Batman is often regarded as the most popular of all non-superpowered superheroes. The big screen Justice League movie jokingly explained that Batman's only real superpower is that he's rich. But is Batman really as superpower-less as he may seem on the surface? At a closer look, that doesn't seem to be the case at all. In fact, being crazy rich doesn't seem to come close to Batman's countless other exceptional capacities. The deeper we looked into the Dark Knight's story, the more impressive, and downright impossible, things we discovered about him.
So, what makes Batman superhuman? It would be easier to list was doesn't because Batman is essentially the best at whatever he does -- and he does a lot of things. He's a master of countless fighting styles and possesses the strength of a professional weightlifter. His IQ has been said to be considerably higher than Albert Einstein's, which would explain his remarkable ability to adapt to nearly any problem at hand and quickly throw together a solution. Extreme conditions of any kind seem to be of little to issue to Batman. Supervillains and even gods don't intimidate him -- rather, it's the other way around. And why shouldn't they be intimidated? Batman's voluntarily put himself through his own end and rebirth just for kicks (more on that below) -- there's no contingency that he hasn't prepared for. Batman's the guy who plans for evil masterplans. Batman may be technically human, but he's anything but ordinary. Here are 25 impossible superhuman feats that Batman somehow pulled off, but had no right to.
25 UNAFFECTED BY SUB-ZERO WATER
Batman (Vol. 2) #52 features a flashback to a trip that Bruce took to Canada during the winter. At this point in time, Bruce was testing himself in every way imaginable, doing everything he could to prepare for his inevitable crime-fighting career.
Naturally, when he came upon a waterfall, he undressed and stood in the sub-zero water -- apparently, completely unaffected. That wasn't the first time in the series that Bruce was seen brushing off the extreme cold. In Batman (Vol. 2) #9, Bruce battled Talon while the air temperature was dropping below -20 F.
24 SINGLEHANDEDLY DEFEATS WHITE MARTIANS
If it weren't for Batman, Earth would've been taken over by the White Martians. At one point, the Hyperclan, a vanguard of White Martians, staged an elaborate plot to conquer Earth, which first began with replacing the Justice League. The White Martians eliminated Metamorpho, obliterated the JLA's headquarters, blew up Batman's Batplane, and captured the Justice League.
Unbeknownst to the Hyperclan, Batman survived the explosion. The Caped Crusader proceeded to single-handedly rescue the Justice League and take out the White Martians, by using fire on them (their one weakness).
23 CREATES CLONING MACHINE
In Batman (Vol. 2) #27, it's revealed that Bruce has built a cloning machine to ensure that there would always be a Batman. Each clone was set to possess his memories and abilities and was expected to last 27 years at a time, before being replaced by a new clone.
The machine comes into play in The New 52: Futures End and clone comes in to replace the dying Bruce Wayne. The machine also proves to be useful in Batman (Vol. 2) #49, when the original Batman uses it to acquire back his memories.
22 HUMILIATES KING SNAKE
Edmund Dorrance, aka King Snake, was the master martial artist that fathered and trained the man who'd eventually break Batman -- Bane. In his day, despite being blind, King Snake earned the title of "The Most Dangerous Man Alive" due to his mastery over several lethal fighting styles.
Batman finally went head-to-head with the blind master while aboard a ship in Batman (Vol. 1) #469. The Dark Knight wiped the floor with King Snake, despite the latter having the advantage thanks to a pitch black room.
21 OUTSMARTS PROMETHEUS
Prometheus is essentially an inverted Batman. As a child he witnessed his criminal parents taken down by law enforcement, leading him to devote his life to destroying forces of justice. Prometheus built his wealth and trained for many years before setting his sights on the Justice League.
After gaining access to the JLA headquarters, Prometheus took apart the Justice League, one by one, even initially besting Batman in hand-to-hand combat. However, in a rematch, Batman outsmarts Prometheus by reprogramming the helmet responsible for the villains fighting prowess.
