Spiderman or Batman?

[Thespian]

EDIT - to clarify guys, not a versus thread. I'm basically asking who is a better character and who's stories do you prefer, since I consider these two to be the most fittingly comparable marvel/dc characters in terms of independent, flagship heroes.
Not a versus thread. Not even. Totes nothing like that.

Quite simple. I'm asking who you think is better out of these two iconic, starkly contrasting heroes.

A few quick rules.

1 - This is not a who-would-win-in-a-fight thread.
2 - Base answers off who you believe is a a better overall character, story-wise.
3 - No flamey fanboy-ness, please.
4 - Give good reasons
5 - I'd rather we try not to base it entirely on the movies. Because Sam Raimie smells.

I'm interested in hearing everybody's thoughts on this, as I love both characters and I think they both do what they do incredibly well. So do share.




My Opinion:
Personally, I think Batman is a Hamlet - A hyper-dramatic, dark, brooding character driven to extremes. Entertaining and outlandish, but not as engaging as he could potentially be if he was more down to earth.
Spiderman on the other hand is always centered in very human stories. Yes he is haunted by the all-too-common orphaned superhero trope like Batman, but he deals with it in a more plausible way since he doesn't base his entire life on vengeance for Uncle Ben, but rather strives to uphold the values Ben held while he lived. I don't think Bruce's father would condone him spending the Wayne fortune on super advanced combat weaponry instead of, oh I dunno, homeless shelters, charities or security.
Also, Spiderman lives among the people he protects, whereas Batman alienates himself from them. Which is why I think Spiderman's goal is more sincere. He knows and understands people, warts and all, and wants to protect them for their virtues, despite their flaws.
To me, Batman doesn't genuinely care about Gothamites, he just sees people as a sacred object to guard. He protects them out of his freaky, obsessive, twisted moral compass, because he has to. If his father spent his whole life on a nature preserve before getting killed Batman would probably be in charge of a super PETA.

So anyway, do share your thoughts on the matter. Again, I love both and I think they are the two best superheroes around, no competition. Spiderman will always have a higher place in my heart though.

 

[RJ 17]

1 - This is not a who-would-win-in-a-fight thread.

3 - No flamey fanboy-ness, please.

The fact that you have to name these as rules doesn't do much to help differentiate this from every other "VS" thread, but we're here anyways so I'll play along.

Batman. No super powers at all, and yet so long as he's got at least 1 night of prep-time before the big confrontation with the villain (and he ALWAYS has prep-time) there's no way he can lose. To put it in Yahtzee's words, he just develops and deploys his "Bat Anti-Thing spray" and whatever challenge he is faced with simply goes away.

 

[Sixcess]

Spiderman is, overall, a more interesting character. Stan Lee set out to write a character that readers could relate to and he did it well. So I'd say Spiderman.

That said, I've read a lot more Batman than I have Spiderman, simply because I think he has a more interesting setting, a good supporting cast, and most of all an absolutely iconic rogues gallery. As is often said, Batman himself is always the least interesting part of anything he is in.

I can't actually think of any Batman stories that are about Batman as such, except The Dark Knight Returns and Year One. Too bad that Miller went on to lose most of his talent and all of his sanity.

 

[RJ 17]

Spiderman is, overall, a more interesting character. Stan Lee set out to write a character that readers could relate to and he did it well. So I'd say Spiderman.

That said, I've read a lot more Batman than I have Spiderman, simply because I think he has a more interesting setting, a good supporting cast, and most of all an absolutely iconic rogues gallery. As is often said, Batman himself is always the least interesting part of anything he is in.

I can't actually think of any Batman stories that are about Batman as such, except The Dark Knight Returns and Year One. Too bad that Miller went on to lose most of his talent and all of his sanity.

I liked how Arkham City postulated that the majority of Batman's villains only exist purely because Batman himself exists...that in one way or another, he singlehandedly created them. Does that mean that Batman himself is a villain? Dun dun duuuuunnnnnnnnn........

 

[CODE-D]

Your biased,
You speak of batman at his most negative but what about when spideys at his whiny-est or emo, tryin to get laid or doesnt turn dangerous people over because he thinks theyre good.
Spiderman has just as many if not more faults, I suggest you compare them better next time.

Also Batman is the goddamned batman so there.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I prefer Spider-Man more as a character, the 90s show was so good.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I say Batman, while it is claim that he got no superpowers and yet he can do all the stuff a superhero can but there one thing I consider him to be superhero like. It is his will and determation/ motivation.

We all know that he had a trauma ever since he witness his parent murder at the hand of a thug and that night he made a vow to rid Gotham of criminal (or something along to that). After that he had travel around the world learning many skills like languages, escape artist, martial art (physical and spirital), detective and more. He acquire all of those skills on hell bent to fight evil doing in the name of justice. That is what I find hard to believe.

