Batman more popular then Superman?

[Wildcard]

I love the two characters literally an equal amount but Superman won't ever be more popular than Batman. Batman is everybody's "go to" guy (so to speak) in the superhero world.

 

[Four-Face]

One aspect of Superman's character (and this isn't often developed) is what he could do, and why he doesn't. Cap is tough and can take on a small army of thugs, but Superman could roll back all the armies of the world by himself - I maintain that the times Batman has beaten him, it was because in part Superman wasn't trying his utmost to win.

Superman has the constant temptation to use his power to find quick and simple solutions (which is what the Injustice comic was about at the start, back when it was good, it's garbage now), and the flip side of that is that governments and groups with vested interests fear and distrust him, for fear he will one day decide that it's his turn to run things.

This is also why Superman and Batman can and should ultimately be such close friends. They each are a check on the other's hubris and willing to call the other out when he's guilty of a dick move. I'm thinking of the friendship between Jax and Opie in Sons of Anarchy as a good example of that.

I love the two characters literally an equal amount but Superman won't ever be more popular than Batman. Batman is everybody's "go to" guy (so to speak) in the superhero world.

Once upon a time the most popular superhero in the world was Captain Marvel.

 

[dark claw x21]

I believe Batman is more popular because more people can relate to him instead of an invincible Man of Steel and Superman is a boy scout where as Batman is dark and does things to bad guys we all wish we could.

 

[Mightmitenot]

Hasn't Batman always been the mascot of DC? I mean DC stand for Detective Comics, of which Batman is the star.

Not until Detective Comics #27.

 

[The Batman]

Hasn't Batman always been the mascot of DC?

No. Superman was DC's mascot for a the majority of it's history. Even though Batman started surpassing Superman's popularity by the late 80's/90's, I would say Batman doesn't really become DC's mascot until the 2000's.

Detective Comics wasn't a Batman title to start with. Detective Comics debuted two years before Batman did.

 

[godisawesome]

No. Superman was DC's mascot for a the majority of it's history. Even though Batman started surpassing Superman's popularity by the late 80's/90's, I would say Batman doesn't really become DC's mascot until the 2000's.

Detective Comics wasn't a Batman title to start with. Detective Comics debuted two years before Batman did.

Exactly. Superman beat Batman to radio, film serials, TV, cinema, and cartoons. Batman's modern films have surpassed Superman's in number, Batman basically defined superhero cartoons with his only real competition being Spiderman, but the Superman franchise has held its advantage in live action TV. It took Batman a long time to finally stand a little taller in popularity than Superman, but Supes still has that iconic edge across the world that Batman may not quite eclipse yet.

 

[batfreakforever]

Your living in dream world if you think Superman is more popular than Batman.
Batman is Dc comics most popular, profitable, accessible character. Ever.
Superman is always Superman. Batman is many different things at different times. He still is Batman but he can just keep being reinvented without repeating what came before.
Can't do that with superman as much as with batman.
That's why there is so much more exposure with batman.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

I know in pop culture, when something impossible has to be done........you always hear, "what do you think you're Superman?"

 

[Boy Scout]

I believe Batman is more popular because more people can relate to him instead of an invincible Man of Steel and Superman is a boy scout where as Batman is dark and does things to bad guys we all wish we could.

That argument has never held water, and it makes even less sense now that Captain America is so popular.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

Your living in dream world if you think Superman is more popular than Batman.
Batman is Dc comics most popular, profitable, accessible character. Ever.
Superman is always Superman. Batman is many different things at different times. He still is Batman but he can just keep being reinvented without repeating what came before.
Can't do that with superman as much as with batman.
That's why there is so much more exposure with batman.

Except Superman has been reinvented and went through a lot of the same phases. Both started angry and dark in the 30s and part of the 40s, then became light and campy in the 50s and 60s, then turned more serious in the 70s and then edgier in the 80s.

 

[Spooderman]

I believe Batman is more popular because more people can relate to him instead of an invincible Man of Steel and Superman is a boy scout where as Batman is dark and does things to bad guys we all wish we could.

Superman is much more relatable than Batman. Superman grew up in loving family, works a civilian job with a demanding boss and has a steady girlfriend.

Batman is a billionaire with dead parents who learned every martial art move, and devotes all his time fighting crime with child soldiers and banging hundreds of hot chicks.

Batman might be more "cool" with all his gadgets, but he isn't more relatable.

 

[Batmannerism]

Except Superman has been reinvented and went through a lot of the same phases. Both started angry and dark in the 30s and part of the 40s, then became light and campy in the 50s and 60s, then turned more serious in the 70s and then edgier in the 80s.

Yeah, I don't think Superman has gone to the extremes that Batman has though. I mean '89 is dark, with a little camp, whereas Baman and Robin is nearly the same tone as Batman '66, and then at the absolute opposite end of the scale you have TDK !

Whereas Superman was quite light-hearted in the 70's and 80's ( similar tone from Superman the movie in 1978 to the Quest for Peace was 1988) and Lois and Clark came after that in the early 90's) and hasn't really gotten much darker until very recently.

