Batman is one of the most skilled fighters in the superhero genre, often seen as near-unstoppable by other members of the hero community and villains alike. He has even held his own against plenty of other heroes over the years — even ones who aren’t from the DC Universe.
Over the years, Batman has had plenty of one-off crossovers with Marvel heroes, showcasing how his own skill set has allowed him to overcome some of Marvel’s biggest heroes. But there are some who can actually stand their ground against the Caped Crusader — and one who even briefly got the better of him.
The Punisher and the Hulk Have Lost to Batman
As one of the DC Universe’s premiere fighters — which is only bolstered by the gadgets and tools he has at his disposal — Batman is almost impossible to defeat. Other heroes also have a hard time keeping up with the Dark Knight, even when he is less than prepared for the situation at hand. This extends to Marvel heroes, too, who tend to have just as hard of a time handling Batman as anyone else. Batman’s quick thinking was what gave him an edge over the Hulk in Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk (by Len Wein, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Glynis Wein, and John Costanza), giving him the chance to overcome the Jade Giant’s superior strength with a litany of gas pellets from his utility belt.
All Access (by Ron Marz, Jackson Guice, Joe Rubinstein, Lee Loughridge, and Bill Oakley) briefly pitted the Dark Knight against the X-Men, where he proved more than capable of fighting the team — quickly knocking out Bishop, dodging attacks from Storm, and even countering Cannonball. If there’s any Marvel hero Batman has a winning streak against, it’s the Punisher — as their confrontations in Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights (by Chuck Dixon, John Romita Jr, Klaus Janson, Christie Scheele, and Richard Starkings) and JLA/Avengers (by Kurt Busiek, George Perez, Tom Smith, and Comicraft) all ended with the Punisher knocked out by Batman.
Batman is Evenly Matched with Captain America and Daredevil
Batman has found himself up against Captain America more than once — and when Marvel/DC crossovers occur, they tend to find mutual respect for one another. While Batman technically scored a victory over the longtime Avenger in DC vs. Marvel (by Ron Marz, Peter David, Dan Jurgens, Claudio Castellini, Josef Rubinstein, Paul Neary, Gregory Wright, and Bill Oakley), that win was predicated on an external force. When the pair faced off on more even footing in JLA/Avengers, the two decided they were so evenly matched that fighting would be a waste of time.
Batman came to a similar conclusion when he found himself confronting Marvel’s Man Without Fear in Daredevil and Batman (by D.G. Chichester, Scott McDaniel, Derek Fisher, Gregory Wright, and Bill Oakley), quickly coming to blows with Daredevil when the two crossed paths. While Batman was able to quickly get the upper hand, Daredevil’s speed and agility made him incredibly difficult to defeat — giving Matt Murdock plenty of time to convince Batman that they should work together, despite tensions flaring between them for the remainder of the story — something that wasn’t as pronounced in their other crossovers.
The X-Men’s Cyclops Once Defeated Batman
Notably, Batman really hasn’t lost to many Marvel heroes in a straight-up fight and has been crucial in finding peace between them. However, there’s one Marvel hero who proved capable of getting a good hit against the Dark Knight and keeping him down – Cyclops of the X-Men. During the aforementioned brawl in All Access, Batman proves to be more skilled in combat than almost anyone else present. But when the fight shifts over to Cyclops, the seasoned X-Men leader is able to bring the Caped Crusader down to the ground with a well-placed optic blast.
It’s only the intervention of the Martian Manhunter that kept the mutant hero from being able to use this position to try and end the battle between the X-Men and the JLA. It’s a good reminder that Batman, for all his strength and skill, isn’t invulnerable. The right opponent with the right strategy can still stop the hero — as seen most recently with his battles against the robotic Failsafe. Cyclops’ victory over the Dark Knight ensures that the DC hero doesn’t have a perfect record against the Marvel Universe.
