Batman has a famous rogues gallery, but how would the hero handle the worst foes of Spider-Man?
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00:00 On the surface, Batman and Spider-Man are very different heroes. Batman is a sombre
00:05 and determined man who spent years training his body to fight crime. Spider-Man, on the
00:09 other hand, is a younger, seemingly happier man who received his powers from a freak spider
00:13 bite as a teen. But if you look a little bit deeper, you'll see that they are both brilliant
00:17 men with incredible scientific minds that were pushed towards heroism by the tragedy in their
00:22 lives. So the question then pops up, how would Batman fare if he was to go against some of
00:27 Spider-Man's greatest villains? Well, that's what we're here to discuss today, as I'm Jules,
00:31 this is WhatCulture.com, and this is how Batman would defeat 10 of Spider-Man's most iconic
00:36 villains.
00:37 10. Scorpion
00:39 Private investigator Matt Gargan was paid by J. Jonah Jameson to undergo a procedure to create a
00:44 foe for Spider-Man. Dr. Farley Stilwell created an experiment that endowed Gargan with a variety of
00:50 powers and a costume with a devastating mechanical tail. The experiment cost Gargan his sanity,
00:55 though, and while he happily attacked Spider-Man, he also attacked Jameson. Gargan came to believe
01:00 that the experiment had trapped him inside the Scorpion suit, and more often than not,
01:04 old Webhead had to save Jameson's life. Scorpion possessed a level of speed, strength,
01:09 and agility that would make a physical confrontation extremely dangerous for Batman.
01:13 Scorpion's tail can strike at 90 miles an hour, and he possesses the ability to lift 15 tons.
01:18 In short, meeting Scorpion in battle from inside one of his armored bat suits would be the smartest
01:23 tactical move for bats. An even smarter move would be to reach out to some of his colleagues
01:27 in the Justice League. Wonder Woman or any member of the Superman family would have the speed and
01:32 vulnerability to deal with Scorpion's hybrid nature and deadly tail. Batman could also secure
01:36 victory by calling in Vixen or Animal Man and use a bit of Scorpion against Scorpion to win the day.
01:42 9. Sandman
01:44 William Baker, aka Flint Marko, was a child of poverty who learned to steal at an early age.
01:49 After years as a petty criminal, Marko was in the vicinity of a nuclear accident that affected a
01:54 body-wide change which also gave him the ability to transform his body.
01:58 Flinters flipped between being a villain, a mercenary hero with silver sables,
02:02 wild pack, and a brief stint as an Avenger in training. Sandman has never been a villain of
02:06 the "world domination" variety - he just wanted to get rich - and Batman may be able to appeal
02:11 to Marko's better nature, or indeed his greed. Either way would prevent the fight that the
02:16 Caped Crusader would rather not have against a foe that he would actually have a difficult time
02:20 defeating. Using water to dissipate his form or heat to fuse his form into glass has been the way
02:25 of dealing with Sandman's villainous actions previously. Batman has used extreme cold,
02:29 similar to what Mr. Freeze generates to deal with Clayface, so it's possible that this approach
02:33 could work with Sandman if he's caught with a significant amount of his form intact. But if
02:38 Marko is too spread out, the single grain that holds his consciousness may escape the cold.
02:42 So Batman's gonna have to go all out on this one.
02:44 8. The Kingpin
02:46 Growing up a poor child, Wilson Fisk went on a mission of self-improvement,
02:50 and extensive reading, gaining strength and physical power through bodybuilding,
02:54 definitely achieved that. He used his business techniques to organize the juvenile gangs,
02:58 earning himself the mocking nickname of "The Kingpin". Fisk worked as a bodyguard and an
03:03 enforcer for crime families and advanced through the ranks until he controlled large areas of
03:07 organized crime. Wilson invested the money from those crimes into legitimate businesses. He
03:12 organized all of the crime on the Eastern Seaboard, and finally came to fully own the name
03:16 of the Kingpin of Crime. Now, Batman takes a special interest in what you'd call "untouchable"
03:21 crime bosses, especially when those corrupt individuals achieve political office, as Fisk
03:26 did as Mayor of New York City. Perhaps it's because his family essentially built Gotham,
03:30 and he spent so much time and effort improving it, but you know what? Bruce takes these actions
03:33 personally. Batman might make the mistake of assuming Kingpin is fat instead of being solid
03:38 muscle. And as sumo was not one of the disciplines that Wayne delved into in his studies, it might
03:43 actually give Fisk a brief advantage if he gets Batman into a bear hug. However, Batman's array
03:48 of martial arts skills will no doubt send the larger man reeling in no time. Plus, when in
03:53 doubt, just trip him up using a wire. That seems to happen quite a lot to him.
