It's a long story so here goes....
After the success of the comic book Superhero Superman, artist Bob Kane tried to come up with his own hero "The Bat-Man", the character Kane created wore a red suit with a domino mask, blonde hair and a pair of bat wings. Kane then asked for writer Bill Finger's assistance on the project. Finger rejected several of Kane's initial ideas about the character and suggested several changes in design and characterization. His changes included changing his hair colour, a black colour scheme for the costume, adding a cape and cowl, the idea that he shouldn't have any superpowers, his civilian identity of Bruce Wayne (which Finger named after Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland and general Anthony "Mad Anthony" Wayne), the origin story about his parents being shot in an alley and the idea that he should also be a detective.
Kane marketed the "Batman" character to National Comics, and Batman's first story was published in "Detective Comics" #27 (May 1939). The script was written by an uncredited Finger, making him the first of many ghost writers to work on comics officially credited to Bob Kane. When Kane negotiated a contract about selling the rights to the "Batman" character, he claimed he was the sole creator and demanded a sole mandatory byline acknowledging him as such on all comics and adaptations. Out of fairness, Kane agreed to pay Finger his share with money out of his earnings. Unfortunately, the agreement was never put into writing, and Finger never saw a cent.
Finger would go on to ghost write Batman stories up into the mid 1960's, either with Kane or for DC Comics directly. During his writing tenure, Finger was responsible for the unaccredited creation of many key players and pieces in the Batman universe. These included the Batmobile, the Batcave, Gotham City, and Batman's nickname "The Dark Knight. He also came up with several secondary Batman characters including," his sidekick Robin, his arch-nemesis The Joker, and his occasional love interest Catwoman, as well as Commissioner Gordon, The Riddler and The Scarecrow. Despite all of this, the only writing credit that Finger received for Batman in his lifetime were two episode of Batman (1966), The Clock King's Crazy Crimes (1966) and The Clock King Gets Crowned (1966) which he co-wrote with friend Charles Sinclair.
Eventually, the truth did come out. Finger attended the first official New York Comic Con in 1965 and sat on a panel with other comic book creators where he revealed the role he played in Batman's creation. Finger's story gained exposure in a two-page article titled "If the truth be known, or a Finger in every plot!," written and distributed by pop culturist Jerry Bails. Kane caught wind of Finger's appearance not long after and replied in the form of a printed letter to Batman fan magazine, "Batmania," where he labeled his old friend a fraud. Finger, who by this time was deeply in debt, continued to write for various projects in and outside of comic books until his death in 1974, when he was found alone in his apartment by friend Charles Sinclair. Finger died penniless and his contributions to the character was never acknowledged in his lifetime.
However, after the popularity of Tim Burton's Batman (1989), Kane acknowledged Finger as "a contributing force" in the character's creation, and wrote in his 1989 autobiography "Batman and Me" that "Now that my long-time friend and collaborator is gone, I must admit that Bill never received the fame and recognition he deserved. He was an unsung hero ... I often tell my wife, if I could go back fifteen years, before he died, I would like to say. 'I'll put your name on it now. You deserve it.'"
Many failed attempts were made over the years by Finger's family to get him recognition for his work, including a request from his second wife Lyn Simmons to have his name listed in the credits of Tim Burton's Batman (1989).
Finger remained largely unknown, even to Batman fans, until writer Marc Tyler Nobleman began investigating the late author's life for a book being written about him called "Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman". Nobleman went in search of Finger's family to help fill in the gaps and give him credit. While Finger's autopsy report claimed no relatives were present, Nobleman discovered that Finger had a son, Fred.
Unfortunately, Fred, who was an outspoken proponent of his father, had died in 1992. Nobleman learned that Fred was also homosexual, leading him to believe that Fred had no children before his death. The trail was starting to go cold.