20 DODGES GUNFIRE
One undeniably superhuman capacity that Batman consistently displays is his ability to dodge bullets. Even with all of Bruce's training, this seems particularly unbelievable -- especially when we consider how many times he's gone up against Deadshot, who's supposed to have the best aim in the DCU.
One of the most poignant examples of this superhuman ability occurred at the end of Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #804. After chasing down Mr. Freeze, Batman senses a sniper's bullet whizzing in the air and manages to dodge it.
19 ENDURES 28-HOUR GAUNTLET
What prepared Batman for the endless nights filled with rogue after rogue? We received a glimpse of how he achieved such superb stamina in Batman (Vol. 2) #23. At the age of 24, Bruce is participating in a single gauntlet where a new fighter is added every hour.
However, because Bruce refuses to take a life, he keeps fighting, presumably until he falls in action or until there are not more contestants left for him to fight. Eventually, Bruce's indomitable will is enough to deter any more fighters from entering the contest.
18 ONE-PUNCH MAN
Despite lacking super-strength, Batman packs a serious punch. One of the most stunning examples of Batman's power is told to us by Cluemaster in Batman Eternal (Vol. 1) #51. Cluemaster, having recently revealed to have masterminded a full-scale attack on Bruce and Gotham, engages in hand-to-hand combat with Batman.
After receiving several punches from his opponent, Cluemaster comments on how exhausted Batman must be -- the last time the two fought, Batman broke eight of Cluemaster's bones with a single punch.
17 RESURRECTS MARTIAN MANHUNTER
Hardcore fans will know that the Justice League's Martian Manhunter was burnt to his demise in Final Crisis before being reborn during "Brightest Day". But do they know that Martian Manhunter already went through an ending in rebirth during JLA: Paradise Lost?
The series, which sees the Justice League helping Zauriel to prevent an invasion launched by the demon Neron, features the unexpected demise of Martian Manhunter. However, Batman's quick thinking, which involves using the kinetic energy produced by Flash, allows them to revive their Martian friend in no time.
16 DEFEATS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE
Batman has managed to take out the Justice League on several occasions. One of his most impressive victories comes out of Batman Confidential (Vol. 1) #53 where he manages to single-handedly take out the League in a one vs. five fight.
The story takes place early in Batman's career, before his affiliation with any of the members of the League. Batman, seen by the team as a dangerous vigilante who's broken into their hidden headquarters, employs his tactical genius to make easy work of the League.
15 FIGHTS 40+ GANGSTERS
Batman has been known to take on large groups of armed enemies, but Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #726 took this to an entirely new level. The story sees Batman desperately searching for a missing child, which eventually leads him to the Joker's cell in Arkham Asylum.
However, the most eye-catching part of the story was when Batman leaped onto a boat with more than 40 armed gangsters and proceeded to take out the entire bunch. Although the scene was presented as another day at the job for Batman, it's rare that we see him take on that many enemies at once.
14 RECREATES THE LAZARUS PIT
In Year One: Batman/Ra's al Ghul, Batman recreates the Lazarus Pit in the Batcave. Batman did so following a world tour where he went around destroying the various Lazarus Pits, in order to prevent Ra's from ever using them.
Then he discovered that a Lazarus Pit was needed to maintain balance on the planet, so he created the life-giving swamp in his own cave -- daring Ra's to come and use it. The pit, having needed a special chemical mixture, is further evidence of Batman's endlessly varied knowledge.
13 HOLDS OFF LEGION OF MAN-BATS
For decades, Batman had battled the Man-Bat, barely escaping with his life on several occasions. Then Talia al Ghul, the new head of the League of Assassins, transformed her henchmen into man-bats, thus creating ninja-man-bats. Talia's secret weapon was unleashed in Batman (Vol. 1) #656.
Batman fended off the legions of man-bats, incapacitating many, before eventually succumbing due to the sheer quantity of man-bats. However, in later efforts, the man-bats wouldn't be as successful. In Batman (Vol. 1) #664, Batman makes easy work of the man-bats.
