Man-Bat

Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom) is a fictional supervillain, and anti-hero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in Detective Comics #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the superhero Batman,[1] the character has since endured as one of the Dark Knight's most prominent villains, and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

Man-Bat
The Man-Bat from Who's Who in the DC Universe #12,
art by Michael Golden
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceDetective Comics #400
(June 1970)
Created byFrank Robbins (writer)
Neal Adams (artist)
Julius Schwartz (concept)
In-story information
Alter egoRobert Kirkland Langstrom
SpeciesMetahuman
Team affiliations
Notable aliasesKirk Langstrom
AbilitiesWhen transformed into "Man-Bat form":
  • Superhuman strength
  • Flight
  • Sharp claws
  • Echolocation
  • Sound manipulation

Man-Bat originated as an anthropomorphic, feral, bat-like creature, lacking sentience and acting purely on instinct; the result of Langstorm testing a serum that could supposedly give humans a bat's acute sonar sense on himself. Batman managed to reverse the effects, but Langstrom would return as Man-Bat time and time again, albeit not neccessarily 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 wife Francine and father Aaron.

Since his debut at the end of the Silver Age of Comic Books, Man-Bat has been featured in various media adaptations, including television series and video games. In 2017, Man-Bat was ranked as IGN's 16th best Batman villain.[2]

Publication history

The character made his first appearance in Detective Comics #400 (June 1970) and was created by Frank Robbins and Neal Adams in collaboration with editor Julius 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.

Fictional character biography

Dr. Kirk Langstrom, a zoologist who specialized in chiropterology, developed an extract intended to give humans a bat's acute sonar sense and tested the formula on himself.[5] The extract worked, but it had a horrible side effect: it transformed him into a monstrous human/bat hybrid creature.[6] This side effect made him so distraught that it temporarily affected his sanity and he went on a mad rampage until Batman found 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 terrorize Gotham 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 detective Jason Bard. On another occasion, in Action Comics #600, Jimmy Olsen inadvertently puts Superman into a cave occupied by the Man-Bat to protect him from kryptonite radiation that had reached Earth following the explosion of Krypton. The Man-Bat calms the maddened Superman and then summons Hawkman, who helps Superman overcome the radiation.

Kirk and Francine have a daughter, Rebecca ("Becky"), and a son, Aaron. Because of the effects the serum had on Aaron's DNA, he is born with a deadly illness. Francine turns him into a young Man-Bat to save his life. This occurred in issue #3 of the Man-Bat miniseries by Chuck Dixon.

Infinite Crisis and beyond

The Man-Bat is sighted in Alexander Luthor, Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains during the events of the 2005–2006 storyline Infinite Crisis.[9]

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 formula. After Langstrom gives her the formula, she releases Francine as promised. Talia utilizes the Man-Bat to turn some generic members of the League of Assassins into Man-Bat Commandos.[10]

Cover of Man-Bat (vol. 3) #3 (August 2006). Art by Mike Huddleston.

In Gotham Underground, the Man-Bat is apprehended by the Suicide Squad.[11] He is one of the villains seen in Salvation Run.[12] Francine has appeared in Batman and the Outsiders, serving as the team's technical advisor, and her assistant Salah Miandad operates the "blank" OMAC drone known as ReMAC. In issue #10 of that series, Kirk appeared, seemingly healthy and also aiding Francine.

In the 2008 miniseries Final Crisis, the Man-Bat has been turned into a Justifier and was shown attacking Switzerland'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 the Outsiders, he returns to his human form and is captured by Doctor 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 2009–2010 Blackest 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 between Black Lantern Solomon Grundy and Bizarro (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]

In Batgirl (vol. 3) #10-11, the Man-Bat is seen under the control of the Calculator as a techno-zombie.[17]

In the "Collision" storyline of Red Robin, following Red Robin's actions against Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins, the latter attempts to murder people related to the Bat-Family. The Man-Bat, following Red Robin's orders, protects Julie Madison, a former lover of Bruce Wayne, against Ra's al Ghul's assassins.[18]

The New 52
The Man-Bat in Batman: The Dark Knight (vol. 2) #28 (April 2014). Art by Ethan Van Sciver.

