A still from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. (Image courtesy: Clay Enos, Warner Bros. Pictures)
Washington:
Two iconic characters in capes rocketed the comic-book industry into the American mainstream: Superman and Batman, twin pop-culture monuments who, though born in the late '30s, still reign ageless. And on March 25, these Spandex heavyweights will go (Super-)mano a (Bat-)mano for the first time on the big screen, in director Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
So who has the edge in this epic showdown of DC Comics's most popular warriors? Sure, Superman is the stronger combatant - but don't think Batman doesn't have something in his utility belt to counter him. To weigh their pros and cons, here's our tale of the tape:
BIRTH NAME
Superman: Kal-El
Batman: Bruce Wayne
Advantage: Superman, with a name so distinctive, fan Nicolas Cage even tagged his son with it.
OFFICIAL CHARACTER HEIGHT
Superman: 6-foot-3
Batman: 6-foot-2
Advantage: Push
OFFICIAL CHARACTER WEIGHT
Superman: 235 pounds
Batman: 210 pounds
Advantage: Depends of weight of Batman's gadget-laced utility belt.
HAIR
Superman: Signature S-curl
Batman: Potential "helmet hair" from the cowl.
Advantage: Superman
LOGO
Superman: Chest-spanning "S"
Batman: Fear-inducing black bat
Advantage: Batman. The "Bat-Signal" looks impressive projected into the midnight skies over Gotham.
SECRET IDENTITY
Superman: Bumbling, stumbling newspaper reporter Clark Kent
Batman: Billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne
Advantage: Superman - those media connections pay off in times of trouble.
ICONIC CRASH PAD
Superman: Icy "Fortress of Solitude"
Batman: Dank, subterranean "Batcave"
Advantage: Batman - better manservants.
PERSONALITY
Superman: Earnest do-gooder (aka "The Big Blue Boy Scout")
Batman: Dark, moody, tortured vigilante
Advantage: Superman. Batman's a real downer as a plus-one.
ORIGIN STORY
Superman: The infant Kal-El's parents rocketed him away in a capsule like a cosmos-Moses ("cos-Moses"?) before they died in the explosion of home planet Krypton.
Batman: Young Bruce Wayne saw his own parents murdered before his eyes, while old enough to remember the psyche-scarring event.
Advantage for lifelong mental torture as compelling narrative: Batman
FIGHTING ATTRIBUTES
Superman: Super-flight, super-speed, super-hearing, super-intelligence, super-near-invulnerability, super-heat vision.
Batman: Hand-to-hand combat; a street fighter's hard-won guile.
Advantage: Batman
WEAKNESS
Superman: Kryptonite radiation, love of humanity
Batman: No actual superpower, Catwoman's feline allure Advantage: Batman
SIDEKICK
Superman: Usually works alone
Batman: Most often Robin, the Boy Wonder
Advantage: Superman. Poor, ever-grieving Batman has had to endure too many sidekick deaths by nefarious means.
NOTABLE VILLAINS
Superman: Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Bizarro, Zod
Batman: Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Bane, Ra's al Ghul
Advantage: Batman - arguably the greatest rogues' gallery in comics history.
CREATORS
Superman: Nerdy, outsidery Canadian/Cleveland boys in the '30s (Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster)
Batman: Streetwise, outsidery New York lads in the '30s (Bob Kane and Bill Finger)
Advantage: You pick
OSCAR NOMINATIONS AMONG BIG-SCREEN ACTORS
Superman: Reeve, Routh, Cavill et al.= zero
Batman: Keaton, Clooney, Bale, Affleck = 14.
Advantage: Batman
MEMORABLE MUSIC
Superman: John Williams' triumphant horns in the original films
Batman: Hans Zimmer's Dolby-splitting bass synthesizers in the Christopher Nolan films
Advantage: Depends on the darkness of your mortal soul.
ROMANTIC HIGHLIGHT
Superman: Flying a charmed Lois through the gentle evening sky.
Batman: Getting face-licked by a villainous, leather-loving Catwoman.
Advantage: You pick - this one says more about you.
BEST DEATH
Superman: Memorably slain by a monster named Doomsday (before inevitable resurrection)
Batman: Flatlined by Darkseid (before inevitably cheating death via time travel)
Advantage: Superman - he "revived" much more quickly.
MOTTO/OATH
Superman: "Truth, justice and the American way."
Batman: "And I swear bythe spirits of my parents to avenge their deaths by spending the rest of my life warring on all criminals."
