10 Times Batman Was Humiliated

You'd brood too if you got beat up by a chair.

Batman - Wonder Woman Boot
DC Comics

As a bastion of badassery, it can be difficult to think of Batman as someone who ends up in humiliating situations. Situations where he loses, sure, but for some reason embarrassment seems so far out of Bruce Wayne's ballpark that it's almost physically uncomfortable to try and imagine it.

But you don't need to imagine it, as plenty of comics have the Dark Knight get into some pretty cringe-inducing scrapes, covering just about every mortifying experience a human can go through - and several more that only a superhero could experience.

In a way, it's kind of endearing, as there are few ways better to console yourself when something embarrassing happens to you than to remind yourself that even imaginary hyper-competent superheroes have pissed their pants every once in a while.

It's always weird to see - and even weirder to try and take as legitimate comic canon - but these moments remind us that Batman is well and truly human, and as such, capable of experiencing humiliation just like the rest of us.

Well, except that time he was defeated by a chair. Most of us hopefully won't experience that.

10. Having His Secret Identity Discovered By A Child - Batman #441

Batman - Wonder Woman Boot
DC Comics

Over the years, a fair few people have learned the true identity of the man behind the bat-shaped cowl. For the most part, these happen in ways that aren't all that embarrassing, such as Bruce's romantic partners realising because they recognise the lower half of his face.

However, the case of Tim Drake working out Batman's secret identity is the exact opposite of this. Despite the fact that Bruce has dedicated his entire life to concealing any way to detect who he really is, a literal child is able to work it out over the course of a couple hours of deep thinking, and wastes no time rubbing it in both his and Robin's faces.

As it turns out, Tim manages to work out who Batman is because he'd seen Dick Grayson perform as an acrobat, and recognised one of the moves he did as Robin - meaning that his adopted father, Bruce Wayne, was evidently the Dark Knight.

Sure, Tim is an incredibly smart boy, who also happened to conveniently be at the one event that would allow him to know Dick Grayson's acrobatic skills. But this only means Batman's identity was discovered by a smart child, which only adds insult to injury.

Contributor
Contributor

I like my comics like I like my coffee - in huge, unquestionably unhealthy doses.