Batman

Batman in Jacksonville, February 2014

**Batman** was a custom-bodied monster truck owned by FELD Motor Sports and licensed by DC Comics, based on the comic book superhero of the same name and designed after his titular vehicle, the Batmobile. Introduced in 2006, the truck had many drivers over the years, including John Seasock, Jason Childress, and Norman Miller. Batman became a fan favorite for its design and was a staple in Monster Jam events for eight years, retiring by the end of the 2014 season. The truck also competed in seven World Finals events, winning two back-to-back racing championships under Seasock.

## History

#### Background

On January 10, 2005, Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced their partnership with Clear Channel Entertainment (Monster Jam's owners at the time) and their intention to create monster trucks based on DC Comics superheroes Batman and Superman, as well as the Tasmanian Devil from *Looney Tunes*. The Superman truck had already debuted just two days before, while Batman and Taz were planned to debut later in the year; however, issues with the Batman truck's custom body style, based on a Hot Wheels toy from 2004, resulted in it being delayed for the entire year.

#### 2006

On January 6, 2006, Batman made its competition debut in Charlotte, driven by Jason Childress. The truck would have a strong season in its debut year, as Childress would win racing in Phoenix, breaking Linsey Weenk's immense winning streak in the process. After the truck's first World Finals appearance that year, Childress would retire from competition, leaving Batman without a full-time driver for the remainder of the year. Several other drivers would take his place at off-season events, including Marc McDonald at Monsters on the Beach, Charlie Pauken at Monsters on Mainstreet (where he'd win freestyle), and Dan Evans during the European Tour.

#### 2007-12

In 2007, Batman would receive a new full-time driver, former T-Maxx driver John Seasock, as well as working flamethrowers in the rear. Batman would have another strong season, with Seasock winning racing in Atlanta. At World Finals 8, Seasock won his first world racing championship, defeating reigning champion Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger for the title. At the subsequent World Finals in 2008, Seasock would win racing again over Jimmy Creten in Bounty Hunter, becoming the second driver in Monster Jam history (after Tom Meents) to successfully defend their world championship for multiple years.

In 2009, Batman would receive a new chassis while the previous one is converted into Grave Digger 22. At World Finals 11, Seasock received a score of 4 points in freestyle after breaking early. Seasock would leave the Batman team in 2011, in favor of Advance Auto Parts Grinder; Norm Miller would take his place, while Tim Missentzis drive the truck at Saginaw 2012. In December of 2012, Bari Musawwir would drive Batman for one show in Minneapolis on a new, silver chassis; this would also be the last appearance of the original Batman body.

#### 2013-14

In 2013, Batman's body was updated, slimming down the hood while removing the wings and afterburners and changing the logo; Miller remained as the truck's driver. At World Finals 14, Miller felt ill and was unable to compete in freestyle, so Carl Van Horn took his place, only to rank dead last with a score of 6. At the start of the 2014 season, Miller began driving the recently-introduced New Earth Authority Police truck while Seasock returned as Batman's primary driver. This was Batman's final year of competition, as the DC license expired by the end of the year; its final show was in Warsaw on June 7, as part of that year's European tour. This would also be the last show for Man of Steel, Superman's successor.

## Drivers

* Jason Childress (2006)
* Marc McDonald (Monsters on the Beach 2006)
* Charlie Pauken (Monsters on Mainstreet 2006)
* Frank Krmel (West Lebanon 2006, Fishersville 2011)
* Dan Evans (2006 European Tour)
* John Seasock (2007-10, 2014)
* Bobby Parr (Saluda 2008)
* Norm Miller (2011-13)
* Alex Blackwell (San Jose 2011)
* Tim Missentzis (Saginaw 2012)
* Bari Musawwir (Minneapolis 2012)
* Carl Van Horn (World Finals 14 freestyle)
* Mike Christensen (Unknown show(s)/year)

## Theme Songs

* "Power Struggle" by Sunna (2006-2011)
* "Batman Theme" by Arctic Records (2012)
* "Molossus" by James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer (2013-2014)

