Poll: Superior Character: Batman or Superman

[Axyun]

Batman wins.

I'm not strong, rich, handsome, intelligent and witty like Batman but even then I have an easier time relating to him than Superman. Superman is alright, a bit boring though.

 

[Wintermoot]

just read Superman Red Son

Spoiler

Batman lures Superman to a field where lamps replicate Krypton,s red sun causing Superman to lose his powers Batman then nearly beats Superman but WonderWoman disables the lamps causing Superman to regain his powers and beat Batman.
If WonderWoman had not intervened Superman would have lost

Batmen obviously.

And if Batman didn't have the lamps Superman would have won... So they both needed help. Although without either of them getting help who do you think would have won. That'd be like me slipping Mike Tyson a roofie punching him in the face and insisting I'm a better fighter than Mike Tyson.

Batman isn't based on supper powers but rather strategy this was pretty clever and how else would you harm Superman?

 

[axlryder]

Batman had two decent videogames, dare I say even great games that outdid most of the industry despite being licensed work.

Superman has this:
I believe the choice is pretty clear. Green lantern is superior to both though.

Also Superman's "disguise" is too silly for me to be able to take it seriously. "Hey, that looks like Clark Kent!" "Don't be silly, he uses glasses and Superman doesn't".

I challenge that good sir!

Yeah I know it's a pretty crappy anime but the point still stands.

well, from an artistic standpoint, those are two different characters. You can't just change the angle of a person's eyes and say "the glasses did it".

 

[McMarbles]

To everyone saying Superman is boring, overpowered, has no peronality...

How many of you have actually sat down and read a Superman story?

Not a Batman story where Superman appears so he can get shown up by Batman, to show everyone how awesome and unbeatable Batman is.

Not a story where Batman and Superman ostensibly share billing, but Superman gets downplayed because the writer has a hardon for Batman.

An actual Superman story.

Its more about aesthetics than stories. (although batman does have better stories(to me))
Batman
Normal man
Superman
Alien
see right there you already have to suspend your belief with superman.

Origin
Batman
Wants to bring justice to the city he grew up in so trains himself physically(like a ninja/fighter) and mentally(like a detective/scientist) to bring this about, also dawns black cape and cowl
Superman
Yellow sun gives him power
Keeps normalcy of his life, his town and sometimes earth, sometimes space.

Villains
Batman
gangsters and psychopaths(whom we all love)


Superman
Lex
Aliens
robots
anybody who knows his weakness

Combat
Batman
Cool gadgets
multiple offensive styles
Planning ahead or if not, analyzing for weaknesses

Superman
Punch
Tackle
various special attacks(lasers, ice breath)
hes a fuckin pokemon

Identity
Batman
Bruce millionaire wayne

Superman
Kent I work at the news Clark
Whos disguise no person can believe works as popular as superman is in his universe.

Lookin at all that batmans just cooler in the long run.

...so... that'd be a no, then?

And I love how everyone's always "DURRR BATMAN'S MORE RELATABLE." You nailed it right here, without even realizing it. Batman's an aristocrat. Superman's a working stiff like us. Grew up on a farm, works a 9-to-5 job. He's the 99%. He's one of us.

 

[TheScientificIssole]

Batman(Dick Grayson included) because of Black Mirror. BLACK MIRROR IS SO GOOD!

 

[CatmanStu]

Batman has better books and a lot more dumb ass, blinkered fans to make it's films successful; Superman has a better character that most writers are to lazy to write a good story about.

And to all those who feel Batman is a more realistic character I have a question:
In a reality where alien cultures frequently have contact with earth, what is more realistic? An alien that has developed super human abilities due to an unatural environment, who has to constantly battle with his own power and just wants to be like everyone else or a person who, due to a traumatic event in his childhood, instead of getting the best counciling money can buy becomes one of the worlds best detectives, escape artists, martial artists, inventors, as well as being well adjusted enough to successfully maintain a secret identity, all in the space of about fifteen to twenty years; without the majority of the world knowing?

I know which is more plausable to me.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

And calling superman a meat head? Now that's just unfair superman is still a genius and could do things that no mortal man's brain could whilst batman is just better at deductive reasoning (seeing as how he is a detective in most ways)

Calling Superman a meathead is completely fair when discussing his tactics. In short, he has none. He flies with reckless abandon and no real fighting style because he CAN. He never has to think tactically because he's just THAT powerful. His lack of tactics has often been exploited by his opponents, including...drum roll...Batman.

Just because his mind can do things that the average mortal man's mind can't, doesn't make him a genius. It makes his intellect just above average/standard/unexceptional. Don't misunderstand, I'm not calling Superman an idiot. He's a smart enough guy. But when I say "meathead" I'm talking about a person who doesn't really plan and think things through, who doesn't push the potential of their mind to give them an advantage in combat. So, by that definition, Superman is a meathead. He doesn't think tactically, he just flies in and lets his superpowers take care of the problem.

