Batman is more than just one of the most popular comic book, film, and television characters of the last 100 years – he’s also an inspiration to creators across the spectrum of entertainment. You don’t have to go far to find characters like Batman and Batman knockoffs who are both in and out of costume.
Characters similar to Batman share a few different crossover traits on the Venn diagram of origin stories. Many of them were orphaned at a young age, they fight crime as a vigilante, and they’re super rich and protective of their hometown. Some of them are just powerless tough guys out for revenge in cool outfits that come equipped with tons of gear.
The following characters are all like Batman in some way. This isn’t to say that they’re total rip-offs who don’t deserve your fandom. They’re all super cool in their own way, it’s just that they owe a debt of gratitude to the Dark Knight.
1. Daredevil
How He Is Like Batman: You don’t have to squint too hard to see how hard Daredevil is trying to cop Batman’s style. Bruce Wayne took on the visage of a bat to strike fear into the heart of Gotham’s underworld, and Matt Murdock started dressing like a little red devil to put the fear of God into the evildoers of Hell’s Kitchen. What Daredevil lacks in gadgetry, he makes up for it in his martial arts abilities, something he shares with Batman.
How He Is Different: Aside from dressing up like a monster and beating up villains in a centralized location, Daredevil is pretty much the opposite of Batman. Bruce Wayne spends his non-crimefighting time running a multi-national corporation and being a billionaire playboy, while Matt Murdock works as a lawyer with Nelson and Murdock, where he helps underprivileged people defend themselves.
2. Big Daddy
How He Is Like Batman: Big Daddy doesn’t just look like Batman; he talks like him, too. He and Adam West’s Batman both have a faux debonair thing going on that’s hard to miss. Aside from having similar voices and costume designs, Big Daddy is also out for revenge. After the mob framed him for a crime, his wife took her own life and left their daughter to fend for herself. Out of prison, Big Daddy seeks revenge on the mob while teaching his young ward to fend for herself.
Big Daddy and Hit Girl are full-on vigilantes who operate outside of the jurisdiction of the police. They use any means necessary to take down their enemies. With no superpowers to speak of, Big Daddy uses his wits and hand-to-hand combat abilities when he’s backed into a corner.
How He Is Different: He may look like Batman, but Big Daddy is far from Bruce Wayne. Before he was a vigilante crimefighter, Big Daddy was a street cop, which is pretty far away from a billionaire. Big Daddy has no problem slaying his targets, while Batman at least attempts to put them behind bars.
3. Din Djarin
How He Is Like Batman: Batman, in space? That’s essentially what’s going on with Mando. He has a super-cool suit, a secret identity, a ton of gadgets, a young sidekick, and a very cool ride. Driven by a strong sense of moral responsibility, this bounty hunter from a galaxy far, far away can’t help but take on a job if someone needs help.
How He Is Different: The biggest difference between Mando and Batman is that Din gets paid for his jobs, whereas Batman is pro bono. While Batman is a detective, Mando is a bounty hunter with great powers of deduction. However, he doesn’t consider himself the universe’s greatest detective or anything. Still, you have to think that he would get along swimmingly with Batman.
4. Iron Man
How He Is Like Batman: This billionaire playboy might as well be Batman from an alternate universe – one where the Dark Knight’s parents weren’t slain in front of him after a screening of Zorro. Tony Stark uses his near-infinite amount of money to fund weapons research that he then uses to take down supervillains. Like the most blown-out version of Batman, Stark has an insane amount of problem-solving gadgets that no person could actually have – decoy Iron Men, armor for fighting Hulks, etc.
How He Is Different: Iron Man eschews the whole “blending into the darkness” thing that Batman is obsessed with. Stark throws on bright colors to let everyone know he’s around, and that goes double for how chatty he is. Batman prefers to quietly skulk through the shadows while investigating the underbelly of Gotham City. Stark? He hears about a supervillain and he busts into their lair and starts wrecking shop.
5. Eric Draven
How He Is Like Batman: Eric Draven’s origin may be as close to that of the Batman origin as you can get without a copyright lawsuit. After watching as his fiancee, Shelly, is brutally murdered, Draven succumbs to his own injuries. A magical crow brings him back to life, and he takes on the personality of his personal mascot as a way to frighten the baddies who wrecked his life. Like Batman, Draven is doing everything out of revenge and he’ll do what he has to do to make things right. He hunts at night using the cover of darkness to follow his marks, all in an attempt to right the wrongs of the past. On top of all that, Draven’s costume is SO BATMAN – but if Batman and the Joker were combined into one person.
How He Is Different: Aside from the whole being a broke musician thing, the biggest difference between Eric Draven and Batman is that Draven has zero compunction about taking a life in the pursuit of revenge. Some versions of Batman don’t have a problem wiping out Gotham’s scum, but on the whole, most adaptations of the Bat show him actively attempting to not cross that line.
6. John Wick
How He Is Like Batman: Dripped out in solid black and with an urge for revenge… seriously, how much more like Batman can John Wick get? So much more! Not only are both Wick and Wayne trained in martial arts, but they also have grudges to pick with the various underworld figures – and they both have cool black cars.
How He Is Different: While Batman at least tries to put his rogue’s gallery behind bars, John Wick has no problems putting his in the ground. And even though Wick is by no means broke (he has a ton of money from being an international assassin), he’s far from being a billionaire with generational wealth.
7. Raphael
How He Is Like Batman: Sure, he’s a teenage turtle who learned ninjitsu after he was mutated into a manimal, but Raphael is also very Batman. He’s an orphan and he has a collection of dangerous pointy items, but he’s also more of a vigilante than the rest of his brothers. While they’re at home in the sewer noshing on ‘za, Raphael goes out into the streets of New York City and exacts vigilante justice.
How He Is Different: As referenced earlier, Raphael is a literal man-turtle who often fights crime with his brothers. Batman is just a billionaire in a suit who works alone more often than not. As far as living arrangements are concerned, these two couldn’t be further apart. Batman lives in stately Wayne Manor with his manservant Alfred while Raphael lives in the sewer with his brothers and Master Splinter.
8. Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)
How He Is Like Batman: Out of all the sort-of, kind-of Batmen of the world, Green Arrow is so close to being Batman that it hurts. He’s even a DC property. Oliver Quinn is a wealthy entrepreneur who uses his vast amounts of cash to fight crime in Star City. He doesn’t have any superpowers, but he’s adept at hand-to-hand combat and he has all kinds of ridiculous gadgets to help him take down anyone who crosses his path.
Depending on which origin story you follow for both characters (there are many), they each received training and/or a degrading life experience outside of America that turned them into the heroes they are today. For Batman, it’s Tibet; for Green Arrow, it’s an island somewhere in the Pacific.
How He Is Different: Green Arrow is a much grittier and more left-leaning hero than Batman. His costume harkens back to Robin Hood for a reason. He sees himself as someone who robs from the rich and gives to the poor. Batman isn’t really worried about that.
9. Harry Callahan
How He Is Like Batman: This gruff cop wipes scum off the street without worrying about what anyone thinks. Like Batman, he’s more concerned with the greater good than making everyone happy. While his parents may not have been gunned down in Crime Alley, Callahan is after revenge for anyone who he thinks has been wronged. Basically, if you’re a villain in San Francisco, you’re going to end up on the wrong side of Callahan’s side arm.
How He Is Different: Callahan has zero problems wiping out people who get in his way. More often than not, he uses a .44 Magnum, and he doesn’t even have the decency to wear an animal-themed outfit. It’s a disgrace.