03:56 7. Electro
03:58 Electric company lineman Max Dillon was struck by lightning while holding onto an electrical line.
04:02 This caused a body-wide change that turned him into a living electrostatic generator. Donning
04:07 a costume and using his electrical powers to rob banks and accumulate the wealth the perpetually
04:11 poor man always desired saw him become Electro. This brought him into conflict with Spider-Man,
04:16 who definitely beats him on a regular basis, either alone or as part of the various incarnations of
04:21 the Sinister Six. It's important that Batman keeps Electro from recharging from any source.
04:26 The Dark Knight would also have to keep any of his own equipment from being disrupted by either
04:30 electrical or electromagnetic discharges from Dillon's powers. Max could even disrupt the
04:34 electrical currents of Batman's brain if he gets close enough. So clearly this would be a challenging
04:39 fight for the world's greatest detective. But with water and overloading his powers being two of the
04:43 few ways to overcome Electro, Batman will definitely have a fight on his hands,
04:47 even in a suitably grounded Batsuit. One of the things that will definitely work in Bats' favour,
04:52 though, is that Dillon is not very intelligent, if we're being honest. And secondly, he's an
04:55 extremely greedy individual, so Batman could, if all else fails, just simply give him a better offer.
05:00 6. Lizard
05:02 Gifted surgeon Dr. Kurt Connors lost his right arm while saving soldiers in a war-torn region.
05:08 Connors then began experimenting with lizards that had the capability to regenerate limbs,
05:12 in order to create a serum that he might use to regrow his own. Connors created a serum and used
05:16 himself as the first subject, and his arm did begin to regrow, but he also began to mutate
05:21 into a vicious reptile creature called the Lizard. Over time, Connors' mind has controlled his lizard
05:26 form, while his lizard mind has likewise controlled his human form. Batman's adventures
05:30 with members of his own rogues' gallery could help him with dealing with the Lizard. Helping
05:34 Dr. Kurt Langstrom's alter-ego Man-Bat may turn Batman towards working with Connors to finally
05:40 cure his transformation into the Lizard, and perhaps even refine it enough that it could
05:44 replace the Doctor's arm. If Batman has to fight the Lizard, though, his altercations with his own
05:48 reptilian menace killer Croc will definitely come in handy. Whilst the Lizard is smaller and more
05:53 agile, he possesses the sort of super strength that makes him Croc's superior. The Lizard's
05:58 speed, while not superhuman, will require Batman to either take his foe by surprise,
06:02 or utilize one of his many vehicles to bridge that gap.
06:05 5. Mysterio
06:07 Quentin Beck was a movie special effects artist and stuntman that initially committed his first
06:11 crime on a dare. But after an accident on one of the sets got him blackballed from the industry,
06:16 Beck pursued crime in earnest as Mysterio. He suffered numerous defeats at the hand of Spider-Man,
06:21 causing Beck bouts of depression, but he continued to plague Spidey both solo
06:26 and as part of the Sinister Six. Although Mysterio is unlike most villains Bruce Wayne
06:30 has ever faced, some of his methods mirror that of several Batman villains. Mysterio's hallucinogenic
06:35 gas is not unlike the Scarecrow's fear toxin. His use of psychological mind-controlling methods is
06:40 similar to those employed by Hugo Strange, and the minor villain Film Freak has trapped the
06:44 Caped Crusader and others in seemingly lifelike but inventive scenarios. Mysterio will ultimately
06:49 have a very hard time fooling Batman, as Bats is obsessive about details and is the most observant
06:55 man in the world. If their fight was in Gotham, it would have to be the perfect Gotham, down to
06:59 the smallest detail. Bruce knows every Gotham street and every alley, meaning if the villain
07:04 got even the smallest detail wrong, the illusion would literally be shattered with one well-placed
07:08 batarang.
07:09 4. Venom
07:11 Spider-Man acquired the alien symbiote on Battleworld during the Secret Wars event.
07:15 When Peter discovered that it was a sentient being that had been controlling him in his sleep,
07:19 he tried to remove it. It took the bells of Our Lady of Saints Church to make the creature
07:24 retreat from Parker's body, and failed photographer Eddie Brock was in the church below,
07:28 and the creature then bonded with him. Having absorbed Spider-Man's powers,
07:31 the pair became known as Venom.
07:33 Batman would definitely be in trouble if it comes down to a purely physical altercation with Venom.
