The Batarang is as Good as a Superpower

Unlike most other superheroes, Batman doesn’t have a superpower, so he uses gear like the batarang to leave his legacy on Gotham and the rest of the world.

The batarang is well-known to Batman fans everywhere as one of his primary tools/weapons in combat.  The term “batarang” is a combination of the words “bat” and “boomerang.”  This item can be used like a boomerang, returning to the user after it is thrown.  But often times, it is used to directly strike a person or object.

The batarang is similar to a ninja’s shuriken, which is commonly known in the U.S. as a throwing star.  Since the shuriken were used by ninjas, it makes sense that Batman would develop his own version, since he received ninja combat training.

The batarang has seen many variations in all of Batman’s depictions throughout the years.  We won’t get to all of them, but we cover the most notable ones.

Early Batman Films – The batarang used in Batman (1989) were foldable and featured a line at the end of it to wrap up enemies and drag them.  The ones used in Batman Returns could fly with the use of a navigation computer installed on them.

Batman Begins and Dark Knight – These films show Batman using the batarang for basic uses, such as breaking light fixtures and getting the attention of his enemies.  The design of the batarang in these films is very simple, as they are just flat pieces of metal carved in the shape of a bat.

Animated Series and Justice League – Batman has many variations of the batarang in these two TV shows, including exploding batarangs and electrocuting batarangs.  Besides that, the batarang was also used to inflict minor injury on the Dark Knight’s enemies.  The design was either a bat with compact wings or its wings spread out.

Batman Beyond – By the time Terry McGinnis dons the non-Caped Crusader suit, the batarang has seen some changes.  It’s made with a metal spine and two foldable wings.  When it’s wings are unfolded, it’s shape is somewhat circular, with the wing tips reaching to the bottom and top of the spine.  I’m no James Kakalios, so I don’t know all the physics of superheroes, but I would assume this circular-shaped batarang would be more aerodynamic and allow Terry to have greater accuracy than Bruce’s batarangs had.

Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl – Each of these other superheroes in the Batman universe have been known to use their own version of the batarang.  Robin’s have been called “birdarings” and are shaped like an “R.”  Nightwing has called his version of the weapons “Wing-Dings.”  Batgirl used Batman’s original batarangs.

I have to be completely honest that for most of my life, I didn’t realize that the term “batarang” was an invention of the Batman’s creators at DC Comics.  I just figured it was a cool weapon that Batman happened to make use of.  But whoever did come up with the idea of the batarang was a genius, as it will go down as possibly Batman’s most important item in his arsenal of gadgets.

The batarang is such a cool item that what’s better than getting one for yourself?  You can buy real batarangs on Amazon right here.

Jack Stewart is a writer for SuperheroLegacy.com