12 ENDURES THOGAL RITUAL
In Batman (Vol. 1) #673, Batman reveals that he underwent Thogal during the period following Infinite Crisis. The Thogal ritual, an extreme and dangerous form of meditation derived from the Tibetan tradition, is a 49-day simulation of one's demise over and over again, leading into a rebirth.
Bruce isolates himself within a cave for seven weeks, going through the ritual in an effort to eliminate every last trace of fear in him. Having gone through his demise and rebirth, Batman is prepared for the enemy most committed to his destruction of Batman's psyche -- Dr. Hurt.
11 BUILDS BROTHER EYE
Brother Eye was a testament to Bruce's incredible intelligence and wealth -- as well as his profound paranoia. Brother Eye, an artificial intelligence surveillance system launched into orbit, was Bruce's response to finding out that his mind had been wiped by Zatanna at the behest of other Justice League members.
Unable to trust his allies, Bruce embarked on an engineering feat unrivaled by anything else in the DCU. Of course, things didn't turn out so well -- Brother Eye was employed by Alexander Luthor in his plot to destroy the Justice League during Infinite Crisis.
10 DISPLAYS INCREDIBLE STRENGTH IN HARSH CONDITIONS
A lot was thrown at Batman over the course of Batman Eternal. Even relatively early on in the series, it seemed that Batman had been pushed to his limits. Deacon Blackfire and his minions had captured Batman and attempted to turn him into a true believer.
Indoctrinated, beaten, starved, and having gone a week without sleep, it looked as if Batman would break any minute. However, just the opposite happened. Despite the harsh conditions, Batman dug deep for the strength to break the metal duct that he'd been tied to.
9 ANTICIPATES DR. HURT'S PLOT
Dr. Hurt took being an evil mastermind to an entirely new level of genius. Hurt's plot was set into motion, when he, as Bruce's psychiatrist, put Bruce through an isolation experiment, planting hypnotic suggestions into his subconscious. Years later, Hurt returned as the leader of the Black Hand, a cult committed to breaking Bruce's psyche and ruining the Wayne family name.
However, despite being rendered inert, having his psyche fractured and being buried alive, Bruce reveals that he's anticipated the series of events. He breaks free of his coffin and defeats Hurt and his cult.
8 RUNS THROUGH BAZOOKA FIRE
As far as Batman's superhuman feats of durability go, this one takes the cake. In Batman (Vol. 2) #15, Batman, after being put through the wringer by the Joker, has finally caught up with the Clown Prince of Crime.
Committed to finally ending Joker's game, Batman wouldn't let anything get in his way -- not even bazooka fire, which, by all appearances, directly hit Batman. Batman emerged from the explosion, not losing a step in his pursuit of the Joker. Inexplicably, Batman appears to be hardly damaged by the bazooka blast.
7 SWITCHES CUPS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
During "Batman R.I.P.", there's a flashback sequence of an exchange that Bruce had with a Tibetan monk following the Thogal ritual. The monk, working for Dr. Hurt, poisons Bruce's cup of tea. Mid-conversation, the monk reveals that Bruce has two minutes to live.
Bruce calmly replies that he switched the cups when the monk blinked, allowing him to feel the initial effects of the poison before administering the antidote. Once again, here Batman displays a level of quickness beyond that of an ordinary human.
6 DEFEATS EVIL VERSIONS OF HIMSELF
Dark Nights: Metal introduced a plethora of evil versions of Batman. One such evil version was The Batman Who Laughs, the Batman of Earth-22 who became a supervillain possessing the most formidable qualities of both Batman and Joker.
After being exposed to a Joker toxin, The Batman Who Laughs destroyed the heroes of his world and was eventually enlisted by Barbatos in the demon's attempt to conquer the multiverse. This lead to an inevitable showdown between Batman and his Jokerized version, with the former coming out on top.