Is Batman in his 40s?

[Lester C.]

The Nightwing trade listed Dick as 26. One year later would make him 27. So would that not make Batman at least 41 if we go by the standard fact that Batman is 14 years older than Dick?

[The Surrealist]

I thought Batman was perpetually 38-ish. He was always in his late thirties in the Golden and Silver age versions. What's changed?

[Lester C.]

I thought Batman was perpetually 38-ish. He was always in his late thirties in the Golden and Silver age versions. What's changed?
He became 29 sometime during the sliver age. I remeber that because Frank Miller pointed that out in the first Dark Knight Returns trade. And I just love your avatar.

[Trademark]

Everyone knows that Batman never ages.

http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/1334747.html

[Effect]

I thought he was at least getting close to 50. I wonder how long until they finally decide to deage him to be younger then Dick but still be Batman and explain it as a villian attack against Bruce Wayne to cover the public apperances. I mean the idea wouldn't be against the tone of the DC Universe would it?

[mattx110]

have ra's or talia de-age him as some plot to maintain the heir possibility thing, even though umm... we got damien... but shhh, it makes sense.

[The Shadow]

Everyone knows that Batman never ages.
'Nuff said.

He will ALWAYS be in and around 35-38 years old.

[Buried Alien]

To accommodate everything that he has supposedly done and been through since the beginning of his career, I'd say yes...he should be in his early forties.

That shouldn't be a problem; forty is the new thirty these days, especially for someone in top condition as Batman is.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Lester C.]

To accommodate everything that he has supposedly done and been through since the beginning of his career, I'd say yes...he should be in his early forties.

That shouldn't be a problem; forty is the new thirty these days, especially for someone in top condition as Batman is.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)
They also changed how old he was in year one. The comic as written was 24 but now the offical line is that he was 18.

[Buried Alien]

They also changed how old he was in year one. The comic as written was 24 but now the offical line is that he was 18.

I don't like that retcon at all. A Batman who is now in his early forties is much more believable to me than a Batman who was just eighteen when he began his career.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Young Avenger]

I'm surpraise that DC didn't use the retcon punch to de-age Batman.

[Gaspard]

A related question - is the storyline Batman: Year Three in the continuity? Because if Year Three literally means Year Three of Batman's career... well ffs! Nightwing is already operating on his own in this one, and Jason has died etc.

[Buried Alien]

A related question - is the storyline Batman: Year Three in the continuity? Because if Year Three literally means Year Three of Batman's career... well ffs! Nightwing is already operating on his own in this one, and Jason has died etc.

I think BATMAN YEAR THREE has been superseded several times over since its publication in 1989, because at the time, it was the newest retelling of the story of how Bruce Wayne met Dick Grayson and how Dick became the first Robin.

BATMAN YEAR THREE was told in a series of flashbacks: parts of the story were set in the then "present" (i.e. the months immediately following Jason Todd's death), but other parts of the story were set years earlier...when Dick first became Robin (which at the time, was during the third year of Batman's career).

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[wes_rk]

I know this is probably waaaaay off, but here it goes:

let's say Bruce was 24 when he started.. 27 when Dick became Robin at age 13 (maybe?). 5 years later Dick becomes Nightwing (Bruce=32, Dick=18) and Jason (again 13) becomes Robin fairly quickly after that. Let's say Jason is Robin for about 2 years before getting killed by the Joker. So now Bruce is 34 and Dick is 20, Jason was 15.

Tim comes let's say a year later and becomes Robin, again at age 13 (Bruce =35, Dick=21 and Jason would have been 16). That's 8 years after the first Robin, so Tim was only 5 when Batman and the first Robin roamed Gotham, so he can easily remember that fact.

Now Tim appears to be somewhere around 17 OYL. So Bruce is now 39, Dick is 25 and Jason reloaded is 20.

That's as far as it could go without having Batman be 40, and just for the record I don't think 40 is that bad, in fact I think it makes Batman that much of an icon to be 40-ish and still kick major butt. It also adds the fact that all of the stories could have happened to him.


Anyways, I'm not even sure the timeline is correct or consistent to what has been depicted.

