Batman vs Iron Man

Batman and Iron Man playing chess / via: http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11111/111118857/3519228-3634699256-Iron-.jpg

The genre of depressed billionaire playboy genius philanthropist orphans, who masquerade as superheroes despite having no superpowers of their own, is not a terribly crowded one. There are only two to speak of: Bruce Wayne’s Batman, and Tony Stark’s Iron Man. While they have a lot in common there’s also a lot to differentiate the two.

To begin, it's important to say that if there's ever a battle between Iron Man and Batman, that fight is supposed to be random, with no anticipation from any of the two heroes, so they will fight on their suits, with no help, with no other gadget but the ones they wear on their suits (poor Batman).

Let's start comparing their skills:

Batman: 

Batman, not being an invincible force like Iron Man, has to rely on other things besides armor and punching people. Namely, he’s a brilliant scientist and detective, in addition to being good with technology. In addition, he’s a teetotaler with no drug or alcohol addictions, has trained and worked his body to peak physical condition, is adept in many forms of ninjitsu and martial arts, and can fight bad guys just as easily without the Batsuit as he can with it. Batman vs. Iron Man may be a debatable battle, but Bruce Wayne vs. Tony Stark would likely be far more one-sided.

In addition, Batman, despite being gruff and tough, has a very high moral ground. All of his Robins have been orphans, just like he, who he takes in and basically becomes a father figure for. He’s had many women, but each one has been a legitimate lover, even the ones with villainous backgrounds, like Catwoman and Talia al-Ghul. He doesn’t regard them as mere conquests, as Stark usually does.

This moral backbone has aided Batman in appealing to the younger demographic in ways Iron Man never could. As Adam West proved almost 50 years ago, the character, both in Batman and Bruce form, is very capable of being cast in a bright, silly, kid-friendly light, while still being a believable superhero.

Batman in the Batcave / via: http://secondaryartifacts.tumblr.com/post/5792636477/game-on-from-batman-must-die

While Bruce Wayne could destroy Tony Stark, Batman is far more vulnerable than Iron Man. The Batsuit is very formidable armor, but not at all invincible. It’s basically a bullet-proof bodysuit, which helps tons, but not always. Bruce has been hurt significantly over the years while fighting crime, including the iconic scene where Bane beats him to a pulp, lifts him over his head, and slams him down on his knee, breaking Bruce’s back and coming within inches of paralyzing him for life.

To that end, and despite his reputation as the ultimate loner, Batman has employed many sidekicks over the years. To date, he has hired four Robins, at least a half-dozen Batgirls, and has recruited several different people as replacement Batmen whenever he could not continue due to injury. For a guy who supposedly does his best work as a solo creature of the night, he sure employs a lot of outside help.

Finally, despite Batman’s dominance and popularity, he’s often upstaged by the very same villains that he’s constantly fighting. Unlike Iron Man, who is clearly the #1 guy in his universe, Batman has to share the spotlight with a slew of characters who are just as recognizable to the casual fan as he is. The Joker, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Penguin, and so many more are all iconic characters with memorable, over-the-top personalities; many of them have received their own comic series as a result. Batman, for all he’s accomplished, would be hard-pressed to maintain his popularity without them.

Image made for the videogame Batman Arkham Knight / via: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/25/batman-arkham-origins-review

Iron Man:

Tony Stark himself doesn't bring much to the table. He’s an average-sized industrialist, with no superpowers and a severe drinking problem. However, when he straps on his Iron Man suit, he becomes nigh-invincible, with countless weapons at his disposal, a built-in computer navigation system that’s light-years beyond any GPS on the market, and the ability to fly at incredibly fast speeds. It takes a lot to harm the Iron Man armor and, even when somebody does, Stark himself is usually physically unharmed.

Also, Iron Man fights evil virtually alone. He has no plucky young sidekick, and only works with the Avengers when he feels like it. When Stark relapses into alcoholism, his friend, James Rhodes, will assume the Iron Man mantle, but quickly hands it back once Stark recovers. When fighting crime as War Machine, Rhodes is more of an equal (not to mention occasional rival) than a true sidekick.

Iron Man is so powerful and dominant, in fact, that he overshadows the villains in his story. Despite fighting many different forces of evil, a casual observer would be hard-pressed to name any of them. With the exception of Dr. Doom, the mainstream star of Iron Man is unquestionably Iron Man, and the rogue’s gallery he does battle with is mere window dressing.

Characteristics of Tony Stark / via: https://www.tumblr.com/search/philantropists

The biggest problem with Iron Man is that, for a hero, he’s rarely a good guy. Tony Stark has little to no moral compass. He may not kill, but he’s a drunk, a shameless womanizer, incredibly selfish, and borderline-suicidal at times. The amount of times he’s felt the need to sacrifice himself to solve a problem that probably didn’t require a sacrifice is mind-boggling. Clearly, he handled the death of his parents, who were killed in a plane crash far away from him, far worse than Bruce Wayne did, and his parents were murdered right in front of him.

As such, the Iron Man character is very hard to reinvent for kids. Any attempt at an Iron Man cartoon has focused almost entirely on him fighting bad guys, with very little characterization or personality for Stark besides “guy in the Iron Man suit.” His dark, barely-redeemable personality just does not translate to silly kids’ TV in any way, shape, or form.

