Whether or not “Superhero A” can beat up/win in a fight against “Superhero B” has been the subject of nerd fascination and pointless debate discussion probably since most of us were still in preschool. On some level, this fascination has no doubt fueled the rather large box office receipts of movies like Captain America: Civil WarOpens in a new tab and Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeOpens in a new tab.
Now, students at the university of University of LeicesterOpens in a new tab in the U.K. have decided to take this age-old argument and apply science for the “correct” results. The university students used scientific principles to examine the feasibility of the powers of world famous comic book superheroes, and – surprise — the study suggests SupermanOpens in a new tab may have the greatest chance of winning in a fight. (I didn’t need to do a study to tell you that.) The University released the results on June 12th — which happens to be what DC ComicsOpens in a new tab deems as “Superman Day.”
Although Kal-El won, it does seem that certain iconic heroes were left out of the argument. Characters with less quantifiable powers, like the Scarlet WitchOpens in a new tab, Dr. StrangeOpens in a new tab and even Jean GreyOpens in a new tab from the X-MenOpens in a new tab weren’t included, maybe because in the comics, their powers are pretty much whatever the writers need them to be at any given moment. Heroes besides Superman who fared well in the study were characters like ThorOpens in a new tab, WolverineOpens in a new tab, MystiqueOpens in a new tab, and even the Inhuman’sOpens in a new tab leader Black BoltOpens in a new tab, whose lethal voice was deemed “the most destructive of the superheroes.”
As for who didn’t fare well in the study, I hate to break it to you fans of the Dark Knight, but the Leicesters study found BatmanOpens in a new tab to be the most ill-equipped of all the superheroes. This is where the comic book fanboy in me calls the entire study into question, because everyone knows that Batman has files on every super powered hero for their weaknesses, and plays dirty. He’d totally win — just as long as you don’t mention his mother Martha’s name in the middle of a fight. That tends to throw him.
You can read the results of the University of Leicester’s findings hereOpens in a new tab, and even check out the university’s character chartOpens in a new tab.
So, do you agree that Superman is the most powerful superhero, able to beat anybody? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
Image: by Mike Deodato, Marvel Comics / DC Comics
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