For the past month, anonymous Instagram user @ucsdbatman has populated many UC San Diego students’ feeds with his nocturnal adventures. Each post shows the student lurking on a different part of campus, clad in a classic all-black Batman costume. Each image is ominously cinematic. The captions? Cryptic, promising vengeance against “evil” students, “reckless electric scooterers,” and “the UCSD Pisser and Gooner.” Last week, The UCSD Guardian tracked down the UCSD Batman for an anonymous interview about who he is and just what these mysterious escapades consist of.

“In the day, I am a student,” Batman said. “At night, I am a protector, and I am vengeance.”

Batman existed at UCSD far before this particular student donned the cape. He initially got the idea from Instagram user @batman_of_ucsd, who carved out a niche for the character with his own posts between December 2023 and May 2024. The UCSD Batman first sought Batman of UCSD’s blessing to take the Batman helm, and once granted, the new UCSD Batman created his own account.

“This was a real pivotal moment for me,” Batman said. “That’s when I knew that when their time was over, I would take on their legacy and continue to protect our students. Because a Batman at UC San Diego is so incredibly important.”

Users commenting on Batman’s posts have speculated that the man behind the mask is indeed Associated Students President William Simpson. Although Batman supports Simpson, he declined to disclose his identity to the public.

“I have met [Simpson],” he said. “I have talked with him and shared my concerns for our students. And I believe he is working diligently to better our campus.”

Unprompted, Batman continued, “And I understand that there are so many student leaders on campus who are working extremely hard. … There are a lot of wonderful people on campus, and I think sometimes they can’t make as many jokes online or be as relatable as they wish they could be, and I think UCSD Batman is a nice way to be able to interact with the students in a way that no student leader on campus directly could.”

In the midst of all the villains he has fought, one stands out: the Joker. Batman believes “the Joker of UCSD” is the cause of various campus issues from negative thoughts in students’ minds to Geisel Library’s policy change that ended 24-hour weekday access. 

“[Geisel] is a beautiful place where I see so much beautiful interaction and kindness and laughter in this space,” he said. “But it is no longer an open space for all, and students do not have a place very late at night where they can study and have light. And that brings a lot of darkness. And so, I call on UC San Diego to open Geisel Library to be 24 hours.”

Coincidentally, A.S. also called on UCSD to reinstate Geisel Library’s overnight hours, only five days after this interview.

“I think the Joker has also done some other things, like not opening Taco Bell,” Batman added. “I was there on that night of Oct. 27 when I thought that Taco Bell would open. And I stayed; I camped outside of Taco Bell. And the wall around Taco Bell, the barrier, did not come down. And I am working very hard to shine light on Taco Bell and try to re-open the beautiful establishment.”

When Taco Bell opens, Batman’s order will be a cantina chicken bowl with five side orders of extra chicken, 12 soft potato tacos, a large frozen Baja Blast, and extra diablo hot sauce.

Wrapping up our chat, Batman reflected on how having a superhero on campus is a fun tradition to uphold. But one question still loomed: Who will safeguard the student body once the current UCSD Batman graduates? According to this Batman, there is no need for concern: The true campus heroes are the students who walk the campus by day.

“I think it calls to say, ‘Who are the real heroes of our campus?’” Batman said. “And I see it every day — when I go to class, people opening doors for each other. I’ve seen someone stopping a bicycle thief — that’s a real hero. I see heroes all around me … and I think that they will always be there, with or without the UCSD Batman.”