SEEKERS OF THE BAT

The stick: Batman espouses coercion through fear.
The carrot: Puss-In-Boots uses manipulation through cuteness.

Another scene showing a hulking Batman roughing up an emaciated Joker. Still, Joker has the upper hand because he knows a secret: that Batman does not kill. Batman has frequently wrestled with his conscience on this.  By killing this one monster, he would be indirectly saving the lives of all the people that Joker would eventually take.  But Batman has decided, it is not up to him to judge who deserves to live or die. To do so would turn him into that which he has devoted his life to battling.

This panel from All Star Batman illustrating Batman’s first meeting with Green Lantern shows the lengths Batman will go to  to maintain the upper hand. Doing his research, he theorized that Green Lantern’s power ring had no effect on yellow objects (it didn’t).  In typical Batman fashion, he arrived early and completely coated the meeting point in a layer of yellow paint!  Advantage: Batman.

At first, you’d think this was an uncharacteristically despondent depiction of Batman, until you recognize the inside joke :)

Whereas most of Batman’s villains are a reflection of one of his characteristics, Hush is a dark mirror of his alter ego. Tommy Elliot and Bruce Wayne were childhood friends, both children of wealthy Gotham socialites. But whereas Bruce was made an orphan by the murder of his loving parents, Tommy attempted to murder his parents, but was victimized by his abusive surviving mother.

In several flashbacks, young Tommy is seen as being the more intelligent and capable of the two boys, possibly inspiring Bruce to be the man he is today. Bruce went on to lead the life that Tommy wanted for himself, and once he discovered Batman’s identity, he set about to destroy Bruce, and eventually usurp him. Knowing the child that Batman grew out of, Hush is known for setting elaborate traps for Batman, often involving his entire rogue’s gallery, to maximize the emotional hurt he can inflict on him and his loved ones.

Although he prefers to remain behind the scenes, Hush does occasionally venture out, getting his hands dirty with his dual pistols, symbolizing that he is what Batman isn’t. He is also known for the bandages he wears, first to hide his identity, then to allow his skin to heal after his surgery to replicate Bruce Wayne’s appearance. During Bruce’s disappearance in Final Crisis, he was allowed to take over Bruce’s identity to maintain the illusion that he was still alive, all while under the watchful eye of several Justice Leaguers and Outsiders.

Batman’s willpower is world renowned. Although he did fall prey to a drug addiction (to the super steroid Venom), he was still able to kick it cold turkey with a simple, one step plan.

via Society of Dave

The legend of Batman is a universal constant. Here is cuneiform of Anubis, the Egyptian god of the underworld being brought to justice by Batman.