#### One-off Themes

* "Keep Away" by Godsmack (Tampa 2006)
* "Click Click Boom" by Saliva (World Finals 7)
* "Demonoid Phenomenon" by Rob Zombie (Jacksonville 2007)
* "Men in Black" by Will Smith (Houston 2008 (Show 1))
* "Again" by Alice In Chains (Anaheim 2008 (Show 1))
* "The Batman Theme" by Danny Elfman (Phoenix 2008 & Arnhem 2009)
* "Right Where I Belong" by 3 Doors Down (World Finals 9 & Cardiff 2009)
* "Walk" by Pantera (Tacoma 2008)
* "Batman Theme" by Neal Hefti and His Orchestra (Springfield 2008)
* "Back In Black" by AC/DC (Syracuse 2008)
* "The Game" by Disturbed (Monsters on Mainstreet 2008)
* “Re-Education (Through Labor)” by Rise Against (El Paso 2009)
* "Psychosocial" by Slipknot (Cardiff/Gothenburg 2009)
* "Take Me Nowhere" by The Offspring (Arlington 2010)
* "Of All The Gin Joints In The World" By Fall Out Boy (Hartford 2010)

## Trivia

* Batman's custom body was originally designed by Fraser Campbell, a British Hot Wheels designer, in 2003; because it was initially concieved as a toy, creative liberties were taken with many of its details, such as a red windshield, wheels with the Batman symbol on them, a turbine in the hood, giant wings, and a sleeker body. Most of these details were removed (or, regarding the wings and body, reproportioned) on the real-life truck, and subsequent Hot Wheels releases would follow suit by replacing them with more accurate ones (such as the turbine being replaced with a yellow bat logo).
	+ Though it shares some similarities with the Batmobile featured in the Tim Burton *Batman* films, the truck's design is a wholly original take on the vehicle and isn't specifically based on any version of it.
	+ The original Hot Wheels toy was simply named "Batmobile."
	+ In 2020, Spin Master released their own version of Batman, with a more tank-like design.

* The twin afterburners on Batman's body were equipped with flamethrowers, a unique feature that was built into the chassis and triggered by the driver.
	+ Initially, the afterburners were solid gray props without any additional function; the flamethrowers were added by March of 2007.

* In early 2006, Batman's wings had a small silver line in the middle. By March, however, this line would extend to cover the entire length of the wing.

* The truck had its own separate introduction in the 2006 and 2007 European Tours.

* Batman's 2013-14 theme song, "Molossus" by James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer, comes from the score of the 2005 film *Batman Begins*.

* John Seasock is one of only three drivers who have won the World Finals racing championship in two consecutive years, the others being Adam Anderson (Grave Digger the Legend) and Tom Meents (Goldberg/Maximum Destruction).

* In 2007, an Australian Batman truck, owned by KC's Fireworks, made its debut. While it was initially based on the Tumbler from *The* *Dark Night* *Trilogy*, it would be redesigned in 2008 to look much closer to its U.S. counterpart. This truck was scrapped in 2012, and its body was repurposed as Wicked.

## Gallery

Early concept art, circa 2003Preliminary concept layout, 2003Full concept art, 2003Render art on packaging of 2004 Hot Wheels releaseIMG 2893.JPGConcept render in the 2005 yearbookBatmancharlotte.JPGBatman making its debut in Charlotte, January 2006Batman (truck).jpgBatman in Phoenix, January 2006Batman wingless 2006.jpgOriginal body without wings in Wilkes-Barre, February 2006Batman 2006 wingless 2.jpgDitto; note the blank afterburnersVegasae06108.jpgBatman in World Finals 7 freestyle, March 2006; note the silver lines on the wings, as well as the fire pattern in the afterburnersTa vabeach06 sat 51.jpgBatman at Monsters on the Beach in Virginia, May 2006Monster Jam - Superman vs Batman Monster Truck - Rogers Centre - 1.20.07Batman racing against Superman in Toronto, January 2007Mini-2007 0127Indy MJ0010.jpgBatman in the Indianapolis pit party, Februrary 2007Mini-2007 0127Indy MJ0056.jpgDitto, with its new driver John SeasockWf807043.jpgBatman winning racing over Grave Digger at World Finals 8, March 2007IMG 9712.jpgBatman in the Cardiff pit party, October 2007BatmanCardiff.jpgDitto, during competitionMonster Jam - 2008 - Tacoma, Wa (3368464977).jpgBatman shooting flames in Tacoma, January 2008097.jpgBatman winning racing over Bounty Hunter at World Finals 9, March 2008Mini-2008 0518Lima jambo 4X40958.jpgBatman in the 4-Wheel Jamboree in Lima, May 20082725228321 dfbc9ac227 o.jpgBatman at Monsters on Mainstreet in Houston, July 20083389492720 b57da5c91b o.jpgBatman's new chassis at World Finals 10, March 20093398252070 1848a6a8b0 o.jpgDitto, crashing during freestyleBatman2010.jpgBatman in Atlanta, January 2010Monster-trucks-Batman-front-view.jpgBatman at World Finals 12, March 2011Batman minny 2012.jpgBatman's new chassis (with the old body) in Minneapolis, December 2012Batman2013.jpgBatman's updated body in 2013Screenshot 20190410-190300.jpgDitto, in the World Finals 14 pit partyBatman2014.jpgBatman in Trenton, January 2014Monster Jam - Batman freestyle crashBatman at its last show in Warsaw, June 2014Batman-Logo-1966.png2006-12 logoBatmanlogo2013.png2013-14 logoBatmanlogo.pngPromotional logo, used on the truck's chassis and mostly appeared in promotional art and yearbooks up to 2013
### Merchandise

