How Old is Batman and Joker?

The "contemporary" age of Bruce Wayne is actually relatively easy to pinpoint. Wayne always had one age at which he stopped aging in the comic book continuity, one age that was given to him to last and be one of his defining physical characteristics. Lets start from the genesis of the character

Bob Kane mentioned in the late 1980's that he envisioned Bruce Wayne as being like young Cary Grant ( via BRT). Cary Grant was 35 in 1939 when Batman/Bruce Wayne was born creatively.

This is very much in line with Batman's age established in Modern continuity - 34.  Batman #599 states that Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered when Bruce was nine, nearly 25 years ago. That would make Bruce 34. 

One noticeable difference between the two continuities is that Modern Age I establishes that Bruce debuted as Batman at the age of 25, Year One in particular. So in contemporary timeline, Batman is purging crime from  Gotham City's streets for 9 years

IN THE MOVIES

BATMAN 

* At the time of the shoot Adam West was 38 and finished up at the age of 40, which would make him 4 years older than the comic book counterpart at the beginning of the series

BATMAN

* Michael Keaton was at the age of 38 when he was shooting the first Batman

BATMAN RETURNS

He was 41 at the time of Batman Returns

BATMAN FOREVER

* At the time of the Batman Forever shoot Val Kilmer was 36

BATMAN & ROBIN

* George Clooney was 36 at the time of the Batman & Robin shoot. It is interesting to note that at the time Clooney described Batman as being a "35 year old guy", whether it was a lucky guess or did DC supplied him with the info on the character is unknown.

BATMAN BEGINS

*At the time of the shoot for Batman Begins Bale was 30, making him the youngest actor to play the character in theatrical Batman movies, and making him 4 years younger than his comic book counterpart.

THE DARK KNIGHT

He was 34 on the shoot for The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

and 37 for The Dark Knight Rises

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JOKER

 Joker's age is never directly mentioned in the comic books. The common notion is that Joker is much older than Wayne, probably stemming from the TV show and the 1989 movie, however it seems like they're the same age. The idea of Joker being older than Batman might also come from the fact that the artwork often depicted Joker as someone looking like an aged man in late 30's or early 40's, or the idea alone that he's a gangster and a leader of mobsters in the Golden and Silver eras, something that usually seasoned, older gangsters could be. 

Let's again start with the genesis of the character. Joker's appearance was based on Conrad Veidt's character from the movie "The Man Who Laughs", which is a nice way of saying that Bob Kane simply drew the character on paper without any changes. Kane was a self proclaimed copycat and the Joker was virtually the Veidt character with green hair

Conrad Veidt was 35 in "The Man Who Laughs" and since Joker was an on-paper depiction of the character from the movie, it was therefore depiction of a 35 year old man. 

This would also more or less match the Modern Age depiction of the character. So Batman was said to start his crime fighting career at the age of 25 and Joker fell into the chemicals shortly after Batman's first appearance when he was still a gasp inducing novelty. If he's the same age that Batman is, that would make him 25 by the time he made the jump which would match the physical depiction of the character and the story - in The Killing Joke the comedian (later in continuity named Jack) is depicted as a young man who is struggling to find a job and support his pregnant wife who's expecting their first baby. So then in contemporary timeline, 9 years later, Joker would also be 34/35 and that would match the original character.

IN THE MOVIES

BATMAN

* At the time of the shoot Cesar Romero was 59 and finished up at the age of 61, which would make him 24 years older than the comic book counterpart at the beginning of the series

BATMAN

* Jack Nicholson was 52 at the time of the Batman shoot, continuing the TV shows depiction of Joker as being much older than Batman. He was 17 years older than his comic book counterpart

THE DARK KNIGHT

* Heath Ledger was 29 at the time of The Dark Knight shoot. He was 6 years younger than his comic book counterpart

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When does 'Batman' take place?

Not many may know, but despite the feeling of timelessness of the Tim Burton universe that he created for his Batman movies and which the 1992 Animated Series emulated, the movie is actually set in a specific year. The year is actually confirmed at least 3 times in the movie.

The first time the year the movie is set in is revealed is when we are introduced to Vicky Vale. Take a look at the headlines in Gotham Globe that she's reading. One of them mentions Mexican President Miguel Aleman being hailed on American Parade. That event happened during Motorcade parade in 1947 when President Truman and U.S. gave President Aleman a very warm welcome

The second clue can be found in another newspaper in which the headline says "Universal Service urged by Truman in Princeton talk: President speaks from steps of Nassau Hall at the Close of Bicentennial festivities" . Of course this event also happened in history. The closing days of Princeton's yearlong Bicentennial celebration, the final weekend of which, from Reunions through Commencement, saw Princeton hosting a remarkable collection of people and events -  President Harry S. Truman delivered a national address from the steps of Nassau Hall during Commencement in 1947.

