Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice finally offered fans a chance to witness two of comic book's greatest heroes duke it out on the big screen. However, the battle itself wasn't what fans had hoped for when expecting two titans to fight to the near-death. While both heroes did battle, the circumstances set everything up so that Superman had to hold himself back.
That being said, the fight was still supremely satisfying to see. But even though certain variables kept the conflict from being as intense as many had hoped, which of the two heroes truly won the battle?
Batman's Motivation and Advantages
From the perspective of Bruce Wayne, Superman represented an unpredictable powerhouse that could destroy the world in an instant. This feeling was nurtured further following Superman's battle with Zod in Man of Steel and the staged congressional bombing during Superman's hearing. Batman v Superman showed how Lex Luthor manipulated Bruce so that when the time came for them to fight, he wouldn't hold back. By killing Superman, Batman believed he was protecting the Earth from an even greater catastrophe, and he was willing to risk everything to do it.
Unlike Superman, Batman has no powers, but what he lacks in strength, he more than makes up for in intelligence. Batman v Superman showed audiences a version of Bruce Wayne that planned for his final confrontation with Superman. Each scene saw him do everything from stealing Kryptonite to studying how the Man of Steel fights. As a result, he could deter him with sonic weapons, cripple his x-ray vision with lead smoke and weaponize Kryptonite in the form of gas and a spear. Ultimately, his mind allowed the Dark Knight to prepare for every outcome and lead Superman wherever he wanted.
Superman's Motivation and Advantages
Where Batman fought from a place of hate, Superman fought from a place of desperation. Clark never wanted to kill Batman and never planned on it. The only reason he agreed to meet him was that Lex Luthor had kidnapped his mother, Martha Kent. If he tried to find her or didn't kill Batman, Luthor would've killed her. However, her kidnapping only played a small role in Lex trying to prove to the world that Superman was no God. Clark came to Batman as a friend and tried to convince him to help him find his mom. Sadly, Bruce was so blinded by hatred, it was going to take more than a chat to keep the fight from happening.
Superman has heightened strength and speed; he can also fly and fire heat vision. This all came in handy when establishing a baseline that Batman had to keep up with during the fight. There were numerous times, however, where Batman gained the upper hand thanks to his weaponized Kryptonite. But because Superman was fighting defensively, Bruce never had to encounter his full rage as he did during the Knightmare sequence. Even though he held himself back, Superman's most significant advantage was still his powers. This was shown early in the fight when he pushed Batman back nearly half a football field with no effort. The brief gesture showed Clark wasn't there to kill, but that almost spelled his doom.
Winner: Batman
When speaking metaphorically, one could argue that Superman was the victor in Batman v Superman because he helped Bruce come to his senses and save his mother. However, when talking about the physical battle, Batman was the winner. His planning and ruthlessness helped him come out on top, coupled with Superman's disinterest in fighting and the distraction of his mother's life being at risk. In that battle, Bruce showed that he could defeat the strongest metahuman ever given time and patience. However, he also learned a valuable lesson in doing so because if he's ever forced to walk that path again, he may risk losing his humanity entirely.