The Origin of Batman’s Utility Belt

Batman’s utility belt is one of the most recognizable superhero accessories of all time. As Variant Comics points out in their video, it was created by the prolific writer Gardner Fox in 1939 for Detective Comics issue #29, two issues after Batman’s first ever appearance. Gardner would go on to introduce the Batarang a couple of issues later.

The modern incarnation of Batman’s utility belt, which has pockets instead of capsules, was popularized by Frank Miller, who introduced the military-style belt in 1986’s The Dark Knight Returns. But as Variant Comics notes, the late ’60s Batman TV show also depicted the belt as having pockets.