[Super Buddies Forever]

Batman works better as a character in his 40s. Honestly, what's the problem? James Bond is traditionally played by an actor who's in his 40s (or even 50s). Just training to be Batman alone would have taken several years (which is why Year One's "24 years" is much more reasonable than 18) and, since then, Batman has gone through four Robins, one of who has reached his mid-20s.

Even a 50 year old Batman wouldn't be unreasonable down the line. As the life expectancy gradually goes up, so should Batman be gradually aged.

[Lester C.]

I think BATMAN YEAR THREE has been superseded several times over since its publication in 1989, because at the time, it was the newest retelling of the story of how Bruce Wayne met Dick Grayson and how Dick became the first Robin.

BATMAN YEAR THREE was told in a series of flashbacks: parts of the story were set in the then "present" (i.e. the months immediately following Jason Todd's death), but other parts of the story were set years earlier...when Dick first became Robin (which at the time, was during the third year of Batman's career).

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)
The official meeting of Dick Grayson is Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. They are even going to release an absolute edition of that trade as well as The Long Halloween.

[Lester C.]

I thought Jason was the same age as Dick.

[Buried Alien]

I thought Jason was the same age as Dick.

No, although they look it these days. I reckon at least a five or six year age difference between Dick and Jason.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[wes_rk]

the last Jason appereance in Nightwing sure had them both looking the same age, but Dick has to be a solid 5 years older, at least.

How do you think the Batman age thing affects other DC characters?
I think another reason why DC won't age Bats is to keep Superman relatively young as well (I think there is only a few yrs difference between the two of them?). And of course Nightwing is also stuck in his mid 20's.

[Agentum]

No he is from the 30s.

[Titan76]

I know this is probably waaaaay off, but here it goes:

let's say Bruce was 24 when he started.. 27 when Dick became Robin at age 13 (maybe?). 5 years later Dick becomes Nightwing (Bruce=32, Dick=18) and Jason (again 13) becomes Robin fairly quickly after that. Let's say Jason is Robin for about 2 years before getting killed by the Joker. So now Bruce is 34 and Dick is 20, Jason was 15.

Tim comes let's say a year later and becomes Robin, again at age 13 (Bruce =35, Dick=21 and Jason would have been 16). That's 8 years after the first Robin, so Tim was only 5 when Batman and the first Robin roamed Gotham, so he can easily remember that fact.

Now Tim appears to be somewhere around 17 OYL. So Bruce is now 39, Dick is 25 and Jason reloaded is 20.

That's as far as it could go without having Batman be 40, and just for the record I don't think 40 is that bad, in fact I think it makes Batman that much of an icon to be 40-ish and still kick major butt. It also adds the fact that all of the stories could have happened to him.
Even if this isn't the right timeline this is perfect in my eyes. Great job, you should email this to DC and maybe they'll learn something new and positive when it comes to Batman's age.

[Scarlet Speedster]

I've always thought Batman was in his mid-thirties: experienced enough to have dealt with all those who comprise his rogues gallery and to have had three different Robins. I don't really pay attention to the DC heroes' ages, but wouldn't Hal Jordan and Ollie be older than either Batman or Superman? I realize that both Olie and Hal have younger bodies since they died and were resurrected, but wouldn't their experiences put them in the mid-forties range? And since Barry Allen worked alongside the aforementioned heroes, wouldn't he have been in his thirties whe he died?

[skally19]

giving an age to nighting was really dumb. i'd just ignore that. dick is forever 24 or 25 now. he can't get older than bruce. he was like 8 when he became robin according to the 52 origin.

[glennsim]

giving an age to nighting was really dumb. i'd just ignore that. dick is forever 24 or 25 now. he can't get older than bruce. he was like 8 when he became robin according to the 52 origin.

Oh dear lord. I haven't seen that issue yet, but I was hoping the 8-year-old Robin concept would be forgotten forever.

I realize we're dwelling in a land of a million impossible things, but having an 8-year-old out there beating up grown men is one of those ideas that push it too far, IMHO.

On another front, Tim has to be the right age to have seen Dick perform with the Flying Graysons and remember it, which would mean that when Dick was like 7, Tim was like 4 at the youngest. So that means Tim is now 21.

8 year old Robins = Bad.

