Batman is DC’s crime-fighting franchise centered on Bruce Wayne, a Gotham City vigilante who relies on detective work, martial arts, strategy, and technology rather than metahuman powers. He first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939 and became known as both the Dark Knight and the Caped Crusader.
The character’s world extends beyond one hero. Allies such as Robin, Alfred Pennyworth, and Commissioner Gordon form a changing support network, while Gotham’s criminals test different sides of Bruce’s mission. Comics, films, television, animation, and games regularly reinterpret that foundation.
Those versions do not all share one continuity. Matt Reeves’s films with Robert Pattinson, for example, form their own Gotham crime saga instead of continuing every previous Batman screen story.