If you are seven or below, Doc Savage beats Batman because Doc Savage is stronger.
If you are ages eight & up, Doc Savage beats Batman because Doc has better fighting skills.
If you are a teenager, Batman’s secret identity gives him an important advantage, but, being thoughtful about it, advantage to do what? Bruce Wayne could get close to Doc Savage, but so can other enemies. It is not as though Doc is undefended. And anyway, Doc exceeds Batman in all other respects. The secret identity is an advantage, but it’s not advantage enough, and Doc wins.
If you are in your twenties, Doc Savage beats Batman because Bruce Wayne is mentally ill. More fundamentally, Batman’s life is centered around striking fear in criminals—but neither fear nor criminality have independent existence; Batman’s entire life is built around nothingness. Doc Savage fights crime, but he also protects the innocent. He rights wrongs. He heals the sick. He is a scientist and has produced many fabulous inventions. Because of these things, Doc can continue to prosper even after all the criminals are defeated. Batman’s life is a dead end.
If you are in your thirties, Doc Savage beats Batman because Doc Savage operates in the open with official sanction, while Batman can only slink about in the dark. Doc has communications, facilities, transportation, and logistics that Batman can’t quite match. To be pithy about it, Doc Savage occupies the 86th floor of a skyscraper whereas Batman hides in a cave.
If you are in your forties, Doc Savage beats Batman because Doc’s origins and his life story are all more rightly ordered. Doc had a loving father and was raised by scientists who were following clear, thought-out plans. Doc’s closest friends are all stable and highly accomplished men in their own right. And so on. Batman has some pretty great support too—especially Alfred, Robin, and Commissioner Gordon—but it’s not as good as what Doc has, and Batman’s life story includes quite a bit more chaos. Over time, scars add up.
If you are in your fifties, Batman beating Doc would probably sell more books, but it wouldn’t be the truth. The truth is, in the real world, Doc Savage beats Batman for all of the reasons that you’ve learned over the course of your life. So, you’re going to have to choose between truth and sales. Ironically, this is the same as choosing between Doc Savage and Batman.
If you are seven or below, Doc Savage beats Batman because Doc Savage is stronger.
If you are ages eight & up, Doc Savage beats Batman because Doc has better fighting skills.
If you are a teenager, Batman’s secret identity gives him an important advantage, but, being thoughtful about it, advantage to do what? Bruce Wayne could get close to Doc Savage, but so can other enemies. It is not as though Doc is undefended. And anyway, Doc exceeds Batman in all other respects. The secret identity is an advantage, but it’s not advantage enough, and Doc wins.
If you are in your twenties, Doc Savage beats Batman because Bruce Wayne is mentally ill. More fundamentally, Batman’s life is centered around striking fear in criminals—but neither fear nor criminality have independent existence; Batman’s entire life is built around nothingness. Doc Savage fights crime, but he also protects the innocent. He rights wrongs. He heals the sick. He is a scientist and has produced many fabulous inventions. Because of these things, Doc can continue to prosper even after all the criminals are defeated. Batman’s life is a dead end.
If you are in your thirties, Doc Savage beats Batman because Doc Savage operates in the open with official sanction, while Batman can only slink about in the dark. Doc has communications, facilities, transportation, and logistics that Batman can’t quite match. To be pithy about it, Doc Savage occupies the 86th floor of a skyscraper whereas Batman hides in a cave.
If you are in your forties, Doc Savage beats Batman because Doc’s origins and his life story are all more rightly ordered. Doc had a loving father and was raised by scientists who were following clear, thought-out plans. Doc’s closest friends are all stable and highly accomplished men in their own right. And so on. Batman has some pretty great support too—especially Alfred, Robin, and Commissioner Gordon—but it’s not as good as what Doc has, and Batman’s life story includes quite a bit more chaos. Over time, scars add up.
If you are in your fifties, Batman beating Doc would probably sell more books, but it wouldn’t be the truth. The truth is, in the real world, Doc Savage beats Batman for all of the reasons that you’ve learned over the course of your life. So, you’re going to have to choose between truth and sales. Ironically, this is the same as choosing between Doc Savage and Batman.