It’s a tale as old as comic books themselves. The Dark Knight of Gotham against Smallville’s Man of Steel, but haven’t we seen this battle before? For nearly 100 years fans have been wildly searching for the answer to one of pop culture’s greatest debates, with each generation exposed to new stories and new victories.
Since the introduction of Superman and Batman in the late 1930s, people have wondered what the outcome would be if the two heroes ever had their epic showdown. It’s true, every so often the Justice League mainstays do end up disagreeing, and destruction follows in their path.
With the release of 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, their conflict ended squarely in a tie on the silver screen. Still, that’s a pretty unsatisfying way to resolve Batman and Superman’s storied relationship. It’s obvious that fans would like a clear winner, so which of these two larger-than-life heroes would really win in a fight?
Come on. It’s Superman, sorry everyone. There’s no if, ands, or buts about it. The Last Son of Krypton would wipe the floor with the World’s Greatest Detective. Superman is, for all intents and purposes, a god. His powers are too numerous to count, his strength is infinite, and if he decided that Batman needed to go, there’s not much Batman could do about it.
Let’s give credit to The Batman though. He’s incredibly strong for a human, he’s certainly smarter than Superman, and his brooding personality gives him an edge because he definitely isn’t as empathetic. Supes is DC’s resident boy scout, and Batman doesn’t pull punches.
It’s true that Batman would have countless methods of protecting himself against Superman’s wrath. Fair enough, but as far as practicality is concerned, the only contingency worth anything would be a weapon made out of Kryptonite. Which we see in Batman V Superman, and countless other comics pitting the do-gooders against each other.
The only problem with that is the two combatants have to be close enough to each other for Batman to use his hypothetical Kryptonite weapon. Something as simple as Superman’s iconic heat vision could burn Gotham’s Defender off the map from miles away.
Sadly, the cold-hard truth is that if Superman wanted Batman dead, Batman would be dead. There’s nothing anyone could do about it. But Bats has yet to be slain by Superman because, in truth, Superman is too nice of a guy. He has his upbringing to thank for that, and the old-fashioned values instilled in him during his childhood in Smallville taught him to practice restraint. Lucky for us, and especially lucky for the Dark Knight.
Trying to figure out who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman remains one of the most entertaining parts of comic book fandom, and regardless of the outcome, is an entertaining thought exercise in all of the ways Superman would absolutely crush the Caped Crusader. That said, there’s no telling who DC will have winning those battles in the years to come. All we can do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