I find it hard to believe because I had never encounter or know anyone with that much determation/ motivation in real life let alone to keep carry on when he is broken phyiscally and mentally. That the reason why I consider him to have superpowers in a way. Ok sure there are people with traumatised past but at most they either become a soldier or a police officier or something along that line. Even then I don't believe anyone can do the same thing that Bruce did in order to fight crime (as in the whole travelling around the world for several years and learning many skills along the way) in real life as their motivation/ determation won't last that long.

EDIT- with the OP opinions-
I take it you'r not too familiar their comics?-

You do know that Bruce does continue his family legacy of donating monies to homeless shelters and children charities right?

Sure you berate Batman for assuming his father wouldn't want him to act like that but in the whole Flashpoint storyline (a villain change the superhero origins) in which Bruce father was Batman as the origin story changed in that his son (Bruce) and his wife were murder from that fateful night. Not only that but this version of Batman was far more violent and had no tech at all. I guess what I saying is that Bruce and his father think along the same line.

Spiderman isn't at noble as you made him out to be. If you read the post Civil War story, he adopted a darker persona and wore a black version (like vemon but without the symbiote) of his original costume. Some would say he sort of become Batman for a moment (you have to read it for why he had become dark).

 

[Launcelot111]

I like Batman, but I like Spiderman a whole lot more.

I like how Spiderman is more of a people person than Batman. They have had similarly difficult lives in terms of personal tragedy, but Batman comes out as a moody guy who is often difficult with those closest to him and who seems to consider Bruce Wayne as only a front. Spiderman accepts his duty as a crime fighter, but he places more importance on his life as Peter Parker and he generally seems to enjoy his supporting cast more.

In terms of relation to their powers, I like that Batman is clever and determined and well trained and all, but I do feel a little alienated by the "he's the peak of human everything" aspect of him. The suggestion that he is the best of humanity but also only a hair away from becoming like those who he fights seems absurd to me. If he kills the Joker, he's no better than any other villain? No, he's a pragmatic crime fighter, and if he's so enlightened, he should recognize that he would be killing for entirely different reasons and on his own terms. I will accept that he doesn't want to break the law in killing, but when so few of his villains are actually superpowered, it bothers me that they should have so many repeat performances and that such a great mind can't think up something better to do with them.

Spiderman is strong and agile, but on the superhero spectrum, his powers are not that impressive. However, I like how he is a science whiz and how he has to find simple and effective solutions to help him, as opposed to Batman's whole R&D department. I feel like Spiderman is less effective in his crime fighting, but he generally has less public and police support, so I begrudge him less.

In general, I like Spiderman's energy and humor, his fun supporting cast (JJJ is a champion, especially in the hands of JK Simmons), his general more upbeat demeanor, and his fun if not superbly written rogue's gallery. Batman stories generally have more interesting things to say, but I enjoy them less for whatever reason.

 

[OZWIN]

I've always had more interest in batman so I choose batman. Could never really get into anything Superman for some reason.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Why does everyone care about these 2 fighting each other?

Yes, we need more discussions on who would win... in a kissing contest

Spidey probably has some disgusting spider-saliva or something, whereas Batmans 100% all natural Beef-jerky. I'd say Batman gets a lot more practice with his femme fatales whereas the best Spidey could do is... Jonah Jameson? Venom? Ewwww.

I'm starting to see why the Escapist used to enforce a strict no Vs. Threads policy. I always thought it was a bit pedantic, but with about 4 of these threads in 2 weeks it's getting a bit annoying.

 

[Sixcess]

I'd say Batman gets a lot more practice with his femme fatales whereas the best Spidey could do is... Jonah Jameson? Venom? Ewwww.

Well, Spidey is married (shutup, Joe Quesada!) whereas Batman is so busy being moody and obsessive he can't even keep something going with Catwoman (shutup, New DC!)

I'm starting to see why the Escapist used to enforce a strict no Vs. Threads policy. I always thought it was a bit pedantic, but with about 4 of these threads in 2 weeks it's getting a bit annoying.

It's not really a Vs thread.

 

[TheAceTheOne]

Oh, dear. I've grown up with both characters, having enjoyed Spidey and Bats equally...

As it stands, Batman doesn't develop much as a character beyond his origin story, as far as I can tell. He's always entertaining to watch, with the incredibly unique rogue's gallery that he's constantly pitted against. His motivation for crime-fighting, in my opinion, is kind of... goofy. Dead parents = Fight crime and spend billions of dollars instead of general civil improvement... If he's going to fight crime, he may as well also spend some of his money on, oh, I don't know, a stronger prison perhaps?