However, after receiving new information from Finger's nephew, Nobleman discovered Fred indeed had a daughter, Athena Finger, who was born two years after Finger's death. Nobleman met with Athena and convinced her to meet with DC about getting recognition for her grandfather. DC in turn welcomed Athena with open arms, cut her a check and invited her to the premiere of The Dark Knight (2008) with all expenses paid. It wasn't until around 2012 that DC offered her more money. This time, however, she had to sign away her rights to her grandfather's claim. With encouragement from Nobleman, Athena rejected the money and took DC to court. It took years of litigation before a settlement was reached. A major turning point in the case was the unearthing of recorded interviews with Bob Kane during the writing of his autobiography. During one of the interviews, Tom Andrae, Kane's co-writer, asked Kane to what extent Finger contributed to Batman's creation. "Bill was responsible for 50 to 75 percent," Kane bluntly responded.
Finally, in September 2015, DC Entertainment issued a statement informing the public that Finger would be listed as co-creator on any piece of Batman media henceforth. Starting with the superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and the second season of Gotham (2014), an updated acknowledgement for the character appeared as "Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger".
Finger's story was later used as the subject of the Hulu original documentary, Batman & Bill (2017).
After the success of the comic book Superhero Superman, artist Bob Kane tried to come up with his own hero "The Bat-Man", the character Kane created wore a red suit with a domino mask, blonde hair and a pair of bat wings. Kane then asked for writer Bill Finger's assistance on the project. Finger rejected several of Kane's initial ideas about the character and suggested several changes in design and characterization. His changes included changing his hair colour, a black colour scheme for the costume, adding a cape and cowl, the idea that he shouldn't have any superpowers, his civilian identity of Bruce Wayne (which Finger named after Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland and general Anthony "Mad Anthony" Wayne), the origin story about his parents being shot in an alley and the idea that he should also be a detective.
Kane marketed the "Batman" character to National Comics, and Batman's first story was published in "Detective Comics" #27 (May 1939). The script was written by an uncredited Finger, making him the first of many ghost writers to work on comics officially credited to Bob Kane. When Kane negotiated a contract about selling the rights to the "Batman" character, he claimed he was the sole creator and demanded a sole mandatory byline acknowledging him as such on all comics and adaptations. Out of fairness, Kane agreed to pay Finger his share with money out of his earnings. Unfortunately, the agreement was never put into writing, and Finger never saw a cent.
Finger would go on to ghost write Batman stories up into the mid 1960's, either with Kane or for DC Comics directly. During his writing tenure, Finger was responsible for the unaccredited creation of many key players and pieces in the Batman universe. These included the Batmobile, the Batcave, Gotham City, and Batman's nickname "The Dark Knight. He also came up with several secondary Batman characters including," his sidekick Robin, his arch-nemesis The Joker, and his occasional love interest Catwoman, as well as Commissioner Gordon, The Riddler and The Scarecrow. Despite all of this, the only writing credit that Finger received for Batman in his lifetime were two episode of Batman (1966), The Clock King's Crazy Crimes (1966) and The Clock King Gets Crowned (1966) which he co-wrote with friend Charles Sinclair.
Eventually, the truth did come out. Finger attended the first official New York Comic Con in 1965 and sat on a panel with other comic book creators where he revealed the role he played in Batman's creation. Finger's story gained exposure in a two-page article titled "If the truth be known, or a Finger in every plot!," written and distributed by pop culturist Jerry Bails. Kane caught wind of Finger's appearance not long after and replied in the form of a printed letter to Batman fan magazine, "Batmania," where he labeled his old friend a fraud. Finger, who by this time was deeply in debt, continued to write for various projects in and outside of comic books until his death in 1974, when he was found alone in his apartment by friend Charles Sinclair. Finger died penniless and his contributions to the character was never acknowledged in his lifetime.
