Explain why Batman is more popular than Superman

[Urethra Franklin]

Here's my preface:
- I'm a casual fan (non-comic book reader who loves superhero movies)
- I'm basing this on my own empirical knowledge and can't give you any specific numbers
- I could be wrong entirely

Now, reading the Man of Steel Box office thread from earlier (about how its performance will determine the fate of the Justice League), I can't help but figure that this would never happen with the Batman films. There was never any doubt over their performance (aside from a blip for TDKR over the Colorado shootings) and it's plain to see that, for a modern audience, Batman has eclipsed Superman's popularity in not only films, but all other media.

A couple of questions:

- When did this happen exactly? (I posit around the time Tim Burton's Batman was first release)
- Why? (My two theories: Batman/Bruce Wayne is a much more three-dimensional protagonist and Batman's roster of villains is far more appealing)

Any and all thoughts are welcome.

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

As for you why, I'd say it is both of those plus the fact that Batman is human. Audiences can better relate to him than an alien that is REALLY had to kill.

[The Legend of Groose]

I think what makes Batman stand out is he's more real then something like a Superman or Spiderman.

[nocomments87]

The easy answer...there's only so much you can do with someone that can do pretty much everything. It doesn't make Superman dull, per se, but it doesn't help matters either when it's all been done before.

Batman has more realism to his character. He has no superpowers...just his mind, strength and abilities. There's much more to explore, despite his limitations, so there's endless possibilities to any future projects like TV series, movies, comics, and more.

[Dub H]

Yeh...it ismore entertaining to see someone use the intellect,mind,personality,be versatile and fun ..than someone that can do anything ,so there is no point watching since it is a lot of the same thing.

[hassanchop]

His tragic back story and we can feel his pain.

[Evilution E5150]

also Superman when in the wrong hands can be incredibly dull and boring, the boyscout reputation doesnt help, while bruce is still the brooding outsider

[Yami Daimao]

He has much more layered villains. Not to say Superman's rogue gallery is lame, but nothing can really touch Batman's.

[Evilution E5150]

Jan 30, 2013 1:20:46 GMT -5 Yami Daimao said:

He has much more layered villains. Not to say Superman's rogue gallery is lame, but nothing can really touch Batman's.

take out Lex and Darkseid and Supes' rogue gallery is pretty f***ing lame, posibly only Metallo that doesnt suck

[agent817]

I like Batman more because he is human and relies on gadgetry and hand-to-hand combat to fight crime. Superman, on the other, ISN'T human and there is virtually no way of killing him (Unless someone has Kryptonite). Besides, most of the rogues who Batman deals with are actually human (One can argue about Man-Bat and Killer Croc, but the latter had a skin condition, whereas the former became a bat because of some experiment gone wrong. Not to mention the Dracula comic when Batman battles Dracula).

[stinger]

Batman is more flawed and vulnerable. You feel like there is a chance he could be defeated and you don't really get that with Superman.

Also, as far as the comics world goes, Superman has not had the quality of writers that Batman has had in the past three decades. I'd say that has caused a lot of hardcore comics fans to steer clear of Supes and embrace Batman.

[BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps]

It's easier to write perilous, non-supernatural situations for Batman, so that helps him some. But the real reason Batman's more popular (these days) is partly due to him having more success in media outside the comics.

Superman TAS is underated IMO, but Batman TAS/Beyond's legacies and the popularity of the Nolan series has made him DC's current golden boy. I wouldn't call it a "sign of the times" so much as I'd chalk it up to Bats having more things for people outside the usual comic fandom to latch onto. Comparing that to the mixed reception Superman Returns got, I can see why Brucey's got a leg up with the general public as of now.

The superhero movies today are affecting these characters' perceptions a lot- look at how high Captain America and Iron Man's stocks have risen, and how Wolverine's dipped after Origins. Gallup should do some super-polls.

But speaking as someone who likes Batman quite a bit, I generally find Superman more relatable- I prefer to be the optimist more often than the cynic.

[Brickstone Kid]

Originally read: Why is Bateman more popular than Superman?

