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Hmmm. . .I understand what you're saying about the basic substance-vs.-style distinction, but I'm not sure I'm convinced Batman's bat aspect is unessential to his character--he is, after all, "Bat"-man :) The bat is an archetype in itself which has associations with the night, the Moon, darkness, death, the spirit world, etc. Which I guess, however, also partly relates to the vengeance element you mention, in that for Batman the symbol of the bat relates to the terror he strikes into the heart of criminals: beyond being a hero, he's also the personification of justice come for the evil-doer.

I definitely agree Batman and Punisher are variations on a theme, though. And where Batman is associated with the bat, the Punisher wears a skull against a black background, invoking other symbols associated with death and night.

To broaden the discussion, as I'm thinking about this, I'm also wondering about how to categorize Spider-Man. Spider-Man also has the revenge/guilt motive, yet I'd say he's a different category than those two. I guess part of it would be the source of his powers as you bring up: although Peter Parker does have some "self-made" scientific know-how, his basic powers are from other sources. Another part would be that Spider-Man also has a "reluctant hero" side to him which is absent in Batman and Punisher: he's a nerd turned superhero, whereas Batman and Punisher are kind of macho ubermenches even in their civilian identities.

Incidentally, one reason I'm interested in this topic is because I've been helping write a book on horror movies and one thing that comes up a lot is how archetypes play into horror movies, so thinking/talking about it in relation to other genres like superhero literature is also helpful to me. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

I'm not sure I'm convinced Batman's bat aspect is unessential to his character

I agree with you on that. To clarify, when I used the word "archetype" I was talking only about the superhero aspect of the character; that is, the superhero's abilities and motive. I think those two character aspects are what set superhero fiction apart from other genres of fiction. If you look at the overall character, "archetype" takes on a different aspect I think; in the overall sense, Batman would fall into the "creature of the night" archetype.

I'm also wondering about how to categorize Spider-Man.

For powers, I'd say he's an example of the "Accidental Hero": someone who gets his powers from an accident of some kind. Daredevil, The Flash, and The Hulk are other examples of this.

For motive, it's harder to say; perhaps a mixture of guilt and Purity of Heart. There are other "guilty" superheroes out there, who became heroes to atone for past misdeeds; Plastic Man is one. The "Pure of Heart" superheroes are numerous; Superman and Captain America are the two prime examples.

For overall character, Spider-Man is a Wish-Fulfillment character: the wimpy kid with secret superpowers. He's not really the first such superhero... Captain Marvel (the Shazam! one) falls into that category too.

All of the above is just my opinion, of course! :)