Batman first appeared in 1939 and has become the most popular superhero of them all. It honestly feels like kids in the West are born with Batman has part of their DNA. He’s the standard bearer for the comic industry; no one is in more books per month than the Dark Knight. His comics are the bestselling, leading the way for DC and comic industry. He’s a founding member of the one of the greatest superhero teams ever and the Bat-Family is the most beloved superhero family of them all. He’s undeniably one of the greats, his stories taking readers on journeys that have defined what superhero comics can be.
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There’s lots to love about Batman and his most important attribute is the one that made all of the rest of them possible โ his genius. Bruce Wayne isn’t just one of the wealthiest people in comics, he’s also one of the most intelligent, which has allowed him to use his resources to become the greatest vigilante of them all. In fact, if you’re looking for a medal to give the Caped Crusader, “comics’ greatest genius” would fit as well as any other. He’s pulled off some feats over the decades that show just how smart he really is, his intelligence placing him at the top of the superhero heap. Batman is comics’ greatest genius and these five things prove it.
5) The Amazing Weapons and Technology He’s Built

Batman is one of the toughest heroes in comics and a big reason for that are his amazing inventions. Bruce is considered one of the smartest people on Earth and he’s put that intellect to work creating weapons that make his night life even easier. Batman can hang with the most powerful villains out there despite a normal human (we say “normal”, but him being a billionaire who has never had to worry about anything makes him pretty far from normal). Over the years, he’s invented all kinds of weapons โ from small simple ones that he uses pretty regularly to the bigger, more complex ones made for a singular purpose. He’s been able to master numerous types of alien technology and has been able to create designs that could stand up someone as powerful as Darkseid, like the Hellbat armor. The Batcave is full of his amazing inventions and weapons, technology that has allowed him to hang with the most formidable beings in the entire multiverse. Comics have some pretty prolific inventors, but few of them can match Bats for sheer utility, if nothing else.
4) Outmaneuvers Ancient Master Strategists Like Ra’s al Ghul and Vandal Savage

Batman has faced off against some of the worst villains you can imagine in Gotham City. It’s the home to some of the most crafty, dangerous geniuses out there and the Dark Knight has defeated them all. Gotham is a rare jewel, one that many evil geniuses have been after for a very long time, leading the Caped Crusader to face off against some of the most ancient villains out there. Ra’s al Ghul has been influencing the world for centuries with the League of Assassins and has decided that the only man in the modern world worthy of his attention is Bats. Meanwhile, Gotham’s greatest defender has also faced off against the oldest villain in the human world, Vandal Savage. Savage and al Ghul are two of the world’s greatest strategists, bad guys who have cut bloody swathes through history. They are the worst of the worst, laying out plans and strategems that boggle the greatest minds and yet Batman has been able to defeat every single one of their plans. He’s able to outsmart foes with experiences he can never imagine, showing just how intelligent he really is.
3) Not Even the Most Intelligent Villains Can Stand Up to His Intellect

Batman faces the smartest bad guys out there, with the Riddler having a special place in his rogues gallery. Edward Nygma is one of the most intelligent villains in comics and his entire MO is all about trying to outsmart the Dark Knight. His crimes revolve around simple and not-so simple riddles that he uses to try to fool the hero. It’s become an MO that many other villains have taken up as well, with bad guys like the Cluemaster basically being a bargain basement version of Nygma. Many villains have tried to outsmart the Caped Crusader like Eddie does, trying to find something esoteric with which to tool the hero. However, every time someone busts out something they think he’s not going to know about, he shows that not only does he know that thing better than them but he worked with the person who made it popular or some such. He’s always one step ahead of everyone, able to figure out a way to solve every puzzle and answer every riddle.
2) He’s Figured Out Foolproof Ways to Defeat the Justice League

The Justice League are the greatest assemblage of superheroes in comics. They’re the team that gets called in when an ancient universe-devouring threat from a previous iteration of the multiverse that was destroyed in the ultimate war shows up. They’re the ones who face off against the greatest enemies in the multiverse and no one has been able to take them down. Well, that’s not entirely true, as one foe has been able to figure out a way to beat every member of the most powerful superteam ever โ Batman. The Dark Knight is all about solving problems and a big problem in his mind is what happened if the Justice League went evil. So, he used what he knew about them as a member of the team in order to figure out foolproof ways of defeating the world’s most famous superheroes. Bats has a method for defeating every member of the group, taking advantages of weaknesses that no one else even knows about. No one else out there can always figure out a way to defeat the League, but that’s just how Batman rolls.
1) He Can Outsmart Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor’s DC’s most unhinged genius, a person driven insane by his hatred of Superman. Lex is usually considered either slightly smarter than Batman or just below him when it comes to smarts. Much like Bruce Wayne, Luthor used the traumas of his past to fuel him, becoming one of the most important people on the planet. However, unlike Batman, he couldn’t let go of his ego and it made him into a monster. Lex is usually considered a Superman villain, but Supes and Bats are best friends and the Caped Crusader has found himself in battle with Luthor many times over the years. Lex is able to outsmart just about anyone out there, but he’s never been able to pull the wool over the Dark Knight’s eyes and defeat him. At best, Lex usually is able to surprise Bats with his opening gambit, but the hero is able to see through the villain’s plan and exploit it. Batman has been able to make Lex look foolish many times over the years, something that most heroes find impossible.