In The 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 in Detective Comics #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]

In Detective 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.[20]

Langstrom re-appears in Batman 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.[21]

The backup feature of Detective 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.[22]

During the Forever Evil storyline, the Man-Bat is among the villains that were recruited by the Crime Syndicate of America to join the Secret Society of Super-Villains.[23] The Scarecrow and the Man-Bat attempt to steal the frozen Talons (assassins that are associated with the Court 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 to Mr. Freeze and is able to keep one from leaving.[24]

The final issues of the Batman: The Dark Knight series 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.[25]

DC Rebirth

In the Watchmen sequel Doomsday Clock, the Man-Bat is featured on the news as an example of the "Superman Theory" where the government has been experimenting on humans to give them superpowers.[26] The Man-Bat later accompanied Black Adam in his attack on the White House.[27]

In Harley 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 the Penguin's plan to break Harley's spirit. Their other friends get Langstrom released and he helps them find the antidote before predictably escaping himself.

Powers and abilities

By taking his bat-gland formula, Kirk Langstrom can transform himself into a bat-like creature. By taking an antidote or if the bat-gland formula wears off, he can return to human form.

As the Man-Bat, his strength, agility and endurance are all enhanced to superhuman levels. Kirk possesses an extra set of digits that form leathery bat wings that allow him to fly, super-sensitive hearing, and sonar. He emits high-pitched sound waves and can hear the echoes they make when they bounce off nearby objects, enabling the Man-Bat to navigate perfectly in pitch black darkness.

If in the Man-Bat form for a prolonged time, he loses control over his bestial side and works purely on instinct, making him prone to harm friend and foe alike.

Other characters named Man-Bat

Man-Bat Commandos

As mentioned above, Talia al Ghul captured Kirk Langstrom and threatened to poison Francine if he did not give her the Man-Bat formula. Kirk gives in to Talia al Ghul's commands where she uses the Man-Bat formula on some generic members of the League of Assassins to turn them into the group's Man-Bat Commandos.[10]

In The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe), various Man-Bats have appeared under the control of Talia al Ghul in her plot to destroy Batman.[28] It is later explained that Talia al Ghul had an agent steal the 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 the Crime Syndicate hunt down the Rogues. The Mirror Master managed to trap some of them in the Mirror World. When a Man-Bat snatches up the Weather Wizard, the other Rogues members chase after it until it crashes into a solid wall of ice upon arriving in Mr. Freeze's territory.[29]

Abraham Langstrom

Back when Thomas and Martha were still alive, Kirk Langstrom had a father named Abraham whose company Patriarch Biopharmaceuticals competed with Wayne Enterprise. Years after the death of Thomas and Martha, Abraham continued his shady deals which involved exploiting his son's Man-Bat serum which he plans to make a profit on it. He soon became addicted to the upgraded serum. When he became Man-Bat, Abraham targeted the homeless people of Gotham City and draining them of his blood. This caused Batman to team up with Kirk Langstrom to fight Abraham.[30] 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 regress 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 is weary over the fact that Batman will catch him when he makes a mistake.[31]

Other versions

Countdown to Final Crisis

In Countdown to Final Crisis: The Search For Ray Palmer, an alternate version of the Man-Bat was shown. He is from Gotham by Gaslight (Earth-19), and has experimented with bats similar to his mainstream counterpart. He is later defeated by the Blue Beetle and Batman.

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, the Man-Bat is killed by Miranda Shrieve, the granddaughter of Matthew Shrieve.[32] In a flashback, the Man-Bat was invited by Lt. Matthew Shrieve to be a new member of the Creature Commandos, but the Man-Bat then betrays him, killing his family.[33] It is revealed that the Man-Bat had been working with General Sam Lane, who is responsible for the deaths of Miranda's family.[34]

JLA: The Nail

In the Elseworlds story JLA: The Nail, a captured Man-Bat makes an appearance in Professor Hamilton's Cadmus Labs.[35]

