When it hit me, the realization about this truth hit me hard, like a chair in the face… if someone were to hit me with a chair in the face… but never mind the chair… or my face… this post is more about dark, mystical rich vigilantes with animal names than it is about chairs or faces. So to get back to what I am trying to say:

Zorro is Batman, no jokes, they really are the same character. Well, it’s probably more accurate to say that Batman is Zorro, rather than the other way around, seeing as the creation of Zorro pre-dates batman by some years. I was chatting to one of my friends a few years ago, and we were discussing Zorro, and why he is actually a cool hero. We compared him to the other cool hero we knew -Batman -and soon we realized that they are actually the same hero, for the most part.

Some similarities between Zorro and Batman:

1. Aristocratic, rich, young man, no need to work for a living
2. Lives in a mansion outside of town
3. Has a secret lair in the caves under their mansion, with a secret entrance
4. Dresses in black
5. Comes out mainly at night
6. Specializes in stealth tactics
7. Refrain from using guns as they are too violent
8. Uses a lot of cool gadgets
9. Doesn’t kill
10. Rides around on/in their black mobile/horse
11. Is named after an animal (Zorro means “Fox”)
12. Has an old, wise mentor and guide: Alfred and Don Alejandro Vega (Diego’s father)
13. Is the exact opposite in costume as their alter ego is in real life: Bruce Wayne is a fun, carefree playboy, while Batman is somber and serious. Don Diego de la Vega is serious and stiff lipped, stays away from the limelight – but Zorro is flamboyant and playful, humiliating his enemies in public.
14. Has a cape
15. Has no super powers, only naturally trained strength and agility

Enough said? These two characters are pretty much the same. The only differences between Zorro and Batman are: time, setting and personal character traits. Other than that, if you enjoy the one hero, you will probably enjoy the other as well.

Some of the nitty gritty:

Bob Kane, the creator of Batman, was heavily influenced by Zorro, the movie he watched in cinema. Throughout batman comics, there are some references dropped that Batman himself might have been influenced by Zorro. The movie that Bruce Wayne watched with his parents the night that they died, for example, is sometimes revealed to be “The mark of Zorro”.

So this “revelation” of mine is no news to most avid comic book fans, they will be aware of this. Still, it’s interesting for me to see the similarities, and finding myself liking both of these characters in their own way.