It's no secret that we love Batman at IGN. A lot. And I think it's safe to say that a majority of our readers do too. It can be a love/hate relationship, sometimes. I've written Hero Worship columns about both ends of the spectrum in the past. There was Are We Ruining Movies for Ourselves? and Fetishizing The Dark Knight Rises , both of which talk about our addiction to nitpicking the smallest tidbits of news until the bone is picked clean. There was also The Dark Knight Returns (and Rises Too!) and The Appeal of the Joker , both of which celebrate our undying passion for all things Batman . But that begs the question: why do we love Batman so much? Why do we endlessly await the next tidbit of Batman news, be it from comics, movies, or television, oftentimes torturing ourselves in the process?

The most common answer, the one that I get the most when I pose this question to an unsuspecting nerd, is that "he's a badass." Which, you know, is true. But what that sentiment boils down to is that he's just a man – the "Optimum Man" as Grant Morrison has pointed out again and again in his epic six-year run with the character – with the resources to do what's necessary to dish out justice. He doesn't have any superpowers (though I'd make the argument that Bruce Wayne's wealth counts to some degree), simply the motivation to construct himself as the solution to every problem with a plan for every scenario, no matter how dire.This is the impetus for Grant Morrison's entire run on Batman, beginning with Batman Vol. 1 #655 and continuing to this day through Final Crisis , The Return of Bruce Wayne, Batman and Robin , and Batman Incorporated. While diving into the themes of that saga is another column entirely, the ideas that Morrison harps on is what, I think, is central to our love for the Dark Knight Interestingly, throughout his career, Morrison has also tackled other aspects of Batman that are equally important to his appeal, constructing a very well-rounded vision of what the character actually is and how we view him. In Batman: Gothic , we get to see Batman deal with the occult and supernatural; a realm he doesn't delve into very often but fits like a (black) glove when he does. Batman is, after all, a superhero that lives and breathes within the established DC Universe. While I love a tried-and-true detective story for the Dark Knight, establishing the shared universe of the DCU can become suspect if Batman never interacts with the more fantastic elements.And pre-dating Gothic from Morrison is perhaps the lynchpin to Batman's character – Batman: Arkham Asylum . A stunning portrayal of the Dark Knight that literally sends him into the madhouse, Morrison explores the idea of Bruce Wayne's sanity, depicting how fine the line is between the Batman and the rogues that he's put away. This is a theme often explored throughout the history of Batman, and I think one of the most complex reasons that we all love him so much.There's no question about it – Batman is, pun-intended, bat-s**t crazy. But there is a method to that madness, again, as Morrison portrayed with Batman's "back-up" persona in Batman RIP, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. If you haven't read Batman RIP, the basic idea is that Morrison took the character of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh – a goofy remnant of the Silver Age that was a Batman from another planet – and retconned it into being a subconscious persona of Bruce Wayne, triggered in the event of insanity or external invasion. It was ultimately used against him, but the idea is that Morrison – like he had done in the past with Gothic and Arkham Asylum – incorporated yet another aspect of Batman's long history in a way that allowed it to "count."In a sort of meta way, Zur-En-Arrh is another facet to the complex Batman persona that contributes to the many different dynamics of the character and makes him one of the few superhero characters that has a significant connective thread that ties together his long and varied history.Because of his many different personality traits, Batman is unique amongst his fellow superheroes. It could be argued that other heroes do their duty because they can; their super powers and special abilities give them an advantage and their upbringing or personal beliefs tell them they should use their powers for good. But Batman is different. He does it because he has to.Let's face it, Bruce Wayne was a spoiled rich kid. In fact, Batman Begins brings this fact to light rather spectacularly when Carmine Falcone tells a young Bruce, "You think because your mommy and your daddy got shot, you know about the ugly side of life, but you don't. You've never tasted desperate." For the first time since his parents were killed, Bruce faces a turning point in his life. This is the moment, at least in Christopher Nolan's movie series, that Batman is born. He doesn't have the tools just yet, but the realization and drive is readily apparent.In a lot of ways, that scene in the mob-run restaurant is the last we see of Bruce Wayne. After this, Bruce loses himself in his mission, not because he wants to, but because he is compelled to. It's an obsession; a sentiment that is echoed at the end of the film with Rachel's comment about the Batman persona being Bruce's true face.All of these things – the insanity, the supernatural, the gritty real-world detective skills, being the "Optimum Man" – they culminate in the core reason that Batman is so beloved by a variety of different fans. I've talked with fans that don't read comics at all, and they love Batman. Die-hard Marvel readers will argue that Batman is the only DC character they'll read, and that he's "DC's best Marvel character." Even readers that hate superhero comics, very often the only hero they'll read is Batman.He's the everyman; adaptable to nearly any kind of story. We've seen him in noir, horror, sci-fi, children's stories, camp, holiday tales. That's why an idea as ludicrous as Zur-En-Arrh works. And as a character, there's nothing that separates him from the rest of us, aside from wealth. His life is littered with tragedy; something each and every one of us can identify with.Norman Bates said, "We all go a little mad sometimes," and that's true. Unfortunately, Bates might be the more realistic depiction of what might happen if our minds break, but that's where our love for Batman comes into play. Batman can control his madness. Batman stimulates the part of the brain that wishes we could do the same; that we could all use the pain and insanity in our lives for the greater good. In a Freudian sense, he's mostly uninhibited by the super-ego, allowed to act as a surrogate for our desire of ultimate wish fulfillment. In a way, his ability to circumvent these human traits – despite being nothing more than a human – elevates him to an almost god-like status, albeit one that walks the Earth.Or, it could just be because he's got such wonderful toys.Why do you love Batman? Sound off in the comments below or let me know on Twitter

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter , or find him on MyIGN . You may or may not discover a profound number of cat pictures.