Poll: Is batman a superhero?

[AssassinJoe]

He's a hero, he's just not a superhero.

 

[emeraldrafael]

By most definitions, characters do not strictly require actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes, although terms such as costumed crime fighters are sometimes used to refer to those such as Batman and Green Arrow without such powers who share other common superhero traits. Such characters were generally referred to as "mystery men" in the so-called Golden Age of Comic Books to distinguish them from characters with super-powers.

Taken form Wikipedia.

So yes.

That anyone can edit? on a fictional thing swayed entirely by opinion? Wikipedia may not be the best source for this.

OT: no, he's not really super. Hell, i wouldnt even say he's a hero by definition. He's vigilante more then anything else, rich with access to gadgets and a good social life in the upper tiers.

However, he does heroic things, just not in a super manner. He doesnt do anyhting a cop with a no boundries wouldnt with mechanical assistance. He just does human things in human ways human amount of times. Batman is no more of a "super"hero then a firefighter or a police officer or a SWAT member.*

*this is not to belittle the things the parties mentioned do. Simply, I am stating he is just an average human level hero but has the gadgets and funds to do what he does where as the other departments do not.

 

[Cazza]

Superhero's don't need super powers. So I clas both Ironman and Batman Superheros.

 

[Aurgelmir]

Right so after my geography exam and before my history one me and a friend argued about batman. She said he didnt have powers, so he was a regular 'hero' and i said by that logic iron man isnt a super hero, and that i will not stand for.

Anyway the debate snowballed until everyone and their dog had an opinion, so escapist, is batman a superhero?

BTW escapist, what the hell happened to my poll? there was a 'no' option!

Don't need powers to be a superhero imo.

As you said Ironman doesn't have superpowers, and yet he is considered a superhero.


Besides Batman has powers, its called "Prep-time"

 

[Bravo 21]

but batman does, inarguably have at least 2 superpowers,
1)badassery
and
2)being really, really, obscenely rich

 

[little.09]

a superpower a genitic mutation and so is a photographic memory so that puts the super and the herioc stuff makes him a hero therefore superhero

 

[Smooth Operator]

Ofcourse he's super hero.
His gadgets have supernatural powers, since he uses them it means he has super natural powers, ergo super hero.

And Batman is the only one with proper balls, it's not really hard going around beating up baddies if you're freaking Superman now is it.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

No, he's more of a Special Ops guy...

 

[Shanecooper]

I thought he was an anti-hero.
Can you be an Anti-Superhero?
Or would it be Super Anti-hero?

 

[Aurgelmir]

I thought he was an anti-hero.
Can you be an Anti-Superhero?
Or would it be Super Anti-hero?

What do you put in the term; Anti-hero?

I mean I don't see Batman as an Anti-Hero, as he has some rules, like never use conventional weapons. (Although early batman apperently used a guns)

But thne again Batman isn't above breaking a few rules to get things done... but doesn't all superheroes really do that?

 

[Shadows Inc.]

What's that quote? Any sufficiently advanced technology can be perceived as magic? I'm paraphrasing here but Batman is a super-hero just by kicking ass physically and with his gadgets.

I'd say his bat-cave/car/equipment/money alone would make him a superhero.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-Arthur C. Clarke

"Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."
-Barry Gehm

I'll always say however, "Any technology, no matter how primitive, is perceived as magic to those who don't understand it."

(I can't believe I remembered the quotes and names exactly)

By the way, my take on the matter is no, Batman, Ironman, Green Lanturn, The Beetle, Catwoman (debatable as a hero), Etc. are not superheros.

 

[Shanecooper]

What do you put in the term; Anti-hero?

I mean I don't see Batman as an Anti-Hero, as he has some rules, like never use conventional weapons. (Although early batman apperently used a guns)

But thne again Batman isn't above breaking a few rules to get things done... but doesn't all superheroes really do that?

You know what, I've never even thought about that. I guess I've always seen him as an anti hero because he's a vigilanty and a wanted man.

 

[Lawyer105]

Batman IS a superhero. His superpower is clearly the ability to survive 25 years of corporate milking and still be popular!

 

[omega 616]

Of course he is. He may not have powers, but he does incredible things that normal people are not normally capable of. He fights and beats super powered beings with skill and intelligence. I've even heard that he is stronger than some heroes that have superhuman strength. And check his file in Batman: Arkham Asylum.
*Master of all known martial arts
*Photographic memory
*Trained psychologist
*trained criminologist
So on and so forth. Yeah, he may not have powers, but Batman is superhuman all the same.
Mind you that I don't read the comics, but Batman is one of my favorite superheroes.

I know your pretty much echoing the others but skill and intelligence?

I have watched a few batman movies (non of the new ones) and all he ever does is find out who is behind the crime, run head long into a trap, James Bond his way out of it, go after the villan again, have a fight scene and it's all over.

There is no real intelligence in any super hero story, superman follows the exact same parttern.

Sherlock homles had intelligence, picking up on subtle little things etc, if they managed to force Sherlock and batman together into one thing it would be amazing! It would show off the skills that he apparently has.

Master of all known martial arts? Like I said I haven't seen the new films, all that keep coming to mind are the short episodes were things like "WHACK" would come up on screen, that is far from any martial art.

 

[Krylock]

Superhero, yes. You would have to be inept to comics in order to say otherwise.

 

[The Salty Vulcan]

He's only a Hero but how meaning Superheroes/Super Villians can beat while not breaking a sweat? That's what makes him so amazing becuase at the end of the He's only human with a fancy belt and vehicles. To better prove my point.

