Oceanic Repellent Batsprays were utilized by Batman and Robin to defend themselves against certain marine life. They most famously used the Shark Repellent canister to fend off the Exploding Shark.
Known Oceanic Repellent Batsprays[]
- Shark Repellent - Used against certain or all shark breeds. Successful against one shark that bit Batman's leg.
- Whale Repellent - Used against certain or all whale breeds. Likely does not repel orcas, or "Killer Whales", as they are porpoises.
- Manta Ray Repellent - Used against certain or all Manta Ray breeds, and possibly other Rays.
- Barracuda Repellent - Used against certain or all barracuda breeds.
These are just the known types carried in the Batcopter on a mission to investigate Commodore Schmidlapp's yacht. Batman may have developed or owned many more Repellent Batsprays, used in defense against other variety of marine life, as well as land animals.
Chronology[]
Comics[]
The bat spray shark repellent's first appearance was in Batman #117 (August, 1958) in the story, "Manhunt in Outer Space" where it was used against an alien sea-beast on Planetoid X.
Batman: The Movie[]
In the Batman movie, Batman uses the bat-repellent shark spray against an explosive shark sent by the Penguin. The shark bites Batman's leg when he goes near the water on a helicopter ladder. After Robin hands Batman the repellant, the shark falls into the ocean and explodes.
This scene has been a particular subject of parody in the Batman franchise.
Video-Games[]
The repellant is briefly referenced twice in Batman: Arkham City. After sneaking into Riddler's lair if you listen to him talking to himself you'll hear him trying to think of traps for Batman. One of these involves stealing the Penguin's great white shark Tiny. He discards the idea after imagining Batman has some sort of shark repellent.
A non-diegetic reference to shark-repellent comes when fighting Tiny in the Pinkney Museum. If you have hints turned on and die at the hands (or fins) of tiny the game will tell you to, "Fight off the shark using Batman's powerful shark repellent: a flurry of furious strikes".
The Lego Batman Movie[]
In the Lego Batman Movie, the shark repellent is kept in the Bat-Cave where it has it's own pedestal. When Batman adopts Dick Grayson, the shark repellant is the only thing in the cave which he lets Dick touch and carry around due to, "It being completely useless".
In the climax of the film however, Robin uses it to save Batman from Jaws. To this Batman exclaims that, "It isn't useless!".
New 52 Comics[]
In the story All Star Batman, Batman uses the shark repellent against King Shark.
Harley Quinn[]
In the adult TV comedy series Harley Quinn, Batman is briefly seen using shark-repellent to incapacitate a raging King Shark.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold[]
In the episode "Mayhem of the Music Meister!", the Shark Repellent is briefly referenced during the song "Drives Us Bats".
Notes[]
- While the subject of comedy, shark repellent is a real thing in real life. There are several kinds of shark repellent, one being made from dead shark pheromones which indicates to living sharks to leave the area. Another is a magnetic spray which disorients the Shark's ability to perceive it's environments and in recent years electric sprays have been made in place of this.