Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk"Langstrom) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published byDC Comics. Introduced inDetective Comics #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of thesuperheroBatman,[1] the character belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up hisrogues gallery. Originally portrayed as asupervillain, later incarnations show the Man-Bat as asympathetic villain orantihero.
In the original version of the story, Kirk Langstrom was azoologist who tried to give humans abat's acutesonar sense. He managed to develop an extract that could supposedly do this. Upon testing it on himself, he transformed into an anthropomorphic feral half-bat hybrid, lacking sapience and acting purely on instinct. Batman managed to reverse the effects, but Langstrom would return as the Man-Bat time and time again, albeit not necessarily as a villain, as Langstrom would sometimes retain enough sanity to use his powers for good. Several other characters have since appeared as similar Man-Bat creatures, including Langstrom's wifeFrancine, his fatherAbraham Langstrom, and someLeague of Assassins operatives that make up theMan-Bat Commandos.
The character made his first appearance inDetective Comics #400 (June1970) and was created byFrank Robbins andNeal Adams in collaboration with editorJulius Schwartz.[3] The Man-Bat was the star of his own eponymous series in 1975–1976,[4] which proved to be unpopular and was cancelled after only two issues.
Batman fighting the Man-Bat in the textless cover ofMan-Bat (vol. 3) #3 (August 2006), art byMike Huddleston
Dr. Kirk Langstrom, azoologist who specializes inchiropterology, develops an extract intended to give humans a bat's acutesonar sense and tests the formula on himself.[5] The extract works, but it has a horrible side effect: it transforms him into a monstrous human/bat hybrid creature.[6] This side effect makes him so distraught that it temporarily affects his sanity. He goes on a mad rampage untilBatman finds a way to reverse the effects.[7] Later, Langstrom takes the concoction again and the Man-Bat returns. He also coaxes his wife,Francine Langstrom, into drinking the serum and she goes through the same transformation, becoming the She-Bat. Together, they terrorizeGotham City until Batman once again restores them to normal.[8]
On some occasions, Langstrom takes the serum and retains enough sanity to work for the forces of good. During one of these periods, he works with the detectiveJason Bard. On another occasion, inAction Comics #600,Jimmy Olsen inadvertently putsSuperman into a cave occupied by the Man-Bat to protect him fromkryptonite radiation. The Man-Bat calms the maddened Superman and then summonsHawkman, who helps Superman overcome the radiation. Kirk and Francine have a daughter, Rebecca ("Becky"), and a son, Aaron. Because of the effects the serum has on Aaron's DNA, he is born with a deadly illness. Francine turns him into a young Man-Bat to save his life. This occurs in issue #3 of theMan-Bat (vol. 2) miniseries byChuck Dixon.
In the aftermath of that storyline, both Kirk and Francine are shown to be alive in the 2006 "One Year Later" storyline.Talia al Ghul binds and gags Francine, and then threatens to poison her if Kirk does not give her the Man-Bat Serum. After Langstrom gives her the formula, she releases Francine as promised. Talia utilizes the Man-Bat to turn some generic members of theLeague of Assassins intoMan-Bat Commandos.[10]
InGotham Underground, the Man-Bat is apprehended by the Suicide Squad.[11] He is one of the villains seen inSalvation Run.[12] Francine appears inBatman and the Outsiders, serving as the team's technical advisor, and her assistant Salah Miandad operates the "blank" OMAC drone known asReMAC. In issue #10 of that series, Kirk appears, seemingly healthy and also aiding Francine.