Advantage: Superman's for bumper sticker; Batman's for eight-decade narrative. (Also Read: Batman v Superman Trailer 2 is Out. Who is Wonder Woman With?)
© 2016 The Washington Post
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
So who has the edge in this epic showdown of DC Comics's most popular warriors? Sure, Superman is the stronger combatant - but don't think Batman doesn't have something in his utility belt to counter him. To weigh their pros and cons, here's our tale of the tape:
BIRTH NAME
Superman: Kal-El
Batman: Bruce Wayne
Advantage: Superman, with a name so distinctive, fan Nicolas Cage even tagged his son with it.
OFFICIAL CHARACTER HEIGHT
Superman: 6-foot-3
Batman: 6-foot-2
Advantage: Push
OFFICIAL CHARACTER WEIGHT
Superman: 235 pounds
Batman: 210 pounds
Advantage: Depends of weight of Batman's gadget-laced utility belt.
HAIR
Superman: Signature S-curl
Batman: Potential "helmet hair" from the cowl.
Advantage: Superman
LOGO
Superman: Chest-spanning "S"
Batman: Fear-inducing black bat
Advantage: Batman. The "Bat-Signal" looks impressive projected into the midnight skies over Gotham.
SECRET IDENTITY
Superman: Bumbling, stumbling newspaper reporter Clark Kent
Batman: Billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne
Advantage: Superman - those media connections pay off in times of trouble.
ICONIC CRASH PAD
Superman: Icy "Fortress of Solitude"
Batman: Dank, subterranean "Batcave"
Advantage: Batman - better manservants.
PERSONALITY
Superman: Earnest do-gooder (aka "The Big Blue Boy Scout")
Batman: Dark, moody, tortured vigilante
Advantage: Superman. Batman's a real downer as a plus-one.
ORIGIN STORY
Superman: The infant Kal-El's parents rocketed him away in a capsule like a cosmos-Moses ("cos-Moses"?) before they died in the explosion of home planet Krypton.
Batman: Young Bruce Wayne saw his own parents murdered before his eyes, while old enough to remember the psyche-scarring event.
Advantage for lifelong mental torture as compelling narrative: Batman
FIGHTING ATTRIBUTES
Superman: Super-flight, super-speed, super-hearing, super-intelligence, super-near-invulnerability, super-heat vision.
Batman: Hand-to-hand combat; a street fighter's hard-won guile.
Advantage: Batman
WEAKNESS
Superman: Kryptonite radiation, love of humanity
Batman: No actual superpower, Catwoman's feline allure Advantage: Batman
SIDEKICK
Superman: Usually works alone
Batman: Most often Robin, the Boy Wonder
Advantage: Superman. Poor, ever-grieving Batman has had to endure too many sidekick deaths by nefarious means.
NOTABLE VILLAINS
Superman: Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Bizarro, Zod
Batman: Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Bane, Ra's al Ghul
Advantage: Batman - arguably the greatest rogues' gallery in comics history.
CREATORS
Superman: Nerdy, outsidery Canadian/Cleveland boys in the '30s (Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster)
Batman: Streetwise, outsidery New York lads in the '30s (Bob Kane and Bill Finger)
Advantage: You pick
OSCAR NOMINATIONS AMONG BIG-SCREEN ACTORS
Superman: Reeve, Routh, Cavill et al.= zero
Batman: Keaton, Clooney, Bale, Affleck = 14.
Advantage: Batman
MEMORABLE MUSIC
Superman: John Williams' triumphant horns in the original films
Batman: Hans Zimmer's Dolby-splitting bass synthesizers in the Christopher Nolan films
Advantage: Depends on the darkness of your mortal soul.
ROMANTIC HIGHLIGHT
Superman: Flying a charmed Lois through the gentle evening sky.
Batman: Getting face-licked by a villainous, leather-loving Catwoman.
Advantage: You pick - this one says more about you.
BEST DEATH
Superman: Memorably slain by a monster named Doomsday (before inevitable resurrection)
Batman: Flatlined by Darkseid (before inevitably cheating death via time travel)
Advantage: Superman - he "revived" much more quickly.
MOTTO/OATH
Superman: "Truth, justice and the American way."
Batman: "And I swear bythe spirits of my parents to avenge their deaths by spending the rest of my life warring on all criminals."
Advantage: Superman's for bumper sticker; Batman's for eight-decade narrative. (Also Read: Batman v Superman Trailer 2 is Out. Who is Wonder Woman With?)
© 2016 The Washington Post
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
