Batman may not have any powers, but he’s established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the DC universe. With a brilliant mind, amazing fighting skills and gadgets aplenty, he’s demonstrated many times that he can hold his own against not just supervillains, but occasionally his fellow Justice League teammates. While fans will continue to debate exactly how Batman would really fare in fights against powerful DC heroes (especially Superman), there’s one fight that most people probably haven’t pictured the Caped Crusader in: going up against Marvel’s Avengers. Well, screenwriter Max Landis has been thinking about it, and he has it all worked out how Batman would win.
The Chronicle scribe went on Twitter Thursday to explain how he believes Batman would be able to take down all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in a metropolitan setting. Starting off, Batman would immediately use a knockout dart on Bruce Banner before he could turn into The Hulk. Iron Man’s suit would then be hacked, followed by The Vision being taken out with an EMP (electromagnetic pulse). Thor would be taken out by getting "Batwing’d into a building and then glued down with polymer." After quickly KO’ing Black Widow and Hawkeye, Batman’s last opponent would be Captain America, who Landis does admit would be a challenge, but Batman would defeat him in the end. He later added that Batman fighting these characters one-on-one would be a fairer fight since "he wouldn’t be able to use the city against them as effectively."
Check out Landis' whole scenario below:
Landis’ conclusion is interesting, but extremely exaggerated. Look, no one’s arguing that Batman is a talented crimefighter, but in this scenario, it isn’t Batman fighting the Avengers. It’s Bat-God! Landis admitted that Batman is best used as a "domineering and intense force of nature" while the Avengers are better when they’re vulnerable, and this outlook makes the fight look way more one-sided than it actually would be. As cunning as Batman is, it’s hard to believe he could accomplish all of this while under fire as a non-powered human.
Landis also underestimates how useful Black Widow and Hawkeye are in combat. Are they at Batman’s skill level? That’s debatable, but it’s doubtful they would instantly get taken out. Also keep in mind Tony Stark is just as smart (if arguably smarter) than Bruce Wayne while Steve Rogers is a brilliant strategist. Together, the two of them would be able to come up with a specific plan to subdue Gotham’s City defender with the aid of their teammates.
While Batman has never fought the entire Avengers team, he has thrown down with a Marvel hero. During the DC vs. Marvel comic book crossover in the 1990s, Batman was paired against Captain America and won (that outcome was determined by fan votes), though they quickly joined forces afterwards with the rest of the Marvel and DC heroes. Batman also teamed up with Spider-Man and Daredevil in separate crossover stories, though those didn’t have them exchanging fisticuffs.
Since the chances are near zero that we’ll ever see Batman fight the Avengers, this will have to remain a topic only played out in fans’ minds. However, we will see Batman take on another famous superhero next when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters.
