I half-suspect that a big part of Batman’s enduring appeal is that nearly every possible Flanderisation of the character is funny as hell.
When most characters get boiled down to a single overriding personality trait, they just end being trite and annoying, but not Batman. I mean, we’ve got:
- Compulsively Stealthy Batman
- Ludicrously Overprepared Gadgeteer Batman
- Standing on a Gargoyle in the Rain Monologuing About the City of Gotham Like He Kind of Wants to Have Sex With It Batman
- MY PARENTS ARE DEEEAAAD Batman
- The Goddamn Batman
- Grumpy Dadman
- Adam West
… and every last one of them is a comedy gold mine.