Since his inception, Batman has had a contentious relationship with firearms. When he first appeared on the comic book scene in the 1930s, guns were part of his arsenal. But not for long. To differentiate Batman from the Shadow – a popular pulp comic hero who greatly influence Batman”s creation – and keep him from killing the recurring villains in his rogues” gallery, Batman ditched firearms. But what reason would a non-powered hero have to forsake one of the great equalizers? DETECTIVE COMICS #33 was the first time Batman”s origin was revealed and gave the Dark Knight an in-universe reason for his aversion to guns.
Over the decades, this creed has become mutable. Batman has occasionally picked up a firearm for various reasons. But the one place his prohibition on guns seems to have completely deteriorated? The Batmobile. Covered in machine guns and rocket launchers, the modern day Batman appears to have no aversion to guns as long as he doesn”t physically have to hold the thing.
That”s an interesting psychological puzzle in and of itself, but I digress. When did this trend of Batmobiles armed to single-handedly put down an insurgency take hold? An investigation reveals it took many a year for Batman”s transportation to morph into Bat-Tank.
[Many thanks to BatmobileHistory for their VERY thorough database!]