Batman Beyond

In the Batman Beyond comic series set decades after Batman: The Animated Series, it is revealed that shortly after Batman cured Francine of the Man-Bat serum, she and Kirk started to live a peaceful life as they started studying sonics and had two children. However, Francine developed an aggressive form of Parkinson's and had a short life expectancy, leading Kirk to try and perfect the Man-Bat serum to save her life, but by the time he did it, it was too late. Following this, his children left him, angered that he did not spend as much time with her during her final days. Devastated by "losing" his family, Kirk turned to the serum, which has been perfected to the point where he is able to talk and control his actions, and had been living in secret as the Man-Bat ever since. Three years prior, he rescues a girl named Tey, who was a hostage of the Jokerz, and injects her with the Man-Bat serum, leading the two to fall in love. In the present, Kirk, now as a white-bearded Man-Bat, tries building his own cult of Man-Bats, plans to use Kanium to help his cult control themselves better in their Man-Bat forms and sets up a destructive weapon that concerns the police. Bruce tries to reason with Kirk, but it only results in Kirk viewing both of them as monsters and setting up his bomb to destroy the two of them. However, Batman rescues Bruce in time. The Man-Bat tells Bruce to use his second chance wisely as he detonates the bomb to kill himself.

Smallville Season Eleven

The Man-Bat appears in the Smallville comic Smallville Season Eleven. In Gotham City, the yellow rings of Parallax head to Arkham Asylum. There, Batman and Nightwing are doing their best to contain the newly powered inmates of Arkham, including the Man-Bat, who have already been transformed into Yellow Lanterns. Luckily, Superman arrives just in time to offer assistance to Batman and Nightwing. Superman is fighting with the Man-Bat and before taking him down, Superman says to the Man-Bat that, if there is more man than bat inside of him, then he takes no joy in this. Emil Hamilton succeeds into finding a way to reboot the rings, so when he does, all the Yellow Lanterns, including the Man-Bat, are released from the influence of fear and lose their powers, with the rings turning black. After their rings get rebooted and they lose their powers, the inmates of Arkham fall from the sky, unable to do anything to escape from their eventual death, but Superman manages to save them all. After Parallax's defeat, all the now-depowered criminals return to Arkham Asylum.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

In the Injustice: Gods Among Us prequel comic, the Man-Bat appears in the villain's exclusive bar World's End, attempting to enjoy a drink when Wonder Woman and the Flash arrive in their search for Mirror Master. In Year Five, the Man-Bat meets with Black Mask, the Bronze Tiger, the Mad Hatter, the Scarecrow, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee until their meeting is crashed by Damian Wayne. When the villains start to overwhelm Damian, Deadman arrives where he possesses the Bronze Tiger and knocks out the villains before calling for help.

Injustice 2

In the prequel comic to Injustice 2, the Man-Bat is shown to be a member of this universe's Suicide Squad. He is eventually murdered when Grodd usurps Solivar and Ra's al Ghul, who previously held custody of the Squad.[36]

In other media

Live-Action
  • Two unnamed characters with bat wings appear in Gotham. They may or not be the same character
    • Mike Cannon portrays an Indian Hill experiment who is a member of Fish Mooney's gang in the season 3 premiere, "Mad City: Better to Reign in Hell...". This character is listed as Tweaker in the credits.
    • An uncredited actor plays another character with bat wings in the season 4 finale, "A Dark Knight: No Man's Land". This was intended to set up his expanded role in season 5 but the character was cut when the planned 22 episode season was shortened to 12 episodes.

