While some superheroes rely on powers granted to them by hazardous radiation or magical rings, others get by with science. In the Dark Knight Rises, which TIME movie critic Richard Corliss called “maybe the best, most troubling, assured and enthralling of all the superhero movies,” Batman survives by using his wits, fighting chops, money and plenty of cool gadgets. We decided to take a look at the comic book world’s most improbable technology, from out-of-this-world pseudoscience to completely pointless gizmos.