As every comic book nerd and movie goer is aware of, one of the most anticipated superhero movies in recent memory is out right now: "Batman v. Superman-Dawn of Justice." With Batman and Superman being two of the most popular comic book heroes in the DC Universe, I shall take on the dubious task of comparing two icons of the industry, the Man of Steel v. The Dark Knight. This will not be an analysis of who would win in a fight, but, instead, who is the better hero in their own right. Batman and Superman will be judged in 5 categories; origin story, alter-egos, rogues gallery, allies and crime fighting. Best 3 out of 5 wins. Let's get to it.
1. Origin Story
Batman and Superman both grew up as orphans but have very different backgrounds from one another since, ya know, one is an alien. The Last Son of Krypton, Superman, was rocketed off his home planet of Krypton as it was dying. His parents, Lara and Jor-El, were both two prosperous Kryptonians and they sent Superman to Earth so that he could prosper on a stable planetary environment. Batman has a backstory that is quite different. Batman comes from an extremely wealthy background as both of Batman's parents were some of the most famous patrons in Gotham City. At the age of 8, Batman became an orphan as both of his parents were gunned down in front of him. Despite Batman's wealth and life-changing experience, Superman has the alien persona down, thus giving him the win here. Point goes to Superman.
2. Alter-Egos
Superman's alter-ego is the news reporter Clark Kent in the city of Metropolis where Kent works for the Daily Planet. Clark Kent lives a fairly calm life in the city of Metropolis with his girlfriend Lois Lane but Superman tries to fit in with his unique background. The same cannot be said for Bruce Wayne. The alter ego of Batman, Bruce Wayne is nothing short of a playboy billionaire who likes to stick out rather than blend in. Wayne owns his own company, Wayne Enterprises. Wayne's influence over Gotham City stretches far and wide with both his business contacts and monetary value to the city. To avoid being found out as Batman, Wayne must stand out to avoid drawing attention to himself. Superman is on the different end of the spectrum and would rather blend in. Batman gets the win. Point goes to Batman.
3. Rogues Gallery
This one is an interesting aspect for both heroes since both Superman and Batman are so different than one another. Batman's villains are definitely a special breed of villain. Batman's foes are all different sides of Batman's persona and his most notable one's can all match him one-on-one in some aspect of fighting, whether that be mental or physical. A couple of notable examples would be Bane and The Joker. Two of Batman's iconic villains, Bane goes pound for pound with Batman in fighting but also has a great mind that is on par with Batman's. The same can be said for Joker. Joker is not a physically imposing character, but the psychological danger he poses to The Dark Knight is incalculable. Superman's enemies are usually very strong and have to be to combat Superman in a fight. Aside from Lex Luthor and Brainiac, Superman must usually fight some serious muscle; Bizarro, Darkseid, Doomsday, General Zod. Batman's villains have a deeper meaning than the surface; Joker, Riddler, Ra's Al Ghul, Scarecrow; these don't just fight with strength, they have other skills which make them more dangerous than some of Superman's foes who just throw strong punches. Batman wins.
4. Crime Fighting
With Batman having no actual superpowers, Batman has to rely on hand to hand combat combined with his endless supply of gadgets and incomparable detective skills. Batman's actual lack of superpowers restricts him from going into a situation guns blazin' so he must adapt to every situation, which he has the ability to do. Batman is able to control any situation to his advantage with his tactical knowledge and ability to fight. As that just read, those are a lot of X's and O's. Superman's crime fighting strategy is simple; beat someone into submission. Superman needs no gadgets or detective work due to his never ending range of superpowers. Superman can clean house before Batman gets into the building. Despite the extensive list of components Batman has in his crime fighting arsenal, Superman's hard hitting game plan is more effective. Point goes to Superman.
5. Allies
A wise man once said, "A man is only as strong as his allies." So obviously, the first thing to address here is Batman's sidekick, the boy wonder known as Robin. And Batman has had multiple Robin's, 5 to be exact. Robin is not Batman's only sidekick though; Batgirl, Batwoman, Nightwing on occasions, Red Robin. This doesn't include people like his butler Alfred Pennyworth or the Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon. Superman is a lone ranger to say the least. Superman has never worked alongside a sidekick and to be honest, it doesn't suit him very well. Despite both Batman and Superman both being founding members of the Justice League, Batman's allies are much better than Superman's. Point and the final win goes to Batman, 3-2.
BATMAN WINS.