Animated
The Man-Bat in The Batman
  • Kirk Langstrom / Man-Bat appears in The Batman, voiced by Peter MacNicol while special sound effects provide the Man-Bat's vocal effects. This version is an employee at Wayne Enterprises doing research on bats and apparently afflicted with albinism. When Bruce Wayne begins to cut off the funding for his project, Langstrom tells Bruce that he needs the project to cure his niece's deafness. When Bruce discovers that Langstrom is lying, he goes to Langstrom's office to discover both Langstrom's obsession with Batman and the project's real purpose. Langstrom arrived in his vault to find his boss there; he admits that he created the formula so he could be feared like Batman, and drinks a serum, resulting in his Man-Bat transformation. He attacks Bruce at his office, and escapes. Batman confronts the Man-Bat in Gotham City's skies, landing on the ground, and Langstrom reverts to his human form. To be safe, Batman destroys one of Langstrom's vials. Langstrom drinks the remaining vial, transforms into the Man-Bat, and kidnaps Detective Ethan Bennett. Batman confronts the Man-Bat in a sewer, where Langstrom reverts to his human form, and is taken away to Arkham Asylum. While in Arkham Asylum, Langstrom is trying to recreate the Man-Bat serum, while the Penguin finds a sonar device to control a large condor, but ends up with a sonar device designed to control bats. When the Penguin uses the device, dormant remnants of the Man-Bat serum still inside Langstrom reawaken, resulting in his Man-Bat transformation and instinctively leading him to the Penguin's hideout. With the sonar device, the Man-Bat does the Penguin's bidding, returning him to his human form by saying "rest". Langstrom is furious with the Penguin when he learns the Penguin's plans, promising that the Penguin will feel the Man-Bat's wrath. At the docks, Batman confronts the Man-Bat and, using his own sonar device, induces a reversion back to his human form. Langstrom and Penguin are both taken back to Arkham. Langstrom later returns in as one of the many villains captured by the vigilante Rumor. He was shown in his human form and later in his Man-Bat form, implying that he has full control over his transformation. Langstrom made one last appearance, no longer a villain and renouncing the Man-Bat name. Batman charged Langstrom with creating an antidote for his own mutagen that some college students had stolen from him and were planning on infecting the entire student body with.
  • The Man-Bats appear in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. In the episode "Last Bat on Earth!", Batman travels to the future to stop Gorilla Grodd, now leading the apes. When Batman goes into the Batcave with Kamandi and Dr. Canus, humanoid "Man-Bats" are encountered that can talk like the rest of the humanoid beasts. Batman and Kamandi manage to drive the Man-Bats out after defeating their leader. The Man-Bats later assist Batman in an all-out war against the apes, having gained respect for the Dark Knight.
  • Kirk Langstrom / Man-Bat appears in Beware the Batman, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes. In "Doppelgänger", Dr. Langstrom was working on a cure for diseases with bat DNA before Professor Pyg and Mister Toad raided his laboratory and forced him at gunpoint to mutate into a man/bat hybrid with a corrupted version of his formula. The two used a drug-filled mechanical collar to control the Man-Bat and force him to rob chemicals so that they can recreate Dr. Langstrom's formula and turn humans into human/beast hybrids. After the Man-Bat is captured and freed from control by Batman and Katana, he repays the two by helping defeat Professor Pyg and Mister Toad. After defeating the villains, the Man-Bat swears to work in the shadows on a cure for his condition. In "Alone", the Man-Bat is recruited by Katana alongside Metamorpho and the Oracle to help Batman in the final battle against Deathstroke the Terminator. They all go to the Batcave to take down Deathstroke's C4 bombs spread around. The Man-Bat comes up with a ZIP formula for Metamorpho to create so that it can wipe out Deathstroke's memory of Batman's true identity.
  • Man-Bat appears in the TV special Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered, with his vocal effects provided by Dee Bradley Baker.
  • Man-Bat appears in the Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? episode "What a Night for a Dark Knight!" Alfred Pennyworth is kidnapped by the Man-Bat and both Mystery Inc. and Batman are on the case. At first, Batman believes it to be Langstrom, but recalls that Langstrom is still locked up at Arkham. It turns out to be none other than the Joker pulling the traditional Scooby-Doo ruse by dressing up as the Man-Bat.
  • Man-Bat makes cameo appearances in the DC Universe Harley Quinn animated series. His appearance in "L.O.D.R.S.V.P." establishes him as a member of the Legion of Doom. In the episode "There's Nowhere to Go But Down", Man-Bat is selected to represent Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy in a kangaroo court held by Two-Face and Bane, though no one could understand what he was saying. In "The Runaway Bridesmaid", Man-Bat attends Ivy and Kite Man's wedding and takes part in the fight between the attending supervillains and the GCPD.

