Batman was created by Bob Kane and is regarded as one of the best comic book characters. Over the years he has been known for taking on impossible odds for any human to face, often winning each time, but can he really beat anyone?
As much as I love Batman comics, movies, and TV series, too many fans have this absurd notion that he can beat anyone if given prep time. Granted, Batman is one of those types of heroes who has the ability to outsmart a multitude of villains or other heroes using strategy, detective skills, martial arts, and technology, but even with all this in his favor there are several characters he will never be able to beat who are either superior to him in these areas or have way too much power for him to compensate for. Many of the people he has faced often showed signs of having an exploitable weakness which he would be able to capitalize on at some point during the fight.
Even though it can be argued from another point of view that we all have an exploitable weakness and anyone who is smart enough can use this information against us in the real world, but in the world of comics this is not always the case nor is it always going to be something you're fully able to utilize against them. This is also true for Batman. The reason most people feel as though he can beat anyone comes as a result of him winning in a fight against Superman. Another reason for this belief comes from events that take place in the Tower of Babel story. In 2000, DC comics released JLA: Tower of Babel; a six part storyline involving Ra's Al Ghoul stealing secret files from Batman that documented the strengths and weaknesses of several members of the Justice League. This story served as a catalyst to display Batman's lack of trust for the League and superhumans as a whole, showcasing his willingness to take them down if necessary.
As a result, many fans have used the story as evidence to prove he can beat any character in a debate. Although his files managed to work on his team mates, none of what he accomplished implies he can destroy every character in existence. Many fans tend to forget that each file containing information on his team was a result of knowing them on a personal level and would not have been successfully executed without specific circumstances.
With all the amount of praise given to the dark knight, some of his more enthusiastic fans overlook the fact no one can beat everyone, even Bruce Wayne has his limits. In reality, Batman only beat the man of steel because he had access to some thing he knew would diminish his natural power, making him weak in the process. (also a result of the pain) So, technically his win doesn't count. Not much strategy was needed for what he did in this fight. Depending on how you play it, anyone could beat Superman when he's like that. If Superman did not have Kryptonite as a weakness, the dark knight would have been killed or would be left with no choice but to escape. In a similar scenario, if we were to replace the man of steel with another opponent, such as Galactus, or Thanos; Batman would easily lose this fight because they simply have no exploitable weakness he could use to beat them. No amount of preparation, technology, or human physicality can compete with a being who is light years beyond average or Olympic levels of power, specifically godlike entities. Another point worth noting is Bats' track record against foes smarter and more skilled then him. He has been beaten many times by Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke, Lady Shiva, and a few others throughout his career which he has never outsmarted or beaten in a fight.
As he stands, Batman is a symbol, he embodies many of the good qualities as well as physical and even mental abilities we can all strive to achieve in reality, but with good qualities also comes terrible shortcomings. He may be regarded as one of the greatest comic book characters of all times, but he is not invincible or unbeatable.
No comments:
Post a Comment