Robinson had become world famous in 2012 after a police dash cam recorded a traffic stop of him in a Michel Keaton Batman costume driving a custom Lamborghini Galliardo with Bat-license-plates.
As you can see from the video, the cops are ecstatic about the whole thing. They were even taking pictures with the guy, and even shaking his hand when he got out of the car.
Robinson was heading to Baltimore Sinai hospital to visit some sick children: many of whom were fighting cancer. He's been doing this for years: spending tens of thousands of dollars donating schools supplies to children, and cheering up terminally ill kids.
It started in 2007. After Robinson sold his hugely successful cleaning business he started when he was still in high school. He decided to take the money he got from selling the business to become Batman full time. He bought authentic costumes, and even bought one of Bruce Wayne's Lambos and turned it into a totally legit Batmobile.
So you could imagine the shock and despair many of us experienced when we discovered that the Baltimore Batman is dead. Robinson died in a tragic car accident as he tried to repair that Lamborghini after it broke down on the side of the road; being struck by a car in the process. He was 51 years old.
Many of those very sick children he visited in the hospital are well now, and visited him at his funeral. He leaves behind his son (Robin) and his wife.
I think in order to truly understand the magnitude of this tragedy, we need to understand what Batman; as a character in modern mythology; truly represents. To do that, we need to understand the events that lead to the Batman in the first place.
Bruce wanted to leave the theater that night because he was afraid of the bats in the film, which ultimately lead to his parent's deaths. Those bats Bruce feared as a child were just something that creeped him out when he was little, but after that night, bats became the personification of Bruce's fear of death. Batman wears the cape, the cowl and the Bat symbolism, not just to scare the crap out of muggers and crime lords, but because they represent what Bruce Wayne has overcome: Fear. Batman doesn't use guns because he has overcome the fear of guns. Batman doesn't kill because he has overcome the fear of being killed. Batman becomes something scary-looking because Bruce Wayne isn't afraid anymore.
I think this is why the character of Batman resonates with a lot of people. Even if many of us can't quite put into words why we think Batman is so cool, I think it all comes down to what Batman represents. You see, batman isn't just some comic book superhero anymore. He isn't just a costume or a lot of money, either. Batman is an ideal; the ideal that anyone -even little kids- can overcome fear.
"It is absolutely clear to those of us in the field that attitude and play therapy and distraction help children overcome illnesses, so this is a big deal for all the kids who are here today." -That's a quote from Dr. Joseph M. Wiley back in 2012 while Batman visited Baltimore Sinai hospital. Yes, that's right; Batman helps kids fight cancer.
I think what makes Robinson so cool is how much of himself he dedicated to this whole thing. Make no mistake about it: this guy was LOADED! This guy could have just sat on his butt and lived off the money he earned from selling the cleaning business for the rest of his life, but he didn't. This guy CHOSE to dedicate his life to this. What would have been something most costumed mascots would have done on the weekends between earning a paycheck, this guy dedicated the rest of his natural life just to make little kids feel better, and he was doing it until the very day he died.
"Remember, at the end of the day, ask yourself, 'Self, did I make a difference?' And the answer had better be yes." -Lenny B. Robinson (Batman)
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