[The Shadow]

Even a 50 year old Batman wouldn't be unreasonable down the line. As the life expectancy gradually goes up, so should Batman be gradually aged.
They will never age Batman because he becomes unrelatable to new readers.

I don't want to read about a comic character swinging in tights that's only 5 years younger than my dad. I'm 32 myself... now imagine a kid who has a grandfather that's that age. (Grandfather has son at 20... that son has his own son when he's 20... by the time the kid is 10 the grandpa would be Batman's age.)

[Effect]

the last Jason appereance in Nightwing sure had them both looking the same age, but Dick has to be a solid 5 years older, at least.

How do you think the Batman age thing affects other DC characters?
I think another reason why DC won't age Bats is to keep Superman relatively young as well (I think there is only a few yrs difference between the two of them?). And of course Nightwing is also stuck in his mid 20's.

Personally I think Superman works best at being older but that could just be me. It shows he's a seasoned hero and it makes the hero woreship he gets from people of all ages that much more believeable I think. I can buy kids of all ages to adults cheering a hero that has a least a few gray hairs then then them all cheering a guy that looks like he just got out of college.

See I don't think DC would lose any fans if they let characters get older.

[Titan76]

he was like 8 when he became robin according to the 52 origin.
Are you serious? That is just so f%^ken dumb. I refuse to accept that bullshit. And here I thought DC writers were suppose to be getting better after IC, guess that was a lie.

[Kaos]

...8??? WTF..thats stupid...HELL YEAH BATS IS IN HIS FORTIES DAMMIT!

[Lester C.]

Personally I think Superman works best at being older but that could just be me. It shows he's a seasoned hero and it makes the hero woreship he gets from people of all ages that much more believeable I think. I can buy kids of all ages to adults cheering a hero that has a least a few gray hairs then then them all cheering a guy that looks like he just got out of college.

See I don't think DC would lose any fans if they let characters get older.
Interesting note on Superman. He used to be older than batman, but his character, unlike Batman, has not aged so now Batman is a few years older than Superman.

[colossus34]

Are you serious? That is just so f%^ken dumb. I refuse to accept that bullshit. And here I thought DC writers were suppose to be getting better after IC, guess that was a lie.

Why is it so hard to accept? He was supposed to be 8 because Dick was trained since BIRTH to be in the circus. He was a child prodigy with such natural athletic prowess that people were calling the Grayson kid the "boy wonder" that could do a quaderple sumersault and wowed people throughout Gotham city and the rest of the country. He also had natural detective skills and was "born to be in the center ring" so I don't think Bruce would have taken him in and trained him otherwise.

[wes_rk]

I understand that at 8 Dick was in better physical shape than most criminals, and I get that he could pretty much do everything but fly, but here's the problem I have with that idea... at 8 years old, are you mentally mature enough to understand what you are doing? I always thought that at 13 you are still a kid (kinda), but having your parents die in front of you makes you grow up fast, but at 8? c'mon, not even Bruce started to train and all that stuff to fight crime (right?).

That's why the 8 year old Robin makes no sense to me. If he really started at eight, hell, even Superman should bow down to him, he's been fighting crime longer than most, and started earlier than all of them. Make Nightwing the center piece of the JLA and an honorary member of the JSA.


sorry, I just can't believe he really started at eight, but I guess that's the new thing right now.. superhero kids.

[Mia]

I assumed that there was a 12 year gap between Dick and Bruce in age. Dick was in Junior High when he first became Robin. I'd peg that at 12 or 13. However smart as he is, Dick could have been held back a year due to his intinerant life. Now if Bruce (according to BY1) is 25 and took Dick in a year later when he was 26. Dick could have been 13 or 14 when he became Robin. Making Bruce 38 right now.

Another thing, I've noticed that they're begining to push up Dick's age as to when he came to live with Bruce. So that Dick can now be older without aging Bruce.

[static]

i have an 8 yr old....he is like 65 lbs! there is NO way in a million years that an 8yr old could punch an adult...no matter what shape he is in ...and do any damage at all ...seriously 8 yrs old is a 3rd grader!!!!! there has never been a 3rd grader who can knock out an adult ..ever...

