I think Superman is more ''relatable'' than Batman

[Jabare]

I mean ......psychologically maybe.

Batman has extreme degrees of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, etc. In fairness, these aren't uncommon disorders for another person to exhibit. What is uncommon is that instead of seeking therapy, he became one of the world's most successful vigilantes.

Clark on the surface seems more "normal" to the average person. He's usually portrayed as very noble, caring, and good-natured. However, this is a God that decides to work a desk job in his downtime and then devotes the majority of his life outside of his family to safeguarding the world. All the world. I don't know how many people would sign up for that when placed in his shoes. Half of us are more likely to turn out like those "heroes" on The Boys.


That's the only comp I think there is. Despite Bruce being wealthy, he is still a man and more relatable than Superman, despite Clark's Kansas upbringing.

[bat39]

It's not about relatability, it's about wish fulfillment, and Batman is all about the later.

Yes, Superman is an "Alien God", but he also is the guy who works from 9-5, get's call out by a boss and took years to get the woman he loved.
Batman is a billionaire who is good at everything, dates the most beautful women in the world and don't take **** from anyone.
Superman for all the power he have, is always holding back and being nice to people.
Batman will beat his enemies to a inch of their lives and will humiliate anyone whenever he wants.

No one have fantasies about having self control, doing the right thing and not beating someone you can beat, they have fantasies about doing what you want and beating someone stronger.

Give this guy a medal!

This is precisely the point I've always wanted to make.

Even from a wish-fulfilment perspective, I find Batman more relatable. I don't particularly want to fly or be able to life an oil tanker with my bare hands if I have to spend most of my life being a either a Boy Scout or a 'mild-mannered' reporter who can do no wrong. I'd love to live the life of a billionaire playboy and titan of industry while secretely indulging my 'hobby' of beating the ever-loving crap out of the scumbags of my city and driving the ultimate cool car

[Sutekh]

Comic book fandom has a nasty habit of pulling words and phrases out of the English language and attaching special meaning to them--and then insisting that's the only meaning these words and phrases should have.

"Relatable" is just one example of this. It's a rhetorical end run around its dictionary meaning to use it as a bludgeon. In fact, lots of things are relatable to each other and to us. They don't have to be human, they don't have to be tragic, they don't have to require suffering. The number pairs 3 & 5, 11 & 13, 41 & 43, 137 & 139 are relatable to each other.

Yeah, I can 'relate' to Batman, in that I'm a white human male with no super-powers. I can 'relate' to Superman, in that I grew up on a farm in a small town in the middle of the country.

And I also *can't* relate to being a billionaire with dead parents who is impossibly fit. And I *can't* relate to being an alien with earth-shaking powers.

We pick and choose when we decide who is or is not relatable. Kyle the artist? Hal the test fighter pilot? John the former marine? I'm sure many of Hal's fans are artists, or marines (maybe even a few are both!), and I suspect very very few of them are actually test fighter pilots, and yet, we pick our favorites.

I do think it's kind of neat, from a psychological standpoint, that Superman is an alien, trying to be a human, while Batman is a human, trying to become a nigh-mythic figure of fear and superstition.

[Alpha]

What is uncommon is that instead of seeking therapy, he became one of the world's most successful vigilantes.

Can we really call him successful? That would be like saying that Swamp Thing is the most successful Global Warming activist.

[Alpha]

Saying thay Batman is the most successful vigilante is also like saying that Iron Man is the most successful activist against the military industrial complex.

[Alpha]

Saying that Batman is the most successful vigilante is like saying that Barry Allen is the most successful person at saving his mother's life.

Saying that Batman is the most successful vigilante is like saying that Darkseid is the most successful conqueror of earth. They sure try, but how often do they succeed? Look at the city Batman lives in and look at the history of his sidekicks and lovers and butlers, and the history of his arch enemy.

[I'm a Fish]

THB, I don’t find either super relatable. Of course it doesn’t mean I don’t like them or their stories. Relatability is nice but it’s not everything.
Plus there are certain depictions of the characters I find more relatable than others.