Batmanrc.jpgTyco R/CS-l300-1466801370.jpg2004 Hot Wheels toy prototype2004-1 07-Batmobile (2).jpgOriginal Hot Wheels toy from 20042004-2 07-Batmobile (2).jpgAlternate version of the 2004 release, with regular wheels2008 48-Batman (2).jpg2008 Hot Wheels toy2014 SE-FL Batman (2).jpg2014 Hot Wheels toy, with 2013 deco on the 2005 casting2010 Batman (1).jpg2010 1:24 Hot Wheels toy2015 32-Batman (2).jpg2015 Hot Wheels toy, on updated casting2014 Batman (1).jpg2014 1:24 Hot Wheels toy, with 2013 deco on the 2010 casting2016 Batman (1).jpg2016 1:24 Hot Wheels toy, on updated castingBatmanspeed.jpgSpeed Demon Hot Wheels toy2010 SE-MD Batman.jpg1989 movie Batmobile from the 2010 Hot Wheels Monster Duo 2-Pack2020 H&VT Batman (2).jpg2020 Spin Master toy2021 Batman (1).jpgSpin Master 1:24 toy, 2021Batmanplush.jpgPlush truck
### Micellaenous

2725235107 75c48d0e81 o.jpgBatman on travel tires, July 20082363668550 e880c7a031 o.jpgFront view of Batman, March 2008Batman chunky.jpgDitto, with visible support beams for the wings3383780015 f924d3abd6 o.jpgClose-up of the logo on Batman's hood, March 20092725228775 62b7846515 o.jpgRear view of Batman in July 2008, with the flamethrowers exposed374070305 f054e54ce8 h.jpgDitto, in January 2007; the flamethrowers haven't been added yet8583662662 2f28d6c26d o.jpgFront view of the updated Batman, March 20138582558825 885cbf26e4 o.jpgClose-up of the logo on the updated Batman's hood, March 2013Batman rear 2013.pngRear view of Batman in Phoenix, January 2013; the afterburners have been replaced with a black bat symbolBatman rear 2014.pngDitto, with a silver bat symbol in Trenton 20145556997073 f63c8f80f5 b.jpgAustralian Batman truck in 2011, with a similar design to the U.S. version
## References

1. ↑ Announcement on ushra.com: https://web.archive.org/web/20050204110527/http://www.ushra.com/articleDetail?id=Article.2005-01-10.2353
2. ↑ 2004-1 07-Batmobile (2).jpg
3. ↑ monster-style.com archive, January 6, 2006: https://web.archive.org/web/20060106144252/http://www.monster-style.com/
4. ↑ Batman's World Finals 7 freestyle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZXxg0jQIA4
5. ↑ Seasock celebrating his victory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UpVkUIpuzM
6. ↑ Batman racing in World Finals 8 racing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TeVxIi98Rs
7. ↑ Batman's World Finals 11 freestyle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCpNR1yM4SA
8. ↑ Batman's World Finals 14 freestyle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDMiMniuTnc
9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaaoxqufYaA
10. ↑ 2004-1 07-Batmobile (2).jpg
11. ↑ 2005 27-Batman (4).jpg
12. ↑ File:2004-1 07-Batmobile (1).jpg
13. ↑ File:Batman (truck).jpg
14. ↑ Vegasae06108.jpg
15. ↑ *Video needed*