To some, he is the Dark Knight, to others, the bat. For the most part, people know him as Bruce Wayne, the “Batman.” The man in black has an interesting history and an even more fascinating cultural implication. He represents more than a rich guy with a pointy eared cowl.

Batman first came into existence in 1939, appeasing in Detective Comics #27. Since then, he has become a pop culture icon and most people see him as either unbeatable or invincible. Keep in mind, he doesn’t have any real powers, he is literally just a dude with a cape. Plus he has a lot of money, which helps.

But why has Batman stood the test of time so well? His survivability lies in how the character is able to evolve with the times so easily and the interesting psyche that the character holds. Batman’s character is just so interesting and deep that he can fit into any time and most people can enjoy seeing him. Batman has appeared in comics, movies, television shows, and even radio dialogues. From the lampoon adventures of Adam West as Batman to the dark trials of the animated Batman (voiced by Kevin Conroy) Batman has taken all forms of media up without a skip of the beat.

To most readers/watchers, Batman is the stark opposite of the man in blue and red, Superman. The two fight for justice, but Batman is manipulative and cold when Superman is caring and hopeful. There are several interpretations of what this means, but eh most interesting one would be how they represent the United States. Superman is how we see ourselves: we want to save the world and spread “freed, justice, and the American way” to the entire world. Batman is how the world sees us. We wipe out those who oppose us without blinking, and will go to the ends of the earth in the name of justice. To be frank, neither of these are particularly good ideologies to have, but the Batman one certainly is much more menacing compared to the Superman one.

Batman also has a slight homo-erotic tone to it, depending on how you read into his relationship to his protégés who take the name Robin, and other pieces of dialogue. Professor of film and cultural studies Will Brooker argues the validity of a queer reading of Batman, and that gay readers would naturally find themselves drawn to the lifestyle depicted within, whether the character of Bruce Wayne himself were explicitly gay or not. He also identifies a homophobic element to the vigor with which mainstream fandom rejects the possibility of a gay reading of the character. On the flip side, writers like Alan Grant have said “The Batman I wrote for 13 years isn’t gay… everybody’s Batman… none of them wrote him as a gay character.” Now, in 2005, painter Mark Chamberlain made some paintings that depicted Batman and Robin in suggestive poses.

Whomever Batman is to you, he is a world known vigilante who wears black and grey. His character reflects our society, and he has had such a long life time that chances are we will continue to see the Dark Knight for a long time to come.