Did you know that there has not been an Iron Man comic published by Marvel for the second half of 2025? I made a video about it. Iron Man is a household name, but RDJ made him popular in 2008. Superman is not as popular as he used to be. Batman is the most popular superhero, and it is not close.
The last Superman film barely made $615 million globally. 2022’s The Batman almost made $800 million. Batman is also wildly popular in the comic books, much more than Superman.
Sometimes, Batman is so OP with foot-thick plot armor that it gets boring and confusing to read some of his comics. Why is that? Why is Batman so popular? Here are five reasons, pro and con, to explain his popularity. I’m a Batman fan. Sometimes it’s great to know he is so popular.
The Good
1. Global Appeal
Being the most popular superhero is great if you are a Batman fan, but it is mostly good for Warner Bros. Discovery. (Or their new owner.) In the age of billion-dollar comic book films, Batman is very relatable to casuals and non-readers. Batman has been a relatable comic book hero since the 1960s Adam West show.
Like James Bond, the public always anticipates which actor will become the next Batman or Batman villain. There are fans who have never read a Batman comic book but are fans of the video games, films, cartoons, and other media. Batman transcends comic books in a way few characters do. Additionally, Batman has been doing that since 1989’s Batman, long before the MCU.
Before the MCU, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were the only true comic book cultural icons. Batman is still the most popular.
2. Wish Fulfillment
Before the MCU, Superman was once the most popular superhero. But as comic book fan sensibilities became more modernized, it was harder for them to fully relate to a God-like alien. While Superman is still popular, he is not as popular as Batman to modern fans. Batman is a human man with no superpowers.
Bruce Wayne is a super detective with an athlete-caliber body who pushes his mind and body to the limits to be near perfect. He uses his intelligence, money, and resources to save the day. He is a wish-fulfillment character who fans can relate to much more than Superman.
3. Bat-Gadets
“Where does he get those wonderful toys?” Jack Nicholson’s Joker rhetorically asked his goons that question in 1989’s Batman. What makes Batman so believed by fans is his forward thinking, preparation, and array of Bat-Gadgets. From grappling hooks, boomerangs, tracking devices, and more, Batman has a gadget or device for every scenario to help him win.
It’s a trait that is evident in the cartoons, comics, video games, and live-action films that fans can’t get enough of.
4. The Batmobile
The fact that the Batman mythos is an American cultural institution is a testament to the character being the most popular superhero. We talk about Batman and his car as he lives down the block. Since the Adam West Batmobile, fans have had a love affair with the Batmobile.
The Batmobile is updated for every generation in the TV shows, cartoons, comic books, video games, and especially live-action films. In the mind of a comic book fan, which is not very rational, it is easier to relate to driving the Batmobile than flying as Superman.
5. The Bat Signal
Batman generally operates at night to strike fear into the hearts of his criminal prey. One way he does that is with the bat signal. As the bat signal shines on the clouds of Gotham City at night, it lets the criminals know Batman is out there. Batman can’t be everywhere at once, and for the most cowardly of criminals, the bat signal might be enough to deter them.
While there are plenty of reasons why Batman is the most popular superhero, there are also good reasons why this is not a good thing.
The Bad
1. He Has No Powers
After the first two Avengers films, it became apparent that Hawkeye and Black Widow may not have been the most essential members of the team. Just think about it from a pragmatic point of view. An archer and superspy, both with no powers, on a team with Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Vision, Scarlet Witch, and so on. Wildly popular members, I love them, but they have no powers. They are mostly effective in street-level battles.
As much as I love Batman, he is a human man with no powers. In 2016’s Justice League film, Batman was essentially hiding and picking his shots while Wonder Woman and Superman fought Doomsday. He is a human man with human limitations when it comes to cosmic threats or fights with superhumans. How can a character with so many limitations be so popular?
2. Prep-Time
There are degrees to comic book fandom, especially when it comes to Batman fandom. The average fan knows that Batman is very limited as a character. He is a grown man in a bat costume. So, fans mentally compensate for that with the concept of “prep-time.” This is a concept that got a lot of traction on social media in recent years. It also became a ubiquitous part of the character during Grant Morrison’s mid-2000s Batman run.
Batman can’t stop Superman, Darkseid, Flash, Green Lantern, or most characters with powers. So, to even things out, Batman can employ prep time. This is not a real power, but most comic fans say that if you give Batman time to prep, he can defeat anyone. If you give Batman a week, a month, or a year of prep time, then he can defeat anyone. This also implies he can be easily defeated by threats he has never encountered before, but it is what it is.
3. Bat Plot Armor
I love Batman. I understand why he is the most popular superhero. But he is literally more powerful and more popular than Superman himself. Batman has impenetrable plot armor. Batman has fought Superman in the film and comics and walked away alive. Batman fights ever greater threats in the comics and lives.
Writers have given Batman plot armor so thick that readers know he will survive all threats. A YouTube channel featuring anime using unofficial IPs features a battle between Batman and Freddy Krueger. Batman beats Freddy using science, technology, and deduction, and it’s ridiculous. Fun to watch, but very ridiculous.
Batman is now more unbeatable and powerful than Superman ever was. How does that make Batman relatable to readers who think Superman is too powerful is beyond me.
4. Unaddressed Mental Illness
Bruce Wayne is a mentally ill man who has never fully dealt with the grief of losing his parents. Wayne trauma punches his anger on criminals instead of dealing with his grief. Batman grooms child soldiers to become the child warrior he wishes he was when he lost his parents. In the comic books, Bruce Wayne has multiple personalities and personalities nesting inside other personalities.
So, if he ever becomes evil or mentally compromised, another personality can take over his mind to save the day.
We’re talking about a human man with no powers, dressed as a bat, who uses mental illness and multiple personalities as weapons. It’s too much, and it waters down his Dark Knight Detective trait. Mental illness is one of Batman’s superpowers, and it’s weird.
5. Gotham’s Status Quo Never Changes
Arkham Asylum and Gotham’s jails have revolving doors in the front. How many times has Batman defeated the Joker, Riddler, or Penguin? Also, how many times have those villains broken out of prison to endanger Gotham again? How effective is Batman as a protector of the city if things never change?
That is the main problem of the character, too. The status quo of the Batman mysthos cannot change or evolve too much. It is why Absolute Batman is so popular now, since he is Batman without any prep time or plot armor. The question still remains: How can Batman be the most popular superhero ever if Gotham never gets safer and things never change?
Batman: The Most Popular Superhero
Please don’t take this article too seriously. We are talking about an imaginary billionaire vigilante who dresses like a bat. It is not that serious. My point is that it is interesting as a comic book fan to consider the state of comic book fandom when Batman, not Superman.
Are you a Batman superfan? Why not show it by buying this McFarlane Toys statue recreation of the cover to Detective Comics #27? Published in 1939, it was the first appearance of Batman. This 21-inch-tall, highly detailed resin statue captures Batman in action, swinging from a rooftop and holding a criminal.
Get it now on Amazon for $499.99.
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