Regarded as one of Earth’s greatest geniuses in the DC universe, Batman is also one of the world’s deadliest combatants. Coupled with the fact that his Bruce Wayne alter ego has near-unlimited wealth, it goes without saying that the Caped Crusader has pulled off some impressive feats over the years.
Despite having no superpowers of his own, Batman has consistently gotten the better of a wide variety of supervillains over the years, from his long-running nemesis The Joker to cosmic threats such as Darkseid. Even more impressive is his knack for remaining an equal to his fellow Justice Leaguers. He often outwits them, even holding his own against powerful characters such as Superman and Wonder Woman.
5 Surviving The Labyrinth
A Testament to Batman’s Psychological and Physical Resolve
- Story arc: The Court of Owls
- Writer: Scott Snyder
- Artist: Greg Capullo
Few villainous figures have caused Bruce Wayne more torment than the Court of Owls. The grimmest part of his initial dealings with them sees him taken prisoner in an enormous maze.
There, Batman is starved and drugged for seven days, with hallucinations gradually driving him mad. He is later stabbed, and then brutally beaten, as the Court decides to make his death as slow and painful as possible. Never one to give in, Batman defeats a Talon one-on-one despite his injuries and poor health, and then rigs a camera to explode. The explosion gives him the time and space to escape, all done whilst in a malnourished, injured, delirious state.
4 Using A Baby Darkseid As A Weapon
The Dark Knight Proved Hiimself a Shrewd, Gutsy Strategist
- Story arc: Dark Nights: Metal
- Writer: Scott Snyder
- Artist: Greg Capullo
Dark Nights: Metal saw the completely human Batman manage to manipulate and use an infant Darkseid as a weapon. Darkseid, often referred to as the God of Evil, is one of DC’s biggest and baddest supervillains. Even the whole Justice League struggles to contend with him.
Despite Darkseid’s near-endless power and intellect, a bit of time travel and some high-tech goggles allow Batman to use a newborn Darkseid from the past as a weapon. The Godwave Goggles neutralize Darkseid’s devastating Omega beams, allowing him to become a simple pawn in Batman’s game with the demonic Barbatos. Between overpowering Darkseid in a way that Superman and Orion never have, and time-traveling in order to best both the God of Evil and Barbatos, Batman was in peak form throughout this popular arc from Scott Snyder.
3 Developing a Back-Up Personality For Emergency Situations
The Caped Crusader Has a Plan for Every Scenario
- Story arc: Batman R.I.P.
- Writer: Grant Morrison
- Artist: Tony Daniel
Grant Morrison’s highly-acclaimed 00s run on Batman introduced all manner of wild scenarios. From Bruce Wayne’s dangerous son Damian to Batman Inc., the stories challenged the conventions of the character.
Arguably the wildest moment in Morrison’s run came in Batman R.I.P., when Bruce Wayne comes under psychological attack from Doctor Hurt and the Black Glove Society. The attack stems all the way back to an old virtual reality story from the 50s, with Hurt being the scientist Batman worked with back then. To avoid being compromised, it turns out Batman created a back-up personality for just this kind of situation. The Batman of Zur-en-Arrh allows a considerably more eccentric Batman to stay in the game until Hurt’s brainwashing attempts wear off. Even the craziest aspects of the character, such as his Bat-radia, prove vital in the character’s eventual comeback against the Black Glove.
2 Building and Training the Bat-Family
Gotham’s Protector Shares His Gifts with a Variety of Heroes
- Story arc: Various
- Writer: Various
- Artist: Various
Many stories have highlighted the extreme lengths Batman went to in all areas of his training for crime-fighting. The result is both a genius detective and the most elite martial artist in the world.
As impressive as Batman’s own training is, perhaps even more impressive is how many others he has trained to follow in his footsteps. The likes of Nightwing, Red Robin, Batgirl, and even the murderous Red Hood have all become dangerous crime fighters in their own right thanks to Bruce Wayne’s tutelage. Building a whole family of genius detective vigilantes has allowed Batman’s war on crime to move up a notch. It has also ensured that when the time comes, Batman will be able to live on with a successor under the cowl.
1 Defeating the Justice League Single-Handedly
With No Powers of His Own, Batman Defeated the World’s Most Impressive Meta-Humans
- Story arc: Endgame
- Writer: Scott Snyder
- Artist: Greg Capullo
Batman: Endgamesaw The Joker at his most dangerous, somehow managing to poison most of the Justice League. With aggressive, Jokerized heroes to deal with, Batman takes on one of his most dangerous fights ever.
In a callback to Tower of Babel, Batman puts the League’s numerous weaknesses to use, taking each one of them down in the process. Seeing the mortal Batman soundly defeat the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman makes for one of the wildest moments in the story. It serves as a testament to his wits and determination to be prepared for anything and everything. He even used using kryptonite gum to subdue Superman.
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