[Erebus]

He's a fictional charecter, and one of the most recognizable icons in the world. I doubt writers and artists will ever depict "normal" Batman anything other then mid 30s-mid 40s.

[colossus34]

That's why the 8 year old Robin makes no sense to me. If he really started at eight, hell, even Superman should bow down to him, he's been fighting crime longer than most, and started earlier than all of them. Make Nightwing the center piece of the JLA and an honorary member of the JSA.

sorry, I just can't believe he really started at eight, but I guess that's the new thing right now.. superhero kids.

You don't need to believe it...in the world of comics when your 8 years old and can out jump a meta like blockbuster then outsmart and defeat him in a single move than your not just some kid your the "boy wonder"

http://www.imagefap.com/image.php?id=1140697267

http://www.imagefap.com/image.php?id=1866019803


Maybe most of the JLA should bow down to Nightwing he actually has been fighting crime longer than almost any other hero--hell he outdates Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Barry Allen Flash as one of the earilest superheros!! About time DC showed him some respect!

[Titan76]

Why is it so hard to accept?
Do you know any 8 year olds who can beat up adults, and not just adults but mob killers?

He was supposed to be 8 because Dick was trained since BIRTH to be in the circus. He was a child prodigy with such natural athletic prowess that people were calling the Grayson kid the "boy wonder" that could do a quaderple sumersault and wowed people throughout Gotham city and the rest of the country.
There is a difference from being in real good shape and doing some cool flips then knowing enough material arts training so good that you can take on full grown size men and kick their ass. I know this is comic books but there are just some things that both companies go overboard in and this is one of them.


He also had natural detective skills and was "born to be in the center ring" so I don't think Bruce would have taken him in and trained him otherwise.
I don't have a problem with Bruce taking him in at 8 and training him to be a crime fighter and after like five years going with him to fight crime. I have a problem with Bruce throwing a 8 YEAR OLD CHILD out in some of the worst streets in Gotham and having him fight mob killers. I don't give a shit how much DC wants Bruce to stay young, this is just unacceptable and too hard to believe even for a comic.

This isn't Franklin "I can make universes" Richards we are talking about here, this is a non-super power child here who is taking on full grown size men with his bare hands and some equipment. Give me a break.:rolleyes:

[glennsim]

Ok, um, this whole 8-year-old Robin bit started when someone said that the Nightwing origin in 52 says he started at age 8.

I just got the issue, and it doesn't give an age. Admittedly, he looks pretty young, but he could just be short for his age...probably not 13, but maybe 10 or 11? Slot in 6 months for training and you've got something fairly reasonable.

[colossus34]

Do you know any 8 year olds who can beat up adults, and not just adults but mob killers?


No but I also don't know any 8 year olds that can do a quaderple sumersault and flip over a 12 foot giant like Blockbuster so fast he barely has a chance to move.


D
There is a difference from being in real good shape and doing some cool flips then knowing enough material arts training so good that you can take on full grown size men and kick their ass.

Thing is I doubt Dick was out muscling grown men as kid Robin, he was probabley much faster, agile and resourcefull than 90% of the people he was fighting against. Batman even mentions how fast Dick was:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Ixion83/robin3.jpg

I think if someone told me a 8 year old kid could write a opera, symphony and complex musical passages i'd luagh at him unless I knew who Mozart was. That's how I see Dick he was basically this prodigious child that Bruce took in and trained to become his pupil.

Regardless, I just got the issue too and I think DC did the smart thing by not mentioning an age--although Dick does look quite young in the pics maybe 10ish...

[Kaos]

No but I also don't know any 8 year olds that can do a quaderple sumersault and flip over a 12 foot giant like Blockbuster so fast he barely has a chance to move.



Thing is I doubt Dick was out muscling grown men as kid Robin, he was probabley much faster, agile and resourcefull than 90% of the people he was fighting against. Batman even mentions how fast Dick was:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Ixion83/robin3.jpg

I think if someone told me a 8 year old kid could write a opera, symphony and complex musical passages i'd luagh at him unless I knew who Mozart was. That's how I see Dick he was basically this prodigious child that Bruce took in and trained to become his pupil.