The third clue can be found in the very same newspaper, in another headline saying:  "Mayor Hague Ends 30 years in the Office". Frank Hague was a mayor of Jersey City from 1917 to 1947.

The newspaper also mentions Ferenc Nagy as Hungary's Prime Minister. Nagy was elected for this title in 1947

Also, the date on the newspapers doesn't reveal the year but says "November 7, Friday". November 7th fell on a Friday in 1947
All this is visually confirmed by the look and architecture of Gotham City which represents the Industrial Era America, 1940s in particular

Anton Furst, the designer: We imagined what New York City might have become without a planning commission. A city run by crime, with a riot of architectural styles. An essay in ugliness. As if hell erupted through the pavement and kept on going' (Time 1989)

The fashion also represents that certain time period, with everyone wearing hats and clothes from the Al Capone era.

Most of the technology reflects it as well if you take a look at the microphones, typewriters, cameras

and guns. For example, Bob the Goon's handgun is a Col M1911A1. Joker's goons either use World War II hangunds, Webley Mk IV, or M1928 Thompson also called Tommyguns.

Even the machine gun in the Batmobile ,Browning M1919, is an old gun used during World War II and also in latter decades

Of course there's no shortage of surreality in Tim Burton's movies, and the time frame is no different. While the movie is set in 1947, there are elements in it placed from a completely different time period that stick out yet are fully accepeted. One of such elements is Vicky Vale who represents the contemporary times, 1980's in particular. With her clothes and style she is very unlike the 1940's women presented in the movie. For example, Alicia and other women are presented as perfectly matching the timeframe with their appearances like makeup, clothing and fashion

Vicky is an outside element who fully represents the 80's

That idea is even underlined by the fact that her portfolio consist of photos of models who are clearly representing the fashion of the 1980's

She is truly a relict from the future and even her accessories come from the 80's, such as her Nikon camera or her phone. The interesting thing is that she's actually only a visitor in Gotham , and she comes from someplace else.

Then there are cars from the 1970's and 1980's such as Plymouth police cars, and some weapons from 50's. Small audio tape recorders and 80s Prince music are also present, which all create a surreal mix of various elements from different eras mixed in together

To add to the confusion, even though the world is that of 1947 and gets through the same historical events as the world did that year, and experiences the same fashion trends and looks, the year is actually 1989 -  that is the date given on the Wanted poster handed out by Lt. Eckheardt

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To sum it up, as one of the posters said, its like if 1947 somewhat existed in 1989. It's pretty much 1947 with elements of 1989, not the other way around. As a side note, there's another clue to the actual time on the CIA files that Joker got his hands on. It states the the nerve gas has been discontinued in 1977

Batman's Physique

While some facial features will differ slightly due to variety of styles among the artists, the comic book characters have been more or less consistent throughout their respective eras. The writers and artists have a list of criteria and basic information on each character that they must follow. The interesting thing is that while Batman had always have consistent features and physical attributes within certain continuities, they're not a common knowledge. There are always deviations from time to time in specials that aren't a part of continuity or one offs, but the regular series had been very much consistent within itself

Bruce Wayne/Batman for the most part wasn't a muscular type of a person that relied on strength. He wasn't built like a bodybuilder or weigh lifter. While strong and slim, his main attributes were an amazing agility, speed and reflexes. His athletic skills were more than exceptional, and he was even able to move and swing in the air like Spider-Man

Panel below from Batman #425

Panel below from Detective Comics #589

Panel below from Detective Comics #582

The entire point of wearing a spandex suit is a complete freedom of movement. For a man relying on his unmatched speed and agility, the freedom of movement is the most important thing

Panel below from Detective comics #614

Panel below from Detective Comics #444

He was even shown dodging bullets numerous times back in the 80's..

..and still is today

Bruce Wayne is officially 6'2 tall and weights 210 lbs  according to the official Who's Who in DC Universe

As already mentioned, Batman has a slim and athletic body, but by no means does he look like a bodybuilder or weight lifter. While he lifts weights as well and has a well shaped body, his practice consists of very acrobatic maneuvers.

The point is, it was Batman's agility, not the physical strength or muscles that were his prime attributes. In the very beginning though, it was somewhat different

The first time we get to see Batman shirtless is in 1939's Detective Comics #29 when he gets shot and goes to the doctor to fix the wound. He is shown as a man in shape but the early style of the comic books was very stylized and not as detailed. For example, the doctor is shown to be wide as well

It was Batman's origins, first appearing in 1939's Detective Comics #33, that flat out stated and showed that Bruce is incredibly strong and his body is a "physical perfection"

That physique was very consistent, even if the art was very stylized. Panel below from 1940's Batman #2

His exceptional strength became very apparent very quickly

Panel below from Detective Comics # 44

Panel below from Batman #3

The art got more and more detailed starting with late 60's, eventually morphing into the standard style for the comic books in the 70's.  As the art changed and the Batman universe experienced its revolution, switching gears to more serious stories, Batman's physique wasn't that of a weightlifter anymore and his body was streamlined significantly. He was now shown as a man in a very good shape, but nothing exceptional or out of norm for a man his age and height. The change wasn't only visual - the stories for the first time humanized the character, showing him actually struggle with heavy things

Batman lifting someone in the 1940's...

and in the late 1960's 

He was still well built and muscular, but he didnt have any exceptionally huge muscles and abs. 

