novel Batman: Child of Dreams

  The top training milestones from Batman’s physical and martial arts training are shown in Table A.1. These are broken down to golden, silver, and modern age. For a more complete description of the relevance of the “ages,” please to refer to James Kakalios’s Physics of Superheroes, where an excellent summary of comic book history is given.

  TABLE A.1. Historical milestones in the martial arts and physical training history of Batman

  Bibliography

  If you are interested in further reading about science and superheroes, my number one recommendation is Physics of Superheroes by James Kakalios (Gotham, 2005). It is a great book about science. The fact that superheroes and comic books are thrown in too only makes it better. The Science of Superheroes by Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg (Wiley, 2003) is also quite good.

  If you are interested in reading more on Batman, his training, and related topics check out The Batman Handbook by Scott Beatty (Quirk, 2005). Becoming Batman provides the background for Beatty’s great and light look at how to actually be Batman. Also, if you want further information on Batman, anything by Scott Beatty is highly recommended. In particular, Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight (Dorling Kindersley, 2001) is fantastic, has great art, and is well-researched. A great exploration of Batman in popular culture can be found in Bradford Wright’s Comic Book Nation (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003).

  MOTION PICTURES AND TELEVISION PROGRAMS CITED

  Batman and Robin (1949; Columbia Pictures Corporation) Batman (1966–1968; ABC TV series)

  Kung Fu (1972–1975; ABC TV series)

  Batman (1989; Warner Bros.)

  Batman Returns (1992; Warner Bros.)

  Batman Forever (1995; Warner Bros.)

  Batman Robin (1997; Warner Bros.)

  Batman Beyond (1999–2001; WB TV series)

  The Last Samurai (2003; Warner Bros.)

  Batman Begins (2005; Warner Bros.)

  The Dark Knight (2008; Warner Bros.)

  Star Wars: Episode III—The Revenge of the Sith (2005; Lucasfilm)

  BOOKS AND JOURNAL ARTICLES

  Preface

  Beatty, S. (2001) Batman: The ultimate guide to the Dark Knight. Dorling Kindersley, New York.

  Daniels, L. (1999) Batman: The complete history. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

  DC Comics. (1988) The greatest Batman stories ever told. Warner Communications, New York.

  DC Comics. (2004
) Batman, illustrated by Neal Adams, vol. 2. Warner Communications, New York.

  DC Comics. (2005) Batman, illustrated by Neal Adams, vol. 3. Warner Communications, New York.

  Kane, B, and Andrae, T. (1989) Batman and me: An autobiography by Bob Kane. Eclipse Books, Forestville, CA.

  Vaz, MC. (1989) Tales of the Dark Knight: Batman’s first fifty years: 1939–1989. Random House of Canada, Toronto, ON.

  Chapter 1. The “Before” Batman: How Buff Was Bruce?

  Beatty, S. (2001) Batman: The ultimate guide to the Dark Knight. Dorling Kindersley, New York.

  Sawka, MN, Cheuvront, SN, and Carter, R, III. (2005) Human water needs. Nutrition Review 63: S30–S39.

  Sutcliffe, JF (1996) A review of in vivo experimental methods to determine the composition of the human body. Physics in Medicine and Biology 41: 791–833.

  Chapter 2. Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner: Bruce’s Twin Brother, Bob, and the Human Genome

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  Gest, H. (2004) The discovery of microorganisms by Robert Hooke and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Fellows of The Royal Society. Notes and Records of the Royal Society 58: 187–201.

  Hawley, JA, and Spargo, FJ. (2006) It’s all in the genes, so pick your parents wisely. Journal of Applied Physiology 100: 1751–1752.

  Heck, AL, Barroso, CS, Callie, ME, and Bray, MS. (2004) Gene-nutrition interaction in human performance and exercise response. Nutrition 20: 598–602.

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  Kostek, M, Hubal, MJ, and Petcatello, LS. (2007) Genetic roles in muscle strength. ACSM Health Fitness Journal 11: 18–23.

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  MacArthur, DG, and North, KN. (2005) Genes and human elite athletic performance. Human genetics 116: 331–339.

  McArdle, WD, Katch, FI, and Katch, VL. (2005) Essentials of exercise physiology, 3rd ed. Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Baltimore, MD.

  Mosher, DS, Quignon, P, Bustamante, CD, Sutter, NB, Mellersh, CS, Parker, HG, and Ostrander, EA. (2007) A mutation in the myostatin gene increases muscle mass and enhances racing performance in heterozygote dogs. Public Library of Science: genetics 3: e79.

  Ridley, M. (1999) Genome. HarperCollins, New York.

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  Schuelke, M, Wagner, KR, Stolz, LE, Hubner, C, Riebel, T, Komen, W, Braun, T, Tobin, JF, and Lee, SJ. (2004) Myostatin mutation associated with gross muscle hypertrophy in a child. New England Journal of Medicine 350: 2682–2688.

  Segal, NL. (2006) SuperQuads: A day in the life; research reviews: color-number association, finger-length ratios, twinning diets, athletic pairs. Twin Research and Human Genetics 9: 609–614.

  Wolfarth, B, Bray, MS, Hagberg, JM, Perusse, L, Rauramaa, R, Rivera, MA, Roth, SM, Rankinen, T, and Bouchard, C. (2005) The human gene map for performance and health-related fitness phenotypes: the 2004 update. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 37: 881–903.

  Chapter 3. The Stress of Life: Holy Hormones, Batman!

  Driskell, JE, Salas, E, and Johnston, JH. (2006) Decision making and performance under stress. In TW Britt, CA Castro, and AB Adler (eds.), Military life: The psychology of serving in peace and combat (vol. 1, pp. 128–154). Praeger Security, Westport, CT.

