10 times Batman outsmarted everyone

Batman is one of the top superheroes in the DC world who is both powerful and enigmatic. However, fans know that his powers do not come from any supernatural source. He is a hero without superpowers and is the best example of mind over might.

The brooding billionaire has used technology and intellect to his advantage. Gadgets, planning, and cleverness have raised this human to superhuman levels. Numerous times he has given fans a spectacle of absolute might, proving to be more powerful than his contemporary superheroes.

There have been instances when he has unexpectedly outsmarted mega villains. At other times, he has defeated his compatriots and risen above them in capabilities. This superhero deserves to be applauded for his cool and calculative approach to problems and his paranoid preparedness for contingencies.

Disclaimer: These instances are not ranked in any particular order.

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Defeating Superman, killing Darkseid, and 8 other instances when Batman outsmarted adversaries

1) Defeating a mind-controlled Superman

In Batman: Hush, Superman was influenced by Poison Ivy and started causing devastation. A powerful superhero such as Superman is capable of causing immense damage. However, the calculative Bruce Wayne had solutions up his sleeve.

On one hand, he used Kryptonite to overpower the alien warrior and on the other, he asked Cat Woman to throw Lois Lane off a building. Clark’s love for Lois and his attempt to save her jolted him out of the ill influence of Poison Ivy.

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2) Killing Darkseid

The DC world knows Darkseid is one of the most powerful villains and is difficult to defeat. The intelligent Dark Knight researched the component that can suppress Darkseid’s powers – radion. He created radion bullets and the right gun for it.

With collaboration from Flash, he was able to bring down this indomitable character. Though least expected as a mere human, Batman was the only superhero among all the mighty DC heroes to fulfill this feat.

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3) Defeating Prometheus

Prometheus was defeated by the caped crusader (Image via DC Comics)

This can be taken as an example of the ingenuity of a clever Batman. All the strength that Prometheus had came from his helmet that programmed his reflex system and martial arts skills. Instead of fighting this villain with brute force, the caped crusader studied the helmet, hacked into its system, and reprogrammed it to wipe out all the physical prowess.

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4) Using Justice Buster armor

Bruce had created a Justice Buster armor that was strong enough to counter the Justice League. Armed with electromagnetic nerve trees, fast servers, and ancient Greek weaponry, the suit was a danger for Justice League members.

This was used when the other Justice League heroes were afflicted by the Joker Toxin and Bruce was the only one left to tame the threat.

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5) Outsmarting New God Metron

The Dark Lord managed to hypnotize Metron (Image via DC Comics)

In Batman: Rock of Ages, the New God Metron is portrayed to have a high level of intellect – a 12th level. It might have been difficult for the clever Dark Knight to defeat Metron.

However, the superhero convinced Metron to drop his guard, knocked him cold, and injected him with a hypnotic agent. In the end, Metron turned into an ally.

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6) An elderly Bruce beating Superman

In The Dark Knight Returns, a retired elderly Bruce faces off with a corrupt, power-hungry Superman. When the immoral government sent Superman to stop all Batman’s good actions, the aging Knight overpowered the mighty Man of Steel with ease.

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7) Subduing the White Martian Army

Bruce Wayne used fire to defeat White Martians (Image via DC Comics)

While the White Martians focused on the strong characters of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Superman, and Flash when attacking Earth, they overlooked Batman as a weak human. The ever-smart Wayne figured out that the Martians are weak against fire and used this knowledge to wipe the enemy out.

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8) Overpowering Lord Death Man

Only Batman’s resourcefulness could counter Lord Death Man, a character who cannot die. Whenever Lord Death Man is vanquished and on the verge of dying, he manages to resurrect himself.

This makes him a continuous enemy on Earth. The Dark Lord sent him to outer space strapped to a rocket so that the character could never find his way back to Earth.

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9) Outwitting Green Lantern

Bruce Wayne has embarrassed Green Lantern multiple times. In the animated DC movie, Justice League War, Bruce put down a supercilious Hal by smoothly taking off the Green Lantern ring from Hal’s finger without him knowing.

In Allstar Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, an ingenious Bruce painted everything yellow, including his suit, his face, and Robin, since Green Lantern’s powers fail against the color yellow.

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10) Vanquishing the Hulk

In DC’s Special Series #27, the Hulk and Batman came face to face due to the tricks of the Joker. The Joker made the Hulk believe that the caped crusader was an enemy.

While the Hulk used his brute strength to crush the caped hero, Wayne released a knockout gas. The green monster tried to hold his breath, but Wayne kicked him in the stomach, forcing him to catch his breath.

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Whether in comics, movies, video games, or Lego toys, the Dark Knight has a heroic swag coupled with practicality. The masked vigilante is a dark horse who doesn’t trust easily. However, his unpredictability is one of his endearing characteristics.