This isn't an inherently BAD way of doing things, especially if you're as powerful as Superman, but it still makes him a meathead. And this lack of tactics frequently gets him into trouble.

Batman on the other hand has genius-level intelligence and a mastery of tactics, and I'm not just fanboy-gushing here, this is confirmed in the comics. If Superman acted with Batman's tacitics, he'd be truly unstoppable. But he doesn't. And that's why he's a meathead.

 

[Vivi22]

Then when it comes to Clark Kent his entire behaviour changes (he's meant to be a pheonomenal actor), his voice changes raises in pitch, his entire posture is much weaker, he makes less eye contact, this makes you less likely to notice Clark Kent, let alone ponder if he's Superman.

That's actually one of my favourite things in All Star Superman. Frank Quitley did a phenomenal job of distinguishing between Superman and Clark's body language. I actually can't think of any other depiction I've seen or read that did as good a job as he managed. Everything from slumping his shoulders, letting his back arch, his constant clumsiness disguising him saving people without ever putting on the costume, the messy hair, glasses. He even made him look slightly heavier around the waist like you'd expect a Kansas farm boy would. I used to give the glasses a bit of an eye roll like others despite being a huge fan of Superman and the in universe explanations they give. But once I read All Star it finally clicked for me and I realized that it's actually a lot more plausible than many think.

 

[BristolBerserker]

I'd say Batman because he has to overcome the fact he has no superpowers whatsoever. His character also has flaws while superman is meant to be the perfect man.

 

[CODE-D]

To everyone saying Superman is boring, overpowered, has no peronality...

How many of you have actually sat down and read a Superman story?

Not a Batman story where Superman appears so he can get shown up by Batman, to show everyone how awesome and unbeatable Batman is.

Not a story where Batman and Superman ostensibly share billing, but Superman gets downplayed because the writer has a hardon for Batman.

An actual Superman story.

Its more about aesthetics than stories. (although batman does have better stories(to me))
Batman
Normal man
Superman
Alien
see right there you already have to suspend your belief with superman.

Origin
Batman
Wants to bring justice to the city he grew up in so trains himself physically(like a ninja/fighter) and mentally(like a detective/scientist) to bring this about, also dawns black cape and cowl
Superman
Yellow sun gives him power
Keeps normalcy of his life, his town and sometimes earth, sometimes space.

Villains
Batman
gangsters and psychopaths(whom we all love)


Superman
Lex
Aliens
robots
anybody who knows his weakness

Combat
Batman
Cool gadgets
multiple offensive styles
Planning ahead or if not, analyzing for weaknesses

Superman
Punch
Tackle
various special attacks(lasers, ice breath)
hes a fuckin pokemon

Identity
Batman
Bruce millionaire wayne

Superman
Kent I work at the news Clark
Whos disguise no person can believe works as popular as superman is in his universe.

Lookin at all that batmans just cooler in the long run.

...so... that'd be a no, then?

And I love how everyone's always "DURRR BATMAN'S MORE RELATABLE." You nailed it right here, without even realizing it. Batman's an aristocrat. Superman's a working stiff like us. Grew up on a farm, works a 9-to-5 job. He's the 99%. He's one of us.

I doubt most of us were born on a farm.

But superman doesnt have to work that job like we do and and and probably doesnt make him tired like us so it kinda makes the point him being relatable null and void.

 

[uhddh]

More often than not I'd take Marvel over DC anyway.


OT: Superman would be the better in a fight, but that's because the writers made him kinda over powered and that makes him lame. The Best superhero's need a weakness that the enemy can exploit. However, if your going to have a character who can fly, punch holes through Batman, etc. don't make his weakness a rock because that's just stupid.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

Everybody loves Batman, this cannot be denied. But let's be honest here in terms of a Batman vs. Superman fight.

In the best of circumstances for a straight up fight, the absolute peak of Batman's abilities and over-romanticization of his character results in Batman practically having clairvoyance, predicting everything that will ever happen in a fight and preparing for it in every, way, shape, or form. However, on the flip side, the absolute peak of Superman's abilities and over-romanticization of his character results in Superman being God... No matter which way you look at it, Supe's is gonna win, guys.

It essentially amounts to this:

 

[Don Savik]

"Superman is a farm boy that works a shitty job just like us! obviously more relateable! herp derp"

NO. He pretends to be one of us. And fails. FAAAAIILLLLLSSS. Thats why Clark Kent is a loser. One of us? Hell if I could fly and see through women's clothing then I would be a tyrannical super-being that would enslave the world. Superboring can go wear his underwear outside his pants and leave us all alone.

"Batman is just a fantasy of what we would do if we we're rich"

I could say Superman is a fantasy of what we would be if we had superpowers, and it would be just as valid. Batman is probably to be honest one of the worst 'super'-heroes around. Watch the Justice League, he takes twice as long to get anywhere and do anything, and has to leave all the fighting of the really powerful things to Superman, GL, Wonderwoman, Flash, because, whats a batarang going to do against whatever space-god they fight that day? I think a lot of it has to do with the tone and costume. Look at Superderp's goddam costume and curly hair-thing going on. ITS FREAKING RIDICULOUS. Batman is a man.....dressed like a bat, that breaks people's arms to solve crimes.

