Becoming Batman: A Scientific Look at Whether or Not a Regular Person Could Become a Superhero

Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero, by E. Paul Zehr

E.Paul Zehr is a neuroscience and kinesiology professor at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, as well as a martial artist. In Becoming Batman: The Possiblilty of a Superhero, he asks the question: Could an average human become a superhero like Batman? The simple answer is yes.

Batman

Zehr uses science to teach readers how they can become Batman. He advises that it would not be an easy task in becoming a superhero like Batman. You would need to work really hard to get in shape and learn various martial arts.

In the first section of the book, Zehr looks at where Batman was before he was Batman. To compare Bruce Wayne to an average person, Zehr introduces the fictional character Bob, Bruce Wayne’s “twin brother.” Bob is an underachiever who is basically a chubby couch potato.

Zehr introduces many vocabulary terms throughout the book. He suggests that Bruce Wayne is 6 foot 2 and 185 pounds, whereas Batman is 6 foot 2 and 210 pounds and predicts that Bruce would have 20% body fat and Batman would have about 10% body fat. I learned that there are three body types: ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs. Ectomorphs have slimmer bodies and struggle to gain weight. Endomorphs have thicker bodies and tend to gain weight rather easily. Lastly, mesomorphs are a combination of ectomorphs and endomorphs, and typically gain muscle mass.

In Chapter 2, we are treated to a biology lesson. Zehr discusses cells, the cell membrane, cytoplasm, the nucleus, DNA, RNA, etc. We also learn about Gregor Mendel’s experiments with pea plants in terms of heredity, or a combination of traits from the parents.

In Part 2, Zehr discusses muscles and strength training. We learn the definition of hypertrophy, which means that muscle cells are increasing in terms of their size. Zehr explains that being powerful and being strong are not the same thing. To be strong, you don’t necessarily have to be powerful. Being powerful, though, does require you to have some strength. Zehr gives us an idea of how Batman would eat: 15% fats, 60% carbohydrates, and 25% proteins. Carbohydrates are helpful as a fuel source when one is exercising. We are also told that Batman takes his vitamins.

Part 3 of the book deals with Bruce’s martial arts training. Zehr uses an interesting analogy to describe the functions of the nervous system; he has the cerebral cortex as the president and CEO of the nervous system “company.” The cerebellum and basal ganglia are the vice presidents, and are responsible for the planning and execution of movement. This analogy works well because you can understand that the cerebral cortex comes up with a plan based on advice from the cerebellum and basal ganglia. I learned that Parkinson’s disease happens when the basal ganglia is not working properly; the basal ganglia’s job is to initiate movement. Parkinson’s disease patients have tremors in their hands even if they have not attempted any movement. Zehr explains that the hippocampus is the brain’s home for storing and forming memories. Alzheimer’s disease occurs when the patient can no longer form new memories because the hippocampus has degenerated.

In Chapter 8, Zehr corrects the assumption that Batman has studied 127 martial arts. He suggests instead, that Batman actually learned 3-5 different martial arts. He also explains that the beginning of martial arts started in China. In terms of the Batman comic books, martial arts has evolved from judo and jujutsu in the 1930’s and 1940’s, to karate and kung fu in the 1950’s-1970’s. The 1980’s and 1990’s led to the popularity of MMA, (mixed martial arts) which is prevalent today. (126). I thought Zehr’s discussion of the types of martial arts that Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jean- Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, and Steven Seagal studied was very interesting. Zehr suggests that Batman was trained as a ninja; he asserts that this was hinted at in the film Batman Begins. Batman does not like to kill his opponents unless he has to, as he states in No Man’s Land, “knowing how to kill doesn’t mean you must kill.” Batman has an anti gun stance; in “Victory for the Dynamic Duo,” Batman shoots a thug in the hand. Zehr states that Batman mostly engages in unarmed combat with most of his opponents.

Part 4 uses math to describe how kinetic energy works. I did not like the math problems at all, and wished Zehr had used science throughout the book to prove his points. Math just does not interest me. Zehr lists the weak points on a person’s body. Not surprisingly, the groin is at the top of the list. The other weak points are the throat, solar plexus, armpit, shin, top of the foot, inside of the arm, the outside of the thigh, and the small of the back. (176). Chapter 11 deals with body conditioning. Body conditioning helps a person deal with the pain of fighting in practice so that the pain can be ignored in combat. We are told that Batman has a high threshold for pain, which means he doesn’t feel it as much as others would.

Batman and Bane in The Dark Knight Rises

Part 5 deals with injuries and recovering from those injuries. Batman’s worst injury was a broken back, which was caused by a fight with Bane, his most formidable rival. What is

surprising, is that Batman takes many blows to the head, yet rarely receives a concussion. Concussions are spoken of a lot these days, specifically in terms of head injuries in NFL football. Zehr gives statistics to show how many football players died as a result of concussions; he found that “two-thirds of the deaths were because of brain injury with the remainder due to spinal cord injury or bleeding in the brain” (229). These rates have gone done because of the use of better helmets. In Chapter 15, we learn that repeated concussions can lead to dementia. Zehr predicts that Batman can continue being Batman until he’s in his fifties. He does, however think that a normal person could not be like Batman for a very long time. Instead, he believes that someone could be like Batman for only a few years (about the length of an NFL player’s career) .

I really liked Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Hero. I thought E. Paul Zehr did a good job teaching readers about science and Batman in an interesting way. I liked how he compared what Batman does with what athletes in various sports do. I didn’t mind all of the vocabulary. I learned a lot about Batman and his origins. I also learned a lot about science. I would recommend Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero to fans of Batman, fans of science, and fans of martial arts. I would give Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero an A-.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Very Tense Prequel to The Planet of the Apes franchise

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the story of how the planet of the apes came to be.  James Franco stars as Will Rodman, a scientist who is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.  His dad (John Lithgow) has the disease.  Will and his team are experimenting on apes.

Caesar and Will

When it is discovered that Bright Eyes had a baby and died trying to protect him, Will brings the baby home and raises it like a father would raise his son.  Will steals his experimental drug  so that he can use it on his father. At first, this works, but then his father’s disease spreads rapidly and kills him.

Because of an altercation with a neighbor, Caesar (Andy Serkis) is sent to a sanctuary for apes. At first, Caesar is picked on for being different (he wears clothes and is smarter than everyone else).  At the sanctuary, the apes are abused by one of the sanctuary’s caretakers (Tom Felton of the Harry Potter films).  Eventually, the apes escape and save the apes from the lab where Will works, as well as the apes from the zoo.

Apes on the Golden Gate Bridge

There is a big battle on the Golden Gate Bridge in which apes and humans die.  Will knows where the apes are going—when he gets there, he tells Caesar he’s taking him home. Caesar says he is home. Caesar has bonded with the other apes.

Caesar

This movie was pretty good. It starts out as a love story between a man and an ape and then progresses into a story about apes being mistreated, which leads us to an ape revolt. The love story is not well developed. Will doesn’t shed one tear when he has to give Caesar up. The love story between Will and the vet (Freida Pinto) is also not well developed because we do not know if they are married or boyfriend and girlfriend; all we know is that they are living together.

This movie is very tense.  There is a lot of action in it.  Some scenes are scary. The acting is okay.  The special effects were good.

I would recommend this movie to fans of action movies, and fans of The Planet of the Apes films.  I would give this film a B because it is good, not great.