Superman and Batman are undoubtedly the two biggest names in DC Comics and the most famous superheroes of all time. Oftentimes referred to as the World’s Finest, the Man of Tomorrow and Caped Crusader are fire-forged brothers in arms who have teamed up countless times to save the universe. However, there have been just as many instances of these two legendary heroes trading blows. Indeed, the question of who would win in a fight between Superman’s overwhelming strength and Batman’s ability to prepare for every contingency has been hotly debated for decades. Whenever these icons clash, it’s always up in the air as to who will come out on top.
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The very first time the Man of Tomorrow met the Caped Crusader in live action was in the DCEU film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, where they almost immediately started fighting one another. This movie is just one example of many Superman and Batman epic battles.
5) Batman: Hush
In the storyline Batman: Hush, the Dark Knight must fight his way through his entire rogues’ gallery to track down the enigmatic titular villain who’s acting as the puppet master. Things get even worse when Batman and Catwoman track down Poison Ivy and discover her latest brainwashed victim. Through a mixture of her hypnotic pheromones and Kryptonite dust, Poison Ivy took control of Superman’s mind. Against a brainwashed Superman, the Caped Crusader plays every trick in the book and uses Gotham’s layout to survive. Still, not even a Kryptonite ring manages to keep the hypnotized Superman down for long. However, all of this was to distract from Batman’s real plan to restore Superman’s mind. Concurrently, Catwoman kidnaps and throws Lois Lane off the top of a building. Hearing Lois in danger is enough to snap Superman out of his brainwashing, and he manages to save her. It was an incredibly risky gamble, but Batman’s knowledge of Superman’s love for Lois allowed him to save his friend from Poison Ivy’s control.
4) Superman: Red Son
The Elseworlds story Superman: Red Son has a baby Kal-El crash-land in Soviet Ukraine in 1938 and raised to be a soldier and symbol of Mother Russia. In this world, both Superman and Batman have good intentions, but their actions make them morally gray villains. When his parents are killed for their anti-Superman beliefs, Batman dedicates his life to making the Man of Steel pay. As an adult, Batman is an anarchist terrorist who opposes Superman’s authoritarian regime. With the help of US President Luthor, Batman kidnaps Wonder Woman and lures Superman to a cellar filled with red solar radiation lamps. These lamps render Superman powerless, and Batman nearly beats the Russian leader to death. However, the Man of Steel is saved when Wonder Woman breaks free of her restraints and destroys the lamps. Preferring death over being turned into a lobotomized puppet, Batman kills himself by detonating a bomb in his chest. Although Superman won this fight, it was only thanks to Wonder Woman’s intervention.
3) Justice League: Origins
The New 52 completely reinvented the first meeting of DC’s greatest heroes by having Batman learn first-hand the raw power of the Man of Steel. While investigating an alien Mother Box with Green Lantern, they run into Superman, who mistakenly believes that the pair is colluding with the evil Parademons. After Green Lantern gets thoroughly humiliated trying to take on Superman, Batman finds himself forced to confront the near-unstoppable alien. No matter what gadget Batman deploys, they do little more than entertain Superman. The only reason that Batman wasn’t immediately reduced to paste from one of the Man of Steel’s punches was that Green Lantern put up a force field around himself and the Caped Crusader. Eventually, Batman manages to convince Superman that they’re on the same side of uncovering the mystery behind the Parademons and the Mother Boxes. Although the fight didn’t have a definitive conclusion, it’s clear that Superman was effortlessly winning. With a first encounter like that, no wonder Batman began hoarding every piece of Kryptonite that he could find.
2) Batman: Endgame
The only thing worse than a Superman brainwashed by Poison Ivy is one corrupted by the Joker. In Batman: Endgame, the Joker infects the entire Justice League with a version of Joker Venom that turns them into manically grinning villains. Batman fights for his life against his brainwashed friends by donning the Justice Buster armor. After defeating most of his teammates, Batman had to face the final boss: Superman. The Justice Buster had numerous contingencies to deal with Superman’s power set. It was unbelievably strong, had heat-vision-deflecting force fields, a thermal regulator to counter frost breath, and was even outfitted with miniaturized red sun knuckle dusters. Yet even all of that wasn’t enough, as the Jokerized Superman ripped through the armor and took Batman up into the air. In a last-ditch effort to win, Batman spat Kryptonite gum straight into Superman’s eye, causing him to become unconscious and to plummet from the sky. Against a god-like alien like Superman, sometimes the most unorthodox of plans are needed to secure victory.
1) The Dark Knight Returns
Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns features the most iconic and emotionally charged clash between Batman and Superman in DC Comics history. Set in a grim future, Superman is sent by the US Government to apprehend Batman, who recently came out of retirement to fight crime in Gotham once again. However, while Superman pulls his punches, Batman holds nothing back. Donning a power suit to better even the playing field, the Dark Knight utilizes electric gauntlets and his tank-like Batmobile to hurt the Man of Tomorrow. Batman also gets help from Green Arrow, who fires a Kryptonite arrow that significantly weakens Superman. Ultimately, when Superman is at Batman’s mercy, the Dark Knight demands that his former friend always remember who beat him. It’s an epic battle that would go on to inspire Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and is often cited as the reason Batman’s prep time would allow him to defeat the Man of Steel.
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