Whos smarter: Batman or Lex Luthor?

[MajinShenron]

These two are incredibly smart and wealthy. Who do you think is smarter?

I'd say Batman. Batman has an incredibly intelligence. He is able to invent great gadgets and is a brilliant man with machines and computers. He figures things out quicker than a whole trained police force and secret agent force can.

He has been able to fight crime for many years without dying for losing much. Its an incredibly feet for someone without super powers.

 

[The Question]

Lex, by far. They guy's a highly skilled scientist. Batman, while highly inteligent, probably isn't beyond forensic chemistry and some basic knowlege of electronics and mechanics. He couldn't design and build a fully functioning battle armor that put's him on par with Superman in strength. Lex can and has.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

can a mod please close this thread!

 

[MajinShenron]

can a mod please close this thread!

Umm, why? I looked through the pages of this forum and could not see a similar thread. Anyway, lately I have been collecting DC comics but my knowledge of DC isn't that vast, I am more of a Marvel guy. I pretty much did this so I can learn about Lex.

 

[The Question]

Well, here's what I can tell you about Lex:


1) He's a scientific genius. While he has alot of scientists working for him, it's either because he doesn't have time to build his designs himself, or he's employing experts in feils that he's not familiar with (like advanced biology and genetics).

2) Even though he can be quite selfish, alot of what he does, he sees it as being for the betering of mankind. He's just the type who subscribes to the philosophy of "you have to break a few eggs to make an omlette.

3) He does, also, ahve an impressive ego. Especially when it comes to his company. He cannot stand the thought of his empire living on without him. So, in the event of his death, every building he owns is designed to self destruct.

4) He hates superhumans because he feels they cheat humanity of finding their way to a greater tomorrow on their own, and because they make him feel small. He was the top dog in Metropolis before Superman came along. He can't stand for there to be someone he doesn't look down on.

 

[BrianWilly]

Batman.

When you consider smartness, you can't just think of book-smarts or cleverness or brainy intellect; you also have to consider wisdom. Common sense. Pragmatism. EQ as opposed to merely IQ.

Luthor, for all his tricks and schemes, is definitely not wise. If he were actually smart, he would have realized long ago that he's never going to beat Superman. He would have realized that he's just setting himself up to fail, that his path is the wrong path. Instead he keeps on scratching at a sore that will only make it worse; that's not smart. Even if Lex isn't certifiably insane, he definitely exhibits signs of insanity: Inability to learn from past mistakes.

Batman has wisdom. He has common sense and pragmatism and the ability to learn from the past. He's smart enough to see that sometimes the simplest answers can be used to answer the most complicated questions, all these things that you can never learn from books or studies.

 

[The Question]

Oh, of course, Lex is moe "book smart" and Bruce is more "street smart." But, if we're talking about academic inteligence, Lex is superior.

 

[BATFREDDIE]

Um, Lex obviously. Batman just has prep time.

 

[Marvin]

Batman.

When you consider smartness, you can't just think of book-smarts or cleverness or brainy intellect; you also have to consider wisdom. Common sense. Pragmatism. EQ as opposed to merely IQ.

Luthor, for all his tricks and schemes, is definitely not wise. If he were actually smart, he would have realized long ago that he's never going to beat Superman. He would have realized that he's just setting himself up to fail, that his path is the wrong path. Instead he keeps on scratching at a sore that will only make it worse; that's not smart. Even if Lex isn't certifiably insane, he definitely exhibits signs of insanity: Inability to learn from past mistakes.

Batman has wisdom. He has common sense and pragmatism and the ability to learn from the past. He's smart enough to see that sometimes the simplest answers can be used to answer the most complicated questions, all these things that you can never learn from books or studies.

using that logic, batman is just as dumb for he can't possibly think he's ever going to defeat crime...



They're smart in different areas

lex is the better scientist...but how good is he in a forensic lab?
in a street fight(that comes down to the smarter fighter)?

lex is the better business man

when it comes down to analytics(which matter most imo) batman is second only to 2!

Slade
Reed Richards


lex is a better match for Tony Stark


but to answer the question
Danny O'neal put Batmans IQ at about 130(sub genius)

Lex is well above maybe 200 imo

 

[The Question]

using that logic, batman is just as dumb for he can't possibly think he's ever going to defeat crime...

Batman realizes this. He's just doing his best to save lives.

