One of the (many) little details that always annoyed me in Christopher Nolan's "more realistic and grounded" take on Batman was how the fact Batman was trained "as a ninja" was kept right there in the beginning of the trilogy, and yet completely discarded in the entire series... (It also annoyed me how he wasn't a "detective" either, but that's an entirely different point.)
I mean, let it be said right away - despite how much of the lore and the fantasy you believe, and as much as Nolan tried to make it "grounded" and all that gritty showbiz talk, Batman is not real.
There, I said it.
The fantasy part of Batman is that this orphan grew up to be the best in everything he does. Train himself to the peak condition in all sorts of domains.
Some people would like to believe that "Batman's better than other superheroes because it could be real". Right. Batman's more real than Superman, because anyone could be The Batman. Heck, YOU could be the Batman!
Granted, if you had billions. And all the time in the world, even starting during your childhood, to train yourself to be the best athlete in the world. A ton of infographics show just that, all over nerd websites!
And the best detective. And the best chemist. And the best physicist. And the best gymnast. And the strongest fighter, all martial arts in the world included. And... and.. And all that at the same time!
Plus a passion for Bat-related fashion.
Why does Batman need armor again?
The issue I have with it, is even you say Bats play it safe, he's prepared for anything, and that's why he should wear armor...
Then, why would he need armor if his villains don't?
If The Joker or Harvey Dent don't use armor/don't fear getting shot, why would The Batman? Doesn't that tell something to all his villains? That's probably how they recruit henchmen - heck, The Bats fear getting hurt, join the defenseless clown and penguin!
Even only considering the Nolan films and not the comics nor cartoons, you always see these unarmed baddies like Heath Ledger's Joker or Scarecrow or Bane not fearing getting shot, while Bats' completely armored! You want to call these films realistic, but only the hero is trying to fight realistic. Why didn't anybody shot that clown while he was performing a magic trick? Because he had a plot-armor, he knew he was one of the main characters and would only go out in the last act of the film.
It's all just fantasy!
My main problem with Batman, as a whole, is the increase of armor they're adding to Batman over the last few years, be it in the actual comics, live action films or games.
Batman doesn't need armor.
I'm all for adding some details, to make things more detailed and "realistic" (not "real"), but there should be a point where design should have the final world over practicability.
It's all okay to add to his costume some light Kevlar-style to his spandex superhero costume. Because that's what he is, a "superhero", not a real life vigilante. Batman always wins. Batman survives space-faring adventures. He's no mortal man.
If you want a real life vigilante-type action hero, go play Splinter Cell or watch a Jason Bourne film.
But when your hero's supposedly a trained ninja-like character, who always plans in advance every single possibility, has a contingency plan for every possible situation, getting shot should never come to play.
Batman simply never gets shot. He should be too smart for that.
In fact you don't see him getting shot in the Nolan films (cape-aside) despite his armor. You never see Batman getting shot, never ever, armor or not.
And that is why Batman should never need to wear armor.
Because he stands tall next to the likes of Superman and Green Lantern. He's no mere mortal man. He is an impossibility.
He's a superhero and a comic book character. Even if you're watching him in a film or playing him in a game.
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