Batman and Superman have fought at least thirty-three times.
In the last post, I tallied the post-Crisis battles. Here, I continue my look
at the history of Superman versus Batman fights.
Post-Infinite Crisis
fights
25) Lex Luthor: Man of Steel (2005): Lex
Luthor gives Bruce Wayne kryptonite, hoping that the leading powers of Gotham
can use it more effectively against Superman than he himself can. In a scene
told without full context, we see Superman happen upon the kryptonite-armed
Batman and brutally defeat him. First, Superman blows the kryptonite out of
Batman's hand from long range, and the rest of the fight is one-sided in
Superman's favor. Result: Superman wins.
26) Infinite Crisis #3 (2006): The
Superman from Earth Two, Kal-L, tries to talk with the paranoid Batman, who
can't agree to disagree. Pulling the kryptonite ring on Kal-L, Batman finds
that it's the wrong kind of kryptonite and watches as Superman burns it off his
hand. Result: Superman beats Batman's best tactic, but has no reason to stay
and fight further.
27) Justice (2006):
After Captain Marvel rescues Superman from an ambush that nearly killed him, he
takes him to the Batcave to recover. Superman immediately notices that nanobots
are controlling Batman's mind, making him follow the will of Brainiac and
Luthor. As Batman is about to surprise Superman with the kryptonite ring,
Superman takes down the mind-controlled Batman with one preemptive punch. Result:
Superman wins.
28) Action #836 This Was Your Life (2006):
In an alternate version of the meeting from Man
of Steel #3, a more strong-willed Superman possessing the mind of Earth
Two's Kal-L responds to the hidden bomb threat more effectively, immediately
finding it on Batman's person and allowing it to detonate safely in his hands.
However, instead of apprehending Batman, he proposes an alliance. Result:
Superman gets a tactical win, but the conflict ends in a handshake.
29) Superman vol2 #219 / Action #829 / Adventures of Superman #642 Sacrifice (2006): Usually, mind
control stories make the victim a servant of some master. In
"Sacrifice" Superman retains control of his actions, but Max Lord
psychically controls his senses. Superman, believing that he's battling a
superpowered enemy, lays into Batman, immediately incapacitating him with force
that would have been lethal if Wonder Woman hadn't arrived in time. Only later
does Superman realize that he nearly killed his friend. Result: Superman wins,
to his own dismay.
30) Booster Gold vol2 #9 (2008): In an
alternate timeline, Max Lord uses his control over Superman to dominate the
Earth, defeating most other superheroes. When Booster Gold leads a
reconstituted JLI on a raid, they find that Batman has gone undercover,
infiltrating Lord's organization, and believes that he would eventually overthrow
Lord's regime. The JLI kill Lord, returning Superman to his normal self.
Batman's plan, which didn't involve confronting Superman directly, never gets
to play out. Result: Interesting manuvering, but no fight.
31) Justice League #2 (2011): In the
post-Flashpoint first meeting of Superman and Batman, the Man of Steel encounters
the pair of Batman and Green Lantern, who had only just met, and battle breaks
out. Superman knocks Green Lantern aside before exhausting every possible
attack that Batman can throw his way. After Batman can do no more, Green
Lantern and the Flash are getting beaten when Batman talks the foursome into a
truce. Result: Superman wins the combat with Batman in the middle of a larger
fight. Batman negotiates a truce.
32) Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013-): More
of a series of wars than a battle, this comic series is released as a companion
to a video game of the same name. Many elements are cobbled together from other
stories on this list. "Sacrifice": Superman is deceived into using lethal force against his own
loved one. "Armageddon 2001":
The death of Lois Lane drives Superman to become a tyrant. "Unholy
Three": Batman gives himself superpowers to fight an evil Superman.
Result: Ongoing. In the first physical fight, Superman overpowers Batman and
breaks his back. The war, with many fighters on both sides, goes on and on.
33) Batman vol2 #36 (2015): In one of
the Caped Crusader's toughest challenges, Batman is attacked by an entire
Jokerized Justice League, beginning with Wonder Woman and ending with Superman,
and he manages to survive. Wearing an armored battle suit due to his initial
clash with Wonder Woman, Batman withstands an assault from Superman that might
otherwise have killed him, fighting back with some original weapons:
red-sun-knuckled batgloves, plasma shields, and finally some kryptonite gum.
Batman's mental narration of the fight analyzes the matchup in contradictory
ways, noting that Superman has lines that he would never cross, but if he did
cross them, he would be unstoppable. As Batman and Superman fall from the sky
into the water, he notes that in a fight between them, neither of them win.
Result: Batman incapacitates the Jokerized Superman.
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