Batman could fly, but he would die as well

Brainboxes at Leicester Uni bring the comic book superhero down to earth with a bang.

Monday 09 July 2012
posted by Ross Jones-Morris
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Next Friday when you inevitably sit down to watch The Dark Knight Rises spare a thought for Batman’s poor legs.

Whilst he has never been able to fly the Caped Crusader has utilised his titular cape to great effect over the years. Fearlessly jumping off of buildings - apparently oblivious to the laws of physics - he has been gliding to a safe landing ever since his character first appeared in 1939.

Four students at the University of Leicester, however, have taken issue with this. In their preposterously titled paper called 'Trajectory of a Falling Batman' they have debunked the myth that Batman could jump from great heights without dying gruesomely - something that would have left Christopher Nolan’s trilogy one superhero short from the outset and probably earned his film more than a 12A certificate.

Even a modest base jump from 150m would leave him hitting the ground at a speed of around 80km/h which as the scientists kindly point out would kill him. Their recommendation: a parachute or jet propulsion.

Will Christian Bale be flying around Gotham City with a Rolls Royce engine strapped to his back? Something tells us Nolan might stick to the whole ‘bat’ theme rather than turning our beloved hero into some sort of human 747. But you never know, we could be wrong.

Tags: Weird facts , Strange facts

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