Simply put, Batman is broken. Just like Artemis Entreri, just like Ando, he's lost what made him special. He used to be the human element among scientifically-augmented humans, extraterrestrial aliens, robots, superhumans and other such implausible good guys. It's gotten to this point partly because of the fandom, partly because of poor writing. Writers see how much the fans love a character and they say, Hey! They love him like that! Then lemme make him MOAR AWSUM! And that's why you get stuff like Batman punching Superman and somehow doing anything more than getting a throbbing hand.
Batman should never have been placed in the same universe as Superman.
I love the animated series Justice League/ Unlimited and I can understand the corporate decision to put their two biggest properties together. But these two are in different classes and
Batman's villains are jokes compared to what a Superman villain has to be to make things interesting for Superman. This is really where the writers have to get ham-fisted in order to make things work. It's not pretty. Joker is a deranged but brilliant criminal but he has nothing on Superman. But when he's armed with the greatest power of all: THE WRITERS, he can do anything. He can knock Superman out with a electric buzzer (he has one of those), he can hit him with a projectile weapon infused with Kryptonite (an amazingly poor plot device in its own right), etc. All this despite Superman's super-fast reaction times in other situations.
My suspension of disbelief can only stretch so far.
I don't know why but I never really expected something like this out of you. Batman was the world's greatest detective. There was nothing super about him really, and in some senses he was even an anti-hero. Pairing him up with Judge Dredd, that was reasonable, both of them fight crime and neither of them are enhanced in any way, but Superman? Chances are if Superman can't beat them then having Batman there isn't going to help. Batman and his enemies are, like you said, human. They all have amazing minds, and while there may be some non-human elements involved, such as Mr. Freeze, Penguin, and Two-Faces' face, it was all believable. I'm not entirely sure what I'm getting at here really, I'm basically just recreating your post with my own thoughts. I'll stop now. After I say I agree.
ReplyDeleteBatman is not alone in the 'detective' department. There's the Green Hornet and Question, too. Both of them, by virtue of being less infected by a large and rabid fandom, have managed to stay human.
DeleteThere "shouldn't" be anything super about him. In the physical sense, he should be the Krillin of the gang, but instead he as strength, speed and stamina gained through osmosis from the company he keeps. You'll never see his lack of super strength stop Batman from going hand to hand against anyone.
If you're not sure what you're getting at, revise before you reply.
I'm glad I was never able to see Justice League.. And I'm glad I'm not the biggest Batman fan. Part of the reason I ever liked him was because of his faults, because things could go wrong. You lose some magic when he's always prepared. Makes him no more special than a Marvel hero.
ReplyDeleteYep, there are my thoughts on the subject, in a nutshell.
Delete"Batman should never have been placed in the same universe as Superman."
ReplyDeleteOf course not, as a lot of others, but they insist on sales and not on art itself.
Yep. The story suffers because they refuse to think of new stuff.
DeleteI understand what you mean but ;_; I am such a batman fan girl; he will always be my favourite superhero.
ReplyDeleteIf I am not mistaken, it was mentioned that Batman had the highest intelligence rating among all the other heroes in Justice League, just under Lex Luthor and of course Brainiac being ontop and unlike most super heroes Bruce Wayne did a lot training before he became 'The Batman'. I am not trying to justify the character's invincibility portrayed. I am merely stating that I understand why he could run with the likes of Superman. Not saying he can actually go head on against most superheroes and win but you know what I mean right?
I know what you mean but the fact remains that he is a regular human. My issue is that his capabilities stretch too much to suit he plot too often.
Delete>.> Yeah.. I assume its because of his popularity. Most people prefer Batman over Superman. Like Orang3 mentioned, D: its for the sales. I can honestly say I would not have been so hooked on Justice League if The Batman, The Question or Flash was not in it. .-.
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