However, after the popularity of Tim Burton's Batman (1989), Kane acknowledged Finger as "a contributing force" in the character's creation, and wrote in his 1989 autobiography "Batman and Me" that "Now that my long-time friend and collaborator is gone, I must admit that Bill never received the fame and recognition he deserved. He was an unsung hero ... I often tell my wife, if I could go back fifteen years, before he died, I would like to say. 'I'll put your name on it now. You deserve it.'"
Many failed attempts were made over the years by Finger's family to get him recognition for his work, including a request from his second wife Lyn Simmons to have his name listed in the credits of Tim Burton's Batman (1989).
Finger remained largely unknown, even to Batman fans, until writer Marc Tyler Nobleman began investigating the late author's life for a book being written about him called "Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman". Nobleman went in search of Finger's family to help fill in the gaps and give him credit. While Finger's autopsy report claimed no relatives were present, Nobleman discovered that Finger had a son, Fred.
Unfortunately, Fred, who was an outspoken proponent of his father, had died in 1992. Nobleman learned that Fred was also homosexual, leading him to believe that Fred had no children before his death. The trail was starting to go cold.
However, after receiving new information from Finger's nephew, Nobleman discovered Fred indeed had a daughter, Athena Finger, who was born two years after Finger's death. Nobleman met with Athena and convinced her to meet with DC about getting recognition for her grandfather. DC in turn welcomed Athena with open arms, cut her a check and invited her to the premiere of The Dark Knight (2008) with all expenses paid. It wasn't until around 2012 that DC offered her more money. This time, however, she had to sign away her rights to her grandfather's claim. With encouragement from Nobleman, Athena rejected the money and took DC to court. It took years of litigation before a settlement was reached. A major turning point in the case was the unearthing of recorded interviews with Bob Kane during the writing of his autobiography. During one of the interviews, Tom Andrae, Kane's co-writer, asked Kane to what extent Finger contributed to Batman's creation. "Bill was responsible for 50 to 75 percent," Kane bluntly responded.
Finally, in September 2015, DC Entertainment issued a statement informing the public that Finger would be listed as co-creator on any piece of Batman media henceforth. Starting with the superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and the second season of Gotham (2014), an updated acknowledgement for the character appeared as "Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger".
Finger's story was later used as the subject of the Hulu original documentary, Batman & Bill (2017).
The series The Batman begins in Batman's third year. In the graphic novel BATMAN: YEAR ONE, by Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli, Bruce Wayne is 26 years old when he debuts as Batman. If this timeline holds for The Batman then Bruce is 28 or 29 at the beginning of the series. However, the producers of "The Batman" have made Bruce younger in this series--25 in season one (Bruce's "Year Three" as Batman). The first episode of season five gives the best sense of the passage of time: We are told right up front that one year has passed since the alien invasion of the Joining. Bruce is probably around 29 in season five.
Bruce Wayne's Golden-Age (Earth-2) birthday is April 14, 1915. Modern tradition places Bruce Wayne's birthdate on February 19th.
Bruce Wayne's Golden-Age (Earth-2) birthday is April 14, 1915. Modern tradition places Bruce Wayne's birthdate on February 19th.
So far, there are no plans to add the villains Two-Face, Scarecrow, or Ra's al Ghul to The Batman (although a preliminary design for the Scarecrow was originally created).
Modern tradition holds that Dick Grayson was born in March on the first day of Spring. In the comics, the Golden-Age (1940s) Dick Grayson was 8 years old when he became Robin. During the Silver Age (1950s & '60s), Dick's age was adjusted to 12 when Robin debuted. Robin appears to be around 12 or 13 years old when he first appears on The Batman. By season five, Robin is shown to be attending high school and is probably 14.
In adjusted continuity, Barbara Gordon (daughter of Police Commissioner James Gordon) was 16 years old when she debuted as Batgirl in the DC Comics Universe (BATGIRL: YEAR ONE, 2004). On The Batman, Barbara is introduced as a high-school student, appearing to be about 16. By the show's fifth season, Barbara is a college freshman (probably 18 years old). The first episode of season five gives the best sense of the passage of time: We are told right up front that one year has passed since the alien invasion of the Joining.
