Batman rivals

Have turned to crime for the money or infamy, but Man-Bat is the result a good deed not going unpunished. Dr. Kirk Langstrom was one of the foremost scientists attempting to cure blindness by using the DNA of bats. However, Langstrom used himself as a guinea pig for his experiment, unlocking his monstrous and powerful alter-ego, Man-Bat. For years, Langstrom has been fighting a losing war against his feral half, who continues to plague Batman and Gotham. When Man-Bat is in control, Langstrom is faster, stronger, and more resilient than any human alive, not to mention he can fly thanks to the large wings he grows in his beastly form. Though Man-Bat doesn’t have the intelligence of Langstrom, the scientist has recently developed a new persona known as the Bat, who is as smart as Langstrom, with all of Man-Bat’s physical prowess. 6 Bane is the Brawn and Brains that Truly Rivals Batman Created by: Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan Bane isn’t originally from Gotham, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of the biggest threats the city has ever seen. Bane is a cold, calculating individual, who’s tactical mind rivals that of Batman’s. The first time he came to the Caped Crusader’s city, Bane orchestrated one of the greatest attacks on Batman that left the hero literally broken. The only thing that exceeds Bane’s incredible intelligence is his unbelievable strength. Granted, the overwhelming muscles that Bane has are augmented thanks to his use of the dangerous drug Venom. When he’s got the drug running through his system, Bane can literally lift several thousand pounds. Bane has periodically quit Venom, and even without it, he’s still remarkably stronger than the average Batman foe. But when Bane’s got his little helper, he’s a true danger to the Dark Knight. 5

Release of Batman v Superman, its needlessly convoluted layers resulted in the relatively simple goal of making Batman and Superman rivals (especially considering Bruce Wayne already saw Superman as a threat before Luthor even did anything). In contrast, Robotnik can convince Knuckles that Sonic is the true threat in a much simpler fashion. While it helps that there likely won't be any kind of large expectation for an equally complex plot, Sonic 2 has the opportunity to be better as many will no doubt compare it to Batman v Superman all the same. Case in point, Japan has even retitled the film Sonic vs Knuckles. A simpler villain scheme and keeping the focus on the rivalry at hand can allow more time for the heroes to fight and later shine as allies when Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hits theaters. More: Sonic 2's Tails Casting Avoids Mario's Mistake Key Release Dates Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Today, we look at when Superman and Batman first faced off against each other's arch-rivals, Luthor and Joker, without the help of the other hero! In "When We First Met", we spotlight the various characters, phrases, objects or events that eventually became notable parts of comic lore, like the first time someone said, "Avengers Assemble!" or the first appearance of Batman's giant penny or the first appearance of Alfred Pennyworth or the first time Spider-Man's face was shown half-Spidey/half-Peter. Stuff like that. Longtime reader Nicole K. wrote in to ask, "The other day I happen to see a few still images from 1998 Batman/Superman Animated Film (it was probably one of Batman's best lines after seeing Joker maybe meet his doom where Harley said "Puddin!" and Batman states, "At this point, he probably is".) Anyway it made me wonder, in comics when did Batman first ever go up against Lex Luthor but with no appearance from Superman or any of the Superman Family members? And on the other side, when did Superman ever go up against Joker but with no Batman or his family present?" A fine question, Nicole, so let's take a look! WHEN DID THE HEROES FACE JOKER AND LUTHOR PERIOD? Until Superman and Batman began to share the lead feature in World's Finest Comics #71, the two heroes barely interacted (despite sharing World's Finest Comics throughout its entire run, they each just had their own solo feature in the book. They were drawn together on the covers, though). Similarly, because of that strict separation between the two titles, Superman had never met the Joker and Batman had never met Lex Luthor (heck, this was early enough that I don't believe Luthor had even gained the name Lex!). Once they began sharing a comic book, though, it was