Superhero by Day?

I realized recently that there are two distinct kinds of superheroes: Those who are always on, and those who treat it like a day job.

I came upon this epiphany after taking a picture of myself tearing off a shirt to expose my Batman uniform underneath. Of course, this is factually inaccurate. Not because I'm not actually Batman, but because Batman never wore his uniform beneath his street clothes. During the day, Bruce Wayne lives his millionaire playboy lifestyle, living his life to the fullest. It's at night, during his pre-planned shifts, that he pulls on his cowl and becomes…Batman. He has a distinct line between his life as Bruce Wayne and his life as Batman. And it's relatively easy to maintain. There's such a disconnect between the two, that it really is just a hobby for him.

On the other hand, we have the superheroes that are always on. Take Superman, take S

piderman. They have the suit on beneath their clothes. When the ugly head of crime is reared, they're ready. They may have their pre-planned patrols, too, but they're also just ready for action.

Scenario: A superhero, in his street clothes, is walking down the street and glances down an alley. A woman is being violently mugged. What does he do?

Batman: Well, as I'm dressed in my Bruce Wayne clothes, I have to decide whether it's worth stepping in. If I decide that it is, then I have to make an assumption about how long it will be going on. If it's going to be over soon, then I probably won't do anything. I'd have to step in as Bruce Wayne, millionaire playboy, and I don't really need that kind of publicity right now. If it's looking like it will take a while, I can take a car home, change into my uniform in the Batcave, and head back out in the Batmobile. I mean, Wayne Manor is a bit out of the city, so I have to weigh in factors of time of day, traffic, etc. Yeah, I'd most likely just let him continue on his way. It's really not worth getting involved. I mean, I sometimes keep an additional suit over at the Wayne Enterprises (formerly WayneCorp) building, but that's still a bit of trouble, what with the elevators and all. I'd just let it go.

Superman: I'd duck behind a dumpster or through a car or something and strip down to my suit. Then I'd make sure justice is served. That woman's liberty shall not be impeded upon.

Spiderman: I'd duck behind a dumpster and strip down to my suit and pull on my mask. I'd make some witty comments and defeat the bad guy.

Spiderman and Superman both believe that their main purpose is to fight crime and protect the masses. It has many downsides, as it means crime-fighting comes first. It's more important than relationships, work, school, etc. Nothing is bigger than crime fighting. But Batman believes in a "trickle-down" theory of crime. The guys at the bottom, the street thugs, muggers, drug dealers, etc, they're nothing. They're just a symptom of a much larger problem. That's what he's after. He's going after the top rung, the criminals from which all other crime flows.* In his opinion, Spiderman and Superman are simply wasting time by spending so much effort on the little guys.

*Obviously, this is a flawed view. Following Batman's plan of attack, all the big criminals will be taken out, and any remaining low-level thugs will be dealt with during his shifts from 10pm to 4am. Outside of that, it's open season.