Rank the suits.

[the_scream]

My Favourite suit has got to be Batman Begins, followed closely by the The Dark Knight

Great pics!!

 

[the_scream]

Increasing your chances of getting shot somewhere you don't want to be shot.



It doesn't matter. The point is that you're protected, and therefore still have a chance. What are you saying? That you'd rather be shot in the thigh because getting shot in your body armour would slow you down and may give your enemy enough time to shoot you in the head?

In that case, let's spread the message folks. The police and army have it all wrong!!! Don't protect yourselves guys, you'll get slowed down by the hits!

Seriously... Batman wears Kevlar because he wants to be protected by it in case one of his enemies would get lucky. He also increases his chances of this enemy shooting at his body armour by wearing the yellow oval on his chest. That's all there is to say, really. It is the right thing to do.

Batman does not plan on being shot. He will avoid it at all costs. But IF it happens, then he'll have more chances of being hit in the chest, and will thus be protected anyway. It's not an infallible method. It just improves his chances.

Another thing, body armours are extremely efficient now, and Kevlar is being replaced with other materials that can stop bigger bullets at closer range or high penetrative-powered bullets from a greater distance. I've actually recently seen a video of a soldier being shot at by a sniper, falling on the ground, than immediately get back up and find cover. A sniper's bullet. That's not 9mm, or .38 ammo that we're talking about here.

Imagine what Batman, with all of his state-of-the-art gadgetry, came up with to protect himself from bullets. It would take a rocket launcher to even slow him down (I'm not serious, don't argue this point).

You make some good points but it is a bit too complicated. Do we really think Batman wears armour under the symbol anyway? Wasn't it only TDK Returns that offered that explanation? I don't anyone ever gave it much thought before then.

If he is more likely to be shot in the chest then put armour there but you don't have to highlight it in yellow. There are more benefits for toning down bright colours then there are for creating a target.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Increasing your chances of getting shot somewhere you don't want to be shot.

Or increasing the chances that they'll completely miss you because they can't see you!
Last I checked, the whole suit was armored, not just the chest. Therefore, it's unwise to give thugs ANY bright, shiny target to aim for. I know he never plans on getting shot, but that premise negates directing enemies to aim for a particular part of your anatomy, wouldn't it? If you're gonna shoot me, make sure you aim for this spot.
Plus, most street thugs can't shoot worth a damn anyway. (Check the news; see how many reports there are of innocent bystanders getting killed & in many cases, the intended target is COMPLETELY UNHARMED!) If they home in on your chest they're more likely to hit you in the head. Or shoulder. Or thigh. Or whatever.

 

[Mandalore464]

Or increasing the chances that they'll completely miss you because they can't see you!

The problem remains the same. It's better to direct their attention towards a protected spot than run the risk of being shot just anywhere.

Last I checked, the whole suit was armored, not just the chest.

If we're talking comics, no it's not. If we're talking movies, it's not either. The Nomex survival suit from Begins for example only protects you from crotch to shoulders, leaving your limbs and head unprotected against bullets.

Therefore, it's unwise to give thugs ANY bright, shiny target to aim for. I know he never plans on getting shot, but that premise negates directing enemies to aim for a particular part of your anatomy, wouldn't it? If you're gonna shoot me, make sure you aim for this spot.

Yes, that's what it comes down to. "If you manage to shoot me, make sure you aim at my bullet-proof vest." And again, it wouldn't work all the time. It's just a matter of increasing your chances, and a pretty good one at that.

Plus, most street thugs can't shoot worth a damn anyway.

I assume you're talking about movies and not real life here.

(Check the news; see how many reports there are of innocent bystanders getting killed & in many cases, the intended target is COMPLETELY UNHARMED!)

OK apparently you're not. Well then, if you think it's that hard to shoot someone or that any criminal's accuracy equals that of a monkey on ecstasy, the day you face one armed with a gun, by all means, run at him and disarm him. He'd miss you anyway.

Shooting someone is extremely easy. A lot more than what films would have you think. Especially when you're running at the guy with the gun, like Batman does.

If they home in on your chest they're more likely to hit you in the head. Or shoulder. Or thigh. Or whatever.

Yes, the shooter might get lucky and shoot you in the head while he was aiming at your chest, but there really is nothing you can do about it, except for dodging the bullet.

Batman's main objective is to make sure no bullet is fired. I'd set his list of priorities as such:

1- Make sure the criminals doesn't have time to draw his gun (100% chance of survival if success)
2- If he does, make sure he doesn't have time to aim (100% chance of survival if success)
3- If he can aim, make sure he doesn't have time to fire the gun (100% chance of survival if success)
4- If he does fire, make sure you increase your chance of not getting hit by moving constantly (100% chance of survival if success)
5- If you get hit anyway, make sure you get hit in the bullet-proof jacket and not elsewhere. (Let's say about 95% chance of survival if success, 75% chance of survival is he gets hit in a limb, less than 1% chance of survival if shot in the head)
6- Get hurt and/or die.

All these things (1 to 5) contribute to increasing Batman's chances of survival, and that's what it's all about.

My point is not that directing the enemy's attention towards your chest will result in no injury whatsoever. A lot of things come into play, chance being one of those things, and chance is something you can't do a damn thing about. All Batman can do is increase HIS chances while lowering the enemy's chances.