Man of Steel is much darker than anything we've seen before but I don't see as much of a tonal difference between Man of Steel and Superman the movie as The Dark Knight is from Batman '66.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[Last Of Krypton]

Yeah, I don't think Superman has gone to the extremes that Batman has though. I mean '89 is dark, with a little camp, whereas Baman and Robin is nearly the same tone as Batman '66, and then at the absolute opposite end of the scale you have TDK !

Whereas Superman was quite light-hearted in the 70's and 80's ( similar tone from Superman the movie in 1978 to the Quest for Peace was 1988) and Lois and Clark came after that in the early 90's) and hasn't really gotten much darker until very recently.

Man of Steel is much darker than anything we've seen before but I don't see as much of a tonal difference between Man of Steel and Superman the movie as The Dark Knight is from Batman '66.

Just my opinion of course.

That's because you're focusing on the films. Superman is a comicbook character if you want to analyze how much he has changed you need to go to the source material.
I wonder how many people have actually read the golden age Superman comicbooks. The irony is that the new Superman is much closer to the original version of the character than Christopher Reeve's version ever was.

 

[Steamteck]

Superman is much more relatable than Batman. Superman grew up in loving family, works a civilian job with a demanding boss and has a steady girlfriend.

Batman is a billionaire with dead parents who learned every martial art move, and devotes all his time fighting crime with child soldiers and banging hundreds of hot chicks.

Batman might be more "cool" with all his gadgets, but he isn't more relatable.

Being an adopted only child raised pretty traditionally who moved to the big city myself. Superman is even more relatable to me.

Relatable and wish fulfillment in one package

 

[Batmannerism]

That's because you're focusing on the films. Superman is a comicbook character if you want to analyze how much he has changed you need to go to the source material.
I wonder how many people have actually read the golden age Superman comicbooks. The irony is that the new Superman is much closer to the original version of the character than Christopher Reeve's version ever was.

Well, I freely admit to not having read many golden age Superman comics, as I wasn't alive in the 1940's - although I saw lots of reruns of George Reeves' Superman as a kid.

I think it's fair to separate the comic and media versions of the characters, because tv shows and movies (whether animated or live action) play by different rules in terms of storytelling.

To me, it still doesn't seem as though Superman has gone as far as Batman in terms of character extremes - from the total self-parody of Batman '66 and the TV series to the Nolan films. Hell, even Batman TAS was more serious - and you can contrast that with Brave and the Bold, another ridiculous (although really fun) take on Batman.

In the comics Superman has gone up and down in terms of his powers (and occasionally his hairstyle and costume - but boy those changes don't last too long, the mullet was thankfully 1992-1997) as a character he really hasn't changed that much. Sure, currently he's fighting for his neighbourhood, rather than defending our solar system against Darkseid or a Sun Eater, but he really hasn't changed that much in terms of his personality (or his approach - when evil strikes, Superman usually deals with it with an overhand right ! ). And we know that soon Supes will be back to full steam, and smashing the crap out of the Lord of Apokolips again.

The thing is that Superman's adventures have always had a mixture of serious and silly (Mxyzptlk anyone ?), not sure that Batman has to the same degree.

Anyway, just IMO. cheers.

 

[Wildcard]

This is also why Superman and Batman can and should ultimately be such close friends. They each are a check on the other's hubris and willing to call the other out when he's guilty of a dick move. I'm thinking of the friendship between Jax and Opie in Sons of Anarchy as a good example of that.



Once upon a time the most popular superhero in the world was Captain Marvel.

I'm aware (I kind of like Shazam more than Superman, tbh), but the comparison was between Batman and Superman, and as far as I can ascertain the former has always been the more likable hero of the two. Unfortunately, Shazam likely won't ever reach those heights of popularity again because for some idiotic reason DC still doesn't want any characters of that nature to receive more notoriety than the boy scout.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

Well, I freely admit to not having read many golden age Superman comics, as I wasn't alive in the 1940's - although I saw lots of reruns of George Reeves' Superman as a kid.

I think it's fair to separate the comic and media versions of the characters, because tv shows and movies (whether animated or live action) play by different rules in terms of storytelling.

To me, it still doesn't seem as though Superman has gone as far as Batman in terms of character extremes - from the total self-parody of Batman '66 and the TV series to the Nolan films. Hell, even Batman TAS was more serious - and you can contrast that with Brave and the Bold, another ridiculous (although really fun) take on Batman.

In the comics Superman has gone up and down in terms of his powers (and occasionally his hairstyle and costume - but boy those changes don't last too long, the mullet was thankfully 1992-1997) as a character he really hasn't changed that much. Sure, currently he's fighting for his neighbourhood, rather than defending our solar system against Darkseid or a Sun Eater, but he really hasn't changed that much in terms of his personality (or his approach - when evil strikes, Superman usually deals with it with an overhand right ! ). And we know that soon Supes will be back to full steam, and smashing the crap out of the Lord of Apokolips again.

The thing is that Superman's adventures have always had a mixture of serious and silly (Mxyzptlk anyone ?), not sure that Batman has to the same degree.