Regardless, I just got the issue too and I think DC did the smart thing by not mentioning an age--although Dick does look quite young in the pics maybe 10ish...

there's a BIG difference between being dope at music and kicking ass

[Titan76]

No but I also don't know any 8 year olds that can do a quaderple sumersault and flip over a 12 foot giant like Blockbuster so fast he barely has a chance to move.
Neither do I, which pretty much goes into what I have been saying. So you saying this kinda means you agree with me.

Thing is I doubt Dick was out muscling grown men as kid Robin, he was probabley much faster, agile and resourcefull than 90% of the people he was fighting against. Batman even mentions how fast Dick was:
Being resourceful I can by. But faster and more agile yeah right. An eight year old avoiding machine guns like its nothing and out whiting super villains is just to stupid in my book. If an eight year can do this to Gotham criminals then Gotham City is a pussy and its thugs aren't as bad as DC tries to make them out to be.


I think if someone told me a 8 year old kid could write a opera, symphony and complex musical passages i'd luagh at him unless I knew who Mozart was. That's how I see Dick he was basically this prodigious child that Bruce took in and trained to become his pupil.


there's a BIG difference between being dope at music and kicking ass
Nuff said.

Regardless, I just got the issue too and I think DC did the smart thing by not mentioning an age--although Dick does look quite young in the pics maybe 10ish...
It is smart but I don't think DC can do this much longer. I mean I know they want to keep Batman as young as possible but they really need wake up and realize that unless they do a Crisis that turns Dick back into a 14 year old Robin again its not going to happen. Batman is close to 40 DC, get over it.

[The Surrealist]

He became 29 sometime during the sliver age. I remeber that because Frank Miller pointed that out in the first Dark Knight Returns trade. And I just love your avatar.

Thanks. :)

Miller wrote Bats very young and very old in different epochs of his career though: Year One Batman is in his twenties, DKR Batman is in his 50's.

The Batman in-between is the one we know monthly: he's 35-38, always.

[colossus34]

Neither do I, which pretty much goes into what I have been saying. So you saying this kinda means you agree with me.

Being resourceful I can by. But faster and more agile yeah right. An eight year old avoiding machine guns like its nothing and out whiting super villains is just to stupid in my book. If an eight year can do this to Gotham criminals then Gotham City is a pussy and its thugs aren't as bad as DC tries to make them out to be.
Nuff said.

It is smart but I don't think DC can do this much longer. I mean I know they want to keep Batman as young as possible but they really need wake up and realize that unless they do a Crisis that turns Dick back into a 14 year old Robin again its not going to happen. Batman is close to 40 DC, get over it.

To be picky about whether Dick Grayson was 8 or 10yrs old when he became Robin doesn't make sense to me in a world where people can master 127 martial arts, become a genius scientist, detective etc in a few years is just being subjective about your suspension of disbelief. Of course it doesn't happen in the real world! How much of comics do?? Cause I probably woudln't want to read that. Look if you imagine that someone at a young age is just born with natural prodigious talents and he used those in his training to fight crime then it makes sense. But to each his own...

[glennsim]

Hey! Recent reference to 8-year-old didn't actually exist! Not an issue!

Moving right along, it did occur to me that while "Batman" can be 40, and "private Bruce Wayne" can be 40, can "public Bruce Wayne" be 40? At what point do you get too old to be a "billionaire playboy?" Even the most evasive of rich people get married at SOME point, don't they?

Although that's fairly easy to ignore, I just thought I'd mention it because I'd never thought about it before...

EDIT: Even Hugh Hefner was married for a while and has kids...

[Kaos]

good point...he could just be one of those types that won't ever marry..dem types..and he DOES have a kid ;)

[glennsim]

To be picky about whether Dick Grayson was 8 or 10yrs old when he became Robin doesn't make sense to me in a world where people can master 127 martial arts, become a genius scientist, detective etc in a few years is just being subjective about your suspension of disbelief. Of course it doesn't happen in the real world! How much of comics do?? Cause I probably woudln't want to read that. Look if you imagine that someone at a young age is just born with natural prodigious talents and he used those in his training to fight crime then it makes sense. But to each his own...

