[Richard Kimball]

Batman always had a dark backstory, but the "dance with the devil in the pale moonlight" and the Joker being the one that shot his parents was a retconning that started in the 1989 Michael Keaton/Jack Nicholson movie. Prior to that, the guy who shot his parents was just a mugger.

The early Batman comics were kind of a masked Phillip Marlowe type of noir, but simplified for kids.

Robin and the Comics Code made Batman into the gimmick and lighthearted stuff, and the Joker as kind of a guy who hit you in the face with a pie rather than kill you guy.

The Joker didn't have a name or backstory, which was what made him unique. It also wasn't explained whether his skin was white and hair green, or if he wore make up.

The move of Batman into a dark character started in the Frank Miller series, The Dark Knight Returns.That was in the early eighties. The Keaton movie was the one that put Batman in all all black suit, and a lot of the feel of the movie was lifted from the Dark Knight, plus the weirdness of Tim Burton as a director.

[numberonepal]

Thanks for the breakdown. I’m not Batman BTW.

[Disestablishmentarian]

Thanks for reminding everyone of the “True” history of Batman.

When I was a young boy, even before Marvel was created, Batman was my favorite because he had no superpowers. Hence, I felt I could grow up to be like him if I chose ... no requirement to be born on Krypton.