I am probably the world’s biggest Batman fan so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I didn’t agree with the outcome of the most recent Super Power Beat Down fan film pitting the Dark Knight against the Dark Lord of the Sith. However one of the things that really ticked me off was how good the production was for the film. I was visually stunning. It was probably the best fan-film I have seen since Batman: Deadend.
One of the problems that I had with the video is that Bats had plans to the Death Star and the location of a lightsaber, but didn’t come up with a contingency plan on how to disrupt Vader’s force abilities. Keep in mind that this is a man so paranoid that during the JLA: Tower of Babel (or Justice League: Doom movie) storyline Batman developed contingency for neutralizing his closest allies in the Justice League. In the Vader scenario, where he obviously knew what he was dealing with, and had prep time, Batman should have waxed him. Batman has taken down Green Lanterns and the HyperClan, both who are far more powerful than Jedi/Sith. He has survived battles with titans like Darkseid, who are on par with Superman and far above his power level, by out thinking them rather than relying solely on his fighting skills. Vader isn’t anywhere near those levels.
For those that haven’t read the comics you should pick up a copy of JLA: New World Order when Batman takes down the HyperClan. The Hyperclan is an alien super group that had defeated the entire JLA. With Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Flash drugged up, and Superman being held captive by Kryptonite, the Hyperclan paid no attention to Batman, the powerless human they assumed they killed when they destroyed his Batplane. Superman tells them that they have made a critical mistake because Batman is the most dangerous man on the planet. Batman then goes on to prove it by quickly deducing that the Hyperclan members are actually White Martians and are vulnerable to fire. Armed only with lighter fluid and matches, Batman brings down the entire Hyperclan by himself, and rescues the JLA.
But I digress, going back to the fanfilm. I can think of a couple of things off the top of my head that he could have done to take out Vader. In addition to knocking out Vader’s life support system, which in he mentioned was designed to occupy and direct his concentration to force sustain life support, why not disrupt his concentration altogether? He could have employed the same high pitched sonics he used against Superman in the Dark Knight Returns to totally disrupt his flow. Or an electrical attack to totally short out Vader’s cybernetic systems. Or attach explosives to Vader’s back or slapping a little C-4 to his helmet without his knowledge as they were fighting hand to hand.
Batman has learned to play to his strengths and not his adversary’s. He rarely engages more powerful opponents directly unless he has been prepped, and even then he has won more than lost. Stealth, deception, and tactical planning are his tools just as much as technology and gadgets. In the words of Ra’s al Ghul, “theatricality and deception are powerful agents”. In the confrontation with Vader, he would not have engaged him in such a direct manner, especially after the Empire had managed to trap and hold someone as powerful as Superman. He would not have piloted the Batplane himself when it could be remotely controlled to attack while he remains at a safe distance to continue the assault if needed. This is someone that has taken down teams of superhumans. He understands the need for keeping the tactical advantage, especially against someone who had taken down Superman.
Overall, when people state that Batman doesn’t have any powers it proves to me that they really don’t know anything about the character. His greatest powers are his tactical mind and single minded determination. There is a reason why he is one of the only humans able to hold his own amongst the most powerful heroes and villains on the planet. He is no joke.
