Superman (1978) vs Batman (1989)

This is a tough call. 1978's Superman is, in my opinion, one of the greatest films of all time. It's one of my personal favourites but I will try to referee this 'fight' fairly and without bias. Superman (1978) convinced a generation that a man could fly but Tim Burton's Batman showed an audience (and a whole host of film makers) the vast potential and huge possibilities Superhero/Comic films really had. Every Superhero film made since 1989 owe both films a huge amount of gratitude but they also have both films as a benchmark. The biggest thing both films have in common however is the cautious casting of the main character. Christopher Reeve was pretty much an unknown actor to anyone outside of Broadway and Michael Keaton was not a popular choice with fans when it was announced he would be donning the cape. It was the big name villains who would ultimately sell both films. Keaton was hugely overshadowed by Jack Nicholson's Joker at first but he certainly held his own. Reeve was similarly side-lined in favour of Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor although both actors’ names came after Marlon Brando's, even though he was in the film for a total of five minutes. Both origin stories were given a comprehensive exploration, with Superman clinching it over Batman by a comfortable mile but Batman's dark and sinister finale knocks the (red) underpants of Superman's now infamously ridiculous last scene that sees the Man of Steel fly really fast around the planet, turning back time and undoing all the bad stuff that has happened in the process. Christopher Reeve IS Superman and Michael Keaton IS Batman, both baddies are brilliant and both films looks glorious. Superman wins it for me however due to its epic epicness. Its two and a half hours long and quite unapologetic of it. It is the quintessential representation of the character, everything he can be and everything we want him to be. I love 1989's Batman but Christian Bale and Chris Nolan have shown that there are other sides to the caped crusader that are equally as good, while everything after Christopher Reeve can be good but will never quite live up to his version. This is my opinion and you are all very welcome to it.

In this particular episode of Batman vs Superman - Superman wins!