Before Batman: How a Michigan daredevil defied gravity, but not fate

Before Batman: How a Michigan daredevil defied gravity, but not fate

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego, Batman, debuted in March 1939, going on to become one of the all-time beloved comic superheroes. But before the Dark Knight took the moniker, the name “Batman” belonged to a Michigan man — an aerialist named Clem Sohn. He dazzled crowds with his world-record jumps, defying gravity and gliding back down to Earth with his homemade wingsuit. Batman was one of several nicknames bestowed upo…