Batman v Superman: How can Batman beat Superman? (FAQ)

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By Nav K on March 4, 2016 • ( 4 Comments )

It’s the month of Batman v Superman and to kick it off let’s take a look at one of the most frequently asked questions on the net right now, how can Batman beat Superman? So let’s try to uncover this apparent mystery!

How can Batman beat Superman? Superman could just rip his head off and throw him off the planet right? This is the type of comment I see all over the internet right now. Anytime there’s some kind of Facebook post/article etc. regarding Batman v Superman, there’s a group of people who just scoff at the idea of this fight. It makes no sense; how could Batman possibly ever beat Superman? It would be a one second fight right?? Well not really.

So first let’s take a look at this fight within the context of the cinematic versions of these characters. Typically, in the comics, when Batman and Superman do fight, there’s a pre-existing relationship there. Looking at The Dark Knight Returns for example, even though Superman is, to put it simply a real dickhead, he still has a history with Bruce, so it’s not like he wants to kill him.

This isn’t the case in Batman v Superman. These two are strangers. They don’t know each other, they never had a friendship, they don’t care about each other at all. All they know about each other is from what they’ve heard from other sources.                                                    how can batman beat superman

Okay so now, can this Batman beat this Superman? Yes he can, here’s why:

This Batman is more brutal than ever

Remember that this Batman has been at it for a long time. 20 years in Gotham, he’s had a lot of triumphs, but even more failures. This eats at Bruce, he doesn’t feel like his presence is making an impact, he doesn’t feel like he’s helping to change anything. In the trailer we saw Bruce say, “This may be the only thing I do that matters”, in regards to beating Superman.

Bruce will be putting all his past disappointments and frustrations onto this fight with Superman. It will help Bruce reconcile with all his failures that have happened in the past if he beats Superman. So he will go all out.

And we already saw that he isn’t holding back when it comes to criminals. He’s branding them and completely destroying them. He’s not going to kill them, but they’re probably going to wish they were dead after Batman has dealt with them. So Superman should be worried, because this Batman isn’t holding back.

Superman isn’t aware of his weaknesses

Remember this is baby Supes we’re talking about. A couple of years has passed since Man of Steel, so he’s been Superman for around 2 years. But in those 2 years he hasn’t been doing anything that’s too challenging. He’s been helping out with natural disasters, stopping trains from crashing, helping to rebuild Metropolis after the Black Zero event, but he hasn’t really faced anything too tough.

Right now, physically he hasn’t faced anything that has made him feel weaker. We saw in the trailer that Superman was shocked when Batman blocked his punch. He’s hasn’t dealt with a power difference like that since his fight with Zod.

Superman is shocked because he hasn’t been exposed to his physical weaknesses. The main ones being: Kryptonite, Red Sun and magic. I doubt we’ll see any use of Red Sun or magic in Batman v Superman, but you know for sure Batman will be using Kryptonite. And this will come as a shock to Superman. He doesn’t know about the effect of Kryptonite on him, and once he feels that weakness he’ll need to re-evaluate everything he once thought about the fight. It will take him aback and will help Batman take the lead in the fight.

Batman has access to Kryptonian tech

In the prequel comics we saw that Wayne Enterprises has taken some of the Kryptonian technology that was left behind after the Black Zero event. So he can use that against Superman and build his suit from it. It may not make him as strong as Zod, but it will give him an edge.

Batman is smarter

Superman isn’t dumb, but he doesn’t think the same way Batman does. Bruce is incredibly strategic and is always very well prepared. We saw from the prequel comics that Batman has been observing and studying Superman since the Black Zero event. He built a suit specifically to fight Superman. So when it comes to this fight, Batman has the upper hand when it comes to enemy intelligence.

Batman is always prepared; we know he’s going to have a few tricks up his sleeve to beat Superman. Tricks that he learnt from studying Superman and Kryptonians. I guess the counter is that Superman doesn’t need any tricks because he has powers, but if you don’t have intelligence on your enemy, that’s going to put you at a major disadvantage. Basically, Batman is going to be surprising Superman a lot with what he does, and the question is, will Superman be able to handle that?

Superman isn’t evil and/or a dick

Normally in a Batman vs Superman fight, Superman is presented as the antagonist to the audience. You’re rooting for Batman to punch Superman in the face, because the audience knows Superman is in the wrong. In Dark Knight Returns Superman became the government’s lackey, in Hush he was being controlled by Poison Ivy, in Injustice he becomes a tyrant etc.

So those fights are a lot harder for Batman, because Superman isn’t the nice guy he once was anymore. In Batman v Superman, this isn’t the case.

Clark is a good person who loves humanity, and he may not know Bruce, but he still won’t want to hurt him…too bad. Batman can and will use that humanity against him. Forget Kryptonite, Superman’s biggest weakness has and will always be his love for humanity. Clark wears his heart on his sleeve, so it’s easy for people like Batman to take advantage of that.

I’m sure Superman is feeling guilty for all the lives lost during his battle with Zod, so essentially Batman is his guilt personified. And when face to face with that guilt, the only way Superman can defeat that feeling is by proving he is a good person. He needs to prove to himself that he’s more than just the misconstrued perception painted of him by the public. Maybe Superman will fold or let Batman win, to prove that he isn’t this monster Batman thinks he is.

So yeah, for those wondering how can Batman beat Superman, well the fight between Batman and Superman isn’t as simple as people like to think. It’s very possible for Batman to physically beat Superman, but really that isn’t the point. The point is for them to reconcile their ideological differences so that they can eventually team-up and form the Justice League! How that will happen is the big question…

 

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Categories: comic book movies

Tagged as: batman, batman v superman, dc comics, film, superman