You can always count on astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson talk about science in an entertaining way, and he occasionally applies his vast knowledge to the world of fiction. Recently he touched again on what was wrong with the science in Interstellar, and in late May, the Star Wars: Rogue One writers asked for his help on an astronomy question. Now Tyson has offered his take on who would win in a cage match between Batman and Superman, and in the right circumstances, he thinks the Dark Knight could emerge victorious.
We all know that Batman is at an enormous disadvantage going up against Superman since he’s a human without any powers. As much as some of us may want him to be, Bruce Wayne isn’t Bat-God. That’s why Tyson told Tech Insider that for Batman to win, it would require an "outside the box" situation. Tyson said:
If Batman is ever to defeat Superman, it is not in a cage, it is some other way. It is the court of public opinion, perhaps. Forces that are not how big are your muscles or how fast you can run or how high you can fly, but who do you want working for you. That's a different issue. That's a more subtle issue.
In most stories, Batman doesn’t try to take down Superman with just his Batsuit and Batarangs given that…well, he’s not stupid. If he’s not carrying a piece of Kryptonite, he’s either donning massive armor, as seen in The Dark Knight Returns and next year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, or using other unique gadgets to help level the playing field.
Instead of the Caped Crusader fighting the Man of Steel, Tyson feels that a better fight would be between Batman and Marvel’s Iron Man. In that scenario, Tyson gives the edge to Iron Man since Tony Stark created the Iron Man technology himself while Batman has "people in the back" (like Lucius Fox or ignorant Wayne Enterprises employees) working on his exoskeleton and other gizmos. You can watch Tyson’s full comments below.
This is just the latest insight Tyson has given on DC Comics. In 2012, he assisted the comic book company in finding a believable parent star for Krypton, and subsequently appeared in Action Comics #14 to show Superman where his home planet had been located. He was also heard in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice teaser trailer as one of the many talking heads giving their opinion on what Superman’s presence means for Earth, and recently explained his view on why the heroes are dueling.
While Tyson’s logic is certainly sound, moviegoers will find out how Batman and Superman’s first live action fight turns out when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice arrives on March 25, 2016.
