The relationship between Batman and Superman in DC is complicated to say the least. No one knows them better than each other, making two of DC's top heroes close allies and friends. But they've also found themselves as rivals on more than one occasion, facing off when the situation called for it.
In many ways, Batman is at a disadvantage when he and Superman cross each other. The Man of Steel is incredibly powerful, and Batman is just a peak human. The only thing that gives him a chance is intelligence, though Superman has been one step ahead of him on occasion.
10 COULDN'T KEEP UP: Lex Luthor's Kryptonite
In Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, Lex's motivations for constantly going after Superman were examined. Essentially, he's jealous of the true Man of Steel but masks it behind a façade of wanting to protect the world from an alien invasion.
One of his plans included giving big ol' chunk of Kryptonite to Batman. Lex's intention was to arm Batman in case Superman was lying about his intentions or went rogue. One step ahead of the situation, Superman showed up and literally blew the Kryptonite out of his hands, then kicked Batman's butt.
9 OUTSMARTED: A Kryptonite Dart
The most paranoid person about Superman going off the deep end is Superman himself. He's constantly trying to find ways to help his friends reign him in if the situation ever arises. And it does. Superman has even been known to supply Batman with Kryptonite as a just in case.
When Brainiac took over Superman's mind and sent him out to do some nasty stuff, Batman stepped in. He used the Kryptonite to make a dart that allowed him to remove the mind control device Brainiac attached to Superman.
8 COULDN'T KEEP UP: Max Lord Sets Superman Up
While a much different version of the character recently popped up in Wonder Woman 1984, Maxwell Lord has long been one of the Justice League's greatest villains. He is a Machiavellian genius who has given them a massive fight on more than one occasion.
This time, he tricked Superman into thinking that Darkseid was up to some nasty shenanigans. Superman went on a tear, believing he was fighting the Lord of Apokalips. Instead, he was beating the crap out of Batman. The fact that Batman wasn't prepared for this on any level was the biggest shock of the story.
7 OUTSMARTED: Meeting Up In The DCAU
The DC Animated Universe has its own history, separate from anything going on in the comics, movies, or live action TV series. And in most cases, the DCAU has provided some of the best material DC has to offer.
On more than one occasion, the DCAU version of Superman thought he was one step ahead of Batman. He wasn't. Superman used his X-Ray vision to look under the cowl to figure out who Batman really was. But he learned everything he needed to know when he found out Batman tracked him home and worked out his identity.
6 COULDN'T KEEP UP: Blackrock Takes Control
Being possessed by aliens, demons, and random artifacts is a hallmark of comic books in any universe. It just keeps happening. Superman has a real problem with this, going all the way back to the day Mongul gave him a really mean bouquet of flowers.
Batman ended up being taken over by an alien known as Blackrock. In addition to making him into kind of a jerk, the new Batman/Blackrock hybrid had several enhanced abilities that gave Superman pause. In the end, Superman picked up the win knowing it would drive Blackrock out.
5 OUTSMARTED: Red Son Beating
One of DC's more ingenious creations have been the Elseworlds stories. These alternate reality, alternate timeline narratives have taken familiar characters and put them in some incredibly unexpected places. Many years ago, an entire slate of annuals was Elseworlds stories.
Red Son is a fan favorite Elseworlds story that had Superman land in Russia as a baby instead of America. As an adult, he faced off against the Russian version of Batman who suckered him into a trap and depowered him. If it wasn't for Wonder Woman stepping in, Batman would have won that fight.
4 COULDN'T KEEP UP: Raging On Fear Toxin And Venom
When it comes right down to it, Batman is just a man. He's an incredibly smart man who has the bankroll to fund pretty much anything and has been well trained in several martial arts. The problem is that he deals with a lot of crazy powerful people as well as some just plain crazy people.
At one point, Batman was dosed with a combination of Scarecrow's Fear Toxin and Bane's Venom. This nasty cocktail or crazy and powerful made Batman incredibly dangerous to himself and others. Superman tried to talk him down, then just beat him up. He didn't necessarily outsmart Batman but he did what he had to do.
3 OUTSMARTED: The Dark Knight Returns And Wins
Out of the thousands of Batman stories in existence, few have had the long term impact of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. It told the story of a retired Bruce Wayne getting drawn back into the mix by Gotham slipping deeper into the muck.
The final fight pitted Batman against Superman. The Caped Crusader showed up to the fight with weapons to help even the odds as well as an angry archer sporting a Kryptonite arrow. Batman won the fight, then faked his death to advance his own plans.
2 COULDN'T KEEP UP: Takes Down A Kryptonite Batman
Every once in a while, Superman and Batman get to go on a road trip together. Their road trips usually involve going to other dimensions and end up in fights to save multiple realities from overwhelming cosmic threats.
When they ended up in an alternate reality, Batman was possessed by a version of the Kryptonite Man. That should have made him unbeatable has he was giving off radiation that would have incapacitated Superman. Instead, Superman attacked his pressure points and encased him in lead. It was a pretty slick plan.
1 OUTSMARTED: Controlled By Poison Ivy
The Hush storyline was a rough ride for Batman. A plan masterminded by Riddler saw the grave of Jason Todd violated and various aspects of Batman's life turned upside down. It also introduced the villain known as Hush, a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne's who was jealous that both of his parents weren't dead, too.
At one point, Batman ended up facing off against Superman who was under the control of Poison Ivy. She had been given Kryptonite laced lipstick which allowed her powers to work on him. Batman and Catwoman actually took on the Man of Steel and fended him off until Poison Ivy's control was broken.