
BatKid Miles - H 2013
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Gotham City may have a troubled relationship with Batman, but one city has come out strongly in favor of a Dark Knight today, when San Francisco came to a halt in support of “Batkid,” a 5-year-old who got to become a superhero for a day thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Batkid — whose secret identity is Miles, a young boy whose cancer is in remission after a treatment of chemotherapy that ended this summer — told the foundation that his greatest wish was to be DC Entertainment’s Caped Crusader. Patricia Wilson, the executive director of the Bay Area branch of the organization, felt like that was something they could make happen but didn’t anticipate just how many people would want to help.
PHOTOS: Batkid Saves San Francisco
“I thought I could do it on a scale that a 5-year-old would appreciate,” Wilson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Apparently, it’s on a scale now that the nation appreciates. I’ve never seen anything go viral like this, with the outpouring of support from across the world.”
Thousands lined the streets (with more watching live online) as Batkid rescued damsels in distress, disarmed bombs and defeated supervillains — don’t worry, the FBI have filed charges against the Riddler and the Penguin after Batkid caught them — with social media going appropriately, well, batty in response. Check out the tweets about “#batkid” here.
STORY: Batman’s City gets ‘Gothtopia‘ Makeover in 2014
“Batman continues to be a source of inspiration for many and we are honored DC Comics characters can be a part of this very special wish,” a DC Entertainment spokesperson told THR. “DC Entertainment commends the city of San Francisco and the Make-A-Wish Foundation for creating such a wonderful experience for Miles, and his alter ego, Batkid.”
For her part, Wilson is grateful for the response to Miles’ dream come true. “We have done other superhero wishes before at Make-A-Wish, but no city has embraced it like this one,” she said. Of course, some from outside the city embraced it as well…
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