In one of the final scenes in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol 2, the character Bill (David Carradine) tells his vengefully estranged wife Beatrix (Uma Thurman) that Superman is his favourite superhero. The reason is that while all the others are actually human beings who have developed superpowers and put on a costume to disguise themselves when they are out to save the world, Superman was born a superhero. He doesn't wake up every morning as Peter Parker, like Spiderman does. Instead, he wakes up as himself — an extraordinary being from an alien planet — and then dons the garb of Clark Kent to blend in with everyday people. That's what fascinates Bill, who feels that Kent's bungling, cowardly attitude was Superman's critique on the entire human race.

But what this rationale ignores is a similarly compelling factor about another superhero character — Batman. The thing is, Batman isn't really a conventional superhero at all. He can't fly. He can't shoot laser rays with his eyes. He doesn't turn into a big green monster when he's angry. He's in fact just a supremely rich and incredibly intelligent man who takes it upon himself to fight crime after suffering untold tragedy as a child. And yet, the character turns the ripe old age of 80 today — celebrated the world over as Batman Day — and is arguably DC Comics's most enduring offering of all time.