Anyway, just IMO. cheers.

When I figure out how to include pics in my posts, I will show you extremely silly covers from Batman comics that will make you cringe.

 

[Four-Face]

I love the two characters literally an equal amount but Superman won't ever be more popular than Batman. Batman is everybody's "go to" guy (so to speak) in the superhero world.

I'm aware (I kind of like Shazam more than Superman, tbh), but the comparison was between Batman and Superman, and as far as I can ascertain the former has always been the more likable hero of the two. Unfortunately, Shazam likely won't ever reach those heights of popularity again because for some idiotic reason DC still doesn't want any characters of that nature to receive more notoriety than the boy scout.

You make it sound like they haven't tried.

 

[Batmannerism]

When I figure out how to include pics in my posts, I will show you extremely silly covers from Batman comics that will make you cringe.

I'd love to see them, I could use a good cringe.

Yeah, I'm sure you're right - I just re-read my post and I realise I've totally contradicted myself - because my main point was that Batman has gone through greater extremes of characterization than Superman ( from Dark Avenger to Deadpan punster).

So what I should have said was " Superman's adventures have always had a mixture of serious and silly (Mxyzptlk anyone ?), and Batman has to an even greater degree.

I think if we contrast Superman at his most serious with his least serious, and then do the same with Batman (so contrast Frank Milller's Batman against some of your cringe-worthy cover stories) I think we'd see that Batman has gone through more extremes in terms of tone and character (although some core stuff has stayed the same).

Again, that's still just IMO.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

I'd love to see them, I could use a good cringe.

Yeah, I'm sure you're right - I just re-read my post and I realise I've totally contradicted myself - because my main point was that Batman has gone through greater extremes of characterization than Superman ( from Dark Avenger to Deadpan punster).

So what I should have said was " Superman's adventures have always had a mixture of serious and silly (Mxyzptlk anyone ?), and Batman has to an even greater degree.

I think if we contrast Superman at his most serious with his least serious, and then do the same with Batman (so contrast Frank Milller's Batman against some of your cringe-worthy cover stories) I think we'd see that Batman has gone through more extremes in terms of tone and character (although some core stuff has stayed the same).

Again, that's still just IMO.

I can agree with you there. I think in the late 60's when the Adam West Batman TV show was on, you will find it coincided with some of Batman's painfully comedic stories ever.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Personally, for me, Superman means more to me than ANY other comic book character in any form (comic / film / tv / merchandeise) but Batman is second to me of the two.

 

[Decepticonus]

This is very true, that Batman is more identifiable with because he's human and blah blah does not hold any water. Rich, no parents, highly skilled, trained & educated. I cannot identify with any of that, though I'd like to.
What draws Batman is his solid determination. He is completely married to his job, which is Wayne Enterprises? Nope. Barry Allen still does his job. Clark Kent works at the paper and does his best to make dead lines. They have one foot in the real 9-5 grind and another foot in heroics. Batman has both feet in heroics with the other life just an inch away from him. This is a character who doesn't know or at least recognize failure. He turns in results. At the same time he lets very little get in his way, no matter how high. Recall a particular episode where he went blind? Haha, yeah he refused bed rest there, big surprise. He has to be talked into taking a break, rest, vacation, whatever.
This determination I think is what people identify with. They may not have it at that level or have any at all, but we all want it. Imagine committing yourself to something 100%, rather be a particular career or some goal in life. When in today's world we lack even the determination to just do the dishes.

 

[JamieEvan]

Even though Superman is more well known, Batman has a bigger fan base. Batman is more popular because he is human being and he has the best villains this is from my point of view.
Anyways, they are two of the greatest superheroes of all time.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

This is very true, that Batman is more identifiable with because he's human and blah blah does not hold any water. Rich, no parents, highly skilled, trained & educated. I cannot identify with any of that, though I'd like to.
What draws Batman is his solid determination. He is completely married to his job, which is Wayne Enterprises? Nope. Barry Allen still does his job. Clark Kent works at the paper and does his best to make dead lines. They have one foot in the real 9-5 grind and another foot in heroics. Batman has both feet in heroics with the other life just an inch away from him. This is a character who doesn't know or at least recognize failure. He turns in results. At the same time he lets very little get in his way, no matter how high. Recall a particular episode where he went blind? Haha, yeah he refused bed rest there, big surprise. He has to be talked into taking a break, rest, vacation, whatever.
This determination I think is what people identify with. They may not have it at that level or have any at all, but we all want it. Imagine committing yourself to something 100%, rather be a particular career or some goal in life. When in today's world we lack even the determination to just do the dishes.

I think that's why I like Superman more. The reason he is super, is because he is an alien and Earth's sun gives him powers beyond belief. So knowing its fantasy, I suspend belief and admire everything he stands for. He could take those power and try to conquer the world, but doesn't. He protects it. Batman makes us believe , an ordinary man, could achieve all those talents by hard work. I would go as far to say maybe 1 of those skills he could master in a lifetime. Fighting, detection, etc. But its hard for someone to master all those in reality.

 

[Lencho01]

Spider-Man is more popular than both of them.