Superman VS Batman

[bakersfieldpethead]

Ok

So the debate between Batman & Superman rulls, anyone else besides those that posted here already have an opinion.

[Enosh]

WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!! Wait a minute! Hold everything!

You can't just retire as Bakersfieldpethead just because petra retires!!
Are you forgetting a little election that happened about two years ago? I actually won the name Bakersfieldpethead if you remember sir and then turned it over to you for safe keeping!

You can't let us all down now! If anything, this board needs your humor now more than ever!! I beg you to reconsider. We will always need a bakersfieldpethead.

By the way, I tried to call you back like three times man. I couldn't get through for some reason. Call me again.

[Shell]

Hehe. What we need now too is a post from Fakersville...

Hope you're feeling better Enosh.

[Shell]

I know...Let's have a Superman vs. Batman debate and try and figure out who is the better superhero...I'm up for some nonsense and I feel like annoying someone, why not Enosh?

Okay:

Supes and Bats are both tall and have dark hair and blue eyes...Nice combination.

They both lost their parents at a young age.

Supes plays fair. Bats does not.

Supes is about truth, justice and is a bit more trusting than Bats...Chalk it up to being a Kansas farmboy.
Batman is about revenge and doesn't really trust anyone except maybe Alfred.

Superman can be intimidating, but he doesn't deliberately scare people and doesn't really need to...He's the Man of Steel for cryin' out loud.
Bats scares the pants off of just about everyone, enjoys it and uses it to his advantage.

Supes isn't a dummy, but he has the superpowers and maybe relies on them a little too much. Bats is a good athlete, but he doesn't have the superpowers and has to rely on his brains.

Superman is one of the few comic book characters who will stand up to Batman and won't put up with his always having to have his way.

After careful consideration and debate, I've come to the conclusion that maybe Superman is the better comic book hero...But you never know when Bats might get a little kryptonite.

I cannot believe I just posted this.

[Historymaker]

I would say that Superman is the better role model with his overgrown Boy Scout persona, but Batman is more inspirational as he has no supernatural abilities, yet strives to make a difference as the Dark Knight nonetheless.

My wife and I have talked about it extensively... sure, ANYONE can be a superhero when you have super strength, you're impervious to virtually everything except Kryptonite, you can fly, you have heat and x-ray vision, icy breath, and those weird Saran Wrap S's that you can peel off your chest and use to trap people (that ALWAYS cracked me up in Superman II).

But when your main weapons are athleticism, resourcefulness, cunning, ingenuity, and my personal favorite... PSYCHOLOGICAL INTIMIDATION (see also - ZORRO), you are truly a HERO because other than a ton of bucks and the aforementioned traits, there's not a whole lot that physically sets you apart from the average joe. You are in much more danger of meeting your match in an arch enemy. You just can't fly off if things get too rough. You constantly have to stay at the forefront of technology and physical training to maintain whatever edge you can manage over evildoers. Let's be honest... does anyone REALLY think Superman has to 'lift weights' or 'pump iron'?

Drawing my most irrelevant thesis to date to a close, I would contend that Batman is far more feared than Superman. Superman is going to catch you in a crime and will promptly deliver you to the appropriate authorities without any other retribution for your actions, serving only as an enforcer of the law and not a judge and jury. Batman, on the other hand, is a kind of a loose cannon and if whatever crime you are committing resembles the act that took his parents' lives, plan on a long night of getting your rear kicked all over the place whether you still have fight left in you or whether you have been reduced to a bloody pulp. Unless he's REALLY been set off, he probably wouldn't take your life though. He'd come close, but he'd suddenly stand up and rasp 'I'm not the bad guy', or 'I'm not like you', or some self righteous drivel like that. However, if the Caped Crusader thinks you could be a source of information against additional foes, you may have just won a blindfolded trip to the Batcave for what probably won't be a pleasant experience.

These are just some of my observations... thanks for turning this into such a cool topic, Shell....