DC Animated Universe
The Man-Bat as depicted in Batman: The Animated Series
  • Kirk Langstrom/the Man-Bat appeared in the DC animated universe, voiced by Marc Singer while special sound effects by Frank Welker were used for Man-Bat:
    • The character first appeared in Batman: The Animated Series. This version is a zoologist at the Gotham City Zoo who developed a formula that would allow humans to make the next big step in evolution by giving them certain bat traits. The concept of the Man-Bat serum started from Langstorm's father-in-law Dr. March, who helped to keep the Man-Bat's identity hidden from the authorities after Langstorm's transformation. Introduced in the episode "On Leather Wings", the Man-Bat commits a series of chemical thefts and is mistaken for Batman, who investigates the appearance of this new human-bat hybrid creature. He eventually discovers that the Man-Bat is Langstorm, and captures him after a battle across the Gotham City skyline, before taking him to the Batcave to cure him. The cured Langstrom later appears in the episode "Tyger, Tyger", where he helps Batman analyze the chemical that Dr. Emile Dorian used for his experiments. Langstorm's final appearance in the series is in the episode "Terror in the Sky", where he is believed to have taken the Man-Bat formula again when a new bat-like creature appears in Gotham. It is eventually revealed that Langstorm's wife Francine became "She-Bat" after accidental exposure to an alternate Man-Bat serum created by her father, who was trying to alter Langstrom's work. In the end, Francine is cured by Batman and reunited with her husband, finally ending their nightmares.
    • Kirk Langstrom appears in The New Batman Adventures. He makes a cameo appearance during Bruce Wayne's wedding in the episode "Chemistry".
    • In Batman Beyond, a new trend dubbed "splicing" involves fusing bestial and human DNA. The new Batman (Terry McGinnis) ends up captured by the Splicers' leader Abel Cuvier (a.k.a. Chimera) and is injected with vampire bat DNA, which transforms Batman into a Man-Bat. Batman is later returned to normal by Bruce Wayne. Kirk Langstrom never appears in this series.
    • Kirk Langstrom is mentioned in Justice League Unlimited. In the episode "The Doomsday Sanction", Professor Milo mentions that Langstrom's research has proven useful to experiments splicing human and beast DNA for Project Cadmus. This ends in disaster when a mutated common warthog is mentioned to have destroyed his laboratory.

Live action

Animation
  • In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, a amalgamation of Man-Bat and Catwoman named She-Bat appeared on a computer page of the lesser members of the Crime Syndicate.
  • Kirk Langstrom and the Man-Bat Commandos appear in Son of Batman, with Kirk Langstrom voiced by Xander Berkeley, while the Man-Bat Commandos' vocal effects are provided by Dee Bradley Baker. At the beginning, Langstrom works for Ra's al Ghul in an attempt to create a Man-Bat army to strengthen the League of Assassins. Kirk was also behind the mutagen that Killer Croc empowered himself with, which caused him to sprout a tail. After the death, Deathstroke recruits him to continue his work, taking his wife Francine Langstrom and their daughter Rebecca (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) as hostages to create the Man-Bat formula. When Batman finds a lead in Langstrom's lab, a mutated ape that was living there attacked. All three are later rescued by Batman and Damian Wayne. While the mutagen is complete by then, Langstrom creates enough antidote to stop the Man-Bats.
  • Kirk Langstrom/Man-Bat appears in Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts, voiced by Phil LaMarr. This version was working on a serum to help the deaf and blind, but accidentally turned himself into the Man-Bat. The Penguin used this new form to his advantage, giving Langstrom cures in exchange for the Man-Bat's help with crimes and Langstrom creating robotic beasts. He appears as part of the Penguin's militia. Red Robin manages to get Langstrom's mind to surface in the Man-Bat, allowing him to help with defeating the Penguin and defending Gotham against the Midas meteor. By flying into the beam powering the shield, the Man-Bat was able to burn out the formula's remains, turning him back into his human form.
  • A parallel world version of Kirk Langstorm appears as "Batman" in Justice League: Gods and Monsters, voiced by Michael C. Hall. This incarnation developed vampire-like abilities upon consuming a serum to cure his cancer, with Doctor Will Magnus carrying out additional research to develop a further cure for his transformation after providing Kirk with nanites to help perfect Kirk's cure without waiting to carry out additional tests. Kirk was also in love with his friend's wife Tina Magnus, which resulted in Magnus accidentally beating Tina to death in a fit of rage once realizing that Tina loved Kirk. Batman works together with the other Justice League members Superman (Hernan Guerra) and Wonder Woman (Bekka of New Genesis) when Magnus attempted to frame the three in order to fulfill plans of injecting everyone in the world with nanites to make humanity work as a collective. When the fight is over and the regretful and remorseful Magnus destroyed himself, he and Superman use Kryptonian data to help humanity while mourning over the loss of his best friend and love interest.
  • The Man-Bat appears in direct-to-video animated film Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom, with vocal effects provided by Dee Bradley Baker. He is among the villains that audition for a spot on the Legion of Doom. The Man-Bat, the Penguin and the Joker are eliminated because of Lex Luthor's claims that the Legion of Doom does not have any extra parking spots at their headquarters.
  • Kirk Langstrom appears in Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants, voiced by Phil LaMarr. In this film, Langstrom is no longer the Man-Bat and works as a robotics expert for Bruce Wayne.
  • The Man-Bat makes an appearance in The Lego Batman Movie.
  • Rebecca Langstrom (introduced in Son of Batman) makes a short appearance in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay. She is shown in a building running away from Deadshot, initially mistaking her for Zoe Lawton until after a fight with the Bronze Tiger. Her appearance is slightly changed from Son of Batman where her hair is purple, whereas her hair is dyed brown in Hell to Pay. It is unknown if her parents are aware that she was at the drug house or not.

