Making a science experiment fail by some mad genius is one of the most surefire methods to create a supervillain in the world of comic books. I understand what you are thinking! Are not there a number of superheroes that were created as a result of botched experiments? Ok! Please allow me to rephrase the sentence.
Failed experiments have resulted in the creation of many superpowers. It is now up to them to decide whether they will utilize their newly acquired abilities to pose as heroes or villains. Today, we will look at one such character that was created as a result of a botched experiment.
Is it not self-evident that the character of someone with a name that is the polar opposite of Batman must be the polar opposite of Batman’s character? We are talking about Man-bat, alias Dr. Robert Kirkland Langstrom, who started out as a supervillain but evolved into a sympathetic villain or antihero later on.
Man-bat debuted in Detective Comics #400, published in June 1970, and was created by Frank Robbins and Neal Adams, with Julius Schwartz as editor. Later, the character appeared in a number of different series and media adaptations, including video games and television shows. In 2017, IGN listed Man-bat as the 16th best Batman villain of all time.
Horrendous Origin of Man-Bat
When as a child, Kirk was trapped in an underground chamber for six weeks until he was eventually rescued. He did not seem too happy to be rescued as he bid a silent adieu to his mates, whom he had spent time with while underground. Later, when he met Bruce Wayne, six years of age, he narrated his underground adventures with the half-bat/half-human beings he had interacted with while there.
It was clear that this had impacted him deeply. Much later, now an adult, Kirk got admission to Gotham University, and it was here that he met Francine, who would eventually become his wife and play a crucial role in his transformation into Man-Bat. He was still obsessed with bats and believed that he could achieve a scientific breakthrough in his study of bats. Eventually, he became a zoologist specializing in nocturnal mammals and was hired by the Gotham Natural History Museum.
Kirk had for long followed the careers of costumed crime busters and been in awe of them. His desire was to follow in their footsteps, especially Batman. With this in mind, he dreamt of and succeeded in making a serum that would increase a human’s hearing ability and make him bat-like.
He experimented with the serum on himself, and at once, he showed signs of the physical attributes of a bat. So now he named himself Man-Bat and went after the Blackout Gang thieves who had broken into the Museum.
There he encountered Batman, who was also chasing those thieves. Both Batman and Man-Bat got together to catch these robbers. But Man-Bat went off when Batman thought Man-Bat was a disguise and said so. Kirk tried to find an antidote to stop his transformation but was unable to do so.
He started developing more bat-like features very rapidly and sought shelter in Batman’s cave, where while he continued with bat-like instincts, he got into a fight with the Dark Knight and was defeated. As he lay unconscious, Batman decided to help him retransform by making an antidote, but Man-Bat refused Batman’s help, who then tried to enlist Francine’s help in trying to convince Kirk. But this, too, failed.
Meanwhile, Francine and Kirk decided to tie the knot, with Francine taking the Man-Bat serum to show her love. But before they could get married, Batman got them to agree to take the antidote to cure them, and he then presided as the best man at their wedding.
Man-Bat Working with Batman to Fight Gotham’s Criminals
But soon, Man-Bat mutated again and, in his reverted form, created a more potent serum that would transform him permanently, but he was stopped by Batman and given another antidote to get back to his human form. Kirk now teamed up with Batman to fight the bad elements roaming through the streets of Gotham. The latest serum enabled him to control his transformation and abilities, and he joined Batman in fighting crime in Gotham, helping him nab Roy Reynolds, aka “The Getaway Genius.”
Thus, together with Batman, he was able to get the monetary reward promised by a lady who wanted her husband’s killer brought to justice. Batman and Kirk as Man-Bat successfully brought the criminal to America while the reward was donated to Kirk’s department at the Museum.
Meanwhile, Francine was manipulated by a powerful sorcerer called Baron Tyme to slaughter people, forcing Kirk to transform into a Man-bat and save her. Man-Bat fought the sorcerer in his castle and killed him.
To look after his wife properly, Kirk left Gotham city for his home place. It was during this period that he fought with and killed The Ten Eyed Man. Then again, Doctor Thanatogenos menaced Kirk, trying to use their bodies as a power source. Man-Bat was successful in being able to put a stop to this evil.
Kirk, together with his wife, Francine, moved to New York at Batman’s suggestion. There he went about capturing criminals for reward money. He was successful in nabbing Snafu but only after the Sunset Gang’s second attempt.
Then he also got together with Robin and Batgirl to save Manhattan from annihilation by the Outsider. He was also able to capture another criminal, Shotgun Sniper, taking the help of Jason Bard. When Francine was in the hospital giving birth to his daughter, he could contain and turn to stone the witch Moraine le Fey, assisted by Etrigan, the Demon.
After his daughter’s birth, Kirk decided to retire but was forced to become Man-Bat again to save Francine from Snafu, who had escaped from prison. Then he joined hands with Jason Bard in Gotham city to end crimes there.
To cure his daughter, Man-Bat stole an illegal shipment of medicine but was stopped by Batman from using it on her. Then together with Batman, he caught the criminals. Later, helped by Superman, they found an antidote for his daughter.
Kirk continued experimenting with the serum, and once again ended up drinking it and changing permanently and getting into the Bat cave in his transformed condition and starting fighting with Batman, who in the course of the struggle forced him to take the antidote, which unfortunately didn’t work, and Man-Bat escaped from there. When confronted again by Batman with Rebecca by his side, Man-Bat, seeing his daughter, gained a measure of human consciousness, thus enabling Batman to inject him with the antidote to aid revert transfer.
