I'm The Goddamn Batman

About

I'm The Goddamn Batman is memorable quote from the comic book All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, which has been a source of parody and controversy among Batman fan communities. Since the book's publication, the line has been used in critiques and memes about the character, particularly to caption the image of someone attempting to look menacing. used to parody Batman^[1] related media. The phrase is usually used in images showing a figure who is attempting (usually failing) to look menacing.

Origin

On September 14th, 2005, DC Comics released the comic book All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder by fan-favorite writer and artist Frank Miller and Jim Lee, respectively.^[2] In the comic, Batman captures Robin, immediately following the death of the boy's parents. Once Robin realizes what happened, the two have the following exchange (shown below):

Robin: Who the hell are you anyway, giving out orders like this?
Batman: What, are you dense? Are you retarded or something? Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the Goddamn Batman.

Spread

Following the book's release, the line became an indicator of the book's tone and treament of the characters. The "All Stars" series of comics was designed to bring in a wider audience by abridging the original comics and removing the need for knowing the complete back-story of the characters. However, many fans found the choice of language to work in contrast to the spirit of the character. Batman was depicted as a type of sadist/psychotic who often hit Robin for talking back to him, forced Robin to eat rats and for him to decide the fate of his parent's killer.

The dialogue in the comics was unusual for the Batman canon. In many issues characters would commonly refer to Batman as "The Goddamn Batman" for no conceivable reason with the second issue being the first for Batman to refer to himself as "The Goddamn Batman" and becoming the most infamous.

Over the next few years, fans and detractors made parody videos and images of the moment. On May 20th, 2007, YouTuber OddboyFilms posted a Flash video of Batman repeating the line in a mirror. The post (shown below, left) has received more than 55,000 views. Two years later, YouTuber Malcolm9762 uploaded a video called "Scout is the Goddamn Batman." The video (shown below, right) received more than 52,000 views as of August 2017.

On July 17th, 2009, Urban Dictionary^[6] user Raw Power posted a definition of the line, receiving more than 60 upvotes as of August 2017 (shown below). Raw Power defines it "The explanation batman has for everything he does."

On April 1st, 2011, the website Winter Drake included the moment in their ^[5] Bad Panels segment.

Since the release of the comic, the phrase has been used in various contexts, usually as a catchphrase to make someone appear more menacing than they really are. However, it's almost always used satirically to make fun of Miller's comic book and depiction of the character (examples below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References