*This is a SPOILER-FREE piece.*
I wish folks would just accept that that Batman will always beat Superman. Yes, Kal-El is more powerful in many ways, and can easily kill a man if he wished it. But Batman is not just any man.
He’s Batman.
With the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the argument among geeks, of who will win, has spilled outside of fandom but the size of the audience is never the issue, because the results will still remain the same.
But first, let’s get some issues out of the way. The fight between Batman and Superman is not one about strength. Stop saying that with super speed, strength and heat vision, Batman won’t stand a chance. If these were the accepted guidelines, it would be easier to pair Superman against Green Lantern, or even Lar Gand/Mon-El/Valor/M’Onel. Batman cannot move planets nor can he survive a nuclear explosion.
The setup for Batman V Superman, in any form, is to take two titans, one alien and one human, to determine which is superior and in that regard…. with proper planning and preparation, Batman will win the battle of wits.
Superman has been called the world’s biggest boy scout and his weakness is not Kryptonite, nor magic. It’s his compassion and Batman will use that to his advantage to win a fight. But what about Henry Cavill’s Superman? He tore apart Metropolis in Man of Steel. He’s a different Superman who blatantly tore a city apart. He can just as easily destroy a man dressed as a bat.
The by-product of a fight is something that comic book Superman would consider, (But apparently, not Zack Snyder) so let’s look at this fight in-universe, and only compare Zack Snyder’s version of both characters.
In the movie, Batman wants to take Superman out for the destruction of Metropolis. He would have studied Superman, and come to a few conclusions.
He knows Superman is Clark Kent of the Daily Planet. He would have tracked the clues that led Lois to Clark in the first place, and uncovered everything there is to know about Clark’s time on Earth.
He knows Kent is dating Lois Lane.
He know about Krypton and the effect that Kryptonian materials would have on Superman and he would have gotten his hands on some.
And most importantly, he knows that Superman kills and can easily kill again, but he won’t.
Why? Superman was also taught by his human father, Jonathan, to kill (or let people, including Jonathan die) to protect his alien heritage. But since then, Superman has entered human society and is trying to be one of us.
If Superman ends up killing Batman, a human, the world who saw the destruction of Metropolis will turn on Superman. Lois will turn on Superman. Maybe even Martha. Thus, Batman wins.
If Superman destroys Batman but does not kill Batman, then he’s not better than a tyrant, because Batman has done nothing to warrant such action. Batman wins.
If Superman destroys Gotham or Metropolis during this fight (as seen in the trailers), it’s alien vs human and Superman is doing all the destruction. It’ll be like the destruction in Man of Steel all over again, and Batman wins.
If Superman cannot kill Batman nor can he destroy him, the only way he can win is if Superman reveals his own intentions and secrets to the world, and possibly even expose Batman’s in the process. And I think that is the point of this movie. And if that’s the case, Batman’s work is done, so Batman wins.
So in any universe, Superman can never win.
Read also: Our review of the movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?
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