"Justice League Unlimtited: Patroit Act"​

Spoiler: The Patroit Act Episode

Summed up perfectly. In the end, it is not our gifts that seperate us, but how we choose to use them.

 

[Naheal]

No. He's the Goddamned Batman. He's what other superheroes want to be.

 

[Saltyk]

Of course he is. He may not have powers, but he does incredible things that normal people are not normally capable of. He fights and beats super powered beings with skill and intelligence. I've even heard that he is stronger than some heroes that have superhuman strength. And check his file in Batman: Arkham Asylum.
*Master of all known martial arts
*Photographic memory
*Trained psychologist
*trained criminologist
So on and so forth. Yeah, he may not have powers, but Batman is superhuman all the same.
Mind you that I don't read the comics, but Batman is one of my favorite superheroes.

I know your pretty much echoing the others but skill and intelligence?

I have watched a few batman movies (non of the new ones) and all he ever does is find out who is behind the crime, run head long into a trap, James Bond his way out of it, go after the villan again, have a fight scene and it's all over.

There is no real intelligence in any super hero story, superman follows the exact same parttern.

Sherlock homles had intelligence, picking up on subtle little things etc, if they managed to force Sherlock and batman together into one thing it would be amazing! It would show off the skills that he apparently has.

Master of all known martial arts? Like I said I haven't seen the new films, all that keep coming to mind are the short episodes were things like "WHACK" would come up on screen, that is far from any martial art.

Did you ever watch the episodes of the new Justice League? If not, I think it still runs at night on Cartoon Network's Boomerang channel.

In that series he was part of a team with the likes of Superman and Green Lantern, and made them all look pathetic on a daily basis. He would take on super-powered beings single handed. Here are three scenes that I always think of.

The Joker has set a huge trap in a Las Vegas style city. There are bombs everywhere and the League has one hour to diffuse them all. The entire time, they are being attacked by a small group of super humans. Flash finds a bomb, but doesn't know how to diffuse it, so he calls Batman to talk him through. By the way, Batman is fighting someone with stretching powers (like Mr Fantastic) while talking Flash through it.

A crook gains powers that lets him go into people's dreams and literally kill them. He uses this on the members of the League. Batman goes to stop him. When he gets close, we find that the villain can effect his mind even while he's still awake. Oh, and they say at the start of the episode that Batman hadn't slept in three days.

Lex Luther escapes prison with a couple villains and tries to take down Superman. After a failed first attempt, they retreat. However, Batman follows them, and is unfortunately captured when the Joker shows up to join the party (Joker knows Batman well and knew he would have followed them). Even captured Batman messed with all of Luther's subordinates. In the end, he escapes without help, and admits that he only stayed so long to keep an eye on them. He also made one of Luther's henchmen turn on him.

So, yeah, Batman is pretty super.

 

[Keepitclean]

Technically no. If however, you went to a superheros party dressed as Batman your costume would be relevant.

 

[omega 616]

Of course he is. He may not have powers, but he does incredible things that normal people are not normally capable of. He fights and beats super powered beings with skill and intelligence. I've even heard that he is stronger than some heroes that have superhuman strength. And check his file in Batman: Arkham Asylum.
*Master of all known martial arts
*Photographic memory
*Trained psychologist
*trained criminologist
So on and so forth. Yeah, he may not have powers, but Batman is superhuman all the same.
Mind you that I don't read the comics, but Batman is one of my favorite superheroes.

I know your pretty much echoing the others but skill and intelligence?

I have watched a few batman movies (non of the new ones) and all he ever does is find out who is behind the crime, run head long into a trap, James Bond his way out of it, go after the villan again, have a fight scene and it's all over.

There is no real intelligence in any super hero story, superman follows the exact same parttern.

Sherlock homles had intelligence, picking up on subtle little things etc, if they managed to force Sherlock and batman together into one thing it would be amazing! It would show off the skills that he apparently has.

Master of all known martial arts? Like I said I haven't seen the new films, all that keep coming to mind are the short episodes were things like "WHACK" would come up on screen, that is far from any martial art.

Did you ever watch the episodes of the new Justice League? If not, I think it still runs at night on Cartoon Network's Boomerang channel.

In that series he was part of a team with the likes of Superman and Green Lantern, and made them all look pathetic on a daily basis. He would take on super-powered beings single handed. Here are three scenes that I always think of.

The Joker has set a huge trap in a Las Vegas style city. There are bombs everywhere and the League has one hour to diffuse them all. The entire time, they are being attacked by a small group of super humans. Flash finds a bomb, but doesn't know how to diffuse it, so he calls Batman to talk him through. By the way, Batman is fighting someone with stretching powers (like Mr Fantastic) while talking Flash through it.

A crook gains powers that lets him go into people's dreams and literally kill them. He uses this on the members of the League. Batman goes to stop him. When he gets close, we find that the villain can effect his mind even while he's still awake. Oh, and they say at the start of the episode that Batman hadn't slept in three days.

Lex Luther escapes prison with a couple villains and tries to take down Superman. After a failed first attempt, they retreat. However, Batman follows them, and is unfortunately captured when the Joker shows up to join the party (Joker knows Batman well and knew he would have followed them). Even captured Batman messed with all of Luther's subordinates. In the end, he escapes without help, and admits that he only stayed so long to keep an eye on them. He also made one of Luther's henchmen turn on him.

So, yeah, Batman is pretty super.

Still not super though.

Even iron man seems to be a super hero, he fires beams of stuff and can fly. Batman glides and throws baterangs or something.

He just lacks the "wow" factor.