Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. He first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (in May 1939), and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics. He is additionally known as the « Caped Crusader », the « Dark Knight », and the « World's Greatest Detective », among other titles.

In the original version of the story and the vast majority of retellings, Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, an American billionaire playboy, industrialist and philanthropist. Having witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, he swore revenge on crime, an oath tempered with the greater ideal of justice. Bruce Wayne trains himself both physically and intellectually and dons a bat-themed costume in order to fight crime. Batman operates in the fictional American Gotham City, assisted by various supporting characters including his crime-fighting partner, Robin, his butler Alfred Pennyworth, the police commissioner Jim Gordon, and occasionally the heroine Batgirl. He fights an assortment of villains such as the Joker, Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. Unlike most super-heroes, he does not possess any super powers ; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, martial arts skills, an indomitable will, fear and intimidation in his continuous war on crime.