Why Spiderman is better than Batman
In my opinion, Spiderman is the best comic book hero ever, and significantly superior to Batman. He is the most popular and most commercially successful superhero, according to a poll by Empire magazine in May 2011. I grew up loving Spiderman! He was the superhero that I most related to. I would watch avidly of his exploits and victories, his life as a reluctant super hero and his emotional turmoil in his non-Spidery times.
When I was a kid, I couldn’t quite understand why they made a TV show of Batman but not one of Spiderman. You remember the show with Adam West as Batman in a somewhat camp romp through Gotham City as “POW” and “SLAM” was emblazoned across the screen. And yet, no Spiderman TV show. It was the same with the movie genre – the first Batman movie starring Michael Keaton as the caped crusader was released in 1989, but the first Spiderman was not released until 2002. Batman always seemed to get the bigger billing and all the glory .
Well I think that Spiderman is the better super hero by far, and here are some reasons why… Spiderman has the longest lasting comic; his comic ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ was created in 1962, and continues to capture the imagination of every generation, which shows how relatable his character is. Spiderman is more agile and flexible than Batman, he has the famous spider reflexes, and he has in the past proved that he is an equal match for Batman’s brawn, when he defeated evils such as Dr Octopus, The Green Goblin, Venom and many more.
In the 2001 adaptation of the movie, I’ll be the first person to raise my hand and admit that Tobey Maguire is creepy. There is no doubt in my mind that, he is a little bit weird, and maybe not the best person in the world to represent the world’s greatest comic book hero, but never the less, for its time the movie is still impressive, more so than the Michael Keaton version of Batman. Compare it to the new ‘Amazing Spiderman’ with Andrew Garfield in, and there is no competition. The new movie itself boldly knocks spots off the dreary Batman competition, and its special effects are truly phenomenal.
And Andrew Garfield is pretty darn cute! If Captain America can beat Batman, anyone can. Simply, if Batman can allow himself to be beaten by Marvels campest creation, he is clearly no match for Spiderman. Spiderman, unlike Batman, actually has a girlfriend. For all his money and ‘playboy’ reputation, Bruce Wayne never has a relationship worthy of the one that say Spiderman and Gwen Stacey have. Peter managed to pull Gwen without Bruce Wayne’s money or fame, which goes to show Peter Parker, is the nicer guy.
Spiderman broke the mould as the first teenager with his own comic book series, since previously teenage protagonists usually took the understudy role as the mere side kick. Unlike previous teen heroes such as Bucky and Robin, did not benefit from being the protégé of any adult superhero mentors like Captain America and Batman, and thus had to learn for himself that “with great power there must also come great responsibility”—a line included in a text box in the final panel of the first Spider-Man.
Unlike Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker doesn’t use being an orphan as an excuse to parade around as a vigilante; instead he accepts his gift and uses it for the greater good. Spiderman actually has super powers; Batman has to rely on gadgets such as ‘shark repellent’ to get him out of tricky situations. And what self-respecting ‘hero’ carries around shark repellent in his purse? Spiderman doesn’t have to train in the mountains with weird ninja monks and he doesn’t have the big financial advantage of Batman. He doesn’t need to showy gadgets etc, he just crawls around, doing his thing, without the aid of a sidekick like Robin.
Ben had Jerry, Morecombe had Wise, and SpongeBob had Patrick, whereas Spidey flies solo. He is so good at what he does; he doesn’t need someone to hold his hand as he crosses the road. No matter what, Spiderman gets the job done, unlike Batman who needs his birdie to save him from the bad guys, to lay out the guy behind him who was about to clock him over the head with a chair (another KAPOW! ), and to be the blundering rookie to make Batman look better than he really was. Spiderman needed nobody, because he doesn’t have ego issues.
Spidey is a good role model because he over came adversity etc, he was a nerdy teenager, who was bullied a lot by a guy named Flash. This makes him a good role model for kids, since he doesn’t go around scaring people in the night, like Batman. Batman puts on a stupid voice and tries to scare his foes. It has no effect or purpose, he just looks stupid. Batman deliberately asks for trouble, he’s a creepy guy in a costume. If a guy started parading around in a costume and running around at night in your town, I’m sure you would have something to say about it, and he would be thrown in the loony bin.
Batman gets too much attention, just like his alter-ego, whereas Peter Parker manages to maintain a normal life as well as masquerade as Spiderman. Peter Parker has, over the years, developed from shy, nerdy high school student to troubled but outgoing college student, to married high school teacher to, in the late 2000s, a single freelance photographer, his most typical adult role. Whereas, Bruce Wayne has pretty much not developed as a character over his p of comics. Batman could never catch Spiderman; Spidey is just to fast for him. Batman would be nothing without his car/money/gadgets.
At the end of the day he’s just a normal guy with a fetish for bats. Think about it. Batman has great abilities and gadgets, but they are nothing that any normal human can’t get. Spiderman has physical abilities way beyond the grasp of non-mutated humans; precognition, the strength to bench 10 tons, incredible agility… but batman is a normal human. Spiderman is a mutated human, mutated to be stronger, faster and more agile than a regular human. I know this is fiction, but let’s be a bit more realistic here, in a fight, the chances are heavily in Spiderman’s favour.
I’m a firm believer in the idea that superheroes teach you things, and it’s usually a pretty simple lesson. Superman teaches you to be nice and to be a good person; because that’s the way you make things better for everyone. Batman teaches you that if you’re determined enough, and if you try your hardest, one man can change the world. And also, that is okay for a man to wear black tights, as long as he is a millionaire playboy. Those are great guidelines, not just for comic books or films, but for life. But Spiderman’s lesson is a little less sugar-coated, and a little more human.
Spiderman teaches you that you’re going to screw up. It’s going to happen, and it’s going to be bad. You’re going to make bad decisions and it’s going to feel like they’re going to crush you. It’s going to hurt. But Spiderman also teaches you that the only way to get through it is that you never, ever quit. It’s not easy, but even if it seems impossible, you can beat anything that stands in your way. You can become the person you want to be, therefore being the better hero of the two, because the most important thing is to learn something from the selfless behaviour of your childhood ideal.
