History ReimaginingTheArtifact / Batman

* Batman famously [[DoesNotLikeGuns refuses to carry a gun under any circumstances]], even though [[BadassNormal he doesn't have any superpowers]], and his job would presumably be a lot safer if he at least kept a pistol around for self-defense. For most of his history, this was largely because [[MediaNotes/TheComicsCode the Comics Code Authority]] severely limited portrayals of violence in comic books, so it became a general rule that superheroes just don't carry guns.[[note]] While Batman did carry a gun in a few of his very first appearances, these are generally dismissed as EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.[[/note]] These days, that's no longer the case; not only is the CCA defunct, but superhero comics are also now marketed to adults almost as often as children, and [[SuperheroPackingHeat superheroes who carry guns]] (like ComicBook/{{Cable}}, ComicBook/{{the Punisher}}, and even Batman's former sidekick Red Hood) are fairly common. Today, though, Batman's hatred of guns is a well-established part of his characterization rather than a standard superhero trope. He could get away with carrying a gun if he wanted, but he [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim refuses to stoop to criminals' level by committing murder]], and he prefers to prove his superior physical ability by [[GoodOldFisticuffs beating them the old-fashioned way]]. Sometimes it's linked specifically to Batman's grief for his parents, who were killed by a gun. The act of using a gun is so painful for him that, at least in [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond one instance]], he quits after realizing that he's no longer capable of fighting crimes without a gun.

* Kite Man has ''always'' been one of Batman's most infamous [[JokeCharacter gimmicky joke villains]] (which given he was created amidst the 60's, is quite a feat), but Creator/TomKing had a lot of fun recreating him [[PlayedForDrama for drama]] during [[ComicBook/BatmanTomKing his run of the series.]] The idea of [[{{Idiosyncrazy}} a kite-based supervillain is inherently absurd]], but ''Rebirth'' recontextualized it by 1) giving him a backstory with [[OutlivingOnesOffspring a tragically-deceased son]] that turned kites into a personal motif of remembrance, and 2) pitted his supervillain origin as being motivated in large part by ''ComicBook/TheJoker'', where inherently absurd supervillainy is ''his'' shtick. [[ButtMonkey He's still seen as a huge joke in-universe]], but one defined by an oddly plausible and grounded backstory (if anything, [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain the fact he's treated as a joke makes him even more sympathetic]]).

* Batman famously [[DoesNotLikeGuns refuses to carry a gun under any circumstances]], even though [[BadassNormal he doesn't have any superpowers]], and his job would presumably be a lot safer if he at least kept a pistol around for self-defense. For most of his history, this was largely because [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode the Comics Code Authority]] severely limited portrayals of violence in comic books, so it became a general rule that superheroes just don't carry guns.[[note]] While Batman did carry a gun in a few of his very first appearances, these are generally dismissed as EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.[[/note]] These days, that's no longer the case; not only is the CCA defunct, but superhero comics are also now marketed to adults almost as often as children, and [[SuperheroPackingHeat superheroes who carry guns]] (like ComicBook/{{Cable}}, ComicBook/{{the Punisher}}, and even Batman's former sidekick Red Hood) are fairly common. Today, though, Batman's hatred of guns is a well-established part of his characterization rather than a standard superhero trope. He could get away with carrying a gun if he wanted, but he [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim refuses to stoop to criminals' level by committing murder]], and he prefers to prove his superior physical ability by [[GoodOldFisticuffs beating them the old-fashioned way]]. Sometimes it's linked specifically to Batman's grief for his parents, who were killed by a gun. The act of using a gun is so painful for him that, at least in [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond one instance]], he quits after realizing that he's no longer capable of fighting crimes without a gun.

** The Riddler's gimmick of leaving behind riddles that when solved reveal his plans is reimagined as him [[spoiler:trying to covertly communicate with Batman because he believes they are secretly on the same side. Furthermore, almost all his riddles actually relate to crimes committed by ''other'' people who the Riddler wants Batman to expose - The only exception, the riddle that reveals his plan to bomb the flood wall, was meant to give Batman enough warning to get to safety first.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' features a reimagined version of Ace the Bat-Hound, a loyal masked [[GratuitousAnimalSidekick dog sidekick]] that Batman had during the campy Silver Age, when animal sidekicks were something of a fad in comics. But instead of taking him as a sidekick, Bruce simply adopts Ace after he retires from crime-fighting, and Ace gives the elderly Bruce some much-needed companionship, with Alfred dead and Bruce having fallen out of touch with his old friends from his days as Batman.
** However, Ace is still just as [[ActionPet badass]] and [[HeroicDog heroic]] as his predecessor. An episode centered around Ace reveals the Great Dane spent his early years forced into dog-fighting. When he was fully-grown, he managed to escape and was rescued and adopted by Bruce. The episode in question starts when Ace recognizes the scent of his former handler, causing him to chase him down. This leads Terry to find Ace and the two bust the dog-fighting ring, with Ace even saving Terry from the mutated dog the criminal had made. Ace has helped Terry a few more times, even against [[spoiler: the Joker when he comes back.]] Good bat dog indeed.