In the 2008 miniseriesFinal Crisis, the Man-Bat is turned into a Justifier and is shown attackingSwitzerland's Checkmate Headquarters.[13] During the 2009 "Battle for the Cowl" storyline, following Batman's apparent death, Kirk is haunted by nightmares of becoming the Man-Bat and killing his wife. When Francine disappears, he takes the serum and tries to follow her. After an altercation with theOutsiders, he returns to his human form and is captured byDoctor Phosphorus, who reveals that the serum is not necessary to trigger the change. Kirk discovers that Phosphorus has also captured Francine and becomes the Man-Bat to save her.[14]
During the 2009–2010Blackest Night storyline, Francine tracks down Kirk (as the Man-Bat), having created a cure, and revealed that Kirk's next transformation would be permanent if he did not drink it.[15] Kirk attempts to take the cure, but his Man-Bat persona will not let him. Just as Kirk is about to drink it, Francine is wounded in the crossfire of the battle betweenBlack LanternSolomon Grundy andBizarro (the latter of whom is already at the scene, trying to prevent Kirk from taking the cure). Distraught at Francine's injuries, Kirk transforms into the Man-Bat, seemingly permanently.[16] InBatgirl (vol. 3) #10-11, the Man-Bat is seen under the control of theCalculator as a techno-zombie.[17] In the "Collision" storyline ofRed Robin, followingRed Robin's actions againstRa's al Ghul and theLeague of Assassins, the latter attempts to murder people related to theBat-Family. The Man-Bat, following Red Robin's orders, protectsJulie Madison, a former lover of Bruce Wayne, against Ra's al Ghul's assassins.[18]
The Man-Bat inBatman: The Dark Knight (vol. 2) #28 (April 2014), art byEthan Van Sciver
InThe New 52 (a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe), the majority of Kirk Langstrom's history is rebooted. The Man-Bat serum first appears inDetective Comics (vol. 2) #18 (May 2013). Ignatius Ogilvy also comes into possession of the Man-Bat serum, which he uses as an airborne virus to spread throughout Gotham City's "900 Block".[19]
InDetective Comics (vol. 2) #19 (June 2013), Kirk Langstrom first appears where he and his wife Francine are escorted by Batwoman to Batman's location. Langstrom reveals that he is the creator of the serum, intending to help deaf people. Taking responsibility as the creator of the serum, he uses a sample of the serum Batman had obtained to inject himself. This creates an anti-virus which also spreads through the air. Langstrom is turned into a Man-Bat (the last remaining Man-Bat) as his anti-virus cures the remaining citizens of Gotham. It was later revealed thatEmperor Penguin was the one who released the virus.[20] Emperor Penguin later made use of Langstrom's Man-Bat serum when he combined it with the Venom drug and one ofPoison Ivy's plant concoctions to empower himself.[21]
Langstrom re-appears inBatman Inc. (vol. 2) #10 (June 2013) apparently giving Batman the serum. He claims to be working on an aerosol antidote to the serum as well.[22] The back-up feature ofDetective Comics (vol. 2) #21 (August 2013), focuses on Langstrom and his wife. He changes from the Man-Bat form into his human form and becomes addicted to the Man-Bat serum, taking it every night. He apparently does not remember his actions from the previous night, yet worries that a string of reported killings are his fault.[23]
During the "Forever Evil" storyline, the Man-Bat is among the villains recruited by theCrime Syndicate of America to join the Secret Society of Super-Villains.[24] The Scarecrow and the Man-Bat attempt to steal the frozen Talons (assassins that are associated with theCourt of Owls) from Blackgate while the Penguin is having a meeting with Bane. Bane arrives at Blackgate as the Man-Bat and his fellow Man-Bats are attempting to transport the Talons toMr. Freeze and is able to keep one from leaving.[25] The final issues of the seriesBatman: The Dark Knight would establish that Kirk is the son of a corrupt wealthy pharmaceutical businessman named Abraham Langstrom, who considers his son as a failure when compared to Bruce Wayne, the son of his business rival Thomas Wayne. Abraham would steal his son's serum, make some of his own improvements and use it to target the homeless (because no one would miss them) before being stopped by Batman, though he is able to plead temporary insanity to avoid going to prison.[26]
InDoomsday Clock, the Man-Bat is featured on the news as an example of the "Superman Theory", stating that somemetahumans were given their powers by the government.[27] He later accompaniesBlack Adam in his attack on the White House.[28]
InHarley Quinn Rebirth, Langstrom's wife goes on a rampage against Harley and her friends, turning Harley and her friend Tony into Man-Bats as part of thePenguin's plan to break Harley's spirit. Their other friends get Langstrom released and he helps them find the antidote before predictably escaping himself.
The Man-Bat later becomes a founding member of the second incarnation ofJustice League Dark.
As Kirk Langstrom, he is a highly intelligent scientist in the fields of biochemistry andzoology (particularly chiropterology).