Would the yellow oval increase his chances of getting hit in the chest rather than elsewhere? Yes.

 

[Mandalore464]

You make some good points but it is a bit too complicated. Do we really think Batman wears armour under the symbol anyway? Wasn't it only TDK Returns that offered that explanation? I don't anyone ever gave it much thought before then.

I am 100% sure that Frank Miller for one has illustrated Batman as wearing a body armor underneath his suit, and I remember reading that he wears a triple-weave kevlar vest underneath his bodysuit. I think it's in the ultimate guide.

If he is more likely to be shot in the chest then put armour there but you don't have to highlight it in yellow. There are more benefits for toning down bright colours then there are for creating a target.

Well actually, no, that's my point. Sure, if you wear a fully bullet-proof suit that makes you completely immune to shots, no problem, you're not gonna wear a silly-looking yellow oval on your chest.

But Batman, stealthy or not, is still extremely likely to get shot while on his quest for justice. His best chance of survival, as I already stated, is to hide and strike from the shadows. But we all know that you can only do it so well and it is highly unlikely to succeed when you face a group of 2+ people. At least one is going to fire in your direction.

That's when you want to have that yellow oval as a distraction. And again, I'm not saying it's the ultimate defense against guns, cause it's obviously not. It's still VERY risky, and you're still likely to get shot elsewhere. But what I'm saying is, it does improve your chance.

Even if it doesn't save you from a lucky guy who'd shoot you in the head even if he was aiming at your chest, even if it doesn't save you from a guy with poor accuracy, it does increase your chances against a guy who has good accuracy. So in some way, when you know that you're gonna be shot at, it's better to use human reflexes to your advantage, and wear that yellow oval, cause most people will try to shoot at you while aiming at it.

Here's a comparison. If you've ever played Laserquest or the likes, when you ran into an opponent and only had a few seconds to shoot them before they shot you, were you actually aiming at the body, or at the flashing lights on the belly and shoulders?

Now let's take the example of a paintball game. The guys who play it seriously may wear full bodysuits that blend in with whatever the environment is. But does it make them invisible? And if you ever played against such guys, were you not shooting in their general direction anyway? And did you not hit them in the limbs, head, torso, back, etc... regardless of their "camouflage" suits?

 

[Chris Wallace]

The problem remains the same. It's better to direct their attention towards a protected spot than run the risk of being shot just anywhere.



If we're talking comics, no it's not. If we're talking movies, it's not either. The Nomex survival suit from Begins for example only protects you from crotch to shoulders, leaving your limbs and head unprotected against bullets.



Yes, that's what it comes down to. "If you manage to shoot me, make sure you aim at my bullet-proof vest." And again, it wouldn't work all the time. It's just a matter of increasing your chances, and a pretty good one at that.



I assume you're talking about movies and not real life here.



OK apparently you're not. Well then, if you think it's that hard to shoot someone or that any criminal's accuracy equals that of a monkey on ecstasy, the day you face one armed with a gun, by all means, run at him and disarm him. He'd miss you anyway.

Shooting someone is extremely easy. A lot more than what films would have you think. Especially when you're running at the guy with the gun, like Batman does.



Yes, the shooter might get lucky and shoot you in the head while he was aiming at your chest, but there really is nothing you can do about it, except for dodging the bullet.

Batman's main objective is to make sure no bullet is fired. I'd set his list of priorities as such:

1- Make sure the criminals doesn't have time to draw his gun (100% chance of survival if success)
2- If he does, make sure he doesn't have time to aim (100% chance of survival if success)
3- If he can aim, make sure he doesn't have time to fire the gun (100% chance of survival if success)
4- If he does fire, make sure you increase your chance of not getting hit by moving constantly (100% chance of survival if success)
5- If you get hit anyway, make sure you get hit in the bullet-proof jacket and not elsewhere. (Let's say about 95% chance of survival if success, 75% chance of survival is he gets hit in a limb, less than 1% chance of survival if shot in the head)
6- Get hurt and/or die.

All these things (1 to 5) contribute to increasing Batman's chances of survival, and that's what it's all about.

My point is not that directing the enemy's attention towards your chest will result in no injury whatsoever. A lot of things come into play, chance being one of those things, and chance is something you can't do a damn thing about. All Batman can do is increase HIS chances while lowering the enemy's chances.

Would the yellow oval increase his chances of getting hit in the chest rather than elsewhere? Yes.

I looked into the whole "bulletproof costume vs. bulletproof chest" thing, & found it to be somewhat inconsistent. In one story it's the whole suit, in another it's just the chest, & in another he has no protection whatsoever. Apparently it varies according to need, but typically the whole suit is interwoven with kevlar & the most heavy-duty protection is in the chest area.

 

[Oriin]

 

[StylishHokie21]

1. Batman 89
2. Batman Returns
3. The Dark Knight
4. Batman Begins
5. Batman Forever
6. Batman and Robin

 

[returntovoid]

1. Batman 89
2. Batman Begins
3. Batman Forever
4. Batman Returns
5. The Dark Knight
6. Batman & Robin

 

[mothy]

1. batman returns
2. batman (1989)
3. batman begins
4. the dark knight
5. batman forever
6. batman and robin