!!Comic Books

* Batman famously [[DoesNotLikeGuns refuses to carry a gun under any circumstances]], even though [[BadassNormal he doesn't have any superpowers]], and his job would presumably be a lot safer if he at least kept a pistol around for self-defense. For most of his history, this was largely because [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode the Comics Code Authority]] severely limited portrayals of violence in comic books, so it became a general rule that superheroes just don't carry guns.[[note]] While Batman did carry a gun in a few of his very first appearances, these are generally dismissed as EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.[[/note]] These days, that's no longer the case; not only is the CCA defunct, but superhero comics are also now marketed to adults almost as often as children, and [[SuperheroPackingHeat superheroes who carry guns]] (like ComicBook/{{Cable}}, ComicBook/{{the Punisher}}, and even Batman's former sidekick Red Hood) are fairly common. Today, though, Batman's hatred of guns is a well-established part of his characterization rather than a standard superhero trope. He could get away with carrying a gun if he wanted, but he [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim refuses to stoop to criminals' level by committing murder]], and he prefers to prove his superior physical ability by [[GoodOldFisticuffs beating them the old-fashioned way]]. Sometimes it's linked specifically to Batman's grief for his parents, who were killed by a gun. The act of using a gun is so painful for him that, at least in [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond one instance]], he quits after realizing that he's no longer capable enough to fight crime without a gun.

* Batman famously [[DoesNotLikeGuns refuses to carry a gun under any circumstances]], even though [[BadassNormal he doesn't have any superpowers]], and his job would presumably be a lot safer if he at least kept a pistol around for self-defense. For most of his history, this was largely because [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode the Comics Code Authority]] severely limited portrayals of violence in comic books, so it became a general rule that superheroes just don't carry guns.[[note]] While Batman did carry a gun in a few of his very first appearances, these are generally dismissed as EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.[[/note]] These days, that's no longer the case; not only is the CCA defunct, but superhero comics are also now marketed to adults almost as often as children, and [[SuperheroPackingHeat superheroes who carry guns]] (like ComicBook/{{Cable}}, ComicBook/{{the Punisher}}, and even Batman's former sidekick Red Hood) are fairly common. Today, though, Batman's hatred of guns is a well-established part of his characterization rather than a standard superhero trope. He could get away with carrying a gun if he wanted, but he [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim refuses to stoop to criminals' level by committing murder]], and he prefers to prove his superior physical ability by [[GoodOldFisticuffs beating them the old-fashioned way]]. Sometimes it's linked specifically to Batman's grief for his parents, who were killed by a gun. The act of using a gun is so painful for him that, at least in [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond one instance]], he quits after [[BatmanGrabsAGun resorting to a gun]] in a moment of weakness to save himself.

* Batman famously [[DoesNotLikeGuns refuses to carry a gun under any circumstances]], even though [[BadassNormal he doesn't have any superpowers]], and his job would presumably be a lot safer if he at least kept a pistol around for self-defense. For most of his history, this was largely because [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode the Comics Code Authority]] severely limited portrayals of violence in comic books, so it became a general rule that superheroes just don't carry guns.[[note]] While Batman did carry a gun in a few of his very first appearances, these are generally dismissed as EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.[[/note]] These days, that's no longer the case; not only is the CCA defunct, but superhero comics are also now marketed to adults almost as often as children, and [[SuperheroPackingHeat superheroes who carry guns]] (like ComicBook/{{Cable}}, ComicBook/{{the Punisher}}, and even Batman's former sidekick Red Hood) are fairly common. Today, though, Batman's hatred of guns is a well-established part of his characterization rather than a standard superhero trope. He could get away with carrying a gun if he wanted, but he [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim refuses to stoop to criminals' level by committing murder]], and he prefers to prove his superior physical ability by [[GoodOldFisticuffs beating them the old-fashioned way]]. Sometimes it's linked specifically to Batman's grief for his parents, who were killed by a gun. The act of using a gun is so painful for him that, at least in [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond one instance]], he quits after only using a gun to intimidate a perp.

* Batman famously [[DoesNotLikeGuns refuses to carry a gun under any circumstances]], even though [[BadassNormal he doesn't have any superpowers]], and his job would presumably be a lot safer if he at least kept a pistol around for self-defense. For most of his history, this was largely because [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode the Comics Code Authority]] severely limited portrayals of violence in comic books, so it became a general rule that superheroes just don't carry guns.[[note]] While Batman did carry a gun in a few of his very first appearances, these are generally dismissed as EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.[[/note]] These days, that's no longer the case; not only is the CCA defunct, but superhero comics are also now marketed to adults almost as often as children, and [[SuperheroPackingHeat superheroes who carry guns]] (like ComicBook/{{Cable}}, ComicBook/{{the Punisher}}, and even Batman's former sidekick Red Hood) are fairly common. Today, though, Batman's hatred of guns is a well-established part of his characterization rather than a standard superhero trope. He could get away with carrying a gun if he wanted, but he [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim refuses to stoop to criminals' level by committing murder]], and he prefers to prove his superior physical ability by [[GoodOldFisticuffs beating them the old-fashioned way]]. Sometimes it's linked specifically to Batman's grief for his parents, who were killed by a gun.

*** [[Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Dick Grayson]]: This is how the original Robin's origin story was reimagined, with Dick trying avenge his DeathByOriginStory-victim parents on his own ''anyway'' before Batman took him in. It was an important part of the backstory of ''ComicBook/NightwingRebirth'' with the introduction of Raptor, a fellow Romani and old friend of his mother: once thieves, she went straight while Raptor didn't, and he sought to raise Dick his own way but Bruce got to him first.

!!Franchise/{{Batman}}