It was thing in the forties. Costumes owed more to circuses than practicality. They rarely if ever had padding or armor. Stayed that way for decades.Didn't mean it that way... it's just a badly impractical costume for a crime fighter, especially one who does a lot of close-in fighting (BIFF! BAM! POW!)... you get thrown down on the asphalt once, and your knees are a bloody mess. Even Batman could use some knee pads over those tights.