I suppose I might find it more believable if it was a "oh my god, this is amazing that someone so young can do all of these things - it's a singular situation that will never be repeated in a million years" sort of thing. But everybody in the books just sorta accepts it as not being anything special. As if any 8-year-old acrobat with a couple of weeks of training by Batman could do it.

[Lester C.]

Hey! Recent reference to 8-year-old didn't actually exist! Not an issue!

Moving right along, it did occur to me that while "Batman" can be 40, and "private Bruce Wayne" can be 40, can "public Bruce Wayne" be 40? At what point do you get too old to be a "billionaire playboy?" Even the most evasive of rich people get married at SOME point, don't they?

Although that's fairly easy to ignore, I just thought I'd mention it because I'd never thought about it before...

EDIT: Even Hugh Hefner was married for a while and has kids...
I pretty sure that it was Dennis Oneal, a long time back, that made Dick around ten or so rather than 16 which was how old when the character debuted back in the late thirties.

[Tequilamokinbrd]

That's actually an interesting point about the playboy thing getting old as Bruce ages, but I think it's plausible for him to still be considered a playboy in his 40's.

For a real life example, look no further than George Clooney. He's a millionaire playboy type that's gotta be almost 50 now and no one really seems to think it strange.



And while I'm here I might as well address the topic at hand.


I've been involved in many a Batman age discussion in various forums, and I think we all need to just deal with the fact that these characters will never have nailed down, undisputed, universally accepted ages.




Everyone should just do what I do, make up ages in your head and go with those.


To me, Bruce is around 35-37, Dick's like 24, Tim's around 17, Jason's 20, Barbara's around 27, Selina's 31, Huntress is 25.


Those ages are based on NOTHING that I've seen or read on panel, they're just the ages that seem to fit those characters in my head. And really, do they sound all that wrong to you?

[batturtle]

I've always thought that Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman (or at least their current continuity versions) are about 40 or so. Makes sense when in comparison to the ages of the now older than Teen Titans and the newer generation of sidekicks and such.

[Lester C.]

I've always thought that Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman (or at least their current continuity versions) are about 40 or so. Makes sense when in comparison to the ages of the now older than Teen Titans and the newer generation of sidekicks and such.
I stopped reading comics back in May, but back then Wonder Woman was depicted as much younger than Batman or Superman. I know that does not make sense given Donna's Troy's age, but Wonder Woman is suppose to be in her twenties.

[Kid Kyoto]

I started a thread a month or two back about whether or not Bruce should age. SOmething interesting that came up is that Batman has been magically healed once (after Knightfall) and magically ressurected (JLA obsidian age). Either of these can allow him to be chronogically 40 or 50 but with the body of a younger man.

Personally I think it would be cool to write him as pushing 50 and getting tired of this. He's been the Bat-god for over 10 years, let's inject some mortalitiy and limits back into him.

[shadow knight]

Batman started training after after his parents died. How old he was when that happened is schedule for debate it could be anywhere from 6-10 yrs old. It's said that he left Gotham City at 14 and he came back after 12 years of training. That would put him at 26yrs old during Frank Miller Batman yr 1. Given most of DC history is perpertually around 11 yrs that would put him around 37 yrs. If you count he started training at 10 yrs old and came back 12 yrs later that would put him at 22yrs old and given DC history of 11 or 12 yrs old that would put him around 33 yrs old. So Batman is somewhere between 33-37 yrs old.

[Lorendiac]

I started a thread a month or two back about whether or not Bruce should age. SOmething interesting that came up is that Batman has been magically healed once (after Knightfall) and magically ressurected (JLA obsidian age). Either of these can allow him to be chronogically 40 or 50 but with the body of a younger man.

He also got healed by a Lazarus Pit in the graphic novel "Batman: Birth of the Demon" -- at least, if we accept that as still being "in continuity" (and I don't know, offhand, of any solid reason why we should feel obligated to throw it out the window instead).

The repeated exposure to Lazarus Pits is supposed to have kept Ra's al Ghul alive for hundreds of years; we don't know for sure if a single exposure makes a mature man "younger" or even "prolongs" his youthful vigor so that he ages a bit more slowly from then on. At the very least, there's a decent chance that a single dip in the pit would heal Batman of any old scar tissue, cumulative kidney damage, hardening of the arteries, etc., that might already have been starting to give him trouble after all he's been through.

