Batman is truly embodying the phrase “Anything you can do, I can do better” with the Batsuit’s most extreme capability, putting one Marvel hero’s superpowers to shame. The Dark Knight doesn’t just match this hero’s metahuman abilities but surpasses them, raising the question: What’s the point of having superpowers if Batman can build a suit that does everything you can do, but better?”
Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke’s Batman: Under the Red Hood primarily focuses on Jason Todd’s return to Gotham and the ensuing chaos he brings, but he’s not the only adversary Batman faces in this epic tale. The Dark Knight also confronts iconic villains like Amazo, Black Mask, and the Joker.
However, it’s during a showdown with the D-list villain Count Vertigo that Batman unleashes a sonar-based capability of the Batsuit. This moment definitively shows why Bruce Wayne can outshine even Daredevil’s Matt Murdock. To be clear, Screen Rant isn’t knocking the iconic Marvel character; this is just a fun-spirited observation.
Batman Proves He’s a Better Daredevil Than Matt Murdock By Fighting Blind AND Deaf
Batman #647 (Franchise, Part 2: The Away Team) sees Batman and Red Hood ambushed by Count Vertigo while also contending with Captain Nazi and Hyena. Count Vertigo’s powers disrupt balance, making it nearly impossible for his victims to function physically. To counter this, Batman deploys his suit’s eye shield and ear plugs, effectively blinding and deafening himself. While this immediately neutralizes Vertigo’s attack, Bruce is left temporarily impaired. However, in true Batman fashion, he quickly remedies this by activating the suit’s sonar system, enabling him to regain spatial awareness and continue the fight.
Despite Batman being down two primary senses, he still prevails in the fight, demonstrating his ability to match Murdock’s powerset. However, Batman takes it a step further than Daredevil’s usual abilities, as Bruce is also deafened during this encounter. While Murdock compensates for his blindness with superhuman hearing and other enhanced senses, Bruce is left with only touch, smell, and taste, which do not provide him any enhanced capabilities like Murdock’s superhuman senses do. In this specific scenario, Batman effectively outperforms Daredevil himself.
Who Would Win in a Fight? Batman’s Sonar Suit or Daredevil’s Echolocation?
It’s important to clarify that a blind/deafened Batman and a blind Daredevil perceive their surroundings differently. Daredevil primarily ‘sees’ through sound, using echolocation to create a sonar image of his environment. In contrast, Batman, deprived of hearing and sight, relies solely on feeling vibrations. Given these differences, if the two were to engage in combat, Daredevil would likely have the advantage, as he operates naturally in such conditions while Batman is out of his element without his usual sight and hearing. However, some fans might argue otherwise about who would win in a fight between Daredevil and a blinded/deafened Batman.
Batman: Under the Red Hood TP is available now from DC Comics!
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.