 

[BrianWilly]

Actually, Batman out-businessman'd Lex in a JLA arc. And didn't he, as Bruce Wayne, stop Lex from taking over Gotham City once? They mentioned it in the first Superman/Batman arc.

 

[Marvin]

Batman realizes this. He's just doing his best to save lives.

in his mind

lex is doing the same

 

[Marvin]

Actually, Batman out-businessman'd Lex in a JLA arc. And didn't he, as Bruce Wayne, stop Lex from taking over Gotham City once? They mentioned it in the first Superman/Batman arc.

u think Bruce is more business savvy than Lex?

 

[Calendar Man]

Have to go with Bats.

 

[The Caped Knight]

These two are incredibly smart and wealthy. Who do you think is smarter?

I'd say Batman. Batman has an incredibly intelligence. He is able to invent great gadgets and is a brilliant man with machines and computers. He figures things out quicker than a whole trained police force and secret agent force can.

He has been able to fight crime for many years without dying for losing much. Its an incredibly feet for someone without super powers.

BATS is THE BEST nuff said .

 

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

But Lex dosen't have batsperm.

 

[GyLocke]

Lex.
C'mon, the guy had like three academic degrees and company under his belt at 18, even though he lived in the Suicide Slum as a kid.

Just look where he came from.

It's been said various times, he is the Einstein of our era, or probably beyond that level, a genius man kind can only produce once or twice.

I mean, in MOS continuity, he designed a revolutionary airplane in his teens.
In Birthright continuity, he designes wormholes at 16.

I can't see how can anybody vote for Bruce, except by misreading the title "Who do you like more?" or "Who's more badass?".

 

[BrianWilly]

in his mind

lex is doing the same

Yeah, but that's just in his mind. In practice, Lex's obsession is hollow and meaningless and driven solely by witless arrogance. Even at his worst and most paranoid and obsessive moments, Batman's goal follows a very pragmatic and relatable line of reason and logic. And he has learned from past mistakes and made himself a better person for it. One shows wisdom, the other does not.

u think Bruce is more business savvy than Lex?

The comics show evidence of Bruce beating Lex out in several business ventures, so yes, if I had to pick one of the two as the more savvy businessman then I would have to pick Bruce. You don't have to be scheming and power-hungry to run a good business. Also, Lex simply cheats and flat-out lies a lot of times to get what he wants. That's not a sign of intelligence, that's a sign of laziness.

 

[Spike_x1]

Actually, Batman out-businessman'd Lex in a JLA arc. And didn't he, as Bruce Wayne, stop Lex from taking over Gotham City once? They mentioned it in the first Superman/Batman arc.

He stopped Lex's takeover as Batman. He merely confronted Lex about it as Bruce (if I'm remembering correctly).

My vote goes to Lex. As far as raw intellect goes, Lex's accomplishments speak (very loudly) for themselves.

 

[TheFalcon]

I'd have to say Lex is the smartest of the two.

Batman has better strategic/planning skills and he's "street smart" as was mentioned, but I would not consider him a genius like I would Lex.
It's just that Lex uses his gift to build super killing machines and the like instead of doing good things for mankind. He's abit too lazy too and if there's no one to challenge him he doesn't strive to be better.

I loved Lex in the Red Son story where he single-handedly brought the US back from being the worst country in the world too a great nation just because he wanted too show that he could be better than Superman and the Sovjet.

 

[marcofthebeast]

Bruce has to be a better business man the Luthor. Where is Lexcorp now? Luthor has been reduce to making krytonite monsters beneath the sewers. His presidency ****ed up his public image, Thats why I think batman is smarter he is way in control of his sanity as opposed to Lex.

 

[Marvin]

current lex...due in part to loeb(see Superman/Batman)

has actually "lost his mind"

I don't think it would be fair to use him as an example of lex the genius

I'm thinking the equivalent of the JLU(whichever book that is)
and Birthright

 

[The Question]

Just because you're crazy doesn't mean you can't be inteligent. Hitler was crazy, and he was a highly inteligent politician and tactitian. Joseph Mengela was pretty ****ed up in the head, and he was a skilled scientist.

 

[War Lord]

edit.

 

[War Lord]

They are both fairly equal in terms of raw intelligence, but their respective strengths differ.

Bruce - detective work, fighting intelligence, technical

Lex - Business, political, scientific, and technical.