10 Obscure Batman Facts That You Have Probably Never Heard Of

10. Bob Kane Conceived The Character, But It Was Bill Finger Who Created The Version We Know Today

Bob Kane is widely remembered, and rightly so, as the man behind one of the greatest comic book characters of all time. Following the crazy success of Superman, DC were eager to cash in on momentum and put more Superheroes out there. That is when they turned to Kane. And the rest is history.

But there is more to the story. Bob Kane’s original idea for the character incorporated influences from Douglas Fairbanks’ Zorro, a Leonardo Da Vinci conceptual machine, the movie Bat Whispers, and even Dracula. However, that original concept involved red clothing, a domino mask, and a cape that was less a cape and more a pair of actual bat wings. This is where Bill Finger entered the picture.

Kane originally met Finger at an event and invited him to join his team. It was Finger who later completely revamped the aesthetics of the character, and gave it the iconic look we now know. This included changing the colour scheme to black, inserting a cowl with bat ears and swapping the wings for a more practical cape.