But if their earlier confrontations in the comics and beyond are any indication, the battle between the invincible sun god and the brooding bat-themed billionaire will be worth the price of admission, even if the contest gets called early on account of Doomsday.
To the uninitiated, Batman v Superman looks pretty one-sided. It’s a guy with no powers fighting a guy with every power. Superman’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor is a billionaire genius, but otherwise normal human, and despite some impressive efforts with countless inventions powered by Kryptonite (a substance which exists specifically to kill Superman), he’s never put the Last Son of Krypton down for good.
Batman is also a billionaire genius with no powers, whose hobbies include developing contingency plans to stop every character, good or evil, in the DC Universe. Lex Luthor and Batman are on par when it comes to resources and brains, but Lex’s judgment is often clouded by his obsession with Superman. Batman is more pragmatic, and while he’s arguably as obsessive as Lex, he’s better at channeling that obsessiveness. That’s how Batman avoids being laser-visioned into brooding pieces at the opening bell.
So how have the various Batman v Superman throwdowns gone through the years? And how might they tell us what’s going to happen in the big screen blockbuster? It’s Batman v Superman. So who wins?
#5 – The Dark Knight Returns
With just a few billion dollars, you, too, can survive long enough to punch an alien god in the face.
Probably the best known fight between the two and the one Dawn of Justice looks to be borrowing most directly from. The Dark Knight Returns pitted an aging Batman against a Superman taking orders directly from a Ronald Reagan stand-in. Following the detonation of a nuclear missile and an electromagnetic pulse that blacked out a large chunk of America, Gotham City is under martial law. Batman and Robin keep the city in order by enlisting the help of reformed gang members and use their new army to distribute supplies to the citizens. Superman shows up on behalf of the president to have a talk, as Batman’s ability to keep Gotham in order makes the government look incompetent. Batman shows up to the fight in a suit of armor, similar to the power suit in the trailers of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, knowing Superman has already been weakened by the earlier nuclear blast. Robin, Alfred, and Green Arrow all run interference as well, with Batman’s armor and superior fighting skills allowing him to get the edge.
The plan is carefully orchestrated by Batman. Along with the armor and help from his allies, he takes advantage of Superman’s weakened state and attempt to talk things out. A Kryptonite arrow (courtesy of Green Arrow, naturally) appears to be the deciding factor, finally injuring Superman enough to put him down. The Dark Knight has the fight won.
He’s faking it.
Until he pretends to have a heart attack. Knowing that the government will only send more agents if Superman fails, Batman chooses to fake his own death and disappear, masterminding an army to protect Gotham from the Batcave while he spends the rest of his life in hiding. At Bruce Wayne’s funeral, Superman picks up a heartbeat with his enhanced hearing, but keeps Batman’s survival a secret and leaves Gotham to his protection. The fight is technically a draw, but Batman proves he is capable of pushing Superman to the absolute limit.
#4 – Batman: Hush
- What comic books taught me: If someone has leaves on them, they’re probably being mind-controlled.
An ongoing theme in Batman v Superman fights is that Superman, regardless of the circumstances, always holds back. That’s why their battles never start with Batman’s head getting punched off.Batman: Hush saw Superman under mind control by Poison Ivy, with Batman and Catwoman scrambling to survive long enough to formulate a plan that could break Ivy’s hold.
Naturally, Batman has a Kryptonite ring at the ready. The fight spills into the Metropolis sewers, which have been lined with lead courtesy of LexCorp, limiting Superman’s x-ray vision and mobility. This gives Catwoman enough of a head start to escape the melee and devise a way to bring Superman to his senses, while Batman holds the line against a superhuman force of nature.
Even with a Kryptonite ring, Batman nearly breaks his hand punching the Face of Steel. He spends the rest of the fight keeping Superman distracted long enough for Catwoman to take Lois Lane hostage, and then in the next logical step, pitch her off a building. Superman snaps out of his trance in order to save Lois, which brings the fight to an end. Poison Ivy, for some reason, never thinks to take control of Superman again.
Controlling Superman is literally the biggest advantage someone could have.
Technically another draw. Batman doesn’t get a chance to plan out this fight in advance, and while the Dark Knight was able to go toe-to-toe with Superman initially, the narration makes it clear that Clark restraining himself, even through the mind control, is the only thing keeping Batman in one piece. Part of Batman’s shtick is always-being-prepared-for-any-and-every-possibility, and while that’s on display in Hush, this fight makes it clear that if Superman just up and blindsided Batman one day, the Dark Knight might not fare so well.
#3 – Superman: Red Son
Easily the best Batman costume.
In an alternate universe where baby Kal-El crash lands in the Ukraine instead of Kansas, Red Son’sSuperman was raised to fight for the Soviet Union, and his arrival marked the beginning of a superhuman arms race. Many major DC characters appeared in Red Son, such as Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and Green Lantern Hal Jordan, but the history of the world was completely changed by Superman’s modified origin. Naturally, there was a Red Son Batman as well, whose parents were murdered for spreading anti-Superman sentiment. This Batman possesses the intelligence and determination of the original but lacked the personal wealth, so aligned himself with Lex Luthor to secure the resources he would need to fight the Soviet Superman.
