I’ve answered variations of this question dealing with actual historical figures before. But if I was able to have dinner with a fictional character, I would probably choose Batman.
As I’ve talked about before on this blog, Batman always has been and always will be my all-time favorite superhero. Not only that, but Batman is and always has been the one pop culture icon that has held my interest longer than any other. I’ve often said that if I were to ever get inked, the first tattoo would most likely be something Batman-related.
I think I would just really like to get inside his head. I mean, he’s been pretty upfront in the comic books about why he does what he does—his code.
Still, I think I would want to ask him about the whole Robin situation. I understand that with the first Robin, Dick Grayson, he wanted to prevent him from going down the same dark road that Bruce himself had traveled. But has this guy ever really given much thought to the fact that he’s essentially turning a handful of young men into his own militant army?
I would ask Batman about the perception that he is a “lone dark avenger” when he in fact has a surrogate “Batman family” that consists of multiple former and current Robins, numerous Batgirls, and Batwoman. Is he a family guy at heart? Is the whole night-obsessed-loner thing just a figment of the media’s imagination?
I know Batman has a strict code against killing, but I would ask him why he doesn’t make an exception in certain cases like that of the Joker. I get the whole point that killing others who take lives would make Batman a killer as well, and that in doing so, he would leave someone else a victim just as 8-year-old Bruce Wayne was a victim back then.
The one burning question I would have for Batman is this: There are some who say that Batman is the true identity and Bruce Wayne is the alias—as if Batman was born the moment Bruce Wayne’s parents were killed, and Bruce Wayne died that exact same night. This is an idea that Batman writers have been tossing around for at least the 1970s; writer-turned-editor Dennis O’Neil comes to mind particularly.
Of course, I would ask him what his personal favorite depiction of himself of the last 80 years is. One particular comic book run? The Christopher Nolan movie trilogy? The 1990s animated series?
I’m sure there are other questions, other avenues of discussion that would inevitably present themselves organically as the evening progressed. However, one final question I would ask him regardless is: “You’re picking up the bill for this, right?”
Related Reading:
Read Part 2: The Hamlet of the Comic Book Genre: The Psychology of the Dark Knight — A deeper dive into the tragedy, contradictions, and humanity behind the cowl.
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The article “My dinner with the Dark Knight Detective” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.
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