07:37 With Venom being able to lift 70 tons and having Spider-Man's powers,
07:41 Batman's athleticism and fighting skills might fall short. If any of the symbiote broke off and
07:46 infected the Dark Knight, it's hopeful that his indomitable will would be enough to allow him to
07:50 break free. But given the symbiote's susceptibility to loud noises and sonic blasts, Batman may want
07:55 to ask Black Canary for her assistance. Once the symbiote has left Brock's body, it wouldn't be too
07:59 hard to contain it in a vessel with a sonic emitter built in. Although getting the creature off-planet
08:04 would definitely be the best bet.
08:05 3. Dr. Octopus
08:07 Dr. Otto Octavius was a brilliant, if arrogant, scientist who created a harness with four
08:13 mechanical arms to better handle dangerous material. An accident bathed him in radiation
08:17 that fused the harnesses to his body and made the connection to the arms a mental one and turned the
08:22 doctor into the criminal Doc Ock, who almost married Peter's Aunt May once and also took
08:27 over Pete's body for a time but was pushed to become a superior Spider-Man. If Batman has one
08:33 superpower, it's his incredible mind. Bruce Wayne has such a strong mind and will that it is unlikely
08:38 that Dr. Octopus would be able to switch minds with him unless Bruce was caught completely by
08:42 surprise. And if he did, Batman would fight viciously to get control of his own mind back.
08:47 Even if Otto succeeded, it's unlikely that he could have done much to make a superior Batman.
08:52 Otto's arrogance and assumption that he is always the smartest person in the room
08:56 is an easy target for Batman to attack. It will immediately cause him to make mistakes.
09:01 Also, if the Caped Crusader can keep Ock's mechanical arms otherwise engaged,
09:04 it would only take a single punch to deal with this doctor.
09:07 2. J. Jonah Jameson
09:09 There is no single person to have a greater effect on the life of Spider-Man than J. Jonah
09:13 Jameson. The Daily Bugle publisher has allowed Spidey's alter ego of Peter Parker to continue to
09:18 live independently in New York City, but did so at the expense of the costume identity of Spider-Man.
09:23 Jameson has turned public opinion against the wall-crawler from the beginning of his career,
09:27 and J. J. claims that he distrusts all vigilantes, but he has a particular ire for old Spider-Man.
09:32 It is possible that Batman would completely ignore the loudmouth Jameson. Historically,
09:36 bats would prefer that he be thought of as an urban myth or as some kind of inhuman monster
09:40 to the criminal community, so it's highly possible that he would just let Jameson rant on while the
09:45 Dark Knight continued his mission. Alternatively, Bruce might also grow tired of the noise and buy
09:50 the entire paper and the building that houses it. Then, he'd kick Jameson out and promote
09:54 Robbie Robertson as the editor of the Daily Bugle. It's likely that when Batman discovered
09:58 that Jameson paid for the creation of several villains and spider-slayer robots, he would treat
10:02 him like any other criminal and just send him to prison.
10:05 1. The Green Goblin
10:07 No costume villain has had as much of an impact on Peter Parker than the Green Goblin. Norman
10:12 Osborn threw Peter's girlfriend from the George Washington Bridge, leading to her death. Norman's
10:16 son Harry, Peter's best friend, donned his own villainous costume to make the hero pay for his
10:21 father's death. Going further than that, Norman had actually lived on and engineered the cloning
10:25 of Peter, and these are just a handful of things that the Goblin has done.
10:29 Batman would probably try to reach Norman Osborn first. Bruce would try to speak to him as a fellow
10:34 scientist and meet Norman on an intellectual level to try and defuse the fight before it even starts.
10:39 He would probably also play on Norman's heroic accomplishments and make Osborn think that he is
10:43 helping Batman. Now, if it does come down to a fight, the Dark Knight needs to get the Goblin
10:47 down to his level. In the comics, Batman doesn't have any flying equipment that equals the
10:51 manoeuvrability of the Goblin Glider. Once that's dealt with, though, the pumpkin bombs aren't much
10:56 more than overpowered explosive batarangs, and Batman's fighting prowess is more than a match
11:01 for the increase in strength that his formula provides Osborn. So, when it comes down to a
11:04 physical altercation, our money's on the Batman. And there we go, my friends. That was how Batman
11:09 would defeat 10 of Spider-Man's most iconic villains. I hope that you enjoyed that, and
11:13 please let me know what you thought about it down in the comments section below. As always, I've
11:16 been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter @RetroJ, but the O is A-Zero, and it'd be great
11:21 to see you over there. As always, I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll
11:25 speak to you soon. Bye.