  Goldstein, DS, and Kopin, IJ. (2007) Evolution of concepts of stress. Stress 10: 109–120.

  Kraemer, WJ, and Ratamess, NA. (2005) Hormonal responses and adaptations to resistance exercise and training. Sports Medicine 35: 339–361.

  Solomon, AM, and Bouloux, PMG. (2006) Modifying muscle mass—The endocrine perspective. Journal of Endocrinology 191: 349–360.

  Viner, R. (1999) Putting stress in life: Hans Selye and the making of stress theory. Social Studies of Science 29: 391–410.

  Chapter 4. Gaining Strength and Power: Does the Bat That Flies the Highest or the Fastest Get the Worm?

  Booth, FW, Tseng, BS, Fluck, M, and Carson JA. (1998) Molecular and cellular adaptation of muscle in response to physical training. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica 162: 343–350.

  Goldspink, G. (1999) Changes in muscle mass and phenotype and the expression of autocrine and systemic growth factors by muscle in response to stretch and overload. Journal of Anatomy 194 (Pt 3): 323–334.

  McArdle, WD, Katch, FI, and Katch, VL. (2005) Essentials of exercise physiology, 3rd ed. Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Baltimore, MD.

  Parise, G, Reilly, CE, and Rudnicki, MA. (2006) Molecular regulation of myogenic progenitor populations. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 31: 773–781.

  Penfield, W, and Rasmussen, T. (1950) The cerebral cortex of man: A clinical study of localization of function. Macmillan, New York.

  Sale, DG. (1988) Neural adaptation to resistance training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 20: S135-S145.

  Sale, DG. (1992) Neural adaptation to strength training. In PV Komi (ed), Strength and power in sport (pp. 249–265). Blackwell Scientific Publications, Cambridge, MA.

  Sherrington, CS. (1947) The integrative action of the nervous system. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

  Swazey, JP. (1969) Reflexes and motor integration: Sherrington’s concept of integrative action. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.

  Tyc, F, and Boyadjian, A. (2006) Cortical plasticity and motor activity studied with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Reviews in the Neurosciences 17: 469–495.

  Wernbom, M, Augustsson, J, and Thomee, R. (2007) The influence of frequency, intensity, volume and mode of strength training on whole muscle cross-sectional area in humans. Journal of Sports Medicine. 37: 225–264.

  Chapter 5. Building the Batbones: Brittle Is Bad, But Is Bigger Better?

  Andreoli, A, Monteleone, M, Van Loan, M, Promenzio, L, Tarantino, U, and De Lorenzo, A. (2001) Effects of different sports on bone density and muscle mass in highly trained athletes. Medicine and Science of Sports and Exercise 33: 507–511.

  Carter, DR. (1984) Mechanical loading histories and cortical bone remodeling. Calcified Tissue International V36: S19– S24.

  Enoka, RM. (2002) Neuromechanics of human movement. Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL.

  Huiskes, R. (2000) If bone is the answer, then what is the question? Journal of Anatomy 197: 145–156.

  Iwamoto, J, Takeda, T, and Sato, Y. (2005) Interventions to prevent bone loss in astronauts during space flight. Keio Journal of Medicine 54: 55–59.

  Karlsson, MK, Hasserius, R, and Obrant, KJ. (1996) Bone mineral density in athletes during and after career: A comparison between loaded and unloaded skeletal regions. Calcified Tissue International 59: 245–248.

  Sylvester, AD, Christensen, AM, and Kramer, PA. (2006) Factors influencing osteological changes in the hands and fingers of rock climbers. Journal of Anatomy 209: 597–609.

  Chapter 6. Batmetabolism: What’s For Dinner o
n the Dark Knight Diet

  Dawkins, R. (2004) The ancestor’s tale. Orion Books Ltd, London.

  Hawley, JA, Tipton, KD, and Millard-Stafford, ML. (2006) Promoting training adaptations through nutritional interventions. Journal of Sports Science 24: 709–721.

  Macfarlane, DJ. (2001) Automated metabolic gas analysis systems: A review. Sports Medicine 31: 841–861

  Maughan, R. (2002) The athlete’s diet: Nutritional goals and dietary strategies. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 61: 87–96.

  McArdle, WD, Katch, FI, and Katch, VL. (2005) Essentials of exercise physiology, 3rd ed. Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Baltimore, MD.

  Phillips, SM. (2006) Dietary protein for athletes: From requirements to metabolic advantage. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 31: 647–654.

  Turner, N, Hulbert, AJ, and Else, PL. (2006) Limits to physical performance and metabolism across species. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care 9: 691–696.

  Westerterp, KR. (2001) Limits to sustainable human metabolic rate. Journal of Experimental Biology 204: 3183–3187.

  Zehr, EP., and Sale, DG. (1993) Oxygen uptake, heartrate and blood lactate responses to the Chito-Ryu Seisan kata in skilled karate practitioners. International Journal of Sports Medicine 14: 269–274.

  Chapter 7. From Bruce Wayne to Bruce Lee: Mastering Martial Moves in the Batcave

  Cunnington, R, Windischberger, C, Deecke, L, and Moser E. (2003) The preparation and readiness for voluntary movement: A high-field event-related fMRI study of the Bereitschafts-BOLD response. NeuroImage 20: 404–412.

  Driskell, JE, Willis, RP, and Cooper, C. (1992) Effect of overlearning on retention. Journal of Applied Psychology 77: 615–622.

  Fitts, PM, and Posner, MI. (1967) Learning and skilled performance in human performance. Brooks/Cole, Belmont, CA.