We’re looking forward to introducing you to Batman. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Batman, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Absolutely! Last time I was interviewed, I mentioned wanting to connect with more volunteer and non-profit efforts. I’m proud to say that this year, Robin and I have had several opportunities to do so.
Of our most recent activities, we are particularly proud to have been asked in June to make an appearance for a six-year-old boy named Justice at a fundraising event held for him and his family. Justice was diagnosed with multicentric carpotarsal osteolysis syndrome, among the rarest progressive bone diseases in the world. With Justice being a big Batman fan, a friend of the family reached out to us on Facebook and we were happy to drop in to surprise them. We’d like to encourage readers to please take a look at Justice’s Facebook page (link below) as the family wishes to spread awareness about their son and the rare condition he battles:
https://www.facebook.com/share/174gBm9Ggg/
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We are a local cosplay couple with a love for Batman and Robin and brightening people’s days. What started out as a hobby for making high-quality Halloween and convention costumes turned into a means of fostering community in a small way by attending local events, conventions, and appearing unexpectedly in third spaces. We’ve found that sometimes, the difference between a good day and a bad day for many people can be one friendly interaction or novel experience that briefly and non-disruptively interrupts the routine of everyday life.
We emphasize being non-disruptive anywhere we go because we recognize that in the age of social media, it can be hard to tell the intentions behind anything unusual in public. We don’t currently have a TikTok nor create regular content. We do have a minimalistic Instagram and Facebook page, which both exist simply to communicate and show the public who we are, rather than receive views. The purpose of making appearances as these beloved characters is neither to make money nor garner online attention, but rather to facilitate wholesome and fun public interactions and create good memories, both for us and the people we encounter.
To summarize who we are: just a cosplay couple who like to make people smile!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Ah, going with the deep questions.
I was perhaps the same person I am now: just a kid who really likes Batman. It takes having a connection to your inner child to dress up like a superhero and walk around in public, and that’s a connection I want to keep until the day I die. Robin feels the same way. We made the choice not to do this as a career in order to protect our passion for it, which admittedly sometimes we question; there are many cosplayers who make decent money. Unlike the characters we dress up as, we do not have deep pockets, far from it. Many people face a pressure to turn their hobbies into a business or side hustle, and we are not immune from that pressure. However, while we technically accept voluntary donations for dedicated appearances or from grateful supporters, we generally don’t ask for payment aside from events such as birthday parties, and we both prefer keeping the “Batman of St. Louis” independent. No shame to any professional cosplayers who make their living this way, it just best fits into our lives and our intentions to do this the way we do.
We believe that by generally doing this for free, it helps keep the magic alive for kids and adults alike. An older gentleman we recently encountered told us that our appearances can potentially “inspire healing in some people on the right day,” and we want to protect that positivity. Especially so since the characters mean so much to us and many others.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Every time I put on the costume—but not because I had some tragic event in an alleyway. Speaking for myself, I’ve felt out of place for much of my life. Being high-masking neurodivergent and not being aware of it until adulthood made socializing more challenging, and in many ways it still does, even though others may not notice. I often find myself passively feeling like an alien, even while others may not be aware that I’m masking at all.
Whereas many others might feel intensely self-conscious walking around in public wearing a costume like mine, I take my existing feelings of otherness and turn them into a strength. I’m just as confident in the costume as I am out of the costume, but because I am used to quietly feeling out of place, it doesn’t feel strange to me when I’m dressed up and actually out of place. In that sense, I’ve begun wearing that private endeavor outwardly, enabling me to handle the many eyes I know are on me when I appear in public. The entire costume more or less announces neurodivergence to begin with, and as such, I’m proud to wear my art as a subtle way to represent. Maybe not so subtle, depending on how you think of it!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes and no. Of course we dress up and try to act more or less in-character during outings, but we have identities outside of our cosplays. I like this question because although the answer may seem obvious, many cosplayers unintentionally make cosplay their identity and temporarily lose touch with themselves as a result. Though most cosplayers have a healthy relationship with it as a hobby or profession, social media and an often status-focused culture make it easy for many to get lost in the endless pursuit of perfection that this craft can naturally encourage. Identifying too deeply with the character(s) one cosplays is a recipe for burnout, depression, and social isolation that we’ve seen happen before to devastating effect, and we’re glad to have the chance to briefly spread awareness about the issue.
Unsurprisingly, Batman has had a significant influence on both of us, even before we met. Personally, the character’s struggles with mental health, social masking, and hyperfixations appealed to me as a child. Those commonalities made me feel seen and were a great comfort and source of strength growing up. Batman and Robin have been important to our lives and values for years; we love embodying the characters through cosplay, but there is more to us than our interest in them—and that’s important for keeping this hobby special.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
Since I’m not a real vigilante, that’s hopefully long from now! To answer, though, I’m hopeful that if people are telling any stories about me at all, they are stories that make them feel hopeful or otherwise positive. There’s more to my life than the Batman of St. Louis, but given that it’s the subject, I think I’d want people to remember the things that aren’t seen on social media. I feel the best about those things, and most of what I or we do is not posted. Not by us, at least.
Following the disastrous tornado that devastated much of St. Louis in May, I wanted to help in a way that I was uniquely able to by dressing up to entertain the kids at a few hard-hit locations. Robin was out of state and unfortunately couldn’t join me. I want to acknowledge the first responders, volunteers, and community members whose efforts were far more important and impactful to the relief effort than mine, especially given that I was only able to help for a few days before going out of town myself. That said, what I was able to do are among the actions in this role that I’d hope to be remembered for.
On May 17th—the day following the tornado—I dressed up and brought some bottled water to Natural Bridge Avenue Save A Lot, where a resource distribution effort had been established. I spent a while there and in the surrounding area walking around and talking to parents and children, who were both excited to see “Batman” out in the wild. Some of the kids challenged me to race them across an empty section of the parking lot while their parents looked on with amusement, other kids and adults alike wanted pictures, and children asked me questions in-character or were fascinated by the utility belt’s prop gadgets. Admittedly I’d been hesitant about dressing up for it out of fear of being tone-deaf, but seeing immediate smiles and hearing from so many people that it made their day alleviated any concerns I’d had about it. I was warned several times by passing police cruisers that it was dangerous to be there, but I felt safe and welcome the entire time, even being on my own that day.
During the coming days, I also made appearances in a few other places, most fondly to me being the Red Cross tornado shelter at Grace United Methodist Church, where I spent the day entertaining the kids and volunteer staff. Aside from some very energetic games of catch, lots of drawing, card games, indoor bowling, and other fun activities, the kids and I helped move supplies from donation reception into the shelter. I had the chance to eat dinner with everyone and talk plenty with the volunteers and the parents, and that sense of community spirit was incredibly uplifting, even as so many were affected by the tornado. The feeling of witnessing that solidarity and appreciation for fellow human beings was among the warmest feelings I’ve ever felt. I remember one lady whose home was destroyed saying to me with a smile that “we’re still here, and that’s something to be thankful for,” as she looked over towards her children playing. I visited this same group again at Refresh Community Church when the shelter was moved due to roof damage, as I promised the kids I’d come see them at least one more time before I had to “return to Gotham City.” My only regret is that I couldn’t do more at the time. My respect for the many people from across the area who devoted their time, resources, and energy into disaster recovery is incalculable, and they are absolutely the real superheroes of the story.
Last year we hoped to have more chances to help out and make people smile, and now that we’ve been getting them, we’re still always looking for more opportunities to do so. Thanks for your continued interest in us!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batmanofstl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/batmanofstl/
- Other: https://buymeacoffee.com/batmanofstl
