Editing Man-Bat (section)

{{short description|DC Comics character}}
{{distinguish|Batman (disambiguation){{!}}bat-man|Vampire (disambiguation){{!}}vampire}}
{{Infobox comics character <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
|image          = Man-Bat.jpg
|converted      = y
|caption        = The Man-Bat from ''[[Who's Who in the DC Universe]]'' #12,<br>art by Michael Golden
|character_name = Man-Bat
|real_name      = Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom
|species        = [[Metahuman]]
|publisher      = [[DC Comics]]
|debut          = ''[[Detective Comics]]'' #400<br/>(June 1970)
|creators       = [[Frank Robbins]] (writer)<br/>[[Neal Adams]] (artist)<br/>[[Julius Schwartz]] (concept)
|alliances      = {{plainlist|
*[[Justice League]]
*[[Secret Society of Super Villains]]
*[[Justice League Dark]]
*[[Suicide Squad]]
}}
|aliases        = Dr. Kirk Langstrom
|powers         = '''(As Langstrom):'''
*[[Genius]]-level intellect
*Proficient biochemist and zoologist
'''(As the Man-Bat):'''
*[[Superhuman strength]], durability, speed, and agility
*[[Flight]]
*[[Animal echolocation|Echolocation]]
*Razor-sharp claws
|partners=[[Khalid Nassour]]}}

'''Man-Bat''' ('''Dr. Robert Kirkland''' "'''Kirk'''" '''Langstrom''') is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by [[DC Comics]]. Introduced in ''[[Detective Comics]]'' #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the [[superhero]] [[Batman]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Korte |first3=Steve |last4=Manning |first4=Matt |last5=Wiacek |first5=Win |last6=Wilson |first6=Sven |title=The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe |date=2016 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-5357-0 |page=191}}</ref> the character belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his [[List of Batman family enemies#Classic rogues gallery|rogues gallery]]. Originally portrayed as a [[supervillain]], later incarnations show the Man-Bat as a [[sympathetic villain]] or [[antihero]].

In the original version of the story, Kirk Langstrom was a [[zoologist]] who tried to give humans a [[bat]]'s acute [[sonar]] sense. He managed to develop an extract that could supposedly do this, but upon testing it on himself, he transformed into an anthropomorphic feral half-bat hybrid, lacking sapience and acting purely on instinct. Batman managed to reverse the effects, but Langstrom would return as the Man-Bat time and time again, albeit not necessarily as a villain, as Langstrom would sometimes retain enough sanity to use his powers for good. Several other characters have since appeared as similar Man-Bat creatures, including Langstrom's wife [[Francine Langstrom|Francine]] and father Abraham.

Since his debut at the end of the [[Silver Age of Comic Books]], the Man-Bat has been featured in various media adaptations, including [[television series]] and [[video game]]s. In 2017, the Man-Bat was ranked as ''[[IGN]]''{{'}}s 16th-best Batman villain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06/29/25-best-batman-villains|title=25 Best Batman Villains|work=IGN|date=1 May 2017|access-date=18 January 2021}}</ref>

{{TOC limit|3}}