[H-Virus]

The problem with the whole Batman vs Superman thing, is that Batman is human (a human who's almost impossibly strong, smart, skilled, has an infinite amount of money, and a ton of protective writing, but human nonetheless).

Superman, on the other hand, is a Larger Than Life character, but almost nobody these days ever bothers to WRITE him as a Larger Than Life character. Instead, they try to humanize him to make him more 'relatable' like Batman. But Superman shouldn't BE relatable, because he's not human. He's a huge, amazing thing, and the stories about him should be of equal size and grandeur to match him.

Look at All-Star Superman: Grant Morrison wrote a Superman story in which he:

- Gave his girlfriend superpowers so they could fight crime together and make out on the moon
- Tamed a Sun Eater and later released it back into space
- Created his own miniature universe, complete with sentient life
- Cured Cancer

And those were just the major things. Superman is the type of person who should be out having big adventures, flying through space and into other dimensions, fighting eldrich abominations and still making it home in time to take Lois (or Diana, I guess) out to dinner. You know, the sort of things that ONLY Superman would be able to do. But instead, the writers leave him confined to Earth, going through all the same motions as every other superhero, and it does get pretty boring because you know that there's so much more that could be done with him.

[BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps]

Superman is the type of person who should be out having big adventures, flying through space and into other dimensions, fighting eldrich abominations and still making it home in time to take Lois (or Diana, I guess) out to dinner. You know, the sort of things that ONLY Superman would be able to do. But instead, the writers leave him confined to Earth, going through all the same motions as every other superhero, and it does get pretty boring because you know that there's so much more that could be done with him.

True, but Superman can be relatable even when fighting Darkseid and performing insane feats with the proper writing. He's pledged to do all the good he can with his abilities, and those times when he can't be everywhere at once have to suck.

Returns nailed that for a brief moment- the sequence where he flies around the world performing rescues was probably the highlight of the movie, and it felt a lot truer to the Superman mythos than the Maury Baby Daddy drama subplot.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Short answer, Batman's just cooler.

You can say he's more human etc. but he's just cooler than the big blue boy scout, then from there people like him, writers are drawn to the character and the rest can develop.

[thelonewolf527]

I don't understand how Superman's even popular to begin with. He's literally the most generic superhero in existence. For christ's sake his name is SUPERMan. That sounds like something from a bad machinima.

I'd also like to piss people off by pointing out that Batman is not even a superhero.

[Azrael from Outerspace]

I don't think it has to do too much with relatability.

Now I have no correlation for this but I think it's because we all love a great detective. Batman and Holmes are nearly always relevant. Then you have guys like Poirot who your parents probably know about. The Doctor is pretty popular also and he is basically a time traveling detective. It allows us to deduce along with them and (sort of) be a part of the story.

Now obviously these characters are written well or they'd not be as popular as they are. But I feel like the template has a lot to do with that popularity.

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

Jan 30, 2013 1:26:54 GMT -5 Evilution E5150 said:

Jan 30, 2013 1:20:46 GMT -5 Yami Daimao said:

He has much more layered villains. Not to say Superman's rogue gallery is lame, but nothing can really touch Batman's.

take out Lex and Darkseid and Supes' rogue gallery is pretty f***ing lame, posibly only Metallo that doesnt suck

Jan 30, 2013 3:18:37 GMT -5 thelonewolf527 said:

I don't understand how Superman's even popular to begin with. He's literally the most generic superhero in existence. For christ's sake his name is SUPERMan. That sounds like something from a bad machinima.

Being the first will do that to you.

[Deleted]

This.

He has much more layered villains. Not to say Superman's rogue gallery is lame, but nothing can really touch Batman's.

This.

Short answer, Batman's just cooler.

You can say he's more human etc. but he's just cooler than the big blue boy scout, then from there people like him, writers are drawn to the character and the rest can develop.

And this.

I don't understand how Superman's even popular to begin with. He's literally the most generic superhero in existence. For christ's sake his name is SUPERMan. That sounds like something from a bad machinima.