And one day Batman took off his mask.
And under the suit there was not a nocturnal billionaire with the air of a vigilante, but
a school teacher
.
La Plata boasted for years of having its own superhero, one that did not fight supervillains but
dealt with more everyday injustices
, hospitals without infrastructure, children without toys.
After a decade of service, today the person responsible for those feats
hung up the cape
.
It was one of the best kept secrets.
Today,
the Bruno Díaz of the diagonals left the anonymity.
Maximiliano Altavista, 52
, was the person behind the mask of the Batman of La Plata, a supportive character who was born in one of the most traumatic crises in the city's history and became a symbol of solidarity.
"Now that I have handed over the suit to my successor,
I wanted to show myself with a clean face in gratitude
for the love and respect that those who participated in the works had for me throughout this time," he told the newspaper El Día in an interview.
Starting next April 2 (on the tenth anniversary of his first mission), his place will be taken by another anonymous Bruno Díaz, who will put on the mask.
As he says, from now on
Altavista will be "just another Robin."
The Batman of La Plata
had become a figure of the city.
He was decorated "outstanding neighbor" by the Municipality, participated in actions with Estudiantes and Gymnastics against violence in soccer and had even gotten to know Diego Maradona during the passage of 10 through the tripero bench.
His homework was given at the Children's Hospital, where he went to greet the boys, gave away sweets, colored pencils and made them smile.
He had also promoted donation campaigns, where
he obtained some 50 televisions, armchairs for families, collaborated with the renovation of the environments
and even installed a mini Gotham City in the patio, a play space for children and their families to relax.
As he told El Día, when he did not have the suit he was a teacher at a La Plata school.
He is the father of three teenage triplets and
lives in the Barrio Aeropuerto.
Although some acquaintances and relatives knew his secret, everyone preserved his identity.
A chain of Alfreds that allowed her to continue his task.
"Sometimes I went without the suit to paint rooms at the Children's Hospital and when a nurse listened to me, she told me that I was Batman. Then she immediately changed her voice to mislead her
because for me it was a dagger to be discovered
, "he said.
replacement time
In Batman: The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent—who would later become Two-Face—warned the caped hero about the mark left by time wearing the superhero suit: "Either you
die a hero or you live long enough to become into a villain"
, alerts him.
For Altavista, the passing of time was a constant wear and tear.
"I already feel tired and one has to retire with the laurels. The Batman suit has to be worn as it should, I am already a great person," he told Clarín
a few months ago, when he announced his retirement
.
His story began on April 2, 2013. That morning he had gone to the Children's Hospital in La Plata to ask
if he could come back dressed in the suit to bring joy to the
hospitalized minors and their families.
From that first mission he came out with water almost up to his waist.
It was the morning when a deluge struck La Plata
and produced a historic flood, which left almost a hundred dead.
"Along the way I understood everything... that the special power that this Batman had was to transform those hard and desperate moments in the hospital, into moments of joy and emotion; that I could not fall before each empty bed due to a party of
angels ;
that many good people needed to trust and had chosen me to deposit it," Altavista said in a letter he published last Saturday on Batman's Facebook.
"Dear friend, I dare to call you that, since I believe that after these 10 years of allowing me to be you, you stopped being that admired fantasy character, to become a true friend. I saved my last thanks for you before
leaving your suit
, which you so kindly and selflessly lent me", began that text, which in its closing has a thank you to the mythical DC character: "It has been an honor and a pleasure for me to have dressed your suit".
"There is a lot of wear and tear, physical and psychological, there were days when I would come home broken straight to hug my children, then without losing sensitivity I learned to shield myself so that I could move on," Altavista told El Día.
Next April 2 at 5:00 p.m., on the tenth anniversary of that first mission, there will be a mass in the Church of Caacupé - 4 and 84 - that will serve to thank Altavista for his years of service.
And to introduce La Plata to the Batman who will be his replacement.
Your complete farewell letter
The text, entitled "Farewell letter and last thanks", was published on the Facebook profile of Solidarity Batman.
Below the full text:
Dear friend, I dare to call you that, since I believe that after these 10 years of allowing me to be you, you stopped being that admired fantasy character, to become a true friend. I saved my last thanks for you before leaving your suit, which you so graciously and selflessly lent me. You know that I did not choose you by chance, but because I felt truly identified with your essence, which I must confess to you was when I grew up, since as a boy my favorite superhero was Spider-Man. Watching your movie "Batman Begins" made me understand many things and get to know you more deeply, such as that you did not have a special power, but that what you had to defend yourself and fight against evil was only what you could achieve with sacrifice. , conduct and training, that you were convinced that without justice nothing can work well, I saw how, although having the admiration of many, you were able to stop before the innocence of a child beaten by life to give him your badge, you showed that no matter how powerful it can be, we all have limitations and decisions to regret, that the possibility that you had to enjoy everything that wealth gives, it was worth putting it aside if it was about getting together with the little that was left uncorrupted in Gotham to try to reverse all the human misery that was lived there ... honestly after the movie ended, with teary eyes I wish you would come to this blessed country to do the same, because the similarities were sadly many. It was there when I decided to be Batman here, obviously not to fight crime, but to be by the side of the weakest and most dejected in difficult times.
As of that April 2, 2013, I felt that God could not have chosen me a better way to channel my caring side other than through your personification. Along the way I understood everything... that the special power that this Batman had was to transform those hard and desperate moments in the hotel into moments of joy and emotion; that he could not fall before each little bed empty by a party of angels; that many good people needed to trust and had chosen me to deposit it; that the mission was not only the visits to the hotel but also works, that this was the most nutritious food for my inner child, but also to grow and be a better person for the adult that I am.
The 10 years in which I promised to wear your suit are almost over, this allowed me to live moments that I will never forget, meet wonderful people, clarify what is truly important in life and above all not having gone through it without leaving anything or At least try to improve something by doing good. But the truth is that of course I would do it again without even hesitating, but it entails a mental, psychological, emotional and physical wear and tear that requires a replacement so that everything continues to function fully. Even that turned out as desired, what we generated in the city was too large to end in one person, for this reason I wanted to find a successor and he will be the one to whom I proposed it, which gives me the peace of mind of having the certainty that everything will continue. working the same way.
Dear friend, I have just put on your suit for the last time and also made my last visit to the hotel, it is time to return it to you with the satisfaction of doing it the way I promised the day I assumed to wear it... Impeccable for always handling myself in a transparent way and honest with every peso entrusted to me. Neat for never having allowed himself to be linked to any fanaticism, be it a football team, political party, etc. Blameless for not giving in to personal benefits on behalf of the character. Solidarity for having stopped me before every child, adult or journalist who requested something that was within my reach. Worthy for not staying in places where the effort that this demands was not valued. Stubborn for always trying to be an example before demanding, asking or suggesting something. Coherent for thinking, saying and doing in the same sense.
My last thank you is addressed to you my dear Batman, it has been an honor and a pleasure for me to have dressed your suit.
An affectionate swaddle.
Solidarity Batman
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After 10 years of service, the solidary Batman of La Plata hangs up his cape: he was even recognized by Diego Maradona