Video games
  • The Super NES version of The Adventures of Batman & Robin features the Man-Bat as an enemy character. This marks one of Man-Bat's few speaking roles.
  • The Man-Bat appears in Batman: Arkham Knight, voiced by Loren Lester. He can be encountered while free roaming Miagani Island, and will jumpscare the player, causing Batman to pursue him. After catching up to him, Batman collects a blood sample to determine the Man-Bat's identity. While investigating Kirk Langstorm's lab, Batman learns about his experiments with vampire bat DNA to cure deafness, and sees video footage of him killing his wife Francine after transforming into the Man-Bat. Batman is able to synthesize an antidote and administer it to Langstorm after capturing him. Langstorm is then imprisoned at the GCPD headquarters, where he is left crying after learning about his wife's fate. If the player returns to Langstorm's lab after this, Francine's body is gone, and a broken television screen has the words "forever my love" written on it, indicating that Francine is still alive and has become She-Bat. If the console or the computer's date is changed to October 31 (Halloween) after capturing Langstorm, the Man-Bat will jumpscare the player again while free roaming, but they will not have the option to pursue him. If Batman returns to the GCPD headquarters after this, two police officers are seen near the cell Langstorm was held in, commenting that he transformed into the Man-Bat again and escaped.

Lego DC series
  • The Man-Bat is a boss and an unlockable playable character in Lego Batman, with his vocal effects provided by Chris Edgerly. He possesses super-strength and the ability to glide using his wings.[40] In the Nintendo DS version, the Man-Bat is unlocked through the "Villain Hunt" minigame. In the other versions, he can pe purchased from the Batcomputer after being defeated in the story. The Man-Bat appears as one of the villains broken out of Arkham Asylum, and joins the Penguin's group. He is the fourth boss fought in Chapter 2 "Power-Crazed Penguin", attacking Batman and Robin at the Gotham Zoo to buy the Penguin and Catwoman enough time to carry out their plan. He hides inside a riverboat, coverying himself with his wings like a vampire, before revealing himself when Batman and Robin arrive looking for the Penguin. During his boss fight, the Man-Bat glides around the room dropping bombs, and needs to be stunned with a phonograph that plays loud music. After his defeat, Batman and Robin wrap him up in his own wings, preventing him from escaping. At the end of the chapter, the Man-Bat is seen reading a newspaper upside down in his cell at Arkham, seemingly content to be back. The Man-Bat is one of two characters (the other one being the Mad Hatter) who is not playable in the villains-centered portion of the game.
  • The Man-Bat appears in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, with his vocal effects provided by Fred Tatasciore. He is fought in the open world at the Gotham Cathedral, after which he can be unlocked as a playable character. This time, the Man-Bat can actually fly rather than just glide, and has a sonar.
  • The Man-Bat is a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, with his vocal effects provided by Liam O'Brien. He is unlocked after completing his side-quest that requires getting an ingredient needed to complete a formula.
  • The Man-Bat appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains. He is playable via the "Batman: The Animated Series Level Pack" DLC.[41]

