Batman is DC’s most famous character and possibly the most popular superhero ever. Since 1939, millions of fans have experienced the character in every conceivable entertainment medium. Comics have always been his main home, and DC has taken huge advantage of his popularity, printing more Batman comics per month than any other character in the industry.
Batman is DC to the core, but taking a closer look at the character, there are a lot of things that make him seem like he’d make a much better Marvel character than a DC one. There are many reasons for this, and Batman as a Marvel character is a very intriguing thought.
10 His More Grounded Nature Fits In Better With The Marvel Universe
DC is the land of mythic superheroes. Superman is the modern-day equivalent of ancient heroes like Hercules, Arthur, and Gilgamesh, Wonder Woman is wrapped in Greek myth, and heroes like the Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter are superlatively powerful. On the other hand, Batman is a rich guy with no powers but his brain and stacks of cash.
Meanwhile, Marvel’s heroes are on the weaker end compared to their distinguished competitors. Like Batman, many of them are intelligent or rely on their skills and / or wealth. Batman’s more grounded nature just feels like a better fit for the Marvel Universe.
9 His Harder Edge Is More Marvel Than Anything Else
As the DC heroes are more mythic, their motivations and characterizations also fit into this mold. DC heroes can often be much simpler than their Marvel counterparts; this does not automatically make the Marvel characters better, but they’re more complex in obvious ways. Batman is very different from his fellow DC heroes, and this is why he’d fit better at Marvel.
Batman’s attitude and way of carrying himself are much more Marvel than DC. He’s a hard-edged hero, one who is just as likely to grunt at his fellow heroes and ignore them than to be a breath of heroic fresh air. His whole character would be a better fit with Marvel’s heroes.
8 He’s A Scientist, And Scientist Superheroes Are Marvel’s Bag
Batman studied many disciplines in preparation for taking up his mission. He became an amazing martial artist, a keen detective, and a master of the sciences. He’s an expert in chemistry, forensics, engineering, computer sciences, and so much more. DC has some rather intelligent scientists, but Marvel is much more well known for their science superheroes.
Marvel’s Silver Age was built by science-based heroes like Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Hank Pym, and Bruce Banner. Batman’s scientific prowess is much more of a Marvel character trait than a DC one, and he’d fit better with Marvel’s corps of science heroes.
7 The Illuminati Make More Sense With Batman At The Helm
The Illuminati combined the leaders of Marvel’s biggest factions in a secret group that worked behind the scenes to save the world. It always felt out of character for some of them, especially Iron Man and Reed Richards, and it’s here that Batman would make way more sense at Marvel. For a good portion of the early 2000s DC, Batman was a one-man Illuminati, making moves to mold the superhero community how he saw fit.
Having Batman as a Marvel character and him founding the Illuminati makes a lot more sense. He was the DC Illuminati before the Marvel one existed, and seeing him found and lead the faction makes way more sense.
6 Black Panther And Batman Would Be An Amazing Team
Black Panther is an amazingly accomplished hero. Wakanda is the world’s most technologically advanced country, with T’Challa being trained from birth to be the ultimate human being. Batman in the Marvel Universe would have definitely traveled to Wakanda in his early learning pilgrimage, getting trained by Wakandans and meeting T’Challa.
T’Challa is basically the Marvel Batman, a hero who uses his brains and resources to make up for his lack of powers. The two of them together would make a potent team, and giving them a backstory together would show how much they learned from each other to become the heroes they are.
5 Batman Makes A Better Avenger Than Justice Leaguer
Batman is the Justice League’s most potent member in a lot of ways, but it also does not make a lot of sense. On a team with members as powerful and intelligent as Superman, the Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman, Batman is basically surplus to requirements, as the only thing he actually brings to the table is his brains and, of course, the biased Bat -God portrayal that has ruined a lot of Justice League stories.
Batman does not really fit in the Justice League, but he’d be a perfect Avenger. The Avengers are filled with a more varied roster of heroes than the League. A powerless yet skilled hero like Batman would find a much better home there than with the Justice League.
Batman is the premier vigilante of the DC Universe and has built an entire group of like-minded heroes known as the Bat-Family. However, looking at DC’s other vigilantes outside the Bat Family, Batman does not really fit in. He’s more intense and insular, even within his own corps of heroes, and would fit in much better with Marvel’s community of vigilantes.
Marvel’s vigilantes are all basically lone wolves much like Batman, sometimes teaming up with others but mostly staying in their little fiefdoms. In many ways, they’re much like Batman and the Bat-Family in microcosm, and Batman would do a lot better there.
3 Batman And Marvel’s Villains Are More Compatible
Batman’s villains are the greatest comics. There are some competitors, like the Flash’s Rogues, Spider-Man’s enemies, and the X-Men’s antagonists, but they stand head and shoulders above the rest. Compared to most other DC villains, though, they are more brutal and realistic, something that fits better with Marvel. In fact, Batman is just way more compatible with Marvel villains than DC’s.
It’s partly a question of power level, as many of Marvel’s most important villains are more in Batman’s league than DC ones. They’re also more realistic and can be looked at as similar to Batman’s foes. Most Batman foes are based on psychological illnesses, something that can be extended to many Marvel villains as well.
2 Rich Corporation Owning Superheroes Fit Better At Marvel
Marvel and DC are full of rich superheroes, but there’s something about the Marvel Universe that makes them fit better. A big factor in this is the fact that Marvel was created at a time when the war between capitalism and communism was much more pronounced in American society. Marvel definitely took a side, playing off the then-recent Cold War events.
Batman and the Wayne Corporation would make a lot more sense in a world where heroes like Iron Man, Reed Richards, Danny Rand, Black Panther, Norman Osborn, and so many heroes and villains are wealthy owners of corporations. Capitalism and Marvel go hand in hand.
1 His Status As A Smart Hero Is Much More Of A Marvel Trait
Batman is known for planning for the impossible, saving the day when all seems lost both on his own and with various teams of heroes. This has always felt a little off in the DC Multiverse, as he’s surrounded by godlike heroes who are often quite smart on their own. However, the intelligent, skilled hero saving the day is what Marvel is all about.
Spider-Man often goes up against enemies who should crush him, but he wins because he’s smarter than them. Iron Man and Reed Richards always win because of their brains. Captain America is known for saving the day because he’s a better planner and strategist than anyone else. Batman’s made for that sort of thing and would feel more at home in the Marvel Universe.
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