Bruce Wayne is one of the most compelling figures in modern comic books. He is seen as the finest example of human achievement in DC comics – a man who used his own personal tragedy to better the lives of others through the Wayne Foundation publicly and secretly as the vigilante known as the Batman.
Yet unlike other superheroes, Bruce Wayne and Batman are human – that is part of their appeal. His humanity is why we are so invested in following the exploits of the caped crusader.
Yet, like most humans, Bruce Wayne ages. So, his age is important when assessing how believable his adventures as Batman are. Therefore, you might wonder – How old is Batman (Bruce Wayne) in comics and movies? Well, this article will answer that question for you.
As mentioned above, one of Batman’s greatest qualities is the fact that he is human and as such much more fallible to the same issues that befall average mortals than many other superheroes.
Whilst the Flash can put off aging thanks to the speed force and Superman doesn’t age as much because of his Kryptonian DNA, Bruce Wayne doesn’t have the same sort of luxuries as them.
So Batman’s age has to be somewhat suspended at a time when it is clear he could be physically fit enough to be the defender of Gotham that is needed. In fact, if Batman aged at the same rate as normal humans he would be somewhere in his late eighties or early nineties now, so not the most active hero that Gotham could have!
Rather, in most iterations of the comic books, Batman’s age is set somewhere between his early twenties to his early thirties. This is because of a need to keep the Dark Knight fairly contemporary and not have to be too old to fight crime.
Although his age is never directly referred to in much of the main continuity, some stories do give a more exact age for the Caped Crusader. For example, in Frank Miller’s acclaimed Batman Year One, Batman is about twenty-six when he became Batman and fifty five during the events of Miller’s sequel The Dark Knight Returns.
In that book Batman had been retired for ten years meaning he ended his career at forty-five giving Miller’s Batman around twenty years as Gotham’s protector.
Many have found the age that Miller starts his Batman at far too late and most creators in the main continuity have suggested that Batman started being an active figure in his early twenties.
Batman’s age has, since Dick Grayson’s grown-up persona of Nightwing has become more popular and Wayne’s own son Damian has become a permanent fixture of the Batman family had to go up with his current age in the comic books being around mid to late thirties.
This of course means that there will, inevitably, be a reset of Wayne’s age in some way, potentially through another DC reboot as thanks to the expansion of the Bat Family, it seems as if The Dark Knight is simply going to get older unless some event changes it all.
How Old Is Batman In The Movies?
The age of Batman in the movies is similarly vague but we get some better and more straightforward indications as to how old he is dependent on the film series.
For example in both the Adam West film, based on the hit 1960s TV Series and the 1990s Batman films, Bruce Wayne’s age is never explicitly stated but it is rather hinted he is anywhere between his mid thirties and early forties, putting his age somewhat older than his comic book counterpart.
We get more of a set idea about Bruce’s age in The Dark Knight trilogy. Towards the end of the first film in the trilogy, Batman Begins, Wayne is celebrating his thirtieth birthday. As The Dark Knight is set a year later, he is about 31.
By the time of The Dark Knight Returns, which is set about ten years after The Dark Knight, Bruce is around 41 years old. Given Christopher Nolan’s emphasis on realism in his Batman films it seems as if it was important to have a stronger notion of what age Batman is throughout the trilogy.
Similar attempts to set a particular time for how old Bruce Wayne was at different times was made by Zac Snyder in his DC films. In his films we know exactly, thanks to their tombstones, when Bruce Wayne’s parents died – 1981.
Given Bruce Wayne was eight years old when this happened, this places his birthdate as 1972. Given that we have indications that he is in his forties during the events of the films this fits in well with the films happening close to our own time.
For example, if we take it as red that Batman v Superman happened in 2015 then we can say with certainty that Bruce Wayne was the same age as the actor who played him Ben Affleck – forty three. This would also make Batman around forty four during the events of the Justice League film which is set around a year afterwards.
Affleck’s Batman also remarks that he has been active as Batman for about twenty years meaning he probably became The Caped Crusader at around twenty three – the youngest of any of the on screen Batman’s seen so far, despite Affleck playing the oldest at the time when the films are set.
Robert Patterson’s The Batman goes for a similar age date as Christopher Nolan did in his first Batman film, Batman Begins – Patterson’s Bruce Wayne is around thirty in the film and given his has been active for a year in Gotham as Batman this suggests he is twenty nine when he first becomes the Dark Knight.
Why Knowing Batman’s Age Is Important
As mentioned above, unlike other superheroes, Batman is a figure who is much more human and thus is much more vulnerable. Knowing how old he is at different points in the films and comics can help us to appreciate how much of his life he dedicated to fighting for justice and make us think about how we have lived our own lives.
Doing important things with your life is crucial to leading a happy and fulfilled life and whilst Batman may not have the happiest life he certainly does a great deal of good with it and that is a lesson we can all take from the World’s Greatest Detective.