Spidey, on the other hand, is a more human-centric character. While his rogue's gallery is just as varied as Batman's, he doesn't always know how to handle a threat, and has to experiment and think to defeat his foes, rather than just throwing money at some scientists or inventors. He relies more on his wits and his ability, as opposed to his gear and sometimes-ridiculous levels of planning. Since Spidey isn't a bajillionaire, and doesn't have the distance from the common folk that Batman does, and since Spidey follows a relatively easy-to-relate-to moral, in addition to having a more developed and reasonable motivation to fight crime, I vote Spider-man.

TL;DR: In my opinion, Bats isn't as relatable as Spiderman, and so I go with Spidey.

 

[Thespian]

We had a thread on this exact fucking topic last week.

Why does everyone care about these 2 fighting each other?

Sorry, should have clarified that its not about bats and spidey fighting. Oh wait, I did. Awkward =/

I've always had more interest in batman so I choose batman. Could never really get into anything Superman for some reason.

Oh dear.

- with the OP opinions-
I take it you'r not too familiar their comics?-

You do know that Bruce does continue his family legacy of donating monies to homeless shelters and children charities right?

Sure you berate Batman for assuming his father wouldn't want him to act like that but in the whole Flashpoint storyline (a villain change the superhero origins) in which Bruce father was Batman as the origin story changed in that his son (Bruce) and his wife were murder from that fateful night. Not only that but this version of Batman was far more violent and had no tech at all. I guess what I saying is that Bruce and his father think along the same line.

Spiderman isn't at noble as you made him out to be. If you read the post Civil War story, he adopted a darker persona and wore a black version (like vemon but without the symbiote) of his original costume. Some would say he sort of become Batman for a moment (you have to read it for why he had become dark).

I am indeed familiar with the comics. First off, compare the money bats has spent on useful things with all the heat seeking batarangs he's paid for and all the impoverished teenage delinquents who's bones he's shattered.
Secondly, yes there's flashpoint, but I meant that being batman isn't the best logical way to uphold a legacy. And don't try to tell me that flashpoint was logical >_>
Also, sure Spidey has had dark streaks depending on which writer takes over at what times, like all heroes, but generally Spidey isn't like that. Look at the much more recent event spider island. He wasn't remotely ark there, but instead his old loveable self.

Your biased,
You speak of batman at his most negative but what about when spideys at his whiny-est or emo, tryin to get laid or doesnt turn dangerous people over because he thinks theyre good.
Spiderman has just as many if not more faults, I suggest you compare them better next time.

Also Batman is the goddamned batman so there.

Well yeah, of course I Gave batmans worst parts and Spidey's best. I was explaining why I like Spidey and dislike Bats. That wasn't my attempt at objectively comparing the two, don't worry

I'd say Batman gets a lot more practice with his femme fatales whereas the best Spidey could do is... Jonah Jameson? Venom? Ewwww.

Well, Spidey is married (shutup, Joe Quesada!) whereas Batman is so busy being moody and obsessive he can't even keep something going with Catwoman (shutup, New DC!)

I'm starting to see why the Escapist used to enforce a strict no Vs. Threads policy. I always thought it was a bit pedantic, but with about 4 of these threads in 2 weeks it's getting a bit annoying.

It's not really a Vs thread.

Thank you for existing.
And shut up Joe Quesada indeed. In what world does Mephisto delete marriages for no self benefit at all?

 

[Sixcess]

Thank you for existing.

Oh, you're welcome.

And shut up Joe Quesada indeed. In what world does Mephisto delete marriages for no self benefit at all?

In the same world where Spiderman makes deals with the devil.

Which is what annoys me most about Quesada pushing this ridiculous plot. "With great power comes great responsibility" has been the defining statement of Spidey's character for fifty freaking years, so having him say "Oh, things have got bad, so I'll make a deal with Satan Himself to fix it..." is crazy.

It's not the worst thing that's ever been done to the character (that would be Reign) but it's definitely in the top 5.

 

[Guffe]

Why does everyone care about these 2 fighting each other?

Did you read rule number one?

On Topic
Spiderman, but only because the spidey animation was on the air here in Finland when I was the best age for that and batman taged on a little later when I didn't follow TV too much so maybe not comparable in my case. Also read way more spidey comics so it's a bit unfair maybe but I am mor einto spiderman than batman.
Batman is good to but you know, same as pokemon and digimon, watched pokemon, then digimon taged along when I wasn't watching TV so I know nothing about digimon while pokemon is favorite show I've ever wathed due to my age it has huge nostalgia, also you can get really really drunk while watching the show...

 

[Starik20X6]

5 - I'd rather we try not to base it entirely on the movies.

Well, there goes my input. As someone who's exposure to both is only as a fan of their movies (and cartoon in Batman's case) I've gotta say Batman still stands as my favourite superhero. In fact, up until the release of the Spider-Man movie in 2002 the only superhero I paid any attention to was Batman.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Spider-Man, bit if I could only ever hear about one of them ever again... Well, sorry Pete.