[Lorendiac]

I stopped reading comics back in May, but back then Wonder Woman was depicted as much younger than Batman or Superman. I know that does not make sense given Donna's Troy's age, but Wonder Woman is suppose to be in her twenties.

The comics in May were when all that changed, actually. You are correct about what her history used to be. For 20 years the Post-COIE version was: "Long after the first appearances of Superman and Batman, long after the JLA was founded, and also after Donna Troy had already been calling herself Wonder Girl for several years, Diana came to 'Man's World' and BEGAN calling herself Wonder Woman." So yes, it's quite possible that before Infinite Crisis she was still in her mid-20s or thereabouts, for all I know.

But things change! :)

The newest official version of her biography, as established in "Infinite Crisis #7" in May, is that Diana now began her superhero career around the same time Superman and Batman began theirs, in time for her to become a Founding Member of the earliest version of the Justice League. Now, offhand I'm not sure how old she was supposed to be when she first called herself Wonder Woman, but even if she was, say, 18 or 19, then by now she could easily be at least in her early 30s. That would make her younger than I think Superman or Batman are, but only by a few years. And several years older than Donna Troy and her fellow Titans from the old days (such as Dick Grayson, Wally West, Victor Stone, etc.).

[Kid Kyoto]

He also got healed by a Lazarus Pit in the graphic novel "Batman: Birth of the Demon" -- at least, if we accept that as still being "in continuity" (and I don't know, offhand, of any solid reason why we should feel obligated to throw it out the window instead).



Plus other people have had their aging slowed or reversed by hanging out with the Flash or Uncle Sam.

So it's not hard to rationalize an older Batman in a peak body.

If that's how you want to go.

I personally don't like Batman with any supernatural abilities or benefits and wish he would stop hanging out with Superman and the JLA but as long as he is why not take advantage.

[glennsim]

Plus other people have had their aging slowed or reversed by hanging out with the Flash or Uncle Sam.

So it's not hard to rationalize an older Batman in a peak body.

If that's how you want to go.

I personally don't like Batman with any supernatural abilities or benefits and wish he would stop hanging out with Superman and the JLA but as long as he is why not take advantage.

You can rationalize that he's found a way to stay young, but that's a big enough deal that then you have to wonder why they never mention it, or why nobody in Gotham notices that Bruce Wayne never gets any older, or got older then got young again.

[Kid Kyoto]

You can rationalize that he's found a way to stay young, but that's a big enough deal that then you have to wonder why they never mention it, or why nobody in Gotham notices that Bruce Wayne never gets any older, or got older then got young again.

As far as I can tell Tom Cruise and Piers Brosnon stopped aging in the 80s. Madonna and Sharon Stone too.

So the mystery of why a billionairre playboy looks young is not going to bug anyone too much.

[Adamantium_Avatar]

How does Wonder Woman's age have any relevance? Isn't she immortal??

(Did they ret-con that one out too...)

[glennsim]

How does Wonder Woman's age have any relevance? Isn't she immortal??

(Did they ret-con that one out too...)

Not necessarily relevant, but not completely irrelevant to a discussion about aging.

If she started off at age 18, then we should see some development in her personality since then, as the average 18 years old perceives things differently than a 30-year-old, who in turn sees things differently than a 40-year old. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have much bigger issues in their backgrounds that would affect their relative viewpoints than their age, but it's still there.

In some versions of the WW legend, she is only immortal on Paradise Island. Not sure what they are going with on this now.

[MadroxTMMan]

I'm not sure if it was Denny O'Neil, or some other creator, that once said "four years of comic book continuity equals one year of real time." That was always the basis I used in my own head. Of course, with all these "crises" and resets, who knows where you can really count from...

[BetterThanYou]

I always prefer to think of him as mid 30's with Ollie being the "old man" of the JLA in his mid forties.

[hmnut73]

I'm not sure if it was Denny O'Neil, or some other creator, that once said "four years of comic book continuity equals one year of real time." That was always the basis I used in my own head. Of course, with all these "crises" and resets, who knows where you can really count from...

Yeah, at some point you just have to accept that they are "whatever" age until they become older. In my head I see Bruce as early to mid 40's.

