The first thing I want to do in this article is a little out of the ordinary. I want to list my top ten favorite superheroes in order. And the reason for this is simple, I'm trying to defuse a fanbomb from going off. I'm looking for a real discussion on this matter, not a big ol' fight. So without further ado:
1.Spider-Man
2.The HULK
3.Iron Man
4.Blade
5.Superman
6.Spider-Man 2099
7.Captain America
8.Wolverine
9.Batman
10.Dr. Strange
My reason for the list is obvious. I love Batman. He is in my top 10 favorite superheroes. But this thought has gone through my head over and over. I've had this discussion with a few of my buddies and they sort of see my point. Batman is made out to be a tough as nail, master martial artists who can defeat almost anyone given enough time and resources. He is talked about as if he is a master strategist. But I, more than not, fail to see that when he is actually written. I'll give you some examples.
Batman has a great rogues gallery. But how many of them offer him a real challange when it comes to his fighting abilities? The Joker never has, the Penguin is a joke, Two Face is a lawyer not a fighter, The Riddler is a foe for the mind and not the body, Catwoman is well...a woman. While my personal favorite is Scar Face. I think Scar Face is one of the greatest villians ever created. But obviously a doll and an old man shouldn't be much of a challange for a master hand to hand fighter. I could go on and on so I'll just get to my point. One of the few villians who offer a challange is Bane (who when compared to the rest of the comic universe isn't even that powerful). And soon after Batman and Bane meet Batman gets his back broken. The one time Batman is actually challanged physically he gets the tar kicked out of him.
The one line I hear over and over to try to convince me that Batman isn't overrated is the fact he's beaten Superman. But Superman is easily defeated with a chunk of green rock. If Peter Parker's Aunt May got a hold of some of that stuff even she could beat Superman. So that is a terrible arguement. Another one I've heard is when Batman shot Darkseid with a radion bullet. Do I really need to explain why this one is also a bad example? HE USED A GUN! He shot a bullet! Batman has defeated more powerful foes not because he applied science to the immediate situation much like Spidey or Reed does, not because he finally cuts loose like Superman has done, he beats much more powerful opponents by simply having a device that needs a trigger pulled or having a green rock in his belt.
Which brings me to another point. Batman isn't that smart. He is a great detective but people try to talk about Batman like he's Reed Richards or something. He didn't create most of his own weapons. He needs an auto mechanic for crying out loud! While Tony Stark built his own armor, Peter Parker created his own web shooters, while Bruce Wayne needed Wayne Tech. And even if we said "ok Bruce Wayne created everything he uses." That's still not very impressive. He created a kevlar suit, and shurikens shaped like bats, gas bombs and the like. How does that make him an inventive genius? It's not like he created a suit of armor that can fly and travel into space or a machine that can open portals into other dimensions.
So my point in all this is simple. I think Batman is a great character. But his popularity has created a false personification of the actual character. In order to have him fight someone like Green Lantern or even Aquaman and not immediately get killed you have to beef up what and who he actually is. Which in my opinion lessens the character. It's the fact he is so human that makes him so interesting. So that when he fights someone like Killer Croc or Bane and barely pulls off a win we should say "YAH! He did it! He fought someone who is stronger and faster but still won!" but instead we say "yeah Batman could beat Dr. Strange, he'd find a way, because he's Batman!"
When what makes him interesting is the fact he'd lose because he's just a man. In real life he'd probably even loose to someone like Killer Croc. But that's what makes it exciting. When Bat fans talk about Batman like he could easily defeat characters that are obviously MUCH more powerful than he is it cheapens the character. It robs the character of what makes him such a great character to begin with.