Comic genius often comes with a dark side, as Matthew Perry knew all too well. The Friends star, who died on Saturday, aged 54, battled against addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol for decades. And yet, he was known as a funny man – whose biting wit and mastery of sarcasm made him an icon in the eyes of millions. These two distinct, yet intrinsically linked, sides of his character no doubt helped him empathise with another legend of the big and silver screens: Batman. Indeed, Perry’s last Instagram post, shared just five days before his death referenced the comic book character – with the 54-year-old dubbing himself “Mattman”. Mourning fans were also quick to point out that the accompanying photo of Matty (as his friends called him) showed him relaxing in his outdoor hot tub at home in LA. On 28 October, that same jacuzzi would become the scene of his death, according to law enforcement sources. But this final post wasn’t the only indicator of the 17 Again actor’s fixation with Batman – his previous six were all allusions to the caped crusader. The first of the series, shared a week before his death, showed a home cinema room, with three screens set up to show the latest film in the franchise: The Batman. Others showed the iconic bat symbol in various settings, including carved into a Halloween pumpkin, with Perry repeatedly referring to himself as Mattman. The American-Canadian actor had long, and openly, celebrated his love of the comic book character. In a 2022 interview with GQ, he admitted that he once bought a 10,400-square-foot LA penthouse simply because it resembled the home of Christian Bale’s Batman in The Dark Knight. Perry’s reasoning at the time was apparently: “Bruce Wayne had a penthouse – I’m going to have one.” During the interview, he also revealed that he was building a dedicated Batman room in his new house (which he branded “a Matt cave”), with a pool table, large TV, and black sofa surrounded by shelves of his Batman paraphernalia. Probed on the reason for his obsession, Perry replied: “I am Batman.” He then explained: “Well, he’s a rich loner. We both drive black, cool cars.” He then conceded: “I don’t solve crime. But I’ve saved people’s lives.” In one of GQ’s ‘10 things I can’t live without’ segments, Perry shared further insight into his batty mania, saying that it began with the Christopher Nolan movies but extended to the latest instalment, staring Robert Pattinson. During the deadpan runthrough, he admitted that he had “too much Batman stuff”, but then ended the video by joking that after seeing all his essential items, viewers “should probably know by now that I'm Batman.” 10 Things Matthew Perry Can't Live Without | GQ www.youtube.com Perry’s fans and many of his 8.1 million Instagram followers speculated whether his most recent run of themed posts was more than just another outpouring of adoration for the franchise. They thought it was a hint that he’d been cast in a new Batman role, particularly given that one of the captions penned by Perry read: “Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?” Still, all we know for sure is that Perry saw a lot of himself in Batman – or should that be, he saw a lot of Batman in himself? Regardless, the similarities are striking, especially when you consider what Perry once responded when asked what he’d like his legacy to be. “I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker and his paramount thing is that he wants to help people,” he replied. The sentiment is an undeniable echo of one of Batman’s most famous quotes: “It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” And what Perry did was make people laugh and cry and, ultimately, save lives. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

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What the papers say The Daily Mail reports that Real Madrid, Chelsea and Saudi Arabian clubs are spearheading a pursuit for Victor Osimhen, with the possibility of the 24-year-old striker pushing to leave Serie A side Napoli in January. Staying in Italy, the BBC reports that Roma could look to make a move for Tottenham’s Eric Dier in January. The 29-year-old England international has yet to feature for Spurs this season and is out of contract next summer. Manchester United will open contract talks with Hannibal Mejbri to keep him at Old Trafford, according to the BBC, although Spanish side Sevillia are rumoured to have their sights set on the 20-year-old Tunisia midfielder. Social media round-up According to the Transfer News Live Twitter account, Barcelona has verbally agreed to a 35 million euro (£30m) fee with Manchester City to see Joao Cancelo‘s loan turned into a permanent move. Players to watch Jadon Sancho: The i reports that the soured relationship between the England winger and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may be beyond repair. Chelsea: Italian football site Calciomercato reckons the Blues are on the hunt for a new left-back, and the Stamford Bridge club apparently have their eyes set on Inter Milan’s Federico Dimarco and AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez as their first stops in the January transfer window. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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Leandro Trossard insists he will not “back down” from the challenge of playing in a number of different roles in Arsenal’s forward line. The Belgium international started as Mikel Arteta’s central striker against Sevilla on Wednesday night and opened the scoring in a 2-0 victory that all-but assures the Gunners a place in the Champions League last 16. Trossard, who now has five Arsenal goals across all competitions this season, finished a sweeping move which saw Bukayo Saka square for him to tuck home before the England forward made sure of the win in the second half – although Saka then limped off late on to give Arteta another fitness worry. While he has mainly been deployed off the flanks since signing from Brighton in January, Trossard stepped up to play through the middle with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah ruled out with hamstring and ankle injuries respectively. “I always need to be switched on to be honest,” he replied when asked how demanding it can be to play in different positions. “I always need to know my role. But I like it, I will never back down from anything. If you put me as a striker, or a winger or a number 10, I will always play my game I think. “He (Arteta) knows I like to swap positions as well during the game. We have those type of players as well and it creates a bit of chaos for the opposition team. I like it. I am really happy. I always need to know my role. But I like it, I will never back down from anything Leandro Trossard “It is always a nice feeling when you score, but when you do it in a Champions League game it’s always a nicer feeling. It gave us a lead and I think we played brilliantly.” Arsenal went into the game having lost two matches in a row, suffering a Carabao Cup fourth-round exit at West Ham before their first Premier League defeat of the season came at Newcastle on Saturday. Trossard, though, insists the players were never concerned about the prospect of it becoming a hat-trick of losses as they took control of Group B. “We are never worried because we know our quality and we knew we had to bounce back,” he added. “I think that made us start the game so well with a lot of aggressiveness and when the goal came it was a relief for us. Then from that moment we controlled the game. “We are always confident. We want to win every game and that’s how we approach them. We will try and win the next two games as well. “The manager just wanted us to attack when we had the ball, to get the ball to the wingers. Bukayo and Gabi (Martinelli) are so good one-v-one – then you see you can create a lot of chances. We did it so well.”

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