Another problem with Superdork is that he isnt deep. He is strong so he punches things and shoots laser beams like a freakin' pokemon. Where Batman actually has to problem solve like a normal person. It makes for a more engaging conflict between villain and hero.

 

[LetalisK]

In my old age I've come to appreciate Superman and what he stands for. So...Superman.

'All that power makes him boring.' Ok, then what's Goku's excuse?

Who said he gets one?

 

[deadish]

Superman is too naive and idealistic for my taste.

Batman once cynically commented that that is actually a good thing for the world - for Superman to be the way he is. That "It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him.".

In the best of circumstances for a straight up fight, the absolute peak of Batman's abilities and over-romanticization of his character results in Batman practically having clairvoyance, predicting everything that will ever happen in a fight and preparing for it in every, way, shape, or form. However, on the flip side, the absolute peak of Superman's abilities and over-romanticization of his character results in Superman being God... No matter which way you look at it, Supe's is gonna win, guys.

But that's basically Batman's character. He is "crazy prepared". Is it realistic? Nope. But neither is shooting lasers from your eyes nor lifting airplanes without said airplane from falling a part or crumbling like a soda can - airplanes aren't designed to be dragged around by application of a huge amount of force to a small point on it's air frame.

This is the same Batman that, when he was part of the Justice League, researched and wrote up detailed plans on how to defeat every member of said league just in case someone goes rogue - granted it didn't go down well with the rest of the league when they found out.

 

[deadish]

In my old age I've come to appreciate Superman and what he stands for. So...Superman.

'All that power makes him boring.' Ok, then what's Goku's excuse?

With regards to anime, as someone else already pointed out,

Who said he gets one?

Personally, most of the time I find the (more cynical and calculating) "rival" character in shounen anime way more interesting that the (overly idealistic and hot-head) lead.

Naruto : Sasuke
Toaru Majutsu no Index : Accelerator

The only shounen anime where I did not end up cheering for the "rival" character more is Code Geass, because in that show the writers deliberately swap the roles of the two archetypes.

PS: Of course there are show like EVA, but it doesn't count as the show was a huge departure from the usual "formula".
PPS: Come to think of it, there Escaflowne as well, but it is also kind of a break from the norm as it has shoujo manga/anime type bishounen as leads.

 

[Fertro]

In terms of power, Superman. In terms of badassery, however, Batman takes the cake.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

In the best of circumstances for a straight up fight, the absolute peak of Batman's abilities and over-romanticization of his character results in Batman practically having clairvoyance, predicting everything that will ever happen in a fight and preparing for it in every, way, shape, or form. However, on the flip side, the absolute peak of Superman's abilities and over-romanticization of his character results in Superman being God... No matter which way you look at it, Supe's is gonna win, guys.

But that's basically Batman's character. He is "crazy prepared". Is it realistic? Nope. But neither is shooting lasers from your eyes nor lifting airplanes without said airplane from falling a part or crumbling like a soda can - airplanes aren't designed to be dragged around by application of a huge amount of force to a small point on it's air frame.

This is the same Batman that, when he was part of the Justice League, researched and wrote up detailed plans on how to defeat every member of said league just in case someone goes rogue - granted it didn't go down well with the rest of the league when they found out.

That's all very nice for Batman. It still wouldn't help him. Like I said, everybody loves Batman, but my point isn't about which character you like more.

But let's be honest here in terms of a Batman vs. Superman fight.

All I'm talking about is the fight. And Batman wouldn't win.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

In my old age I've come to appreciate Superman and what he stands for. So...Superman.

'All that power makes him boring.' Ok, then what's Goku's excuse?

With regards to anime, as someone else already pointed out,

Who said he gets one?

Personally, most of the time I find the (more cynical and calculating) "rival" character in shounen anime way more interesting that the (overly idealistic and hot-head) lead.

Naruto : Sasuke
Toaru Majutsu no Index : Accelerator

The only shounen anime where I did not end up cheering for the "rival" character more is Code Geass, because in that show the writers deliberately swap the roles of the two archetypes.

PS: Of course there are show like EVA, but it doesn't count as the show was a huge departure from the usual "formula".
PPS: Come to think of it, there Escaflowne as well, but it is also kind of a break from the norm as it has shoujo manga/anime type bishounen as leads.

I fear this might be going off topic a bit... but, here it goes:

So am I to understand that there's some underground Frieza fanbase I've never heard of? Hell, Goku isn't even a "hot-head". That dude is cool as a cucumber compared to everyone else in the cast. And because calculating and cynical is exactly what Frieza was, Frieza can easily be considered Goku's greatest rival as it resulted in him finally reaching Super Saiyan to beat him.

The point of Frieza is that he is all about calculated moves with every step planned out next. The point of Goku is that he defies calculations.

<insert-scouter-joke-here>