Once again, Batman is able to fully prepare for the confrontation, this time employing red sun lamps to replicate the radiation of Krypton’s sun and negate Superman’s powers. The plan works, and Batman wins the resulting brawl with his de-powered foe. From there, he locks Superman in a bunker, complete with additional red lamps to make sure that he stays de-powered. Batman is almost successful, but Wonder Woman destroys the generator. With the lamps off, Superman’s powers return and Batman is caught without a backup plan.
Rather than serve as a lobotomized drone in Superman’s Russia, Batman opts to detonate a bomb inside his own body, bringing a messy end to the fight. Red Son is an Elseworlds story, taking place on one of DC’s many alternate earths, and here Superman emerges victorious against Batman. While Wonder Woman’s interference decides the winner, such assists are commonplace between Batman and Superman. The two almost never square off in a one-on-one fight. But there are exceptions.
#2 – Lex Luthor: Man of Steel
Lex Luthor totally doesn’t hold irrational grudges.
In Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, told from the point-of-view of Superman’s arch-nemesis, Lex gives Bruce Wayne a piece of Kryptonite over a business dinner as he tries to convince the CEO of Wayne Enterprises how great a threat Superman is to the human race. The story treats Superman as a new arrival in Metropolis, and Lex attempts to sell Bruce on the notion that Superman’s very existence is limiting to the human race, that humanity’s development will be stunted as long as Superman is around. In addition, the only reason ordinary people have to trust Superman is that Superman says he should be trusted. Lex explains his point with narration over a battle between Superman and Batman.
Batman’s head flies off in the next panel. (Not really.)
Batman shows up with the Kryptonite in hand, but loses it following a blast from Superman’s arctic breath. Despite the absence of dialog, the battle illustrates Batman’s mad dash to retrieve the one thing he knows Superman is weak against only to be cut off at every turn. The Superman and Batman here haven’t met before, so they go into the fight with little preparation. Even with the Kryptonite, Batman is caught off guard and overwhelmed, only able to avoid his opponent for so long before Superman eventually lands a knock-out blow.
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel displays how physically outmatched Batman is by Superman, and how both he and Lex have to rely on their minds to even stand a chance. The fight feels like a first round, with Superman winning, but Batman walking away with a keener knowledge of his adversary. Round two won’t be so simple.
#1 – JLA: Tower of Babel/Justice League: Doom
They’re called precautions.
JLA: Tower of Babel is a JLA arc written by Mark Waid, while Justice League: Doom was a DC Universe Animated Movie based on the same storyline. There were some differences between the two versions, but the central plot remains the same. Batman, in his obsession to be prepared for any situation, created contingency plans to beat each member of the Justice League should they go rogue. While this seems perfectly reasonable in a world where mind control isn’t uncommon and heroes sometimes go off the reservation, Batman’s teammates were not so understanding. Even though the plans are meant as failsafes, an enemy of the Justice League (Ra’s al Ghul in Tower of Babel and Vandal Savage in Doom) discovers the information and implements Batman’s methods.
As is the recurring theme, when Batman has time to prepare for a situation he’s virtually unbeatable. In Tower of Babel, Superman is exposed to Red Kryptonite, Batman’s own creation, which turns his skin transparent and causes his body to overload on solar radiation and overwhelm his enhanced senses. In Doom, Superman is shot with a Kryptonite bullet. While the bullet slowly kills him from the inside, it also can’t be removed through conventional means because of Superman’s invulnerable skin. In both cases, Superman and Batman don’t have a direct confrontation, but the villains are able to execute Batman’s plans, nearly eliminating not just Superman, but the entire Justice League.
Who wins in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?
As obsessed as Lex Luthor may be with Superman, no one is more effective than Batman at taking the fight to the Man of Steel. Given time to prepare, Batman is one of the few characters in DC Comics who can go toe-to-toe with Superman and actually beat him. While Doomsday’s appearance in the trailer suggests they’ll be teaming up against a greater threat, the movie is called Batman v Superman for a reason. Batman has surely developed countermeasures for Superman’s abilities after seeing the fight against General Zod, and more importantly, has developed a grudge against the Kryptonian following the destruction in Metropolis.
It’s possible that Lex Luthor will also share some of his insight into Superman’s weaknesses with Bruce Wayne, especially if he thinks it will fuel the confrontation between the Son of Krypton and the Bat of Gotham. However it is that Lex, Doomsday, and even Wonder Woman factor in to Dawn of Justice, the clash between Batman and Superman remains the biggest selling point. Once the movie hits theaters next March, fans will have another point in evidence over which hero is better.
-deadpool
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