In other words his physique now was more human, more down to Earth, more common looking

As one can notice from those examples, Bruce is not a bodybuilder type, but is built like a typical man in shape. Strength and size weren't his calling cards, the swiftness in movement, fighting styles and acrobatic skills were.

This stature remained consistent for many years. 

In the late 80's he was gaining more and more muscles

In 1991's Legends of the Dark Knight #16 Bruce was shown as being even more ripped, but the story still stressed out that he's no bodybuilder

Batman sometimes performed amazing fits and could have a boost of strength that would be almost impossible for a human being, but that was due to his strong and sudden rush of adrenaline and/or anger

Panels below from Detective Comics #614 

Panel below from Shadow of the Bat #4 

So in general the physical depiction of Batman was very consistent, but as mentioned before, there were occasional deviations. One of them is the famous 1986's Year One which hints at Batman's exceptional physical strength

The mid/late 90's started changing Batman's body more and more. In time he was given much, much more strength and his body and muscles grew in size as the years progressed. Soon he was shown to perform such inhuman tasks as kicking in steel doors, ripping out prison bars and punching through the hood of the car. He was visibly bigger and could lift 1000 lbs as his daily routine

Panel below from Batman #655

Panel below from Batman Tenses

For a better comparison on how the comic books gradually toned down and then amped up Batman's physique over his long history, take a look at this comparison set

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THE 1966 SERIES

Adam West is the only actor to date to match Batman's 6'2 height in the comics. Also, while it was a bit hard to tell when in the costume, West was well built as well, even more so than his comic counterpart at the time. His physique actually matched that of the Bronze Age Batman, and he actually resembled him quite a bit

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THE TIM BURTON MOVIES

Michael Keaton is 5'10, about an average height for a Caucasian male and roughly four inches shorter than Batman’s height in the comics . Before playing Batman, Michael Keaton played a professional athlete in the 1986 movie called Touch and Go

The closest we get to see his physique around the Batman shoot is in the 1988 movie called Clean and Sober, in which we can see that Keaton was of a good shape of an average man. It's important to note that he went under extensive kick-boxing training for his role in Batman

Michael Keaton: So the preparation that I did, aside from basic things that I think you always have to do was getting in shape because I had to be very physical in this movie. Actually I couldn't get too big because I couldn't fit in the suit if I was too big and I couldn't get too small, I couldn't loose too much weight (MNC TV 1990)

In 1992 he appeared on SNL, seemingly bigger than in the late 80's

It's worth noting that Michael Keaton was able to achieve an impressive fit of gaining a great amount of muscle tissue for his role in the movie Desperate Measures

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JOEL SCHUMACHER MOVIES

Val Kilmer is 6 feet tall, two inches shorter than his comic book counterpart. Kilmer had a wide but athletic body, which very much resembles the Bronze/Modern Age I physique of Batman. 

George Clooney is 5'11 tall. He was the skinniest and least physically fit of the actors who portrayed Bruce Wayne/Batman. 

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CHRISTOPHER NOLAN MOVIES

 Christian Bale always dives deep into his roles and commits to his characters both mentally and physically. In order to play Batman, he achieved a stunning fit of gaining incredible amount of weight and muscle tissue coming from a movie Machinist in which he was almost anorexic

Bale is 6'0 tall, two inches shorter than his comic book counterpart. He was shown as being more bulky, wider and more muscled than many of Batman's incarnations, mirroring more the recent depictions and the earliest years with his physique

Christopher Nolan: [Christian Bale] proceeded to put on a lot of weight in muscle terms, he really tried bulk up.(...) I sort of gently suggested to cut down a bit (Making of BB)

Christian Bale: I was just stuffing my face all day long, and lifting every weights and eating more and eventually went up to around 220 lbs. I just listened to what he said about get as big as you possibly can so thats what I did but I was kind of like a bear, I wasn't really like a martial arts guy, lean and ripped and everything like that. I could see the look on Chris' face, he looked at me and it was like 'oh' Christ, what has this guy done? (...) So I had to then loose a lot of weight (Making of BB)

Once they cast me, that’s when the real effort started just because that’s was when I actually had to start getting strong because he’s got no super powers. You have to look like you can be a brawler. He has no super powers and so he has to look like he really can do what you see him doing. And it was very… It was cutting it very fine, you know? I kind of just got ready in time for the beginning of the film.” (movies.about.com)

The weight fluctuation is somewhat noticeable in the movie as well

Bale was also the only non-American actor who portrayed Batman/Bruce Wayne in the theatrical movies 

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