Allow me to say first, I've been a Batman fan since the 90's when Batman The Animated Series (along with 90's Spider-Man) used to be my personal poison of choice as far as afternoon TV went. Batman was always my favorite DC Hero because he had everything a good hero needed: a fantastic origin story, an awesome alter-ego, some of the most memorable villains in history, a kick-ass costume, moves, awesome gadgets, and most importantly, imperfections.
Now, on the to the meat of things here. Batman is one of comic's most beloved and revered of superheroes; why you ask? Simply because Batman, his mythos, and his universe are the most plausible out of all comic book heroes...and Batman kicks ass. Comic readers crave the fantastic, the unreal, and fantasy. A good comic allows a reader to live vicariously and, almost without knowing, slip into the persona of the main character. Because of a whirlwind combination of Plausibility, Batman's Imperfections, and great Storytelling; Batman as a character and a series has a ton of clout.
Seeing how Broadway and cartoony Batman: The Animated Series is, one would dismiss Batman's ability to exist in real life. Within animation, a lot of things become very over the top and whimsical; one tends to get wrapped up in cheesy story lines, laughable one-liners, and Mark Hamill's voice acting. However, if one were to read some of Batman's darker and grittier comics, you begin to see just how human Batman's universe really is. Case in point: Batman's villains. There are some out there that are a little more than human, villains like Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Killer Croc and Ra's Al Ghul mainly. Clayface most of all, Ra's and Killer Croc are entirely possible, something like Ra's is more unlikely though.
A majority of Batman's villains are normal men and women with severe psychological issues. Even someone as ridiculously camp as the Joker is possible to an extent. Granted, no known chemical bleaches skin white, lips red and hair green, but the plethora of psychological illnesses conflicting the Joker are very much real. Other villains like the Penguin, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Two-Face, Riddler and Harley Quinn are entirely possible to exist in real life. All victims of severe psychosis, whole heartedly accepting a persona based around their physical and mental issues. Granted, their expression of said psychological issues is a bit extreme. I don't think anyone goes around in domino masks and dual colored suits without being in Hollywood these days.
Certain villains are still believable to a degree, but do have a slight fantasy element to them. Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Croc and Ra's come to mind. Mr. Freeze (Dr. Victor Fries) is a scientist that had an accident involving many kinds of cryogenic chemicals while researching a cure for his wife Nora's illness. Now, Fries has to remain inside a cold suit and using various cryogenic based weaponry and gadgetry, he continues his search for Nora's cure. Clayface was an actor that messed with some experimental chemicals in a vain attempt to make himself look younger for a movie role. This caused the clay in the chemical mixture to meld with his skin and render him into a conscious blob of living clay. Killer Croc is a criminal suffering from an affliction called Ichthyosis Vulgaris, in which the skin becomes scaly and reptilian. He's not much beyond a run-of-the-mill criminal with feral methods, and a huge grudge against Batman. Ra's Al Ghul is a man that happened upon a mystery chemical bile he calls Lazarus. By immersing himself in Lazarus Pits when near death, Ra's has allowed himself to live for hundreds if not thousands of years. He ceaselessly menaces Batman with his plans eliminate mankind and place Nature as the reigning force in the world. Ra's also seeks to have Batman himself take over his empire before Ra's mind finally succumbs to the repetitive shock of the use of Lazarus.
Even some of Batman's more "out there" villains have an ounce of plausibility. Who's to say someday a man won't have to wear a cold suit, or that there isn't some miracle Elixir of Life bubbling in the planet somewhere? With Batman there's no superpowers, no gimmicks, nothing that doesn't have a real world tie. This link to real life, along with some lofty and fantastic mythos, creates a harmony of fiction and reality that people can't get enough of. It's not real, but someday it could be real.
What's great about Batman as a character is that he is written to be a real person with real flaws. Many superheroes of the time are painted out to be the epitome of core American values. They're upstanding, law abiding, textbook, good 'ol citizens. While Batman does indeed do his best to handle things in the proper manner of an honest Police Force, he struggles internally with what is right and what he feels must be done. We often see Batman show the darker side of his emotions as well, something most heroes did not and do not do today, mostly. He gets angry, he pummels his victims relentlessly, and shows what the true vengeance of the Dark Knight means. Not to say Batman doesn't also have a heart. He will still go out of his way to help the little guy, he still bags the villain in proper procedure, and has a solemn oath that he will never take a life.
To this end, we see that Batman is in fact, human. He's a flesh and blood human being, with both the faults of darkness, and the impunity of the hero. While he is also capable of being thought of as a genuine hero; he also is able to be thought of a reckless vigilante, taking law into his own hands. This duality is what makes Batman so unique, and more liked than other contemporary comic book heroes.
All-in-all, one could say that "Batman" is amazing. As a character, we see a non-superpowered man taking it upon himself to rid a massive city of crime. He's human, he's flesh and blood, he's possible. Having both the qualities of a hero and a vigilante, we are able to revel in his righteous actions as a hero, but enjoy the brutality of his methods as a vigilante. As a series, Batman has some of the distinguished, and "colorful" characters ever conceived. With a gallery of villains like no other, and a bad-ass cast of supporting characters, Batman can explore any kind of person from any walk of life.
In the end, Batman's magic stems from its ability to weave both reality and fiction into a brilliant story. While the villain and their execution of their plan might be a little flashy, they're still believable and display eerie qualities we see in our everyday life. In any story he's in, Batman is still a detective, and still has a very close-to-home side of himself we can see through his narration and action. It is this blend of ideas that create a series that grips a reader or viewer like no other.
"Or you can be Batman. If you can be Batman, be Batman."
