The Dark KnightThe Caped Crusader is swooping over an overcast Gotham City again in the bleak blockbuster The Dark Knight. We look back at the life of the celebrated comic creation and pick out twenty facts... that you may - or may not - know about the superhero they call Batman....

• The original Batman envisaged by comic book editor Bob Kane was a Superman-style character with "reddish tights...a small Domino mask...swinging on a rope..."
   
• The Joker's  weapons include razor-sharp playing cards, acid-spewing flowers, cyanide pies and "Joker Venom", a deadly poison that infects his victims with a ghoulish rictus grin as they die while laughing uncontrollably.
   
• Celebrity guest villains in the TV series included Zsa Zsa Gabor (Minerva), Joan Collins (Siren), Eartha Kitt (Catwoman), Liberace (Chandell and Twin Harry), Vincent Price (Egghead) and George Sanders as Mr Freeze.
   
• Bruce Wayne's Christian name is taken from the Scottish patriot Robert The Bruce and Wayne is derived from the American Revolutionary general "Mad" Anthony Wayne.
   
• Batman's characteristic utility belt was introduced in 1939 followed the same year by the boomerang-like batarang and the first bat-themed vehicle.
   
• The introduction of Robin the Boy Wonder as a sort of Dr Watson character to Batman's Holmes saw sales of the comics double.
   
• The fully-functioning Batmobile used in the Tim Burton films featured a jet engine, which consumed fuel at such a high rate that there was only enough fuel capacity to run it for 15 seconds.
   
• Rumour has it the characters of Batwoman and Bat-Girl were introduced in part to refute the allegation that Batman and Robin were gay.
   
• In 1964, sales of Batman comics had fallen so drastically that DC Comics actually considered killing the character off.
   
• The Joker, whose background is never revealed, has been played by Cesar Romero (live action TV series), Jack Nicholson (Tim Burton's Batman), the late Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) and voiced by former Star Wars stalwart Mark Hamill.
   
• Adam West claims he was actually invited to play Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service based on his popularity as the TV's Caped Crusader.
   
• The most famous Batmobile is the live action TV series' tail-finned vehicle, a Ford concept car which began life as the Lincoln Futura.
   
• In The Dark Knight,  Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) drives a grey Lamborghini Murciélago: Murciélago is Spanish for "bat."
   
• The live action TV series saw the Caped Crusader's arsenal of gadgets include the bat-radar, bat-cuffs, bat-pontoons, bat-drinking water dispenser, bat-camera with polarized bat-filter, bat-shark repellent, bat-spray and bat-rope. 
   
• To prepare for the role of The Joker, Heath Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character's posture, voice and psychology and kept a diary, in which he recorded the Joker's thoughts and feelings to guide himself during his performance.
   
• Bruce Wayne's faithful butler, played by Michael Caine in The Dark Knight, is a retired actor and secret agent who followed the deathbed wish of his dying father to carry on the tradition of serving the Wayne family.
   
• During shooting of The Dark Knight at London's Battersea Power Station, the detonation of a rigged 200-ft fireball prompted 999 calls from local residents who feared a terrorist attack.
   
• Dark Knight Costume designer Lindy Hemming  drew inspiration from counter-cultural pop culture artists including Pete Doherty, Iggy Pop and Johnny Rotten for the anarchic Joker.
   
• Matt Damon was director Christopher Nolan's first choice for the role of Harvey Dent, which eventually went to Aaron Eckhart. Hugh Jackman, Liev Shreiber and Josh Lucas were also considered.
   
• The Batsuit worn by Christian Bale in The Dark Knight is constructed from 200 unique pieces of rubber, fibreglass, metallic mesh, and nylon with elastic banding added for a tight fit.