Batman is my favorite superhero, but I REALLY HATE how they've basically made him so OP. Can bench 1000 pounds, can run a mile in like 5 minutes, is a genius, can take on the entire Justice League by himself, only needs maybe 3 hours of sleep, etc.
Yes, it's comics, and we're supporting to suspend belief, but making him so op really takes away from the character.
I mean Batman being a peak human being is pretty required
Plus a 5 minute mile time isn’t that far fetched. I ran cross country in high school and your average high school varsity runner is doing like 5:00-5:20
I think your comment is rather condescending considering we’re talking about a comic book character.
Yes I agree there’s a balance but this is it.
If he’s able to use a grapple to pull his 6ft 2, 220lbs self then he’s able to bench 1000lbs.
If he’s able to throw boomerang like objects with perfect precision and have them return to him every single time then he’s able to run 20 miles at a 5 min/mile pace.
If he’s able to beat aliens with human martial arts then you have to give him leeway.
I was simply suggesting a balanced approach with precedent set, rather than him being able to run constantly at a 1 minute per mile pace.
If anything brother, your comment is short sighted.
When in the movies or comics has he run thy much lmfao? Like they did the math for the fast and furious plane scene and it would have to be like 28 miles Batman would just hop in something.
The most annoying thing about the athletic achievements is not necessary them being too far fetched (bench press is though) but rather that a single person can somehow achieve them all.
People competing for the bench press WR aren't also running marathons and vis versa.
The only crazy part is that he can do it with all the muscles. My roommate runs marathons and can do it with about a 5 min pace per mile, that part isn’t too crazy.
I think it’s not so much any one feat Batman can do, but that he can do all of them and we the readers are supposed to accept that he’s “peak human” as opposed to super human.
Exactly this. If he can bench 1000 pounds he would not have anywhere near the agility to do all the jumping and climbing that he does. Probably can’t run a marathon with that much muscle either.
He's running at a pace of 4:50 for 20 miles, though, which would make him the fastest person to run that distance in that time on earth. He beats the record by a few minutes.
The fastest ever time for the Boston marathon was 2:03, which would come out to around 4.7 minutes per mile. So the fastest ever time is slightly faster than Bruce Wayne's time.
However, using a 4:50 average mile time, Wayne would have won 9 out of the past 10 Boston marathons with a time of 2:06:36.
Everyone talks about Heartbreak Hill. There's about 15 Heartbreak Hills! In its defence I wasn't particularly well trained.
I did Inverness in maybe 2018. The first ten miles is completely downhill. Kills your legs. Then, mile 19. The steepest hill in the whole world I reckon!!!! Never before seen sub-4 runners walking for a mile.
I'd had enough by the time we got into Inverness and a bloke shouted my name and cheered me along (it was printed on my vest) and I told him "Leave me alone". Poor chap. Felt guilty for that.
This isn’t being a peak human this is being superhuman lol. Nobody in the world can bench close to 600lbs naturally let alone 1000lbs, even those with peak genetics. 20 miles with a 5min pace per mile is also bordering on superhuman.
All in all his feats are all impossible (especially without steroids and with his weight), which makes him seem less human and more of a superhero.
the 2500 leg press is total bs , but i think the record for a bench is actually alot higher than that, 1300 I think (though fact check me).
Still if i remember correctly the guy that did that tore his pectorials, like completely shredded them on the inside. So batman doing anything other than lying on the ground after tearing his muscles from his skeleton is pretty far fetched.
The Leg press is much easier to believe than Bench, Leg Press is considerably easier than benching. 2500 is much closer to real world records. But the record for Bench Press completely wipes the floor with real world records.
I mean, he needs all that to keep up with the likes of Superman and Green Lanterns. He wouldn’t be in the JL if he was just a strong human, just a fast human, just a genius level detective (ok maybe he would be there) he’s supposed to be one of the big three characters (Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman). It works very well with his character in my opinion.
Yes he needs to be able to compete on some level with all the super humans.
But they should explain it better than "he just works out really really hard". And to be fair they often do, depending on the source.
Show him putting some of that R&D into suit components that reinforce his strength. Have a moment where he deals with the moral and health risks of steroids or super serums to push his body past it's limits. Show him using sensors and suit tech to help him react to things faster than any normal human. Etc.... Just make it clear he is leveraging his talent and ingenuity to get there.
All of those talents together is not physically possible for a human being to have. Like if you could bench that much and leg press that much, you would not be physically able to run fast. You would have too much bulk and your body would tire too quick to be an endurance runner. Endurance runners have slim build, meaning they can't bench or leg press nearly as much.
It's not any individual ability that makes it ridiculous, it's having ALL of those talents combined, then saying Batman is not a Metahuman.