But Kirk needed to take the antidote at regular intervals, and on forgetting, he is transformed into Man-Bat again. He then again challenges Batman, kidnaps a child, Jason Todd, and tries to transform him into a bat. But he is stopped by Batman, helped by Francine and Rebecca, and once again changed back. Kirk kept on working in favor of Batman, with him or with other groups like Outsiders, Network, etc. To fight against crime in Gotham.
Lesser-Known Facts About Man-Bat
Man-Bat could be seen in the Secret Society of Super-Villains, formed by Alexander Luthor Jr., in the plot of ‘Infinite Crisis’ released during 2005-2006. One year later, Francine was abducted by Talia al Ghul, daughter of supervillain Ra’s al Ghul and one of the leaders of the League of Assassins.
She threatened Kirk to poison and kill her if Kirk didn’t hand over the formula to her, which turned him into Man-Bat. Kirk was forced to give her the formula, which Talia used on the soldiers of the League of Assassins, converting them to Man-Bat soldier groups.
In 2009, as the story of ‘Battle for the Cowl’ progressed, Batman was supposedly dead, after which Kirk began to be haunted by nightmares of transforming into a Man-Bat and murdering his wife. Eventually, when Francine disappeared, Kirk took the serum, converted it to Man-Bat, and tried to track his wife with enhanced power.
He confronted the Outsiders and turned back to human form, but soon was captured by another villain, Doctor Phosphorous. He informed Kirk that the serum was not mandatory to transform into Man-Bat. Kirk found out that it was Doctor Phosphorous who had kidnapped Francine. Kirk then transformed into a Man-Bat and saved his wife.
The origin of many heroes and villains of DC Comics was rewritten when New 52 began running. Villain Emperor Blackgate, aka Ignatius Ogilvy, stole the serum, using it as an airborne virus to transform the Gotham citizens into Man-Bat hybrids.
Kirk revealed to Batman that he had created the serum to cure deafness in humans, but Ogilvy had stolen the serum and misused it. According to this story, Kirk transforms himself into Man-Bat to find a cure and antibodies to the serum for the last time.
After stopping Ogilvy from the attacks and handing over the serum to Batman, Kirk started developing a cure for himself. But soon, he realized that he was completely addicted to the serum as he kept on oscillating between human and Man-Bat forms. A series of attacks commenced on the people of Gotham, resembling attacks of Man-Bat. Kirk realized that he was responsible for the attacks, but he didn’t remember anything of his actions at night.
One of the darkest events affecting the lives of heroes and villains of the DC Universe was Blackest Night. Francine once approached Kirk, revealing a cure to stop the Man-Bat transformation permanently. Unfortunately, amidst the process, Francine was injured by a blast. Kirk’s rage and fear triggered a change-making him Man-Bat forever.
What Makes Man-Bat So Dangerous?
As Kirk transformed into Man-Bat, his hands grew hairy, while sharp claws developed, which are so strong that they can tear through the flesh and muscles of his victims. Wings also developed, enabling the Man-Bat to fly.
One of the unique features of Man-Bat was the ability of echolocation. He was able to emit high-pitched sound waves and pick up the echoes when the waves reflected from nearby objects. Similar to bats, these super-sensitive hearing and sonar enabled the Man-Bat to navigate in pitch-black darkness.
Man-Bat was also able to generate sound waves which stunned people around him. These sound waves could be so powerful that they could shatter glasses. Having all the bat characteristics, the Man-Bat could easily communicate with the other local bats and ask for their help. Eventually, the bats would swarm together and attack the target. The primary source of concern about the Man-Bat was the unpredictability.
After transforming into a Man-Bat, it is uncertain whether he would retain his memory and conscience or not! If he maintained his conscience, then he fought against the crime, but when he lost his sanity and conscience, he was like any other supervillain with super-strength, endurance, and agility. He had no recognition of enemy and friend and could harm anyone to the same extent.
Creative and Terrifying Versions of Bat Creature in various forms of Media – Explored
DC Animated Universe introduced Man-Bat as the first villain in the story” On Leather Wings,” while Kirk appeared in “Tyger, Tyger,” voiced by Marc Singer while Frank Welker gave Man-Bat voice.
The character of Man-Bat was altered entirely in the cartoon “The Batman” and appeared three times in “The Man Who Would Be Bat,” “Pets,” and “Rumors.” Here he was unmarried, worked under Wayne Corp, and was portrayed as more paranoid and demented than his usual character. Peter MacNicol voiced him.
A positive and heroic version of Man-Bat was portrayed in the series “Beware the Batman,” voiced by Robin Atkins Downes. He was a scientist, held hostage by another demented villain, Professor Pyg and Mister Toad, forcing him to create an army of Man-Bat hybrids. He was rescued by Batman and Katana and finally joined the Outsiders.
Kirk Langstrom could be seen in the movie “Son of Batman” where Deathstroke kidnapped Kirk’s wife and daughter, compelling him to create the Man-Bat formula for the League of Assassins. Robin and Batman eventually rescued Langstrom and his family.
Kirk had one of the lead roles in the film” Justice League: Gods and Monsters,” where Michael C. Hall voiced him. Kirk is an antihero Batman in this alternate universe. Through flashback, it was revealed that Kirk had been diagnosed with cancer, whose cure had been developed through his research on bats. Though Kirk was cured of cancer, unpredictable side effects transformed him into a bloodthirsty vampire. After Superman discovered him, he joined the Justice League.
The heroic version of Kirk Langstrom appeared in” Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles,” where Michael C. Hall reprised his role from the movie. Here too, like the film, Kirk Langstrom is Batman and not Man-Bat.