To add to the Stark criticism: without the suit, he’s nothing. Tony Stark is just a regular guy, with no muscle-mass to speak of, little training in any form of fighting arts, and a severe lack of self-discipline. Plus, due to an injury suffered in Vietnam, he can only breathe with the help of a special apparatus that charges up the electronic plate inserted near his heart. He literally needs advanced technology to survive, which made his decision to reveal his secret identity to the entire world all the more baffling.

Tony Stark drink problem / via: https://www.tumblr.com/search/Robert+Downey+Jr.+drinking

To conclude:

As you can see, even though Batman and Iron Man have a lot in common, they’re also very different. Iron Man is a tale of a broken, deeply-flawed man who dons a suit of near-indestructible armor that basically makes him Superman. Batman is the story of a man who, while definitely battling his demons, has managed to overcome them in ways Iron Man never has. However, his suit is very much vulnerable, and only works because of the discipline and training of the man inside. In short, Iron Man could toss Tony Stark aside and stand on its own if it were a sentient being, but Batman needs Bruce Wayne to succeed.

Which hero speaks to you the most, Tony or Bruce? Your opinion will help determine which man is the hero we deserve, and quite possibly the one we need as well.

Batman and Iron Man having a money Fight / via: https://www.tumblr.com/search/Batman+vs+iron+man+money

Source:

-Moon_bat_87,Batman vs Iron Man, 2014: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/batman-vs-ironman-686504/

-Jay_z94, Batman vs Iron Man, 2013: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/batman-vs-iron-man-prep-743458/

-A lot of comics ;)

Flash vs Quicksilver

Quicksilver versus Flash / via: plus.google.com

There has always been a constant debate about superheroes like Flash and Quicksilver. Their similarities in their powers have been compared and criticized various times because people sometimes want to know who's better. But for starters, we first need to know a little about each characters back story. 

The evolution of Flash / via: www.lazonanegativa.com

Lets start off with Flash. Many individuals have used this identity, but either they live in parallel worlds or they live in the future. Some of the best known Flashes in the DC Comics Universe are Garrick, Allen and West. Jason Peter "Jay" Garrick was a college student in 1938 who accidentally inhaled heavy water vapors in his laboratory, event that lead him to his super powers. He found out that he had incredibly fast reflexes and superhuman speed. So after finishing his brief college football career he designed a shirt with a lightning bolt in it and a helmet that had little wings on the sides (based on the Greek god Hermes) and began to fight crime. Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is an assistant scientist from the Criminal and Forensic Science Division of Central City Police Department. He is known for being really slow and deliberate and for being always late. He became a Flash when suddenly, when he was about to leave from work, a lightning bolt shattered a case full of chemicals and they splattered all over Barry, giving him all the powers that Garrick had. Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is the nephew of Iris West and of Barry Allen by marriage. West obtained his powers at a very young age, he was just 10 years old. He suffered the same accident as his uncle and got his powers from electrified chemicals and followed the same steps as his uncle after his death. 

The Flash has wonderful powers and abilities. As we mentioned before, he has superhuman speed and reflexes, but his abilities are incredible. He can run very long distances, in later versions he can vibrate so fast that he can pass through walls, travel through time and can also lend and borrow speed. They also have an invisible aura around them that protects them from friction. He may at times use the ability to speed-read at incredible rates and in doing so, process vast amounts of information. Flashes and other super-speedsters also have the ability to speak to one another at a highly accelerated rate. 

Quicksilver / via: geekwhale.blogspot.com

Quicksilver first appears with his twin sister Wanda, also known as the Scarlet Witch as part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Quicksilver has superhuman speed as power and his sister can control probability. They´re both recruited by their father Magneto. They confront the X-Men many times, until they separate from Magneto and travel to Europe. Iron Man recruits them and they finally join the Avengers. Later they form the new Avengers, group conformed by the twins, Captain America and Hawkeye. Later, he leaves the Avengers with his wounded sister, they reunite with their father. But in Quicksilver's solo appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man, he discovers who the real villain is... Magneto. 

In the Heroic Age, Quicksilver participates in the Avengers Academy to teach young students with superhuman abilities to be heroes.  He does so in order to distance himself from the legacy of his father Magneto. 

But after a confrontation between Quicksilver, Magneto and Scarlet Witch, Scarlet Witch realizes that Magneto is not their father because she casted a spell on them to punish her blood relatives and only Quicksilver was affected. 

Quicksilver is a mutant capable of moving and thinking at superhuman speeds. Originally capable of running at the speed of sound; exposure to the High Evolutionary's Isotope E made it possible for the character to run at supersonic speeds of up to Mach 10 and resist the effects of friction, reduced oxygen, andkinetic impact while moving at super-speeds. The character's speed allows him to perform feats such as create cyclone-strength winds; run up walls and cross bodies of water. It has been revealed that one of the reasons for his abrasive and impatient personality is that it seems to him that the rest of the world is moving in slow motion and that he is constantly waiting for it to catch up. 

In conclusion, for me Flash is the best between these two though they share the same powers. But Flash has a very good attitude while Quicksilver has an impatient personality, that is a fatal flaw. Being impatient can sometimes make you an impulsive person and make bad decisions, which is why I think Flash is better than Quicksilver. But remember that that is just my point of view, you can have your own and share it with us! We'd love to read it. They're amazing characters with incredible abilities and unique personalities, but they have such different back stories. The most troubling one is Quicksilver's because his family is in constant fights, and he doesn't even know who his real father is, his sister isn't very supporting either, she took away his powers for a while and he constantly changed alliances. 

Source of this article: TheTopComic, Youtube, 2014, link not available because of copyright