6. Versatility
No matter the scale of the battle, be it side by side with the Justice League or alone in a catacomb beneath Gotham, Batman can adapt. Hes constantly engineering weapons and gadgets outside of the story too, so his mode of attack is kept consistently fresh.
Up against say Solomon Grundy, we know what Superman would do, we know what Hal Jordan would dobut whats Batman going to do? It isnt so easy to predict.
7. Bruce Wayne
When most Heroes remove the tights, they become their alter-ego. Superman becomes Clark Kent, slouching, bumbling and slightly rotund. The Flash becomes Barry Allen, mild mannered, small time forensic scientist.
But Batman, even as Bruce Wayne is still Batman. Hes always watching and analysing, regardless of his guise, and communicating findings with the Bat-Computer and others in the Bat-family. In other words there is no Bruce Wayne; theres only the mission. With Batman, more than any other hero I can think of, the alter-ego represents less of a civilian existence, more just another weapon in the Bat-arsenal; a means to subvert his true identity as the Dark Knight by way of hiding in plain sight. Now thats dedication at its coldest, loneliest and most admirable.
8. The Origin
Joe Chill, a crook with hollow eyes and a voice like glass being crushed, gunned down Thomas and Martha Wayne in a bungled mugging before a young Bruce Waynes eyes. On that night the seed of Batman was planted, in the shattered psyche of the traumatised orphan (although itd be fifteen in-world years before Gotham met her ageless defender). Its not like your run of the mill Superhero ancestry; theres such a huge gestation period after the murder of his parents, in which Bruce Wayne used his inherited wealth to facilitate rigorous training of the body and mind. While marinating in his own torment, he reached peak physical and mental condition before finally taking up his mantle as the Bat.
Its an iconic origin that youll most likely know inside out, even if youve never picked up a comic book in your life and that speaks volumes to the character's immense popularity.
9. The Code
When Batman steps to a foe hes calculated and precise but driven by deep, insatiable anger. Its only the Code that separates him from madness Batman will not take a human life, or see human life extinguished through inaction under any circumstances, although he may skirt close on occasion (making for succulent drama).
The Code is a testament to Batmans compassion; brutality is sometimes necessary but murder is never justified. The age old argument of whether or not the Dark Knight is a true vigilante can be answered here. No, hes not. A base vigilante acts only with his own satisfaction in mind but the Code proves that its justice and not revenge that truly drives the Dark Knight.
10. He's The World's Greatest Anti-Hero
One of my first articles for WhatCulture was about Anti-heroes, and how they may be the best archetypes in fiction. For me, Batman is one of the greatest Anti-heroes; if not for the Code then hed essentially be a Super-villain. To read into the presented facts, you could say that Batman is merely a manifestation of trauma, a childs terrified response to the murder of his parents. Technically, you could say that Bruce Wayne is well on the road to an anti-social behavioural disorder - with his frequent flights of violence and inability to conform to social norms - and yet this darkness is offset beautifully by his compassion toward life, and empathy toward Gothams citizens.
Whichever side the Dark Knight is on, you can be certain its the winning team. The on-going story constantly explores how close he skirts to the line between hero and villain, and how dangerous he would be to Gotham and even the Earth if he ever crossed it.