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The Batmobile is a car, which is the main transportation method for Batman and Robin. It made its first appearance in Detective Comics #27 (May, 1939), where it was depicted as an ordinary-looking, red car. Housed in the Batcave, which the Batmobile accesses through a hidden entrance, the heavily armored, weaponized vehicle is used by Batman in his crime-fighting activities.
History[]
The look of the Batmobile has varied over time, depending of series, but since its earliest appearances, the Batmobile has had a prominent bat motif, typically including distinctive wing-shaped tailfins. Armored in the early stages of Batman's career, it has been customized over time into a sleek, armored supercar-hybrid, and is the most technologically advanced crime-fighting asset within Batman's arsenal. Depictions of the vehicle have evolved along with the character, with each incarnation reflecting evolving car technologies. It has been portrayed as having many uses, such as vehicular hot pursuit, prisoner transportation, anti-tank warfare, riot control, and as a mobile crime lab. In some depictions, the Batmobile is able to be driven unmanned or remotely operated. It has appeared in every Batman iteration—from comic books and television to films and video games—and has since become part of pop culture.
It retains many of the features of the previous car, with the major exception being the now separate dome over the passenger compartment. The car has also lost many of the curves of the previous car, being essentially a very long, thin box with the dome, fin, and "bat nose" features added. The on-board laboratory was lost, leaving only a two-passenger compartment under the dome. Many Batmobile fans dislike the overly simplified lines of this car, which would last until the next redesign came in the early 1960s.
Another variation of the "Futura Batmobile" appeared in Detective Comics #374, used as Batman tracked down a criminal who nearly killed Robin. Although much of the design followed the standard comic version of the Futura, a few details have been changed. These included wider rockers, larger fins, and, most notably, a separate Bat Mask been added to the nose of the car between the grille openings. 1969 saw big changes in Batman's world. Dick had moved away to go to Hudson University, Bruce and Alfred had locked up Wayne Manor and moved to a penthouse in the heart of Gotham, and the larger-than-life Batmobile became a thing of the past.
In its place was a two-seat coupé outfitted with a turbocharged engine, bulletproof chassis and body panels, hydraulic impact absorbers built into the front end, and a smokescreen generator. To retain a low profile, it had bulletproof one-way mirrored windows and diplomatic license plates. It also represented two Batmobile firsts: gull-wing doors and a remote driving system. The latter was originally developed as a safety measure to get Batman out of tight situations, but was found to be equally effective acting as a decoy and has since appeared in several Batmobiles since then.
Gadgets[]
Over the many years, the Batmobile has sported many special gadgets and special fixtures cleverly designed by Batman. A few over the years have included:
- Closed circuit television
- Handset with direct hotline to police headquarters
- Direction Finder equipment
- Spare Batman and Robin costumes and utility belts
- Gas masks and breathing apparatus
- Dashboard radar
- Emergency searchlights
- Traveling crime-lab
- Built-in sonic range finder
- Portable first-aid kit
- Fire extinguisher
- Short-wave police radio with microphone
- Geiger Counter
Gallery[]
