Until recently it was assumed Batman was a fictional creation for DC Comics in 1939 who went on to star in a 1960s television series before launching the cult film franchise in 1989.
But a 2016 Suffolk Gazette investigation discovered the inspiration for the character was the true story of Bill Smith, who moved from Suffolk in England to America in 1870 and settled in New York where he worked in a butcher’s shop.
https://www.suffolkgazette.com/news/original-batman