When the third season of The Batman was being produced, Cartoon Network's Teen Titans series was still in production. Since Robin was a regular on Teen Titans, Batgirl was introduced in season three as Batman's first sidekick.
In the beginning of the series, only Alfred Pennyworth (Bruce Wayne's butler) and (as revealed in the 4th season episode "The Joining") Lucius Fox of Wayne Industries know that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Eventually, Batman reveals his secret to others: Robin, Batgirl, and fellow Justice Leaguers the Martian Manhunter (who reads the secret in Batman's mind), Superman (who uses X-ray vision to look under the cowl), Green Arrow, Flash, and Green Lantern.
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. port city located on the north-eastern Atlantic coast. It was originally a stand-in for New York City, but has also been likened to other crime-ridden urban centers such as Chicago and Detroit. Some sources have placed Gotham City in the state of New Jersey; however, this cannot be considered definitive.
The current DC Universe version of Gotham City is actually a small island connected to the mainland by a series of bridges and tunnels. The east and south sides of Gotham face the Atlantic Ocean. The city is further divided by the Sprang River (named for Dick Sprang) on the northern end and the Finger River (for Bill Finger) to the south. Tiny Blackgate Isle to the south-east is home to Blackgate Maximum Security Penitentiary.
Parts of Batman Begins (2005) were filmed in Chicago, Illinois.
The current DC Universe version of Gotham City is actually a small island connected to the mainland by a series of bridges and tunnels. The east and south sides of Gotham face the Atlantic Ocean. The city is further divided by the Sprang River (named for Dick Sprang) on the northern end and the Finger River (for Bill Finger) to the south. Tiny Blackgate Isle to the south-east is home to Blackgate Maximum Security Penitentiary.
Parts of Batman Begins (2005) were filmed in Chicago, Illinois.
The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane is first mentioned (as Arkham Hospital) in "The Threat of the Two-Headed Coin!" in BATMAN #258 (October 1974) by Dennis O'Neil. The first specific reference to "Arkham Asylum" was in the story "This One'll Kill You, Batman!" also by Dennis O'Neil in BATMAN #260 (February 1975). The name was inspired by the fictitious New England city of Arkham created by H.P. Lovecraft.
Sources are saying that the fifth season of The Batman will be the final one. This will give the show a total of 65 episodes, plus the spin-off DTV movie The Batman Vs.Dracula. The possibility exists for more DTVs in the future; however, none have been announced.
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- How many seasons does The Batman have?5 seasons
- How many episodes does The Batman have?65 episodes
- When did The Batman premiere?September 11, 2004
- When did The Batman end?March 8, 2008
- How long are episodes of The Batman?22 minutes
- What is the IMDb rating of The Batman?7.4 out of 10
- Who stars in The Batman?
- Who created The Batman?
- Who wrote The Batman?Jerry Siegel, Bob Kane, Joe Shuster, Bill Finger, Paul Dini, George Pérez, Marv Wolfman, Michael Jelenic, Greg Weisman, Christopher L. Yost, and others
- Who directed The Batman?
- Who was the producer of The Batman?
- Who was the composer for The Batman?
- Who was the executive producer of The Batman?
- What is the plot of The Batman?Billionaire Bruce Wayne fights crime and evil as the mysterious Batman.
- Who are the characters in The Batman?Joker, Harley Quinn, Superman, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Alfred Pennyworth, Bane, Lex Luthor, Green Arrow, the Penguin, and others
- What is the The Batman theme song?"The Batman Series Theme I" by The Edge and "The Batman Series Theme II" by Andy Sturmer
- What genre is The Batman?Action, Adventure, Animated, Crime, Family, Fantasy, Mystery, and Sci-Fi
- How many awards has The Batman won?7 awards
- How many awards has The Batman been nominated for?20 nominations
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