Web series

Miscellaneous
  • In issue #28 of the Super Friends comics, the Man-Bat made an appearance as one of the five foes that the Super Friends battle.[42]
  • In The Batman Adventures (a comic series based on Batman: The Animated Series), another Man-Bat was formed when Dr. Stefen Perry stole the Man-Bat serum from Langstrom. He was defeated by Batman and arrested by the police. In issue #21, Kirk Langstrom was later forcefully transformed into the Man-Bat and recruited by Dr. Emile Dorian, who hoped to use his assistance to form a "House of Dorian" with Anthony Romulus's werewolf form, Tygrus (who Emile duped into working for him again), and the Man-Bat.
  • The Man-Bat appears in issue #12 of the All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold (which is based on Batman: The Brave and the Bold).
  • In issue #4 of the comic book spin-off Beware the Batman, a new Man-Bat appears in the form of Tim Quan, an acquaintance of Barbara Gordon with a crush on her. He was mutated when he snuck into the laboratory of Kirk Langstrom (who is still stuck in his Man-Bat form and was looking for a cure). Having become more unstable than Langstrom, Quan goes in a rampage and kidnaps Barbara. Batman teams up with Langstrom to find and cure Quan at the expense of Langstrom's own cure.

See also

References
  1. 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. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. "25 Best Batman Villains". IGN. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  3. Schwartz, Julius, ed. (2000). Man of Two Worlds. Harper Paperbacks. p. 129. ISBN 978-0380810512.
  4. McAvennie, Michael (2010). "1970s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Thanks to his appearances in Detective Comics and Batman, Man-Bat's popularity soared to the point where writer Gerry Conway and artist Steve Ditko launched the [character] into his own series.
  5. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. pp. 203–204. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  6. The DC Comics Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley Limited. 2004. p. 194. ISBN 0-7566-0592-X.
  7. Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 247–248. ISBN 9780345501066.
  8. Kronenberg, Michael (October 2019). "Fright Night: Batman and the Horror Genre". Back Issue. TwoMorrows Publishing (116): 15–22.
  9. Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006)
  10. Batman #655 (September 2006)
  11. Gotham Underground #1
  12. Salvation Run #2 (February 2008)
  13. Final Crisis #4
  14. Battle for the Cowl: Man-Bat #1
  15. Superman/Batman #66
  16. Superman/Batman #67
  17. Batgirl (vol. 3) #10-11 (July 2010-August 2010)
  18. Red Robin #12 (July 2012)
  19. Detective Comics #18 (May 2013)
  20. Detective Comics #19 (June 2013)
  21. Batman Inc. (vol. 2) #10 (June 2013)
  22. Detective Comics (vol. 2) #21 (August 2013)
  23. Forever Evil #1
  24. Forever Evil: Arkham War #2
  25. Batman: The Dark Knight (vol. 2) #28-29
  26. Doomsday Clock #3 (January 2018). DC Comics.
  27. Doomsday Clock #11. DC Comics.
  28. Batman, Inc. (vol. 2) #1
  29. Forever Evil: Rogues' Rebellion #3
  30. Batman: The Dark Knight Vol. 2 #28. DC Comics.
  31. Batman: The Dark Knight Vol. 2 #29. DC Comics.
  32. Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #1 (June 2011)
  33. Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #2 (July 2011)
  34. Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #3 (August 2011)
  35. JLA: The Nail #3
  36. Injustice 2 #1
  38. McGloin, Matt (2017-06-05). "Batman Vs. Superman Bat Crypt Creature Concept Art & Figure Revealed". Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  39. Holmes, Adam (2017-02-02). "This Unused Bat Creature From Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Looks Terrifying". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  40. 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.
  41. Newton, Andrew (31 August 2018). "LEGO DC Super-Villains Season Pass details revealed". Flickering Myth.
  42. "Super Friends #28 - (comic book issue)". Comic Vine. 2008-06-06. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
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