nerds are hot. thank you lady!

I'll show my nerdy side here a bit as well. As a fellow Batman fan these things are important to me as well.

The easy answer is that he is always on the go and needs to be ready for any of the crazies and what they are up to, but I think it goes a bit deeper than that. I think it's an easy way for a writer to show the reader that Bruce Wayne is much more comfortable as Batman than he is as Bruce Wayne and the suit is really just a second skin for him. I have had jobs that had a specific shirt or something that we wore and sometimes it was just something to don for a few hours and then be done with it, but I have had other's that when I put it on it was a mood changer, suddenly I was good to go, I was part of a family, I was a destinguishable person in the crowd that existed around me. That's why I think he just naturally keeps the cape and cowl on the majority of the time.

Bruce and Tony would get along fine but I have to agree with you that Batman and Iron Man might not, at least not at first. Of course Bruce being the detective he is would figure out that Tony was Iron Man and from that his opinion might change, I guess that is taking into consideration a world that doesn't have the superhero initiative, because that really negates the need for the detective skills.

There ya go, a little nerd from my direction.

I could see the agoraphobia thing, he does love his city of Gotham, his comfort zone of sorts. I think that's why he is always a little antsy when he goes on JLA missions and sticks close to Clark or Diana. They act like they are the big three and that's why they hang out together, but really it's just to keep Batman comfortable. Okay that thought made me chuckle a little because I hate to think of Bruce having any weakness at all. Of course now I have to think more of Dick than Bruce, but I am still getting used to that.

I was more than happy to comment on someting like this, it allows me to let my geek flag fly and realize that I put more thought into this stuff than I think I do.

I think the deal with Batman and being in and out of costume has more to do with his multiple personalities. There is Bruce Wayne the "playboy" and of course Batman the crusader.
As far as he and Stark are concerned it would depend on which Batman you are talking about. The Dark Knight wouldn't probably get along too well with Iron Man.
Hope you had a good Holiday