We get it. Batman, despite everything Zack Snyder did with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is awesome. The fictional comic book character’s treacherous story of profound loss and triumphant return is one many downtrodden laypersons identify with. After all, who wouldn’t want to become a vigilante crime-fighter had their parents been killed numerous times by Hollywood? Despite the position’s obvious attraction, however, Bruce Wayne and his nocturnal alter ego remain fictional — in spite of real-world attempts to prove otherwise.
Case in point, the Transportation Security Administration’s constant struggle against airplane passengers operating as would-be gravely-voiced Christian Bale impersonators. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the TSA has spent the better part of the past year confiscating Batarangs from air travelers and cataloging them on social media. From small, The Dark Knight-esque props to egregiously impractical custom devices decked out in camouflage, the real Batman wouldn’t be too fond of what he’s inspired.
“Batarangs are becoming more and more common and it’s important that you know they’re prohibited in carry-on bags,” read an Instagram post from Salt Lake City International Airport on January 8. “They can be placed in your checked baggage along with your grapple gun, bat-saw, collapsible bat-sword, and other utility belt items.”
TSA spokesperson Mike England told the Hollywood Reporter, “Passengers are not allowed to bring anything on a plane that resembles a weapon, so anything like a boomerang or anything like that would not be permitted in the airplane cabin.” Not even if said boomerang-like device is actually a sweet custom Batarang based on Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns.
The catches pictured above were fairly respectable in terms of craftsmanship. However, some of the more interesting wares found by the TSA — including three recovered at San Francisco International Airport last week — feature Batarangs of all shapes and sizes.
No matter how hard you try, you’ll never convince the TSA agent monitoring the body scanner that the abnormality located near your groin is not, in fact, a small piece of metal sharpened in your parents’ garage.
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)
