Summary
- Batman vs Superman culminates in Batman's victory due to manipulation by Lex Luthor, bringing a long-awaited battle between the heroes to life.
- Historical comic book precedent s Batman's win over Superman, highlighting the unique dynamic between the two iconic characters.
- Batman's victory over Superman in Dawn of Justice is essential for the story, showcasing Batman's humanity and challenging conventional expectations.
After decades of debate on who would win between Batman and Superman, Ben Affleck's aggressive version of Batman coming out victorious. As promised by the title, Batman v Superman had the two heroes trading blows, finally bringing the Batman vs Superman fight fan's have wanted for decades to the big screen. Batman feared Superman's unchecked power, and Superman (Henry Cavill) hated Batman's brutal methods, but the real reason why Batman and Superman fight is manipulation by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). Batman emerges victorious, and from a narrative perspective, Batman v Superman could go no other route.
As long-time DC Comics readers know, there's more than enough comic-book precedent for Batman beating Superman. Most famously Batman beat Superman in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns — a comic run from which Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice draws much inspiration, including aesthetically with Batman's Superman fight armor. However, many viewers still wonder can Batman really beat Superman, and some even use Batman's victory as a criticism of the movie. Here's why Batman had to win the Batman vs Superman fight in Dawn of Justice, and why the suspension of disbelief is necessary for Batman v Superman's plot.
Batman Wins The Fight In Batman v Superman... But Spares Superman's Life
Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice sees the iconic DC hero duo face off against one another in the movie's plot after being turned against one another by Lex Luthor. The pair get some considerable shots in on one another - with Superman punching Batman through a building, and Batman dousing Superman with kryptonite gas grenades. This latter act allows the Dark Knight the upper hand over the Man Of Steel, letting him pummel the superpowered hero and setting Bruce up to be able to kill Superman with a kryptonite spear.
However, just before the killing blow is landed, Superman begs Batman to "save Martha" - referring to his mother, Martha Kent, who is being held hostage at this point in the movie. This surprises the Caped Crusader because his own mother was also named Martha, and this moment of shared experiences sees Bruce pause, sparing Clark after Lois Lane arrives in time to explain the full situation. That said, it's made very clear that Batman could have killed Superman, and ultimately only didn't because he changed his mind after learning more information.
Who Wins When Batman Fights Superman In The Comics
Superman and Batman have fought many times in the comics before and after Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, and more stories that have the two square up will no doubt continue to be made, as the topic of who would come out on top is a consistently engaging subject matter for fans and creators alike. That said, it's interesting to note that by and large, Superman and Batman's battles tend to work in ways that see both figures are as winner and loser at the same time to some degree.
For example, in Superman: Red Son, Batman dies in the battle against Superman, but this is the beginning of the end for the Man of Steel's "utopia", with a group known as the Batmen eventually taking over. The Dark Knight Returns - the afore-mentioned prominent inspiration for Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice - sees Batman successfully take down Superman after teaming up with Green Arrow, but then has Batman need to fake his own death in order to avoid continued persecution from the US government. Most comic battles between the pair see them both face some consequences, showing how matched Superman's powers are to Batman's cunning.
Indeed, in the rarer occasions where one of the two heroes more definitely wins - like Superman destroying Batman in Lex Luthor: Man Of Steel, or Batman killing Superman ruthlessly in stories like Batman: The Devastator - it tends to be to show the respective character who wins in a more negative light. This serves to underline the idea that their usual even match up could only be unbalanced by some more underhanded approaches, leaving them otherwise perfectly matched opponents.
This backdrop is important for Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, as it contextualizes a lot about the fight and why it takes the specific path of events that audiences see unfold. It also further shows how much the DCEU movie was drawing from a wealth of comics on the topic with its approach to the battle, despite how controversial this scene was and still is for some of the film's audience.
Batman Had To Beat Superman For The Story To Work
Understanding why Batman beat Superman requires a clear picture of why they came to blows. To begin with, Superman's own role in the fight is a coerced one, with Lex Luthor having kidnapped Clark's adoptive mother, Martha Kent (Diane Lane), and giving Superman one hour to kill Batman to save her life. Faced with such a horrible dilemma, Superman tries reasoning with Batman, who is armed with a Kryptonite spear as his intended killing weapon, and while he eventually has to get more physical, he never attempts to kill the Caped Crusader. The Man of Steel also warns Batman, "If I wanted it, you'd be dead already," suggesting that Superman's power dwarfs that of Batman.
Batman sees Superman as nothing more than a potential alien threat to be eliminated. As set up by Batman v Superman, the showdown between the two heroes is symbolically positioned as Batman's last chance to regain the humanity slipping away from him. Without seeing Superman as more than a possible alien conqueror, that couldn't have happened, which meant that Batman beating Superman was the only option for the film. Henry Cavill's commentary that Superman was holding back throughout the Batman fight reinforces that this is not a pure reflection of the two characters' powers, continuing the question of whether Batman can really beat Superman.
This leads to the movie's much-debated "Martha moment," in which Batman is pulled back from killing Superman with the Kryptonite spear by Lois Lane (Amy Adams). Criticism of the scene has focused on Bruce and Clark's mothers, both being named Martha, as what stops Batman, with the contrivance causing the scene to be a frequent object of memes. However, that misconstrues Batman, at last, coming to understand Superman's humanity and Batman's loss of his own, which Snyder explained as the scene's meaning in his Batman v Superman streaming commentary. In this way, Batman, fully prepared to slay Superman in cold blood, finally sees him as human and, conversely, himself as a man blinded by rage and paranoia. For this moment and Batman's subsequent rescue of Martha to work, Batman had to see himself in a new light — which couldn't have happened without Batman as the victor.
A Story Where Superman Wins Would Be Boring
As DC's two most popular heroes, Superman and Batman have frequently scrapped within the pages of comics as well as numerous adaptations. Even memorable alternate-universe graphic novels such as The Dark Knight Returns have featured Batman vs. Superman showdowns. Almost all of these battles end either with a stalemate or a Batman victory. Even in fights where Superman wins, such as in Red Son, it causes an existential crisis, meaning that it's hard to call Supes a winner.
This trend occurs precisely because The Boys, it wouldn't fit in the DC Universe. It is precisely in showing how Batman overcomes such an obvious mismatch that stories such as Batman v. Superman maintain interest, showcasing Batman's intelligence and subverting audience expectations of who would win between him and Superman.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
- Release Date
- March 25, 2016
- Runtime
- 152 minutes
- Director
- Zack Synder
Cast
Bruce Wayne / Batman
Clark Kent / Superman
WHERE TO WATCH
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice features the iconic clash between Gotham's Dark Knight, played by Ben Affleck, and Metropolis's Man of Steel, portrayed by Henry Cavill. As these two heroes confront each other, a looming threat endangers humanity, setting the stage for larger challenges ahead in the DC Extended Universe.
DC Movies |
Release Date |
|---|---|
October 4, 2024 |
|
July 11, 2025 |
|
June 26, 2026 |
|
October 2, 2026 |
Your comment has not been saved