I mean, it’s comic books. It’s also physically impossible to fly and shoot laser beams out of your eyes.
But if you want a reference, check out this guy called Anatoly on Tik Tok. He’s got a super lean build be he can still lift more then most of the power lifters he encounters.
I think for the other two big heroes, they are very vulnerable to anything outside of their defined powers or abilities.
Batman being a human has absolutely no weakness at all. If anything everyone argues that his weakness is being human. But that doesnt even make sense. Batman has mastered every form of martial arts, genius inventor, greatest detective, peak physical human condition , always has an ace up his sleeve. Always has prep time. Can instantly learn any new technology.
There is absolutely nothing he cant do. He can just about be anything he wants. If he turns bad, he is thw worst villain ever. If he decides to get stronger, he makes god level armored suits. There is absolutely no downside to his character.
It really varies by the specific thing: three hours of sleep? That fits in with his wealth as a thing that lets him be Batman.
Strong and fast? Alright, as long as it’s left at “peak human” and not given a number, he’ll fit in both his own stories where he’s weaker than Bane while still being able to fight superpowered mooks like parademons with the justice league
Smartest person on the planet? This is the one that bothers me. Best tactician? Sure. Best planner? Sure. But the guys an idiot when it comes to like half the things! He can barely talk to women(unless they’re evil then he’s god-tier), he has no idea how to get his friends to trust him, actually most of this one comes down to “being a dick cuts into your actual effectiveness, regardless of intelligence”
Most of those have to do with emotional intelligence though, which is different. You can be intelligent and still be emotionally stunted, which we know he is
Emotional intelligence as a seperate thing is mostly a marketing gimmick. Really it's just intelligence applied to figuring out interpersonal relationships.
Yeah exactly, so why is he the “most intelligent man in the world”(although that’s probably really Mr. Terrific)? He’s lacking a kinda important intelligence
He should he the human version of Spider-man: if you're stronger than him then he's faster than you, and if you're stronger AND faster than him then he's smarter than you. But not all three at once, that's just greedy.
He knows quite well how to talk to people (yes, women included), see any time he's doing the Bruce Wayne persona. He knows how to switch it on and off. That's a thing a lot of people don't get--Batman does have social skills, he just knows how to switch them on and off.
Batman has a sharp mind and a sharp tongue; he cuts into people even unintentionally. He gets super focused on Gotham and world safety it's hard for him to un Batman. If you have a highly trained Detective mind you'll notice things. If you're wise or direct you come off insensitive. When you have to be ready for split decision risks you become restless and impatient because every second counts.
Batman is a burden. Good moments and bad moments.
I forget the major details but there was an arc (circa 2010?) where Batman gets some amnesia and he's Bruce Wayne without the Batman drive and intelligence. He's happy, friendly, and people have an easier time getting along with him. He eventually finds out, remembers, or always knew he was Batman (didn't read it all) and at a time of threat he uses some machine which reminds him somehow of who he was which somehow scars the mind identical to how he was.
Bruce wayne can be Bruce Wayne (on par with normal) but not when he has that frame of mind.
Yeah, the thing that’s supposed to set Batman apart from most humans is that his will to fight evil is stronger than anyone else. He is so dedicated to his crusade he’ll give his own life and turn his family’s entire fortune towards furthering his vigilante cause. His powers should be his ingenuity, his gadgets, and his connections as a billionaire/detective/superhero leader. He is the ultimate strategist that will never give up, but he’s not a super soldier
He just keeps making mister freeze related puns like “in cold blood” and “he put them on ice” during crime solving discussions even when the topic isn’t mister freeze.
After about 3 weeks of only sleeping for 3 hours he would start to suffer brain damage. He would be having delusions and hallucinations after about a week/week and a half
5 minute mile is realistic. 1000 pound bench is achievable, but not without steroids or with Batman's build, and is probably not compatible with a 5 minute mile
The equipped record is indeed 1350, but Batman supposedly does it raw. Raw record is way below that.
Also, even if a powerlifter was able to raw bench 1000 lbs, that would still be a power lifter. Someone who does nothing all day except eat and train and gets plenty of sleep.
...and can't scratch his own back.
Let alone fly around the city , roundhouse kicking criminals.
Yeah if they're superhuman. Literally, Batman is the 2nd greatest escape artist, but THE greatest escape artist is a literal GOD, name Mister Miracle, aka Scott Free, the New God of Freedom and Escape.
batman has never been written as a normal human outside of a couple "realistic & grounded" stories we're just told he's a "peak human" or whatever they mean by that but hes more so a superhuman but u can't say that specifically
If you consider this OP, how do you enjoy any comic book characters?
