better how?
who do I like? Batman, fvckin' cool!
who is the more intelligent? Batman, prolly.
who is the stronger? lol (BatKick!)
anyway, without giving some criteria for making such a judgement, I can't honestly say this will be productive.
in terms of overall effectiveness at fighting threats to humanity, Superman is hands down, far and away, the better hero.
in terms of being a role model, again, no vengeance kick, no hiding in the shadows, dubious double-identity stuff... just clean, plain and simple boyscout ethos...
In terms of attributes, and traits, in my opinion it's Batman, Superman never had to learn to fight strategically, he really hardly ever had to deal with mortal flaws, Batman did.
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Last edited by Combat_Guru on Mar 23rd, 2008 at 07:53 PM
yes but (and I can't believe I'm arguing for Superman but), he actually deals with far more powerful temptations and pitfalls. the desire for absolute power, the addiction to public adoration and adulation, the temptation to mete out "justice" upon a particularly nasty villain... all these things he manages to resist.
Batman wanted justice, when the system failed he wanted revenge and then blunted that desire down to simply scaring and plaguing villains rather than killing them.
Batman's still not gotten over the circumstances of his creation, he is still affected by and reacting to his childhood. Superman actually has a life.
But seriously, Batman not having temptations doesn't really decrease his attributes, he has shown time and time again that he can beat the strongest super hero, with leverage and strategy formed by strong complacency, and an unbreakable will that makes power irrelevant.
I'm not saying that it makes his achievements any less impressive. as you say, he's done stupendous things with hard thinking and hard work. he's overcome lots of powerful villains and bested superheroes too.
but as regards "better", well, you could say that Superman's demonstrated time and again, a capacity for that "ultimate sacrifice", that given how powerful and advanced a Kryptonian is, Superman has actually had a much harder job justifying to himself his decision to defend and protect the human race. he has sacrificed more opportunities and has done all that without the stimulus of a childhood scarred forever by murder. he does it because he reasons that protecting humanity is the right thing for him to do, Batman does it because he knows what it's like to be a victim to maniacs and villains. Batman fights crime as a way of making peace with himself, it seems. Superman fights villains as a way of giving back to the world that he was brought up in, as a way of showing just how much he appreciates and cherishes the world.. it's more life affirming.
Superman is a "better" hero, effectively, in the sense that there would be far more effect both socially and universally if he was killed of for good than if Batman was killed off for good. However, I generally think Batman is more interesting to read, and I tend to root for him more when he fights Superman (I suppose because whenever Batman has fought Superman with intention to properly harm him, it has been in Batman's own comics.)
Times change my friend, and America is going into an age of military grunts, Superman's expendable, his story's morals aren't flexible, the Batman can be tweaked, to be as graphic as you wish. The Age of Superman is no more, the Age of Batman has begun!
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Batman VS Superman
Mar 23rd, 2008 07:32 PM