By taking his bat gland extract that became known as the Man-Bat Serum, Kirk Langstrom transforms himself into a bat-like creature. When taking anantidote or if the serum wears off, he reverts to human form. As the Man-Bat, his strength, resilience, speed, and agility are all augmented to inhuman levels. He possesses an extra set of digits in his leathery wings that allows Kirk to fly. With his sonar radar, Kirk can emit high-pitch sound waves and hear those echoes when they bounce off of nearby objects, thus enabling him to navigate perfectly in thedarkness. If in the Man-Bat form for long periods of time, he loses control over his bestial side that works purely on instinct, plus making him prone to harm friend or foe alike.[29]
As mentioned above, Talia al Ghul captured Kirk Langstrom and threatened to poison Francine if he did not give her the Man-Bat Serum. Kirk gives in to Talia's demands and she uses the Man-Bat Serum on some members of the League of Assassins to turn them into Man-Bats.[10]
During the "Batman R.I.P." storyline, Talia sends the Man-Bat Commandos to destroy Jezebel Jet's airplane.[30]
In 2011,The New 52 rebooted the DC Universe. Various Man-Bats have appeared under the control of Talia al Ghul in her plot to destroy Batman.[31] It is later explained that Talia had an agent steal the Man-Bat Serum from Langstrom's laboratory to use on her soldiers to create the Man-Bat Commandos.[20]
During the "Forever Evil" storyline, some Man-Bat Commandos were used to help theCrime Syndicate hunt down theRogues.Mirror Master managed to trap some of them in the Mirror World. When a Man-Bat snatches up theWeather Wizard, the other Rogues members chase after it until it crashes into an ice wall upon arriving inMr. Freeze's territory.[32]
Back when Thomas and Martha Wayne were still alive, Kirk Langstrom had a father named Abraham whose company Patriarch Biopharmaceuticals competed with Wayne Enterprises. Years after the death of Thomas and Martha, Abraham continued his shady deals, which involved exploiting his son's Man-Bat Serum which he planned to profit from. He soon became addicted to the upgraded serum. When he became a Man-Bat, Abraham targeted the homeless people of Gotham City, draining them of their blood. This caused Batman to team up with Kirk Langstrom to fight Abraham.[33] Because the skin of Abraham's Man-Bat form was tough, Batman injected himself with the cure and tricked Abraham into drinking his blood enough to transform back to normal. Batman then handed Abraham over to the police. After evading incarceration by claiming that he had no knowledge on what his Man-Bat form did, Abraham returned to his company. Though he was wary of the fact that Batman may catch him if he ever makes a mistake.[34]
Alan March is the father of Francine Langstrom who assisted his estranged daughter in curing Kirk Langstrom of the Man-Bat Serum which involved him kidnapping the victims of Joker as seen during the "Infinite Frontier". He was rendered insane upon coming in contact with the Man-Bat Serum and the Joker Venom transforming him into a deranged larger version of Man-Bat. March's Man-Bat form fought Batman and the Outsiders untilMetamorpho perfected the Man-Bat Serum cure and sprayed it through the structure enough to cure March. He was arrested afterwards and the kidnapped people were rescued.[35]
An alternate universe variant of Man-Bat appears inFlashpoint. This version is an ally ofSam Lane before being killed by Miranda Shrieve, the granddaughter ofMatthew Shrieve whose family Lane had killed.[36]
The Man-Bat as depicted inBatman: The Animated SeriesThe Man-Bat as depicted inThe Batman
Kirk Langstrom / the Man-Bat appears in series set in theDC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced byMarc Singer while Man-Bat's vocal effects were provided by special sound effects.[38]
First appearing inBatman: The Animated Series, this version is azoologist at theGotham City Zoo who developed a formula that would allow humans to "evolve" by granting them bat-like traits, which originated from his father-in-law, Dr. Robert March, who helps keep his identity hidden from the authorities. In the episode "On Leather Wings", the Man-Bat commits a series of chemical thefts until he is defeated and cured by Batman. In later episodes, Langstrom helps Batman investigate Dr.Emile Dorian and help cure his wifeFrancine after she becomes "She-Bat" after she was accidentally exposed to a different Man-Bat serum created by Dr. March.
Kirk Langstrom makes a cameo appearance inThe New Batman Adventures episode "Chemistry", attending Bruce Wayne's wedding.
