10 Most Brutal Fights In Superman Comics

The relationship between Superman and Batman is one of the most archetypal in comics and the duality between both characters lends itself to interesting storylines. The heroes share mutual respect and consider each other equals but their differing world views and methodologies can be a cause of conflict in many arcs.

This is best represented in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, the sublime series that sees an ageing Batman come out of retirement to save Gotham from a new breed of criminal. Batman's anarchic return attracts the attention of the government, and they send in Superman to stop his former teammate from waging his crusade.

To level the playing field, Bruce dons an exosuit and uses various weaponry to take on a Superman weakened from a nuclear blast earlier in the story. His ace in the hole is a Kryptonite arrow fired by Oliver Queen, but even before that is fired, the Caped Crusader fares remarkably well against a Superman whose heart was not really in the battle to begin with.

The fight places a strain on Bruce's heart and he appears to dies from the effort. However, this was part of the plan as faking his death at the end of the fight enabled him to go underground and still pull a decisive, if momentary victory, against the Man of Steel.