I was watching the 1989 Batman film tonight and came to a realization that Batman's lifestyle is like that of a priest.  Think about it.  The priest sacrifices his life for the greater good of others.  He challenges society's norms by living counter-culturally, sacrificing having a family and the pursuit of wealth, among other things.  The priest takes the vow of celibacy in order to devote his energies and time into serving God by serving others, which means that should the priest find a woman falling for him, he is obliged not to get romantically involved as this would compromise his ability to devote all his energies toward God.  Same goes for Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman.  Bruce sacrifices his way of living in order to serve and protect the innocent.  He also is an unmarried man and remains that way as long as he has his crime-fighting career.  There was a scene in the 1989 Batman film that emphasized this.  Bruce's interest Vicki Vale, once she was let into the batcave, confronts Bruce and asks "why won't you let me in?"  By this she is questioning why Bruce seems to be careful in how attached he becomes to her.  She wants to know if the two of them will ever try to love each other.  Bruce loves Vicki but refuses to commit fully to her.  Bruce is committed to his alter-ego.  The priest is committed to his Church.  Both of them are men of sacrifice.  Both of them are heroes.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. -John 15:13