As the long-awaited "Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice" swiftly approaches, I just have to discuss one of the most discussed "what if" fights in the history of superheroes: Who would win, Batman or Superman? As you can probably guess, this won’t be a standalone movie in which Batman and Superman just duke it out then call it quits; this movie will be the setup for the new DC Cinematic Universe (which will far outshine the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in my not so humble opinion). I am giving you a few reasons how Batman could indeed beat Superman, and vice versa, seeing as it’s only fair to give the Man of Steel a fighting chance. I’ll also be giving some pretty sweet comic book reading recommendations along the way.
Why Batman Could Beat Superman
1.Batman is the peak of human strength and intelligence.
The Bat of Gotham might not have a leg up on the Son of Krypton as far as brute strength goes, but Bruce Wayne is essentially the ideal human being. He is the smartest any man could possibly be, which means that he knows Supes’ weaknesses and strengths. Batman knows Superman’s Achilles’ heel and can figure out a way to take him down. This is what people love the most about Batman: He can figure his way out of mostly anything. He is, after all, the world’s greatest detective.
2. He has the technology to beat Superman
Batman being the doomsday planner he is has come up with plethora of gadgets and suits to take down the entire Justice League based on their strengths and skill sets. In the most recent (and amazing) "Endgame" storyline, the Justice League is essentially hijacked by the Joker to take down Batman with his deadly Joker toxin (Batman issue 35 if you were wondering). Thank goodness that Batman just so happened to have a suit that was able to take on the entire League on his own.
3. The Batman that the DCCU will be portraying is the Batman from "The Dark Night Returns" story arc
For the first time, we are seeing an old man, Bruce if you will. This Batman is based off the hailed "Dark Knight Returns" story arc in which Bruce Wayne is forced out of retirement to take on the crime in Gotham once more. In this story arc, the U.S. president (clearly Richard Nixon in the comic) employs Superman as his Homeland Security, and tells him to take down the Caped Crusader. In this epic knockdown drag-out, we see the Bat-armor from the very first teasers of the movie which was made just in case Superman was to ever go rogue against another member of the Justice League (hence my first point). To make a long story short, Batman does indeed take down the Man of Steel in this brawl.
4. He’s Batman
I mean, seriously. He’s Batman. He can do anything, figure his way out of any situation and overcome any obstacle. Why, you ask? Because he’s the Batman. Let's ignore the fact that Bane broke Batman's back and Superman is far stronger than Bane; throwing all logic out the window, he's Batman. And Batman always wins. Because he's Batman.
And now in the red (and blue) corner, stands Kal-El, or as most of you know him, Clark Kent. This side of the argument is going to be a bit painful given the fact that Batman is my all-time favorite hero, but I need to be fair.
Why Superman Could Beat Batman
1. He’s basically indestructible
He’s not called the “Man of Steel” for giggles. Superman’s skin is so tough that he can deflect bullets off his skin. I know Batman doesn’t use guns, but in a fight like this, he should reconsider his stance on firearms. Superman gains his incredible strength from yellow and blue stars (fun fact, our sun is a yellow star) and from this strength, his body creates a certain essence about him that protects him. The main takeaway here is this: The guy can take a punch.
2. He’s Superman, man
He is indeed super. Superman has super strength and in often cases has to pull his punches as to not kill his enemies. This being said, Batman can have an armored suit all day long, but Superman could easily tear these suits apart. That part about Batman’s “Justice Buster” suit in the "Endgame" story? I might have left out the next panel where Clark crumples the right should of the suit… Whoops. Superman is so strong that in Superman issue 13 he put himself in a machine that duplicated the weight of the earth, then proceeded to bench-press said weight for five days. You might be in trouble, Bats.
3. The version of Superman who might be portrayed is brutal
Just like Batman, Superman doesn’t kill – however, it would look as if Zack Snyder is taking the Superman from "Injustice: Gods Among Us," a story arc in which the Joker tricks Superman into killing the love of his life, Louis Lane. In a fit of rage, Superman seeks revenge on the Joker by sticking his arm through Joker’s chest in issue 4 of the first volume. If this is the version of Superman being portrayed and if he and Batman went toe-to-toe, Batman would be in a world of hurt.
Either side of the argument, or even straddling the fence of who would win, it's pretty easy to see that both heroes are equally awesome. Whatever the outcome is of the fight scene in the upcoming film, it's going to be one of the best superhero films of 2016 by far. The best part of the this is that we are finally going to see Batman and Superman working together in upcoming films as well as finally seeing the Justice League on the silver screen (did I just drop two more reading recommendations? I have got to stop doing that...)! Did I miss some reasons as to why either hero could beat the other? Do you have any awesome reading recommendations for me? Let me know in the comments below!
