Night vs Day
The greatest gladiator match in history is upon us. Man versus alien. Black versus blue. But let's face it, it is not a level playing field. The Dark Knight needs more than his 'A' game on his best day to even have the slightest chance of fending off an offensive from the Last Son of Krypton. With Superman defying laws of physics, the gravity of the encounter will fall squarely on the Bat's broad shoulders. But the Man of Steel isn't invulnerable. His arch enemy, a mortal, Lex Luthor, has proven on numerous occasions that even a super-powered alien can bleed.
With Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice smashing though UAE cinemas today, we preview this colossal confrontation with exciting info as to how these two — inarguably the most recognizable superheroes — will battle it out.
After a deadly encounter that almost levelled the city of Metropolis, Batman sees Superman as a threat to the world, with his immense powers left unchecked. He feels he must be stopped before he does any more damage. Here are five ways Batman beats Superman:
5) Court of public opinion
World-renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson suggests no physical confrontation is necessary. Bruce Wayne must use his influence and guile to turn the world against Superman — cue the devastation in Man Of Steel (2013). This perception of him being the villain all along will not only deal mental and emotional blows to Superman, it might even break his will.
4) Collateral damage
Manipulate Superman into submission using his emotions against him. Lois Lane, Martha Kent and all the people Clark Kent holds dear must be threatened and held hostage. Batman is dark but he has morals, and this might be too cruel even for his standards. But he might cross that line in a desperate effort to supplant Supes. The Man of Steel will be forced to concede in a fight if victory meant sacrificing those exceptionally close to his heart.
3) With a little help from his friends... and enemies
Batman surrounds himself with capable allies who assist him in his vigilante ways — Alfred, Jim Gordon, Robin and Batgirl to name a few. But against Superman? He will have to patch up with some foes and empty his pocket to upgrade. The Flash and Green Arrow can provide distraction. Shazam and Green Lantern can go toe-to-toe with Superman using one of his weaknesses, magic. Enchantress and Poison Ivy can control his mind. And finally, enlist an armoured, Superman-hating Lex Luthor.
2) Science and technology
The 2015 film The Martian, taught us that no problem is too big to overcome if you have science on your side. Batman too can topple Superman using science and technology. He lures Superman into an area rigged with his toys and he controls his offensive from afar. Batman temporarily confuses the Man of Steel by firing high-frequency sounds and then proceeds to turn on gigantic lights that mimic Krypton’s red sun radiation, which weakens Superman. Now it’s time to strike hard. An assortment of weapons, from grenade launchers to EMP guns to automatic machine guns, fired sequentially or at once, can overwhelm a deteriorated Man of Steel. Batman drops the nuke immediately after. In the graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns, Superman is skin and bones after being subjected to a nuclear explosion.
1) With a prayer... and Kryptonite!
Kryptonite must be used to weaken Superman first. Batman has the technology to manufacture kryptonite-laced projectiles — arrows, bullets and missiles — and can alternatively synthesize kryptonite into gas. With a vulnerable Superman, an armoured Batman is primed to strike. He is a more skilled combatant to begin with, so odds of him winning this brawl isn’t farfetched.
Superman has reiterated that he’s not the enemy and he’s here to protect. But that doesn’t convince the Dark Knight. When push comes to shove, it doesn’t take much for the Man of Steel to break the bat. Here are five ways Superman beats Batman:
5) Outlive Batman
No fight needs to happen. Superman simply flies away from Batman to outer space and waits there for years and lets father time take its toll on the Dark Knight who’ll expire of old age or from some kind of disease. Well, that was easy.
4) Super-speed
He’s faster than a fired bullet and flies at supersonic speeds. He has run alongside the fastest superhero alive, The Flash, at speeds reaching 3,200km/s. A god-like being charging at even half this speed will break creatures in half. Bats included.
3) Heat vision
Superman can roast an unaware Batman from a distance using his heat vision. Bats might find a way to alert himself but there’s a limit to his agility and stamina. Supes can wait for the Dark Knight to get tired and then burn him.
2) Freeze breath
Superman can store more of Earth’s thin air in his lungs, compress it and then expel it with extreme force. This process drops the air’s temperature, making it possible for him to blow freezing air. Though Batman has found ways of defeating his nemesis Dr Freeze, who also relies on a subzero offense, he’ll most likely chill forever if he gets the cold treatment from the Man of Steel.
1) Blunt force trauma
Simply whacking the heck out of Batman. In the comics, Supes has punched another super-powered being, Lobo, into outer space. This kind of force inflicted to a mere mortal would be so excessive that Batman’s head would come off! Gruesome.
Meanwhile...
Wonder Woman makes her long-awaited live-action movie appearance debut. DC’s trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman share the big screen together for the first time. The Amazon has a pivotal role helping unite the warring superheroes. Her demigod abilities and arsenal of weapons will prove useful in battling a threat that’s literally larger than anything the heroes have faced before.
Bad blood
It is not unusual for heroes to be hostile to each other. A plethora of factors are at play. Whether it’s a difference in principles, power-playing, or plainly about bragging rights, heroes also collide. Whatever the reason is, the worlds of DC and Marvel comics are littered with encounters and face-offs between heroes, both brief or lasting.
WOLVERINE vs HULK
Set in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, Nick Fury contacts Wolverine to terminate the Hulk after the Hulk was found to be responsible for several incidents of mass destruction. Hulk doesn’t take this sitting down, so naturally, a brutal fight ensues between the two.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER vs THE FLASH
This is one moment in the comics we’d like to see turn into a full-blown battle. When Flash hauled Manhunter, the Martian couldn’t turn invisible as the Flash’s speed vibrated Manhunter’s atoms back into solid form. The Martian then used his mental assault on Flash.
GREEN ARROW vs GREEN LANTERN
They were quite the controversial pair — total opposites in their views. With each challenging the other and bringing out different aspects of their characters, we’d pay to have their partnership pushed to the edge resulting in a physical brawl.
THE SUBMARINER vs AQUAMAN
The ‘Kings of The Seas’, Submariner and Aquaman collide as part of an out-of-canon limited Marvel vs DC series, where different heroes are chosen from either universes and they fight to decide which universe, Marvel or DC, would solely exist in the end.
IRON MAN vs CAPTAIN AMERICA
One of the most popular feuds in the Marvel Universe, Iron Man and Captain America battle it out as a result of difference in opinion when the government decides to interfere with the activities of the Avengers and hold them accountable for their damaging actions during states of fights and conflicts. This results in even bigger hostility among other superheroes, who take sides, therefore starting the Civil War.