[Shell]

Nope, Batman isn't a killer...He might beat the crud out of you though as you pointed out.

I may have started something here.

[Enosh]

Now that's what i'm talking about!! A topic that totally pulls me in!!!

Shell,

You put forth one of the most eliquent arguments I have heard in a long time. As someone who collected comics when I was younger, I was surprised about your shear knolwledge of the characters. History, you also made alot of good points.

Let me set it straight.

Batman:

Great hero. As was said, he had to train and make himself a hero. He thinks and has to use his mind more than any other superhero hands down. Not that he isn't without his own quirkyness. (Shark Repelant Spry anyone) (My answer to the great comment of the Reynolds wrap "S" in Superman II.

Batman however has made probably more problems than he has solved in his lifetime. His revenge and vigilante style has actually created most of the villians he faces. It started off as Bruce Wayne wanted to avenge the death of his parents and be done, now he's stuck because the battle never ends.
Then he does things that in the real world he would go to jail for. Can you say aiding in the possible harm of a child? There's been like three Robins and Jason Todd #2 died. He was killed by the Joker. After that Batman was just plain messed up in the head for a long time. Then what does he do, he gets Tim Drake as a new Robin! And what was the reason for Robin's original costume anyway. IT was pattered after his flying trapeese costume. Batman's costume was supposed to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. Robin's must have been there to make the criminals laugh while Batman beat the crap out of them. Another topic altogether.

Bottom line: Batman is on the edge of a mental breakdown no matter how George Clooney played him. One of these days (in the real world) Batman would snap and go crazy. Becoming what he hates most.

Superman:

Often portrayed as an overgrown boyscout. I don't agree with this. An orphan, the last remaining son of Kryton. A whole planet. He faces some things that we could never face. He's truly alone. Yeah he's got Lois, and the Kents, but as far as who he is inside no one will really understand the challenges of being Superman.

YEah, he's got all these powers. Yet instead of just taking over the world and being a god, and ruler, he feels compassion on people and wants to help. Many times it has been explored how Superman is haunted by the fact that he can't save everyone. He can't be everywhere at once. Think of how he must feel when a tragedy occurs that he just couldn't stop. He's not fueled by anger or by rage. He simply cares.

He has been given a great gift. When you think about it, Superman is just a normal guy. He just happens to be on earth where our yellow sun gives him his powers. If he wasn't here, he wouldn't be anything special and he knows that.

He also paralels Christ in many ways. This has been the topic of many news articles over the years.

A father sends his son to earth to be their savior.
He displays powers not possessed by anyother man.
He feels compassion on the people of earth and wants to help them.
He even died in the nineties and came back after many imposters tried to take his place.
He wears a blue, red and yellow costume. (Ok, Jesus didn't but I thought it was funny)

Anyway, he is what a Superhero should be and what they wouldn't be if they were real. Human nature would push someone with that much power to abuse it. One of the reasons why Lex Luthor doesn't trust him. Yet Superman makes a conscience decision to do what he feels is right. He could bash the bad guy's face in, but he believes in the rules and tries to follow them as an example that there is still good in the world.

Give me Superman any day!!!!!

[Shell]

Some very good points Enosh...I would like to point out though, Bible Grayson, who is now Nightwing, simply outgrew the Robin character. And of course he probably did get a bit tired of Bruce's need to be in control. But he's doing okay. Jason Todd didn't listen and went into a bad situation by himself, which nobody with any sense would do, and that's how he got killed. He should have waited for back up. That wasn't really Batman's fault, Batman simply didn't get there in time to help him. They brought Jason back to life recently... Comic book characters have a way of doing that. I'm still waiting for an explanation for that one, but whatever the case Jason is a bad guy now and kicking some rear. A bad guy trained by Batman...Should be interesting. Tim Drake is smart and holding his own, he's made a good Robin.

[epdc]

do you mean you will leave the zone?

