When Marvel’s
The Avengers went on to become the third highest grossing film of all time, Warner Bros. had the expected response of proclaiming their determination to get a
Justice League film into production as soon as possible. To many this seemed a foolish and imitative attempt to rake in
Avengers-like money without putting in the kind of groundwork that Marvel did in establishing its cinematic universe. Many argued that what WB should do, instead, was a film featuring the one thing that Marvel
did not have: a team-up of their two most iconic characters, Superman and Batman. In the end, of course, that’s exactly what’s happening with the sequel to
Man of Steel bringing together Henry Cavill’s Superman with Ben Affleck’s Batman. And while a direct sequel to the first film would have been preferable, there’s a genuine sense of excitement about seeing these two characters appearing together in a live action adventure for the first time. Superman and Batman coming together, of course, is nothing new in other mediums.
"We start at the beginning, and the beginning is
New York World's Fair Comics, 1940 edition, and the cover of that which was the first one that showed Superman and Batman in a scene together," enthuses Michael Uslan, emphasizing that he's speaking as a comics historian and fanboy and not as the producer of every Batman film since Tim Burton's 1989 effort. "These are two characters who might, at first blush, look very similar, but are in fact very different. When Bob Kane and Bill Finger created Batman, the idea was, 'Okay, Superman's the first superhero who's incredibly popular, sales are beginning to skyrocket, we gotta create the second superhero, so let's go in the opposite direction. Let's create someone who's human. A superhero with no superpowers.' There's the divide. "The second part of it," he continues, "is that Superman is an alien, he comes from another planet. He has been sometimes perceived or portrayed as almost messiah-like with the degree of his powers. Batman is an everyman. He is the figure that I fell in love with as a superhero more so than Superman, the Hulk or any of them, because he was human. And because that identification was so strong, and I did believe when I was eight that if I studied hard, worked out hard and my dad bought me a cool car, I could be this guy. It's that identification that's really strong and helps Batman in his other media appearances cross borders and cultures."
Superman and Batman began to crossover with each other on the Man of Steel's radio show in the 1950s, sharing adventures in the pages of
World's Finest for decades, both being members of the Justice League in print, animation and video games; and both the stars of Greg Pak’s run on the
Batman/Superman comic. It seems that they remain, even after all of these years, an endlessly fascinating combination of personalities who, on the surface, couldn’t seem more different from each other, yet are united on so many fronts. “The list of qualities that keep the two characters diametrically opposed is huge,” offers writer Mark Waid, a veteran of
Justice League, Superman: Birthright and
Kingdom Come, among
many others. “Batman was born from a moment of rage and grief and helplessness. Superman was born from tragedy as well — but a very emotionally removed tragedy, and one that was ultimately about hope and promise and about the continuance of life. Both characters have secret identities and wear masks, but Bruce Wayne’s mask is Batman while Superman’s mask is Clark Kent. One’s posing as something superhuman while the other is pretending to be absolutely normal. While Batman is all about fear and intimidation, Superman is a very relaxed, open, friendly figure — he deliberately doesn’t wear a mask, because he knows he has to earn people’s trust and when you’re impervious to harm, there’s no reason not to be relaxed in your movements and body language.
“But what draws them together,” he adds, “is a mutual thirst for justice and fairness. Batman is, in his heart of hearts, always trying to make sure that what happened to him as a boy never happens to anyone else; Superman was raised with a phenomenal respect for human life and is as vulnerable as anyone when it comes to striking at him through his heart and compassion.” Actor Kevin Conroy, who has been voicing the Dark Knight on and off since the 1992 premiere of
Batman: The Animated Series, has his own views on the character dynamics between Batman and Superman. “Batman’s isolation and his singularity, his inability to really let other people into his personal world, is really essential to the character,” Conroy muses. “It’s part of what audiences expect. Even in a series like
Justice League, where he was one of seven superheroes, Batman was always the odd man out. The others would go off as a group to do something — you know, they might go have pizza — and Batman was always the guy left back in the cave. So in these stories in which he is teamed with Superman, I think it’s the closest Batman gets to have a brother, a kindred spirit. Superman understands Batman. He understands his need to be alone and his isolation. He’s probably the only one of all the superheroes who can balance Batman in terms of wit and power, so they’re a very good balance for each other.”
As to what it is that Batman sees in Superman as a person, he reflects, “I think Batman thinks of Superman as the Dudley Do-Right of superheroes. He admires his strength and his character, but he also thinks he’s incredibly naïve and very unsophisticated about the world. Remember, Batman is also Bruce Wayne, so he’s very urbane. He’s very versed in the way of the world. And Superman is Clark Kent. That’s where I think the distinction is. Batman just thinks that Superman is kind of a very, very naïve guy who always sees the goodness in everybody. And Batman tends to see the darkness.” “I think Superman likes Batman,” interjects actor Tim Daly, who voiced the character in
Superman: The Animated Series and has worked with Conroy as Batman numerous times over the years. “In his own private way, he gets a kick out of the fact that he can count on Batman being cynical and pessimistic, and that he sort of relies on that probably in the way you rely on certain friends or family members to do certain things that you shake your head at and go, ‘Oh, jeez.’ It’s sort of comforting. He’s come to trust Batman to have his back. And he has a genuine concern for him.”
Author Kevin J. Anderson, who wrote the Superman/Batman novel
Enemies & Allies, feels that those two characters together make something akin to a bromance novel. "In every romance novel," he poses, "the team has to hate each other at first, they fight, and they finally figure out that they were meant to be together. It's almost like that with Batman and Superman. They are always fighting and arguing and resisting each other's efforts to do something, because they're pretty set in their ways. Kal-El does not want to beat up the bad guys, he just wants to take them to jail. Batman, of course, says, 'If they get bruised because they were trying to mug somebody, then they asked for it.' It's just a different attitude they have. It's interesting to have the two of them together, because it allows you to compare and contrast."
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