There are few superheroes as powerful as Batman. Yes, we're aware that he doesn't have any super powers, but the Caped Crusader has endured some of the toughest challenges in his near-century on the pages of DC Comics, the silver screen in our movie theaters, the small one in our homes, and the interactive adventures in our video games. He has also gone toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, surviving every close encounter, withstanding all the attacks thrown his way and returning them in spades.
"Because he's Batman" isn't just a catchphrase; it's a way of life that the Dark Knight lives by, allowing him to overcome the most overwhelming of challenges and live to fight (crime) another day. And the heroes who join him in the Justice League - supernatural, mythical warriors like Superman and Wonder Woman - are constantly in awe of his resilience, strength, and spirit. Being human (and the World's Greatest Detective is Batman's super power).
But there isn't just one Batman on the screen. Over the years, The Dark Knight has been adapted in various live-action movies and TV shows, taking on the most nefarious of schemes and doing battle with the most formidable of foes. The question is: Which version of the Caped Crusader is the strongest of them all?
That being said, which version of the DC hero is actually the strongest? With that in mind, let's take this opportunity to look back on the legacy of The Dark Knight and figure out which Batman would outlast all of the others in a fight and ultimately prove himself to be the supreme Caped Crusader?
9. The Batmen of the 1940s movie serials
The very first versions of the Caped Crusaders to appear on-screen came along in the 1940s in the form of two movie serials. The first of them, titled Batman, premiered in movie theaters in 1943 - just four years after his comic book debut - and it starred Lewis Wilson as The Dark Knight. The second came out six years later with the title Batman and Robin, and it saw Robert Lowery replace Wilson in the role.
While it was undoubtedly pretty larger-than-life to see a character as unearthly as Batman make the jump from the comic books to the big screens, the limitations of the productions resulted in two chapters of the character's movie history that haven't aged all that well. And the crux of that argument might just revolve around Batman himself.
Neither Wilson or Lowery's versions of the character were trained fighters so Batman never once looked like the force-to-be-reckoned with that he should have been. The tussles he often got involved in didn't look all that great, with all of the fight scenes just coming off as bar fights with two people who happen to be in weird costumes. Batman often came out of these fights looking weak as he took quite a lot of damage during them, with little to no emphasis on how revered he should be in the fighting department.
The costumes were often the result of the ungainly look of the fight scenes, as the capes would get in the way, Batman's ears would get bent, and the creases in the suit itself just made it all look very cheap.
With no armor, questionable fight scenes, and very little in the area of intimidation going for him, these versions of Batman didn't come off as strong as they should have. But still, though, they were the start he needed.