In theBatman Beyond episode "Splicers", a new trend dubbed "splicing" involves fusing bestial and humanDNA. The newBatman ends up captured by the Splicers' leader Abel Cuvier and injected withvampire bat DNA, transforming him into a Man-Bat before Bruce Wayne cures him.
Kirk Langstrom / the Man-Bat appears inThe Batman, voiced byPeter MacNicol while the Man-Bat's vocal effects are provided by special sound effects.[38] This version is an employee atWayne Enterprises who conducted research on bats and appears to havealbinism. Additionally, he can produce sticky slime from his mouth while in his Man-Bat form. In the episode "The Man Who Would Be Bat", Langstrom creates a serum in an attempt to gain a fearsome reputation akin to Batman's despite Bruce Wayne cutting off his funding. Following several fights with Batman, Langstrom is defeated and taken toArkham Asylum. In the episode "Pets", Langstrom turns back into the Man-Bat due to remnants of the serum in his body and reluctantly serves thePenguin until he is cured by Batman and returned to Arkham. As of the episode "Attack of the Terrible Trio", Langstrom has renounced his Man-Bat identity and helps Batman develop an antidote for a mutagen that theTerrible Trio developed using his research.
The Man-Bat makes a cameo appearance in theGotham episode "No Man's Land", portrayed by an uncredited actor. He was originally going to make further appearances in thefifth season, but this never came to pass due to the season being shortened and the series being cancelled.[39]
The Man-Bat appears in theScooby-Doo and Guess Who? episode "What a Night for a Dark Knight!". After the Man-Bat kidnapsAlfred Pennyworth, Batman and Mystery Inc. join forces to save him. At first, the former suspects Kirk Langstrom, but rules him out upon realizing he is incarcerated at Arkham Asylum. After rescuing Pennyworth, the heroes discover theJoker had dressed up as the Man-Bat as part of a plot to get the password to Bruce Wayne's bank accounts.
The Man-Bat was considered to appear in an unproduced script forBatman Unchained, but was dropped in favor of theScarecrow andHarley Quinn. The Man-Bat was also meant to appear in an alternate proposal, Lee Shapiro'sBatman: DarKnight script, alongside the Scarecrow[41] and due to be played byMark Linn-Baker orMartin Short. However, both projects never came to pass.
Kirk Langstrom and the Man-Bat Commandos appear inSon of Batman, with the former voiced byXander Berkeley and the latter's vocal effects are provided byDee Bradley Baker.[38] TheLeague of Assassins take Langstrom's family hostage to force him to create a Man-Bat army to bolster their ranks until Batman andDamian Wayne rescue the Langstroms. While the mutagen is completed, Langstrom creates an antidote to stop the Man-Bat Commandos.
He first appears inBatman Unlimited: Animal Instincts. While working on a serum to help the deaf and blind, Langstrom accidentally turns himself into the Man-Bat. ThePenguin subsequently exploits him into helping create robotic beasts to bolster the Penguin's "Animilitia" in exchange for cures untilRed Robin causes Langstrom's mind to surface in the Man-Bat's body, allowing him to help defeat the Penguin and defend Gotham against the Midas Meteor, burning out the formula and returning him to normal in the process.
An alternate universe variant of Kirk Langstrom appears inJustice League: Gods and Monsters, voiced byMichael C. Hall.[42][43] While in college, this version became a pseudo-vampire in an attempt to cure his cancer, with his best friendWill Magnus carrying out additional research to develop a separate cure. Langstrom went on to become his universe's Batman and founding member of theJustice League.
The Man-Bat makes a non-speaking cameo appearance inInjustice.[38]
An alternate universe variant of Kirk Langstrom appears inBatman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, voiced byJeffrey Combs.[38] This version is a professor who helped found Gotham centuries prior, gaining longevity through dark magic. In the present, Langstrom is killed by an unknown assailant, leaving Batman to investigate his work and its ties toRa's al Ghul's cult.
The Man-Bat appears as aboss and unlockable playable character inLego Batman: The Videogame, voiced byChris Edgerly.[44] In theNintendo DS version, he is unlocked through the "Villain Hunt" mini-game, while in all other versions, he can be unlocked from the Batcomputer after he is defeated in the story mode.