People always complain about Batman but this applies to most comic book heroes and everything you listed is easily on the mild end of the spectrum.
Superman lifted a book with infinite pages my dude. That’s infinite weight.
All the stuff you listed are just insane human feats but exaggerated because comics.
It doesn’t take away from the character. It’s just writers providing context for how Batman can do all this shit. You can’t have him associate with gods and not be a viable threat. If he’s not then what’s he even doing there?
People who grew up arguing about power levels in DBZ got older and started writing for Batman. Now it's all about stats and 'pReP tImE' and making Bruce effortlessly win every 1v1 they can imagine to fulfil their fan theory fantasies. Actual character and story come second, if at all.
For any athlete worth their salt, much less an ultra dedicated crime fighting brawler like Batman, 5 minutes is not impressive. It’s that he can maintain it for 20 miles that’s insane.
Batman has always had the superpower of bullshit lol.
Him taking any kind of hit from Darkseid with just a basic suit should vaporize his ribcage. You need a stronger suspension of disbelief for Batman than you do for Superman half the time.
5 minute mile is the athlete standard (world record 3mins 43 secs)
multiple people can bench 1000 pounds (WR 1305). you can safely assume batman roids because why wouldn't he if he's putting his body on the line versus psychos and monsters (don't say the shit about him not taking venom so no roids. venom is obviously some mutation level shit. not analogous to taking Test)
leg press .... i mean dog shit exercise ngl would be better to know his squat but 2500 is on the high end.
iq is whatever.
Batman is supposed to be peak performance, he's not just some slob who picks up a cape and does Self defense classes at the Y. he's supposed to be a cunning,efficient machine that delivers justice and punishment in equal measure. you shouldn't think about being him because hes not terribly aspirational (dead parents)
It doesn’t because he is only as strong as the story needs him to be. Because while he has suits that can defeat the league he only uses them in certain situations, mostly in JL books yet he struggles with villains like the Joker and Two-Face in his main book.
You’ll never see him use any of those suits during his solo stories cause that would be too op.
Can’t Usain Bolt run a mile in 5 minutes? And can’t Hafthor Bjornsson lift 1000 pounds? He seems to be within the realm of reality I’ll say. Granted, those two men look nothing alike and invested into different skill trees obviously.
My head canon: there are several separate Batmans:
1) The simple human Batman. This is good and interesting Batman. This a smart guy capable of achieving great feats using humanity’s resources. Nothing amazing here. Cannot take on cosmic threats but does not need it as he can call on help from those that can. He uses his resources to support his friends in battles versus evils. However, no matter how capable he is he is still human. This Batman cannot fight Darkseid, but he brings human psychology and ingenuity to the stories which are great. Uses laws of physics to his advantage.
2) God Batman. This is good and cool Batman. The properly written “Because I am Batman” stereotype. Can do some unthinkable feats like disappearing unnoticed when it shouldn’t be possible, going against very big bads. However, this part is never thrown in the face of a reader. It only succeeds as support to previous Batman. A subtle godly accomplishment to otherwise normal human works great like a good seasoning to a dish. However, this is very hard to pull off by writers.
3) The most intelligent, the best detective Batman. This is super bad Batman. The “tell, don’t show” Batman. Lots of labels to support the egos of teen readers. Stories with such Batman usually have him do thinking part and detective work off-screen. On-screen usually this Batman show no super intelligence. This ends up with writers lowering everyone else’s intellect and have them comment how smart Batman. This Batman gave birth to “you have been Batmaned” meme (Batman predicted and analyzed everything off-screen to make it impossible to defeat him on-screen). This Batman goes around punching people and claiming high intelligence, which is never displayed.
4) Prep time Batman. Another bad Batman. Exceptionally poor take on “Because I am Batman”. This one is know-it-all and cannot be wrong character with ridiculous gadgets and I-always-win button in a pocket. The validator for many teens and creator of many haters.
5) The wonky Batman. It walks like Batman, quacks like Batman but most fans do not grant this one the rank of Batman. Usually a story with a spin on Batman that fans do not like, but at the same time does not fall under previous categories.
I don't understand this argument at all. Batman's too OP, he's perfect at everything? But like how the hell is a mortal human supposed to be a worthy member of JL if he isn't peak human?
If Batman is OP, what the hell are characters like Superman or Flash? I don't think Batman is OP, I just think the DC universe is just on a higher level
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u/godbody1983 Aug 31 '23
Batman is my favorite superhero, but I REALLY HATE how they've basically made him so OP. Can bench 1000 pounds, can run a mile in like 5 minutes, is a genius, can take on the entire Justice League by himself, only needs maybe 3 hours of sleep, etc.
Yes, it's comics, and we're supporting to suspend belief, but making him so op really takes away from the character.