Speaking of that, I'm curious as to why there is a spike in anti-Batman posts lately.

I think it’s a combination of him getting a new upcoming movie (that will probably be a trilogy) with an HBO Max spin-off series already confirmed, a new animated show, 3 animated movies in one year and a lot of Batman comic books. (I’m not typing with any snark, BTW)

Arguably it doesn’t justify the Batman hate, just point out I think there’s just a level of burnout involved.

[The World]

No one relates to either character. People want to be Batman, while the modern writers have squeezed all the fun out of Superman.

[The Darknight Detective]

I think it’s a combination of him getting a new upcoming movie (that will probably be a trilogy) with an HBO Max spin-off series already confirmed, a new animated show, 3 animated movies in one year and a lot of Batman comic books. (I’m not typing with any snark, BTW)

Arguably it doesn’t justify the Batman hate, just point out I think there’s just a level of burnout involved.

Yeah, that could definitely be it. I just wish people realized the disparaging Batman posts could possibly create backlashes against their own favorites (which I have seen over the years here) instead of making even a dent in Bruce's popularity.

[Restingvoice]

Comic book fandom has a nasty habit of pulling words and phrases out of the English language and attaching special meaning to them--and then insisting that's the only meaning these words and phrases should have.

"Relatable" is just one example of this. It's a rhetorical end run around its dictionary meaning to use it as a bludgeon. In fact, lots of things are relatable to each other and to us. They don't have to be human, they don't have to be tragic, they don't have to require suffering. The number pairs 3 & 5, 11 & 13, 41 & 43, 137 & 139 are relatable to each other.

So if there are many different reasons why someone relate to things, then all of them are valid, the problem is one person is not talking about the same thing as the other, use the term relatable as a blanket, and make the other people annoyed.

[The World]

Now that I think about it all of the things that would be tragedy for the regular person and possibly Batman are largely meaningless for Superman. Like if Superman didn't have a dollar to his name it wouldn't mean anything to him but it would leave Batman in a pretty tight spot long term just as it would any regular person. If all of the food on earth were to dry up fade away it wouldn't mean anything to Superman from a personal standpoint, but Batman would eventually whither and die. If Superman's house were to blow up he could just build another one out in the middle of nowhere. On top of that we've seen Superman speak a vast array of laguages, fight entire armies, beat gods in fights, etc. Hell Byrne created a "humanized" Superman who was still a straight A student, good enough to go pro athlete, homecoming king, top of his class reporter that everyone was in awe of. Byrne arguable created the least relateable version of Superman there is.

Also at the end of the day the human experience can be vast ever changing so trying to limit what some can find as relateable is sort of meaningless anyways.

[Jim Kelly]

So if there are many different reasons why someone relate to things, then all of them are valid, the problem is one person is not talking about the same thing as the other, use the term relatable as a blanket, and make the other people annoyed.

Yes, Herr Wittgenstein, you've identified our problem in your Philosophical Investigations.

[Rise]

People relate to different characters in different ways.

A lot of people consider Batman "relatable" is because the concept and origin of Batman is pretty grounded compared to many superheroes. Regardless of the power levels arguments that some are obesesed with, Batman was just a guy who went through a tragedy and decided to do something about it.

[Jabare]

@Alpha you don't think Batman's successful at what he does?

[DrNewGod]

While I don't necessarily agree that this is what Batman is supposed to be about, I do think that some writers like to portray him in a 'rules are for other people' sort of way, as a giant bully who gets off on humiliating others (even showing up or face punching allies). Some fans love that. Others find it a turn off.

Interesting (to me, at least). If you roll the calendar back about 45 years, this was the impression of Wolverine when he was making his climb to prominence.

...*Both* characters have writing to support really crappy interpretations of the character...

Agreed. There seems at least some percentage of the readership that has always reveled in the idea of heroes using their power to torment others (whether deservedly or not), perhaps finding wish fulfillment in what they'd like to do to select others, but lack the power to realize. It just sometimes feels as though that percentage has grown over the last couple of decades.