Kirk Langstrom / the Man-Bat appears inBatman: Arkham Knight, voiced byLoren Lester.[46] Following an encounter onGotham City's Miagani Island during the story mode, a side mission sees Batman investigating the Man-Bat. After catching up to him, Batman collects a blood sample and eventually learns of Langstrom. While investigating the scientist's lab, Batman learns of Langstrom's experiments in using vampire bat DNA to curedeafness and how his first attempt resulted in him transforming into the Man-Bat and accidentally killing his wifeFrancine. Batman synthesizes an antidote and administers it to Langstrom before taking him to theGotham City Police Department (GCPD)'s headquarters, where he is left crying over Francine's fate. If the player returns to Langstrom's lab after this, they will find Francine's body gone and a broken television screen with the words "forever my love" written on it in a red substance. If the console or computer's date is changed to October 31 after capturing Langstrom, Batman will re-encounter the Man-Bat but will not have the option to pursue him. If Batman returns to the GCPD headquarters after this, he will find two police officers looking into Langstrom's destroyed cell, commenting that he transformed into the Man-Bat again and escaped.
Kirk Langstrom and the Man-Bat Commandos appear inGotham Knights.[citation needed] The former was a member of theCourt of Owls who secretly conducted work with their enemies, theLeague of Shadows. After the Court discovered Langstrom's treachery and killed him for it, the League steals his research and combine it with Lazarus Pit chemicals to create an army of mutant Man-Bats, which are defeated by the Gotham Knights.
TheDCAU incarnation of Kirk Langstrom / Man-Bat appears inThe Batman Adventures #21.[48] He is forcibly transformed into the Man-Bat and recruited by Emile Dorian, who attempts to work with him to form a "House of Dorian". Additionally, in a later issue, Dr. Stefen Perry steals the Man-Bat serum from Langstrom and transforms into his own Man-Bat before he is defeated by Batman and arrested by theGotham City Police Department.
The DCAU incarnations of Kirk and Francine Langstrom appear in theBatman Beyond tie-in comic. In flashbacks, the Langstroms lived peacefully, studying sonics and going on to have two children. However, Francine developed an aggressive form ofParkinson's disease and was given a short life expectancy. In response, Kirk attempted to perfect the Man-Bat serum to save her, but she died before he could do so. Following this, his children left him, angered that he did not spend time with her during her final days. Devastated, Kirk turned to his perfected serum, became the Man-Bat once more, and lived in secret. During this period of time, he rescued a girl namedTey from the Jokerz, injected her with the serum, and fell in love with her. In the present, Kirk builds a cult of Man-Bats with the intention of using Kanium to help him and his cult control themselves more effectively. Bruce Wayne tries to reason with him, but Kirk views them both as monsters and attempts to use a bomb to kill themselves. After the newBatman rescues them, Kirk tells Wayne to use his second chance wisely before killing himself with his bomb.
The Man-Bat appears inSmallville Season 11 as an inmate of Arkham Asylum. After acquiring a yellow ring ofParallax and becoming aYellow Lantern, Man-Bat and other empowered inmates battle Batman andNightwing untilSuperman intervenes long enough forEmil Hamilton to reboot the rings and depower the inmates. Following Parallax's defeat, the inmates are returned to Arkham.
A new incarnation of the Man-Bat appears in issue #4 of theBeware the Batman tie-in comic book.[49]Tim Quan, an acquaintance ofBarbara Gordon, sneaks into Kirk Langstrom's laboratory and ends up mutating into a Man-Bat. Having become more unstable than Langstrom, Quan goes on a rampage and kidnaps Barbara. Batman teams up with Langstrom to find and cure Quan, at the expense of Langstrom's own cure.
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016).The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 191.ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
^McAvennie, Michael (2010). "1970s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.).DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle.Dorling Kindersley. p. 168.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.Thanks to his appearances inDetective Comics andBatman, Man-Bat's popularity soared to the point where writer Gerry Conway and artist Steve Ditko launched the [character] into his own series.
^abcdefghi"Man-Bat / Dr. Kirk Langstrom Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^ab"Batman / Kirk Langstrom Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedJuly 18, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^Game Informer features a two-page gallery of the many heroes and villains who appear in the game with a picture for each character and a descriptive paragraph. See "LEGO Batman: Character Gallery",Game Informer #186 (October 2008): 93.
Category Publications are listed alphabetically by published titles. Storylines are listed in publication order. Compiled without respect for canon or "current" continuity.
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