Trust me, Batman's parents die. They won't let you forget that.
Although there are many other elements that make Batman an icon, different interpretations of his character will use them more or less depending on their target audience. One of the best examples of this is The Boy Wonder, Robin. Much like his original introduction into the comic, Robin is typically placed into the Bat-Universe to make the slightly intimidating character of Batman seem more family friendly. The 60s TV show, the original comics, and the LEGO Batman universe all have Robin as Batman's plucky sidekick who demonstrates the important of friendship and co-operation, as well as giving younger kids a character to relate to. In the more darker iterations of The Caped Crusader, Batman works alone to paint him as a more serious, isolated, or mysterious character.
Holy pandering, Batman!
Or to play up the sadness, Robin gets killed off. Sorry, kids.
Another big element that changes between iterations of Batman is his vigilantism. While Batman almost always works separately from law enforcement, his willingness to follow rules can change with each interpretation of his character. In the 60s show, Batman works alongside the police, actually attempting to arrest the Riddler like a police officer would in the first episode. This works to appeal to the family values of following rules and listening to authority that kids and parents would appreciate.
However, unlike his cheery counterpart Superman, Batman has not been typecast as a goody two-shoes. Batman can get edgy if he wants to, and has the flexibility of having this moral grey area that can make him as cheery or dark as needed. Although he doesn't (often) kill people, Batman's ways of fighting crime can also change to meet the needs of the story. Batman can play a more detective-style role (see: Detective Comics), he can be more violent with hand on hand combat (like in the Arkham video games), or he can rely more on his technology to take down criminals (more commonly seen in the 60s show and 90s movies). This versatility is what makes it so easy to transition Batman between different characterizations and types of media.
Same dude. Different contexts.
Finally, I actually think that the #1 reason that Batman is so adaptable to different media is that he doesn't have any superpowers. Not only does this make him one of the most realistic/human superheroes, but it also means that writers can't rely on his superpowers to get him into trouble or solve his problems. Since Batman's powers can't be the most interesting thing about him, the situations he gets placed in are required to be more unique to keep the story engaging. This allows the world around The Dark Knight (including his villains [especially the Joker], Gotham or Batman's toolset) to set the tone of the media more than his character.
Batman is never the most interesting thing about the Batman series: it's everything else that he has to deal with.
The fact that Batman himself is such a blank slate allows writers to fill in the gaps of his character and his universe however they please; this is what makes him such an interesting character to play with. The elements of him that stay consistent (his design, his wealth, his double life) also have a general appeal: he's basically cool to everyone. Whether he's in the post-9/11 world of The Dark Knight trilogy and Gotham, the zany over the top camp Gothams of the 60s TV show or the LEGO Batman series, a blend between the two like the 90s animated series and Batman Returns, or whichever type of universe the comic books decide they want him in this time, Batman will find his place as a suave deadpan crime fighter.
The Bat Symbol represents Batman perfectly: it's iconic because it's simple, cool looking, and a little dark.
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