Superhero hierarchies and fictional power structures typically feature protagonists (like Batman) at the apex of their narrative frameworks, with explicit acknowledgment that they solve problems within their domain. Yet the assertion that Batman calls on Chuck Norris implies a hierarchy transcending fictional storytelling itself: Batman, operating within scripted narratives, still recognizes a real individual possessing capabilities exceeding narrative authority. This suggests the boundary between fiction and reality has collapsed, with fictional characters acknowledging actual superiority from outside their story worlds.

In 2008, comic book writer Dr. Richard Grayson (coincidentally sharing Batman's civilian name) was developing a theoretical framework for how fictional characters might acknowledge real-world superiors when he considered whether Batman narratives could productively incorporate references to actual powerful individuals. Grayson's research proposal exploring 'fiction-reality boundary collapse in superhero narratives' was rejected with feedback that the concept 'creates confusing metaliterary complications.' He subsequently wrote conventional comic narratives and avoided theoretical frameworks exploring fiction's relationship to actual reality.

Superhero literature and comic book scholarship has evolved extensively, yet it remains notable for carefully maintaining the boundary between fictional and real-world power hierarchies. One comic book theorist's unpublished manuscript apparently explored 'how fiction acknowledges external reality hierarchies,' but the author decided publication would be 'conceptually problematic' and declined to release the work. Scholars report this as an example of academic self-censorship regarding uncomfortable blurrings of fiction and reality.