[Enosh]

WOW Shell,

I never knew that you were so cool. I mean I knew you were cool and all but not that cool! You're right on all those accounts.

I read just this week about the whole Jason Todd coming back thing. That just seems wierd to me. I mean did he really die and was brought back or are they saying he wasn't dead and he's just been lurking like some of the people on the zone?

Ah, comics. I haven't collected since I was a teenager. Everyone in a while I stop into a local store and catch up on what's going on.

[Shell]

Hehehehe...You just never know what you might find out about a friend... I've been a Batman fan since I was in high school so I keep up with the story lines.

You never know, maybe Jason Todd is lurking...Nah, he's a bad guy, we don't want him lurking here. They haven't explained how or why he's back yet or why he has such a bug up his butt, they'll get to that eventually. Maybe he's ticked cuz the Joker killed him? One theory Bats is already checking on is Ra's Al Ghul's Lazarus pits.

[bakersfieldpethead]

OK, OK, OK, OK, OK so i was going to retire the name of bakersfieldpethead but i started thinking

This would mean I have to change my email address "again" and then find a new name that would best fit "ME" and then try to get known all over again as a new name.......so I get to my profile and the faq page and I searched all through the Petra Zone and guess what.

There is no place that tells you how to cancle you're account....

SO I'M STUCK!!!! I WILL BE BAKERSFIELDPETHEAD TIL' I DIE
Guys, I don't want PETRA to go away.....so i'm starting a new band, and i'm going to buy the name Petra from Bob and John and then hire Bob as the main song writer and producer for upcoming albums.

Ok? Ok? I fixed our little problem. You In ENOSH?

BATMAN is better, if you're going to ware tights then ware a mask so no one knows it's you.

[Enosh]

I am definately in.

That is unless John pulls a Lou Grahm and starts a new band called, John Schlitt's Petra. Then I might have to go with John.

Shell, HMMMMM.... Ra's Al Ghul eh? That would make some sense. Also, if you thought that Batman just didn't save you in time, you might have a bug up your butt to. Especially if he somehow knew Batman replaced him so quickly.

I find it interesting that they are using Ra's Al Ghul in the new movie but no mention of the Lazarus Pits, and nothing about his supernatural side. What's that all about? In the movie he's the leader of a ninja clan and Asian. I always pictured him more as a European sort.


SUPERMAN RULES BATMAN'S Hinder region. Unless Batman uses that Kryptonite Superman gave him. Plus I don't think Superman is the big boyscout people make him out to be. He just has more self control to say, "Ok, I'm going to give these people the benefit of the doubt." He has however taken matters into his own hands on occaision. I hate to point it out but there was the time he flew backwards around the earth to save Lois (Only Lois) not the other people but Lois. He turned time around and started it back again.

Of course it's not explained exactly how he saved anyone cause wouldn't all that stuff have still happened? It doesn't show him stopping the dam from breaking, or getting to Lois before the earthquake stopping her from dying. She even mentions the earthquake!! Point is that he's has to make some hard decisions as Superman. I can't imagine if I had those powers that I would just go around helping people all day.

[Shell]

I always thought Ra's was either Asian or from one of the mid eastern countries, but I could be wrong about that. I think Ra's Al Ghul is Arabic for The Demon's Head. It's been awhile since I read anything about his origin. I do know he's kept himself alive for centuries with the Lazarus pits. I'm looking forward to the new Batman movie.

[separateunion]

Doesn't matter.

Spiderman beats them all hands down. Sure he has superpowers, but he is very weak compared to many of his enemies. He has to use his quick wits and science abilities just as much as his super powers.

Besides that, he is the most human of any comic book character. He is constantly struggling with leading a double life. He has to make the choice whether to not use his powers or endanger those he loves (ex: Aunt May, Mary Jane). He also has to deal with several enemies who at one point in time he was close to (ex: Norman Osbourne, Harry Osbourne, Dr. Connors).