Batman is not Superman. Seems like a simple statement of fact - duh, they're different characters - but stick with it. Whilst the Man Of Steel wins most fights he gets into thanks to his invulnerability and super-strength, Batman is just a guy. Albeit a guy with a lot of training, a lot of resources, and a lot of forward planning. But still, just a guy. In most cases, when paired against another individual in individual, hand-to-hand combat, he could probably win. When he fights people with actual weapons or superpowers, though? Whilst the Dark Knight doesn't technically have any meta-human abilities, fans and creators like to joke that they has the superpower of forward planning. Batman is resourceful in the thick of battle, but in most cases he wins because he's prepared a lot beforehand. He's studied his enemy, or fought them countless times before, so he's already discovered their strengths and weaknesses and developed his fighting style and a new swathe of gadgets accordingly. Bully for him. In that case, though, surely there are fights he should totally lose. Even the Caped Crusader can't prepare for everything, and even when he does, he shouldn't strictly win every single fight he ever gets into. Obviously he has a heavy amount of plot armour slung over his shoulders that protects him from ever getting beat down too bad, but still. The Dark Knight isn't invincible. So why do comics treat him so? From his long-awaited rematch with Bane to every time he fights a giant crocodile monster, these are ten times Batman won a fight he should have lost.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
