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It is tough to escape the feeling of dread as we watch the news every day. Things can seem so hopeless at times, and we’re all waiting for a hero to swoop in and do something. Not necessarily one of the costumed varieties, mind you, though that would be nice. The closest we’ve gotten is when a man dressed as Batman showed up to a city council meeting in California and started shouting for the council to do something – anything – to protect its citizens. 

According to the man beneath the cowl, part of the inspiration for the Batman of San Jose is Matt Reeves’ The Batman film and the need to combine hope with relentless action toward justice.

The man known as the Batman of San Jose is a well-known activist in his area who routinely shows up to city council meetings dressed as the Caped Crusader to draw attention to issues such as homelessness and inequality. In January 2026, when news of ICE’s violent crackdown on protests across the US was spreading, he arrived at the Santa Clara Council meeting with a particular fire in his belly, asking if any of the councilmembers could honestly say they were doing everything they could to protect the children of the area.

The clip, understandably, went viral, since hearing Batman angrily ask a group of people “What the fuck are we doing here?” is hard to ignore. So what inspired the Batman of San Jose to don his cowl and fight injustice (through completely legal and non-violent means, we need to add)? “To me, the core of Batman as a character has always represented fighting for your community, no matter how dire the situation gets,” he said in a Reddit AMA in February 2026. “The Batman (2022) embodies this idea perfectly during the flood scene at the end. It doesn’t matter if the odds are stacked against you, or if you are hilariously outgunned. Batman showed me that concepts like hope and justice are only realized through action.”

The Batman of San Jose might have gained some impressive national attention recently due to his passionate demand that his local council stand up to ICE, but he’s been an active community organizer for around 7 years now, using the image of Batman as a way to draw attention to the causes he is fighting for. Because Batman is a symbol that we all recognize, and it is great to see someone inspired to use it for good and justice.

He is vengeance, he is the night, he is... one of Popverse's favorite subjects. Learn how to do a Dark Knight movie marathon right with our Batman movie guide, and for the true World's Greatest Detectives out there, dive deep into the heart of Gotham City by getting to know Batman with Popverse. Here are some of our latest Batman stories:

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