In terms of popularity, Batman is one of the most popular comic book characters of all time, probably second to only Spider-Man. Despite the fact that he doesn’t really represent the classic heroic ideals (like Superman, for example), the dark and gritty world of Batman is something that the fans love and respect.

Of course, Batman’s beginnings were not so dark and gritty, although he was always different than the other superheroes. The character evolved from a campy superhero in the 1940s to a pillar of DC’s publishing roster in the 1980s, setting the tone for a different era of comic books.

But, while we all know his comic book stories, do you know how Batman actually came to be and why he looks like he does? Although there was a plethora of influences there, among them was the famed Renaissance artist Leonardo Da Vinci, and in this report, you are going to find out how the great artist inspired Batman!

Batman is today known for his cape and cowl, the dark suit, and his accessories. But while his costume is now iconic, you will not believe what he looked like initially, i.e., what Bob Kane’s original design looked like:

Doesn’t look like the Batman, eh? Yeah, we know, but this design was quickly scrapped, although we do have to note several things. Batman was blonde and wore a red suit, which is more suitable for the Flash than the Caped Crusader, but this changed quickly, and, honestly, this colorful version of the Bat wouldn’t have made much sense in any aspect.

He also wore a domino mask, as you can see, and this was an influence of Zorro, as Bob Kane himself admitted that Zorro (who first appeared several decades earlier) had some influence on Batman’s symbolism. Doc Savage, The Shadow and Sherlock Holmes also had some influence on the character’s creation, as it is stated in the book The Many Lives of the Batman: Critical Approaches to a Superhero and His Media.

When he first appeared, he was known as the Bat-Man, but the name was changed. His real name, Bruce Wayne, was actually inspired by “Mad” Anthony Wayne, one of the Founding Fathers, as well as Robert the Bruce. Bill Finger later commented on the original concept:

Kane had an idea for a character called ‘Batman,’ and he’d like me to see the drawings. I went over to Kane’s, and he had drawn a character who looked very much like Superman with kind of …reddish tights, I believe, with boots …no gloves, no gauntlets …with a small domino mask, swinging on a rope. He had two stiff wings that were sticking out, looking like bat wings. And under it was a big sign …BATMAN.

– The Steranko History of Comics 1

And that leaves the wings, doesn’t it? As you can see, Bat-Man originally had a pair of wings, bat-like wings, but the concept was later changed as the authors weren’t really satisfied with it (and we think this was a good decision).

But, the design of the wings and the costume as a whole was inspired by the ornithopter device, a proposed invention by none other than Leonardo Da Vinci, which was a device that was supposed to fly by flapping its wings, just like a bird.

As stated, the concept was later discarded, but this is how Leonardo Da Vinci actually inspired the original design for Batman, and we hope that you’ve enjoyed this trip down memory lane and will join us for more.

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