[yourverysilly]

This brings me on to a point I've beeen thinking about...what happens when batman hits 50? or 60? what are DC gonna do to keep him fighting crime without making it stupid. and I dunno about the whole lazarus pit thing. and what about alfred? or Dick? or Tim?
how are they gonna keep the universe as we know and love it?

[glennsim]

This brings me on to a point I've beeen thinking about...what happens when batman hits 50? or 60? what are DC gonna do to keep him fighting crime without making it stupid. and I dunno about the whole lazarus pit thing. and what about alfred? or Dick? or Tim?
how are they gonna keep the universe as we know and love it?

I think the main reason people think Batman is in his 40's is because Dick Grayson is in his early 20s, and Bruce is supposed to be a certain amount older than Dick. So Batman won't actually hit his 50s unless Dick reaches his 30s. And now that Dick is an adult, I'm inclined to think that he'll "freeze" at his current age, until something drastic happens.

But there may be other reasons why people think Batman is in his 40's - and if so, do you think he'll necessarily continue to age?

[CaptChucky]

I think DC likes to keep him as the oldest (along with Green Arrow) of the JLA human members. It allows him to be crankier than the rest of his team. So, I think he could be in his 40's as presently portrayed. This still makes him much younger than the still active original JSA members, who seem to be in their 70's.

[Ixion]

I'm surprised to see so many people complaining about Dick Grayson being about 8-10 when he started, I thought that was universally accepted, I mean he wasn't called the Boy Wonder for nothing. Its not like hes supposed to be a regular 8 year old, hes exceptional and does things no other kid of his age could do. Anyway if you read Robin: Year One he doesn't go around knocking out adults and thugs, most of the time he uses his surroundings, agility and brains to his advantage and tricks his opponent's, he doesn't go engaging them in HTH or he if he does hit them its usually by surprise.

But anyways I prefer to think of Bruce as early 40s, I think the bigger age gap between Bruce and Dick the better, makes it more of a father son relationship, if one is mid 30s and the other mid 20s they might as well be like brothers.

[jackups]

30-ish dont know why just do, always read him like that and he is always shown in that age mostly

[jerrymcl89]

Because of the requirements of comic storytelling, characters age less and less as time goes by. So, for example, Selina's baby could be ten in ten years, while Tim Drake has aged 3-4 years, Nightwing is a year older, and Batman just needs to shave :)

[satchmo the dragon]

I thought early 30s at most, I just think of Batman as someone in peak condition so 29 seems most likely, the Robin stuff doesn't make sense then but comics rarely do.

[satchmo the dragon]

If he was in his 40s, he'd start to have grey hairs. Old Batman is Dark Night Returns, young Batman is current continuity.

[choptop]

batman's like 33 or 34 and dick's like 22.

[tfresca]

I've said it before.. Age Batman in the main book and keep him forever young in a side book. After a year of fanboy bitching they'll shut up and enjoy the good stories. I think of it as Zorro.. There can be other Zorros.

[Harding Prime]

Its been 12 years since both Batman and Superman showed up on the scene according to Superman and his "12 year anniversary" with Lois as there first flight together. Which makes both of them about 30 something. After all the retcons, Superman and Batman actually have similar Origins. Both graduated around the same time and both left the country to learn there purpose in life, both came back ready to fulfill their respective cape crusading.

[Cam63]

My 2 cents:

Bruce = 38
Clark = 34
Dick = 25
Jason = 20
Tim = 17
Babs = 30
Dinah = 30 ( but she looks 20 since she was regenerated )
Helena = 25
Cassandra = 17
Zinda = 25
Selina = 32
Ollie = 45
Roy = 25
Connor = 22

[Harding Prime]

My 2 cents:

Bruce = 38
Clark = 34
Dick = 25
Jason = 20
Tim = 17
Babs = 30
Dinah = 30 ( but she looks 20 since she was regenerated )
Helena = 25
Cassandra = 17
Zinda = 25
Selina = 32
Ollie = 45
Roy = 25
Connor = 22

I think bruce and Clark would be the same age...and if Jason had a correct age (after rising from the grave), I think he would be older then Conner. More like Jason 22 and Conner 20.